What do you want from me

Can I just say, i really like this music video.

Song Of The Day:

Forever the sickest kids, What do you want from me?

Music Vid.

Red Velvet Party Roll

Red Velvet Party Roll



The recipe i got from Paula Deens Chocolate Celebration magazine, which is an amazing magazine! The one thing i didnt realize, however, is that because it is different than a normal red velvet cake, the color doesnt turn out the same. Usually this would have been a gorgeous purple velvet cake, which is what i had visioned, howver then it quickly became just plain old brown.. blah. It was still very festive though with colorful sprinkles in the icing layers, and on top.


Paula Deen Red Velvet Cake Roll Recipe:

5 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 (1 ounce) bottle red food coloring
1/2 cup cake flour
1/3 cup unsweetned cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar


1. Preheat oven to 350*. Coat a 15 by 10 by 1 inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Beat egg yolks at medium speed with an electric mixer until thick and pale. Add 1/2 cup sugar, beating well. Beat in buttermilk, vinegar, and food coloring.
3. In small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; sift. Gradually add to egg mixture, beating until combined.

4. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Add 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peak forms. Fold eggs into chocolate mixture.

5. Dpread batter into prepared pan and bake for 10-12 min. or until cake springs back when lightly touched in center.
6. Sift two tablespoons confectioners sugar in a 15 by 10 inch rectangle on a cloth towel. Immediately loosen cake from sides of pan and turn out onto prepared towel. Peel off wax paper. Sift remaining powdered sugar over cake.

Starting at narrow end, roll up cake and towel together; place cake seam side down on a wire rack. Cool cake completly.
7. Gently unroll cake and spread with cream cheese white chocolate filling. Reroll cake without towel; place seam side down on a serving platter. Dust cake with confectioners sugar if desired. To serve, cut into 3/4 inch slices. You can garnish with chocolate sauce, or fresh mint leaves.


Cream Cheese White Chocolate Filling
(makes about 3 cups)

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup butter (softened)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup coarsely chopped white-chocolate morsels
about 1/2 cup sprinkles
(I also added about 1/3-1/2 cup melted white chocolate chips)

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed until creamy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add in confectioners sugar until smooth. Here I added the melted white chocolate. Then when its cool, add white chocolate morsels, and sprinkles.

Chocolate Turtle Fathers Day cake

Chocolate Turtle Fathers Day Cake

My dad has always loved those little turtle candies (..you know the ones in the orange and white package..) and we usually end up getting him a box for holidays, so this year i decided to include his love for those little turtles in a cake made just for him. I got this recipe from my recipes.com and Oxmoor house, but instead of buying frosting, i couldn't help but make my own, I actually didnt find anything else about this recipe i would change, i think thats a first! Anyway.. in the process of making my own frostings, i actually invented my own chocolate frosting recipe that tastes AMAZING! When finished the cake turned out moist, rich, and absolutely fabulous! This could almost tie with my decadent Oreo cake, and actually it took a lot less time to make than that one. SooooOooo... heres the recipes i used:

Ingredients

Unsweetened cocoa
1 (18.25-oz.) package devil's food cake mix
1 (3.9-oz.) package chocolate instant pudding mix
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon chocolate extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1 (6-oz.) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (16-oz.) container ready-to-spread cream cheese frosting
1/2 cup canned dulce de leche
2 (7-oz.) packages turtle candies
1 (16-oz.) can ready-to-spread chocolate fudge frosting
1 (12-oz.) jar dulce de leche ice cream topping
1/4 cup pecan halves, toasted

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, and dust with cocoa. Set aside.

2. Beat cake mix and next 7 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute; beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Fold in chocolate morsels and chopped pecans. Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake at 350° for 30 to 32 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely. Wrap and chill cake layers at least 1 hour.
refrigerator.

4. Whisk together cream cheese frosting and canned dulce de leche in a small bowl until well blended. Set aside. Cut 6 turtle candies in half, and set aside for garnish. Dice remaining turtle candies.

5. Using a serrated knife, slice cake layers in half horizontally to make 4 layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on cake plate. Spread with 1/2 cup cream cheese frosting mixture; sprinkle with one-third diced turtle candies. Repeat procedure twice. Place final cake layer on top of cake, cut side down. Spread chocolate fudge frosting on top and sides of cake. Cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve. Just before serving, drizzle dulce de leche ice cream topping over top of cake. Garnish with remaining halved turtle candies and pecan halves. Store in

Test Kitchen Tip: We tested with 2 dulce de leche products: canned and jarred. The canned product is by Nestlé and available in a 14-oz. can. It's quite thick, and when blended with ready-to-spread cream cheese frosting, makes a rich, caramel-flavored filling. Find it in the supermarket with the Mexican ingredients. The jarred dulce de leche ice cream topping is perfect to drizzle over the finished cake. Find it in the supermarket with other ice cream toppings.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz. Cream Cheese, Room Temp.
1/4 cup butter, room temp.
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/3 cup white chocolate chips, melted

Simply beat all ingredients together, make sure and melt the white chocolate chips first, they are my favorite part,
and they just add a little extra kick.
BTW this is probably the only recipe i wont add butter flavoring too, i think im a butter flavoring addict.

