Saturday, March 31, 2012

Sweet, Boozy Boredom

I got bored today. It's too hot to go outside. My boyfriend is out doing guy stuff. The dog was sleeping. So, as any kitchen addict would, I decided to bide some time on Foodgawker looking for nifty new things to make sometime in the future.

So, a bored gal that likes to cook finds a simple recipe. With all the ingredients and time on her hands, she makes...

Honey infused BEER BREAD.



What You Need:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs baking powder
2 Tbs honey
4 Tbs butter, melted
12 oz beer of choice (I used regular Bud)

What You Do:
Grease a loaf pan, and heat your oven to 350.

Whisk together dry ingredients. Stir in beer, then honey. (It helps to stick the honey into the microwave for easier stirring. About 8 seconds did it for me.)

Pour half of the butter into the pan. Spoon in dough. Cover with remaining butter.

Bake 50-60 minutes.



Review:
Not quite what I expected. I was hoping for a stronger beer flavor, to be honest, and this didn't deliver on that front. I'm assuming this changes depending on which beer you use, so next time I'll use a different one.

As a bread, this was good. Light, fluffy, delicious. It was simple to make (only took me about 5 minutes to get it in the oven) and uses basic ingredients that you probably already have.

This seems like it would be easily tweaked as well. Next time, I think i'm going to cut out the honey, add cheddar into the dough, and maybe some herbs on top. I've also seen recipes using different cheeses, bacon, spices, etc...so it's one of those fun ones that you can easily change to suit personal tastes.



Wednesday, March 28, 2012

No Recipe Required

Sorry for the lack of posting. To make up for it, here a few quick, simple things to make that don't even really require a recipe or directions.

scrambled eggs with spinach, black olives, and cherry tomatoes.

gingerbread cookies (pillsbury refrigerated) with mint icing.
*for mint icing, mix powdered sugar and milk with coffeemate peppermint dry creamer)

mini blueberry-brown sugar muffins. (betty crocker muffin mix, add REAL blueberries instead of the included can. top with brown sugar before baking.)





Friday, March 16, 2012

Irish Soda Bread



What You Need:
3 TBS butter
2 1/2 cups flour
2 TBS sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
*raisin or currants (i'm not a fan of either, so I opt out of this ingredient)


What You Do:
Mix butter, flour, sugar, soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in just enough buttermilk to form a dough. (Too much buttermilk will yield a loaf that is too moist/dense.)

Place dough on a floured surface and knead about 2 minutes. Shape into a round loaf. Place onto a greased cookie sheet.

Slice an X into the top of the loaf, about 1/2 - 1 inch deep. According to lore, this is to "let the fairies out", so don't forget it!

Bake at 375 for 35 to 40 minutes.

*makes 14 slices*


Review:
This is one of my favorite things to make all year, not just for St. Pat's. It's so simple to make, requires mostly things that are already around the kitchen, and is just a really nice snack. Light, but dense. Dry but not too much so. And at only 110 calories a slice, not too bad on the diet either ;)



Thursday, March 15, 2012

An Irish Cream Dream




These are Irish Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies. Need I say more than that? Being a gal of Irish descent, I very much look forward to St. Patrick's Day every year. The green beers are fun, but really it's the food for me. So, in the spirit of the holiday, I'll be cooking several Irish/St. Pat's themed things the next few days, and sharing them with you!

What You Need:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup Bailey's Irish cream
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
chocolate chips (I used Tollhouse milk chocolate)


What You Do:
Whisk together the butter, egg, and sugars.

Add in vanilla and Irish cream.

Mix together flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir into batter.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes.


Review: 
My budget wasn't exactly Bailey's friendly ($20 a bottle) so I cheated and used Brady's. ($9 a bottle) Not sure how much, if any, effect that has on the flavor.

These are the BEST cookies I have ever made, and that's saying a lot. Cookies are kind of my thing, that's where I started. This recipe yielded the softest, fluffiest, yummiest cookies! They were also very easy to make. No busting out the mixer, no mess everywhere. They cooked perfectly. I was impressed to the point that these will now be my go-to cookie.


Wednesday, March 14, 2012

What A Tart




What You Need:
Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts (1 box per 21oz of filling)
Pie filling of choice (pictured are cherry and apple, but any typical fill would work)
Small round/scalloped cookie cutter
Mini muffin/cupcake tins


What You Do:
Unroll one crust at a time. Using the cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as you can from your crusts. I rolled it out, cut all I could, then set aside the scraps. After I had gone through all my crusts, I balled the scraps together and continued cutting.

Press the circles down into the greased cups of the tin. Press down lightly in the center, forming them into cups.

Spoon in desired filling.

Bake at 425 for 14-18 minutes.

Remove to cooling rack.

*My cherry ones were a bit too tart, so I sprinkled them with a bit of sugar after they came out of the oven. I also sprinkled cinnamon over the apple one, to make them more "pie like"*

Review:
These were very popular (the cherry a bit more so) and went fast at a party. They were easy to make, easy to serve, and easy to eat. I intend to make them again with different fillings, like blueberry, pumpkin, and peach.



Monday, March 12, 2012

Breakfast Cups



What You Need:
6 eggs
3 english muffing
6 slices packaged pre-cooked bacon, not heated
cheese, spices, etc to taste

What You Do:
Spray a muffin tin. Press half of an english muffin into the cups. 

Put one slice of bacon inside each muffin, making a circle inside. (sort of like a little bacon wall within the muffin)

Crack one egg into each muffin, inside the bacon circle.

Sprinkle in desired seasoning, spices, etc. (in the pic, I went with plain old salt and pepper)

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Review:
I wasn't sure how these would go over, but they get a rave review from both myself and boyfriend. They're tasty, and so easy to make. They're also easy to eat, which would make them a good breakfast on the go. Next time I think I will try adding a bit of cheddar though.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Starting Simple

I figure I'll start out with something basic, that actually happens to one of my very favorite meals to not only make, but eat as well. Easy, simple, and delicious, this is my "Italian Chicken & Rice".



What you need:
1 pound of chicken breast, broiled, and cut into chunks/strips
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 bottle Kraft light zesty Italian dressing
Rice or pasta of your choice (I use Success brand whole grain brown rice)

What you do:
Cook the chicken ahead of time, cut it up, and set it aside. 

Chop the broccoli. Cut the peppers into strips or chunks. 

Cook rice or pasta by package directions.

Place all into large skillet or pan, add enough dressing to fully coat everything, and heat through. 

That's it. Dinner is ready!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Welcome!

Hello there, and welcome to The Pupcake Chronicles.

I'm Elyse. 23 years old, a displaced Michigander, with a passion for both food and photography. Luckily for me, those two go together fairly well. I get to cook up a storm, try out new recipes, and flex my skills behind the lens all at the same time to bring you this blog.

In this blog, I will share recipes and the occasional craft, along with photos, instructions, and stories. I'm not a professional chef or photographer, just a lady that likes to cook and take pictures, that decided to share.

The name, Pupcake Chronicles, I pulled from my imaginary "maybe someday" bakery, which I plan on naming Pupcakes. I chose this name to reflect my love for both baked goods, and my dogs.

So, read...cook...feel free to take and share. Join me on this little culinary adventure of mine. :)