Perfect for Christmas parties.
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, 2008
Prep Time: 30 min
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time. Then beat in the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and red food coloring. Once combined, add the dry ingredients to wet. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Onto a parchment lined sheet tray, drop batter using an ice cream scoop, forming 2-inch round circles.
Bake for 10 minutes, until baked through. Cookies should be cake-like and light. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.
Spread the cream cheese frosting between 2 cooled cookies and roll the edges in finely chopped pecans, if desired.
For the video on how to make these, go to this link. http://www.foodnetwork.com/paulas-red-velvet-cookies/video/index.html1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Combine ingredients. Beat until fluffy.
Delicious on cornbread (see below) toast, pancakes...
(I cut down on the suggested sugar and added a splash of vanilla)
OLD FASHIONED CORN BREAD
2 C freshly milled popcorn
2 C freshly milled high gluten flour (or straight from the cannery in my case...)
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C powdered milk
1/2 c canola oil
1 tsp. salt
2 TB baking powder
2 C water
2 eggs
2 Tbsp bacon grease, or other grease substitute
Mix all ingredients except grease for 2 minutes. Preheat oven to 400. Place large cast-iron skillet in oven with 2 TBS bacon grease. When skillet is very hot, remove from oven and pour in batter. Place back in oven and bake for 15-20 min.
Swedish coffee bread: A Christmas tradition
As soon as I saw the Swedish coffee bread on Elise’s Simply Recipes, I knew I’d make my own. The original plan was to bake it last Sunday because I thought that Sam would just love to drizzle the glaze over the newly baked bread but she went back to the condo early Sunday morning, I lost momentum and baked nothing on Sunday. Yesterday, I was by myself in the house and I decided to do some baking. I made one wreath of Swedish coffee bread and eight cheese and sausage rolls.
According to Sara, Elise’s reader who sent her the recipe, coffee bread is a traditional Christmas dish in Sweden. So, although most recipes yield a braided bread, Sara likes to form her coffee bread into a wreath which I found lovely. My Swedish coffee bread closely follows the recipe from Simply Recipes (Elise is one of the few food bloggers whose recipes I trust) although I did make a few tweaks here and there (I didn’t add any egg), and I used my own concoction for the filling.
Ingredients
1/2 c. of full cream milk
1/4 c. of water
1 tbsp. of instant dry yeast
1/8 c. of melted butter, cooled
6 tbsps. of sugar
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/2 tsp. of ground cardamom
1 c. of all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
1/2 c. of bread flour
1 tsp. of vegetable oil
For the filling, mix together:
1/4 c. of butter, softened
1/4 c. of dark brown sugar
1 tsp. of ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. of ground nutmeg
1/2 c. of chopped pecans
Instructions
Make the bread. Whisk together the flours, salt and ground cardamom.
Scald the milk. Pour into a mixing bowl. Stir in the water. Leave until lukewarm. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture. Leave for 10 minutes.
Add the sugar and melted butter to the yeast mixture. Stir. Add half of the flour mixture. Mix. The dough will be wet, sticky and lumpy. Add the rest of the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together.
Dump the dough into a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, dusting with flour sparingly, until no longer sticky. Form into a ball.
Brush the inside of a bowl with vegetable oil. Put the dough in the bowl, turning it around to coat the surface with oil. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise for about two hours.
Punch down the dough and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Form into a log. With a rolling pin, flatten the log to make a long rectangle.
Spread the filling on the dough.
From one of the two long edges, roll the rough…
… keep rolling until you have a neat log.
Take the log and transfer to a lined baking dish (I used a pizza dish), forming the dough into a ring. Pinch the two edges together so that everything is neat.
Using kitchen shears, slice the dough diagonally at two-inch intervals without cutting all the way to the inside of the ring. Ideally, the slices should be an even number.
Take one slice of dough and pull it toward the inside of the ring. Do this alternately. And this is why the slices should, ideally, be an even number. But I’m bad in Math, I cut and cut without counting so I had an extra slice which, I hope, you won’t notice.
Leave the dough to rise for another 30 to 45 minutes.
Ten to 15 minutes before the dough is done rising, preheat the oven to 325F.
Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes.
The bread should be nicely browned on top by the end of baking time.
