Monday, October 10, 2011

Baby shower foods,


Baby shower foods, perhaps are the most delicate elements of the said event because these need careful planning. However, deciding on the menu can become considerably easier if the organizer knows the important considerations when it comes to the baby shower foods. Aside from saving him a lot of time, he'll definitely be able to choose the best dishes and save a lot of money by being guided.

If you are the baby shower organizer, don't forget to keep the following in mind when you're planning the menu: The number of guests. It's already obvious why this detail is important - you don't want to spend too much or too less on baby shower foods. Other than that, it'll be horrific to waste too much food or to not satisfy every guest's hunger. It is fine to serve food in excess if you intend to give some for your guests to take home but as much as possible, don't. It's better to leave the take-home goodies different from those served at the tables.

The party schedule. The food must be appropriate for the time that the event is taking place. Heavy meals are best for noontime and nighttime parties while light snacks are good for mid-morning and afternoon baby showers. Besides, your guests are already expecting that you'll be feeding them the proper meal type at the party so deliver it.

The baby shower theme. Every element of the party must tie-up with one another or else you'll risk ruining the mood. Just imagine your guests adoring your decorations and once they see your buffet table, their sparkling eyes suddenly look confused. Not a good scenario, right? To avoid this, make sure that the food display and presentation will complete the ambience. You don't need to sculpt the food or get exotic dishes just to fit it in with the theme; you can just do some tricks with the colors and utensils. For example, white serving plates and cutlery will look great for tea-party themed baby showers while skewered meat looks great for outdoor-types.

The guests' profile. Are all of your guests adults or will there be some children as well? Will they be all-women or will men be welcomed as well? Remember, every type of person has his own preference, but you don't have to consider each of theirs. Just make it simple by serving finger-foods for children or some meaty dishes for men.

The preparation time. If you plan to serve freshly-cooked and stove-heat dishes to your guests, then you definitely need to plan a menu that you can actually work on within the same day as your party. It doesn't matter if the dishes are simple and traditional, what matters is that you'll be able to serve the baby shower foods to the waiting guests on time. If you still want to pursue some rather ambitious gastronomic, it's fine; but make sure that you prepare in advance the right ingredients like pasta, marinated meat, and desserts.

Edie Mindell writes for Simply Unique Baby Gifts. Free shipping (lower 48 states) and lowest price guarantee on cute baby gifts and unique baby favors help you stay within your budget.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Cupcake Recipes


Ticings Buttercream Dream Frosting


1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons hot water
1 box (16 ounces) powdered sugar


Cream softened butter in mixer bowl until light and creamy.
Add vanilla extract until blended, then fold in powdered sugar and stir until blended into butter mixture.
Beat at low speed on the mixer stand — about 3-4 minutes until smooth. Add hot water slowly to desired consistency.
If desired, tint with food coloring, or use untinted to cover and pipe details onto cupcakes and cakes.
From Ticings



Hummingbird Cake

2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 ounces crushed pineapple, (keep juice)
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
2 cups mashed bananas

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
4 cups powder sugar (sifted)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine first 4 ingredients in a mixing bowl, beat on medium speed and then gradually add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, pecans and bananas until blended.

Line muffin pan with cupcake baking cups. Fill batter into each baking cup about 2/3 full. Bake at 325 degrees for 17 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks.

To make cream cheese frosting, blend softened cream cheese and vanilla extract in a mixer with a flat attachment until smooth and fluffy. Turn mixer to low and gradually add powdered sugar until blended.
From Grace & Shelly’s Cupcakes


Maple Walnut Cupcakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
1/2 granulated sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake or muffin tin with paper liners. In large bowl cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Beat in maple syrup, vanilla and maple extracts. Add eggs one at a time until completely combined. Continue beating just until mixture is smooth.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk. Beat until well-blended. Stir in walnuts or pecans.

Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full. Bake for about 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool pan on cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes. Frost when completely cool.


Maple Icing

1/2 cup of butter, (1 stick) at room temperature
1/2 cup solid white vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon maple extract
3 tablespoons water
1 pound 10X confectioners’ sugar

With electric mixer on medium speed, cream together butter, shortening, maple extract and water.
Slowly add sugar 1 cup at a time until mixed completely.
Whip on medium/high speed for one to two minutes until light and fluffy.
If mixture is too stiff, add water 1¼4 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.
— From Extreme Cake Sugar Shop

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Cherry Coke Float Cupcake

Discovered on passthesushi.com, adapted from Homemade By Holman

Ingredients:
For the Cake:

3 cups all purpose flour
6 T cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups Coke (don’t use diet)
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 can cherry pie filling

For the Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 T Coke

For the Icing:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 T powdered sugar
1 teas Whip-It (optional*)
•Maraschino Cherries for garnish

Preparation:

For the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners. Mix together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa in a bowl and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each and scraping down the sides if needed. In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, Coke and vanilla extract, making sure to let the foam calm down after you mix it in. Foam will do us no good here.

Beginning with the your flour mixture, add to the butter mixture, alternating with the Coke mixture in 4 parts. Beat each addition just until incorporated.

Fill each muffin tin about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the tops spring back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cooled, use a paring knife to cut out a cone shape in the middle of each cupcake. Add a spoonful of cherry pie filling to each cupcake. You may want to try to chop the cherries up a bit. The whole cherries were a bit hard to fit in each cupcake. Strain and reserve the liquid, give the cherries a quick chop, and then toss them back in the liquid before filling each cupcake.

For the Glaze:

Mix together powdered sugar and coke with a whisk in a small bowl until no lumps remain adding more or less sugar if needed. You want a thicker constancy, one that will glaze the cupcake but not disappear down the sides or into the cupcake.

For the Icing:

Chill your mixing bowl for 10 to 15 minutes before you are ready to make your icing. Beat cream in a chilled bowl with whisk attachment or hand mixer on low speed. If using, add the Whip-it then begin to add the powdered sugar, 1 spoonful at a time, increasing speed as the cream comes together. Whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks. Using your favorite tip, pipe the whipped cream onto cupcakes and top with maraschino cherries.