Emilee's Super Rich Chocolate Fudge Frosting:

3/4 cup butter
4 cups powder sugar
1 tbsp cocoa
2 squares of unsweet baking chocolate, or 2 ounces
1/3 cup semi-sweet choc. Chips
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp butter flavoring

Beat butter on medium speed until it is smooth. Melt the semi-sweet chips and the unsweet squares, and let cool a couple of minutes while you do the next step (you can melt these together, in a double boiler, or just simply in the microwave). Next pour in 2 cups powder sugar, along with cocoa, and when that is combined pour in your melted chocolate. Next, one more cup powdered sugar, then your milk, then the final cup powder sugar, and finally when all that is mixed add your flavorings.

My mother always tells me to make my frosting thicker since it will pipe better, however depending on how thin/thick you would like it, you can add more milk, also i ended up adding a little of my left over dulce de leche to the last of my frosting as i piped around the sides and top of my cake, and it added a nice texture, and just a tiny bit more flavor as well.

Thanks Dad!

White Chocolate Strawberry Cups

White Chocolate Strawberry Cups

The perfect summer dessert

*4 ounces cream cheese
*1/2 large cool whip container
*1/2 Tbsp Jello mix, or just add to your tastes, however strong you want it.
*1/3 cup strawberrys, chopped really little
*about 4 or 5 more strawberrys to cut up on top for decoration.
*1/2 White Chocolate Almond Bark
*Wilton cup molds


Mix cool whip, and softened cream cheese together. Add Strawberry Jello mix to your tastes, and a couple drops strawberry extract can even be added here, and then add the diced strawberries. Melt White chocolate and pour into wilton cup molds 1/3 full brushing up the sides just like the oreo truffle cups. Refridgerate for several minutes, and brush up the sides a little more for thickness if desired. Pop the cups out, fill with strawberry ,mixture and drizzle white chocolate on top if you would like, they also look nice without it, then add a strabwerry slice in the top.

Bird Strawberry Cup! Get creative, this guy is made with mini chocolate kisses and melted chocolate for the eyes, and a strawberry nose, lol.

Oreo Truffle Cups

Oreo Truffle Cups

Oreo Truffles with a twist..

*Wilton plastic cup molds
*White Chocolate Almond Bark
*Milk Chocolate too, if desired
*8 ounces, or one package, cream cheese
*18 oz. package of oreo cookies

Crush up the oreos and mix them with the cream cheese just like you would for oreo truffles. I then melted chocolate, i mixed whtie and milk a little, however just white chocolate would be really cute, and then i added a little bit of crushed oreos in with the chocolate to give it that cookies and cream look. Next fill the wilton cup molds about 1/3 full and take a paint brush and brush up some chocolate up the sides of the cups. Place them in the fridge for several minutes, and then brush up the sides again, because chances are there is some still melted in the bottom, and not very thick sides. Finally pop out the cups, fill them with the oreo mix, and drizzle chocolate on top, placing some remaining oreo crumbs on top adds a final touch.

Red Velvet Black and White Cookies

Red Velvet Black and White Cookies

I found this recipe in a Rachel ray magazine, however I've also seen them made along with some Gorgeous pictures on Joy the Baker's blog: http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/archives/64. I already love red velvet, and these cookies are probably the most moist, and perfect cookies I've ever made. I made them once several months ago just to try out a new red velvet cake recipe, however these i made for a black, white, and red prom. When i was asked to make cookies, and learned of the colors, i new these were the perfect match. They are a perfect cookie, that appears with a little class, and of course all the appeal of the popular black and white cookie.

* I added Cream cheese to the white icing, just cause i think that you can't have red velvet without cream cheese icing. It turned out a lot better like this.


Recipe:
By Rachel Ray

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

5 Tablespoons butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 Tablespoon red food coloring

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

For Vanilla Graze

2 cups powdered sugar

1 Teaspoon light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 oz. Cream Cheese (my lil Alteration)

For Chocolate Glaze

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

3 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or grease and flour the pan well so the cookies don’t stick. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

Using a mixer, beat 5 tablespoons butter with the granulated sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, food coloring and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk until smooth.

Place 1/4-cup scoops of batter 2 inches apart of the prepared baking sheet, spread the batter out with a butter knife. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 12 to 15 minutes. Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool.

Mini Muffin Pan Brownie Kisses and Peanut Butter Cookie Cups:

Back to the peanut butter cookie variations i picked up a classic with the peanut butter cookies and kisses, and put a Reeses on it instead. The kisses i changed and put on a brownie cookie. And finally i decided to bake them in mini muffin pans instead of the classic boring cookie sheet. this also helped them be a little thicker, and easier to press the candy into. Simple, easy, and cheap, which would explain why these are my mothers newest favorite to make. She also insists on merely buying the pre-packaged dough, so you really don't even get your kitchen very messy, and everybody is still impressed with all your creativity.

Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

All you need is:

*Pilsbury Peanut butter cookie mix in a tube
*Reeses peanut butter cups


Just Scoop out about a tablespoon, or so, of dough into mini muffin pan. After cooking make sure that your Reeses have already been unwrapped and press one into the top of all the cookies. Best to do this before taking them out of the pan.

Brownie Kisses:

All you need is:
*Pilsbury brownie mix in a tube
* Hersheys Kisses The brownie mix is super soft, and a little strange took worth with at first, i recommend freezing it for about 10 min. before you work with it so that its not so slimy and soft. After that just scoop out about a tablespoon into your mini muffins tins. After baking press a kiss into each brownie just enough so that it will stay in, this must be done shortly after taking them out so that they are still soft enough. Also remember to have all these unwrapped before they get done baking just like the reeses.