Make the glaze. Place 1/2 c. of sifted powdered sugar in a bowl. Add a teaspoonful of water. Mix. If the mixture is pourable, drizzle over the bread. If the mixture is still too thick, add more water, a few drops at a time.
The Swedish coffee bread is so called because it is best served as an accompaniment to coffee. I had mine with iced coffee yesterday. When Speedy got home, he had his with hot coffee. And he loved, loved, loved the Swedish coffee bread. It just might become a tradition in our family, Christmas or not.
Cooking time (duration): about 4 hours
Number of servings (yield): 1 14-inch wreath
Chipotle Blue Cheese Dressing
I love how smoky flavors complement blue cheese’s salty bite, so I stirred in some chipotle powder for both its smoke and its heat. To cut through the dressing’s richness, I added a splash of white wine vinegar, though I reckon red wine vinegar or lime juice could work just as well.
As for my BLT salad, some may know it as an iceberg wedge. This classic dish, comprised of blue cheese dressing and a thick slice from a head of iceberg lettuce, has been around since at least the late 1800s.
The thick, crisp leaves lack a strong flavor which makes it a terrific vehicle for a robust, heavier topping. Throw in some crumbled bacon and a ripe, juicy tomato, and you have a refreshing, filling dish.
Eating this salad is a spot healthier than eating a BLT sandwich, since you don’t have the carbohydrates from the bread. But I love it because it’s quick and cool. And if you don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen, this salad will definitely satisfy.
Chipotle blue cheese dressing
Ingredients:
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled and divided
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons buttermilk, plus more if needed
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder or 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo*
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup sour cream or thick, Greek-style yogurt
Salt and black pepper to taste
Method:
Place the half the blue cheese crumbles, mayonnaise, buttermilk, garlic, paprika, chipotle chile powder (or canned chipotle chile), and vinegar in a blender and blend until smooth. Stir in the sour cream and remaining blue cheese crumbles. Taste and add salt and black pepper to taste.
If you want a thinner dressing, stir in more buttermilk until it’s the desired thickness.
Yield: about 1 cup
Note: Use one chipotle chile in adobo, not a WHOLE can!
BLT salad (Iceberg wedge with bacon and tomatoes):
Ingredients:
1 head of iceberg lettuce
8 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup diced red, ripe tomato
1 cup chipotle blue cheese dressing
Method:
Cut the iceberg lettuce into four wedges, lengthwise. Place each wedge on a plate, and top with crumbled bacon, diced tomatoes and chipotle blue cheese dressing.
Yield: 4 servings
http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2011/06/chipotle-blue-cheese-dressing-recipe.html
NAHM TOK
Our friends have made this for us several times. It is amazing! Today was our first day attempting it ourselves.
Thai Grilled Beef Salad with Chilies and Lime
Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless beef steak, marinated then grilled then cut into thin bite-size slices
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 fish sauce
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 to ½ cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon coarsely ground dried Thai chilies
2 Tablespoons finely chopped shallots
3 green onions, thinly sliced crosswise
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1-2 Tablespoons roasted rice powder
Sticky Rice (see recipe below this post)
Steak Marinade (per pound of steak):
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
Roasted Rice Powder:
2 Tablespoons uncooked Jasmine rice
Directions:
1. Steak Marinade:
Mix ingredients in shallow bowl or ziplock bag. Marinate steak, turning as needed, for 1-3 hours before grilling.
2. Roasted Rice Powder:
Roast in skillet over medium high heat until lightly browned. Crush Thai style with mortar and pestle or in a processor or spice grinder (should be very coarse, not a fine powder by any means.)
Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Add the grilled and sliced beef and stir to warm. Remove from heat. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, water, sugar, chili flakes, shallots, green onions, cilantro and rice powder. Mix well. Serve on a deep serving plate. Eat with sticky rice. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Serves 4 to 6
KAO NIOW (STICKY RICE)
Ingredients
2 Cups Sticky Rice
Direction:
1. Soak the sitcky rice in cold water to cover by 2 inches for at least 3 hours, or as long as overnight.
2. Drain the rice and transfer to a traditional bamboo sticky rice steaming basket, or another steaming vessel such as a colander or strainer you can suspend over boiling water. Set aside.
3. Fill a steamer pot or larger saucepan with water. Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat.
4. Place the rice-filled steaming basket on the pot so it is resting over the flowing steam. Cover steaming basket with a clean cloth.
5. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady flow of steam and cook until the rice swells and glistens and is sticky enough to be squeezed into small lumps. 30-45 minutes. Add boiling water to the steamer pot as needed to maintain original level.
6. As soon as the rice is done, turn in out onto a large tray or baking sheet. Wet a wooden spoon and quickly and gently spread the rice out into a shallow layer to release some of the steam and moisture. As soon as it cools enough to touch, gather the rice gently into a large lump and place it in a sticky basket or on a serving plate. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Makes about 4 cups : serves 4
The cooking time for sticky rice varies according to how long the rice soaks. The longer you soak it, the faster it will cook.
Cold winter mornings call for something hearty and wholesome and whole grain muffins are perfect.
Reading about mixing methods seems about as exciting as broccoli. But it’s so helpful to recognize and understand mixing methods when tackling new recipes. Once you understand mixing methods, you’ll quickly pick out the method in a new recipe like an old friend in a crowd. You can even switch from one method to another with slightly different results.
There are two methods for mixing muffins (and many other baked goods like cookies). In the muffin method, the liquids and the dry ingredients are mixed separately and then stirred together until just combined. In the creaming method, the butter or other fat is creamed with the sugar.
To use the muffin method, whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl to make sure that the baking powder and other ingredients are well combined. Set aside.
Whisk the egg in a separate bowl with a whisk or fork. Add the other liquids and whisk again. (Some recipes will instruct you to stir the sugar and salt into the liquids, rather than add them to the dry ingredients, to make sure that they dissolve completely and are evenly dispersed. We prefer to divide liquids from all dry ingredients with most of our muffin recipes.)
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the liquid all at once. Stir with a spatula until mixed well and moistened—some lumps will remain. Do not over stir—stirring too much will develop the gluten in the flour and the muffin will not be tender and crumbly. To avoid over stirring, we prefer a spatula or a large spoon to an electric mixer.
If you are using fruit in your muffins, fold them in gently at the end of your mixing with a minimum number of folds. Fruit crushes easily in the thick batter and the juice will stain the batter.
For the creaming method, cream the butter or shortening and sugars together. The sugar crystals cut through the fat creating tiny pockets of air. In the heat of the oven, the pockets will expand and help lift the muffins. After creaming, add the eggs and beat until the mixture turns a lighter color and is soft. Then add the flour followed by the liquids in three or four additions mixing after each. You always start with the flour. Oil and water don't mix and adding the liquid to the creamed mixture will often create an unattractive, curdled mess. The flour will act as a buffer between the oils and water in the liquids.
For either method, grease the muffin tins well. We like spray oil from an aerosol can to reach the corners of the tins. Be sure to cover the top edges where the muffins will flow when baking. (You can use paper liners but since the batter adheres slightly to the paper, you will have slightly less volume to the muffins.)
Temperature is one of the secrets to those nicely domed muffins that you find in the better bake shops. Make sure that the oven is completely heated before baking. We like to let the oven sit at full temperature for at least ten minutes before baking so that the heat is well-absorbed into the structure of the oven. The temperature should be set to 400 or 425 degrees though you can turn the heat down to 350 degrees after five minutes. The higher heat creates a burst of steam that lifts the batter. (We have experimented with turning the heat down immediately and waiting as long as six or eight minutes before turning it down. It doesn't seem to matter. Just test your muffins to make sure they are done.) Place the muffins in the upper third of the oven where it tends to be hotter and the heat more constant. Bake until done.
Tips for Better Muffins
* Always measure flour precisely using a scale if you have one. Muffin recipes are sensitive to the ratio of flour to liquid. Too much flour and the muffin will not rise properly and will be dry. Too little flour and the muffin will flow over the edges of the muffin cup rather than dome nicely. If you need to fine tune your favorite recipe, change the flour by a tablespoon or two.
* To make cake-like muffins, use a lower protein flour—all-purpose or pastry flour. Higher protein bread flours will make a muffin that is chewier and more bread-like.
* Fill the muffin tins with a large spoon or ice cream scoop. Make sure that the muffin tins are evenly filled so that they bake evenly.
Most recipes direct that the muffin tins be filled 2/3 full to allow room for expansion. If you want high-domed muffins, fill them fuller than that. Bake the muffins until they are a light golden brown. The muffin top should spring back when gently pressed with the finger and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Over-baked muffins will be dry and tough. Under-baked muffins may be moist and heavy with a doughy center.
It is easy to tear apart hot muffins trying to lift them from the tins. Instead, let the muffins sit for a few minutes and you should be able to easily lift them out intact. Place them on wire racks to continue cooling. One of the most used tools in our kitchen is a soft-sided silicone spatula that will gently remove muffins and other baked goods from their pans without scratching nonstick surfaces.
Alaskan Apricot Muffins
These are hearty, whole grain muffins—the kind your mother would approve of—but they are still very good. They are not overly sweet muffins.
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled whole oats
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup 1/4-inch chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin pan. This recipe will make eight high-domed muffins or ten smaller ones.
1. Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl. Add the sour cream. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, and cinnamon together.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquid ingredients. Stir only until combined. Add the fruit and the nuts.
4. Spoon the batter into the greased muffin cups.
5. Bake for 15 to18 minutes or until done. Baking times will vary. Cool the muffins on a wire rack.
Raggedy Ann Cinnamon Chip Muffins Recipe
These muffins are made with cinnamon baking chips. In the high heat of the oven (the oven is set to 425 degrees), the cinnamon chips melt leaving swirls of cinnamon through the muffins. With all that melting cinnamon, the tops are often roughhewn and ragged and hence the name, Raggedy Ann cinnamon Chip Muffins. These are very good muffins.
This recipe makes ten large, well-domed muffins or 12 smaller ones.
Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole rolled oats
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup Prepared Pantry or equal cinnamon chips
For the topping:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a muffin pan.
1. Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl. Add the buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquid ingredients. Stir only until combined. Add the cinnamon chips.
4. Drop the batter into the greased muffin cups. Mix the two tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon together. Spoon the cinnamon sugar over the muffins.
5. Place the muffin pan in the oven. Immediately turn the temperature down to 375 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes or until done. Baking times will vary depending on how well your oven holds heat. Cool the muffins on a wire rack.
Muffins by Dennis Weaver
Meridian Magazine
March 4, 2011
Link Here
http://ldsmag.com/index.php?option=com_zine&view=article&Itemid=146&ac=1&id=7593
These are the ingredients, also found at Costco:
Here's the recipe:With a large group of boys--growing boys--Costco has become the grocery store of choice. It used to be that the bulk sizes of things would go to waste before we could use them up. That is no longer the case. I get tired of the huge bags of chicken nuggets, bagel bites, and other junk food the kids always want so I've tried to mix it up a bit. Here are a couple of 'gourmet' type recipes my kids actually like. They are super easy, so I thought I'd pass them along.
When I was a girl, we always went up to the Weber when peaches were on and Grandma Wood always brought fresh peaches to cut up and serve in a bowl for breakfast. We have the cabin reserved this month. Don't forget!
I recently came across a cornmeal cobbler recipe in the Houston Chronicle and thought I’d give the topping a try. I’m glad I did. I believe that fruits and vegetables that share a season naturally go well together. Corn is also now in season, which is why I think cornmeal goes so well with these fruits.
Blueberry peach cornmeal cobbler (adapted from the Houston Chronicle)
For the topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup heavy cream or half & half
For the filling:
1 1/2 pounds peaches
1 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a 9-inch cake pan.
For the peaches, to peel them cut an X at both ends of the peaches. Add them to a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, scoop out, rinse with cold water and then peel off the skin. Slice the peaches and remove the pits. You should have about 4 cups
To make the topping, in a bowl mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon. With knives, a pastry blender or your hands, work the cold butter into the dry ingredients until it’s crumbly. Stir in the heavy cream until all ingredients are combined. The dough will be really sticky—this is how it’s supposed to be so don’t be worried.
Place the peaches and blueberries into the greased cake pan. Toss the fruit with the lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Spoon the batter on top and bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbling.
Yield: 8 servings
This is a great recipe. I saw it online here and have been anxious to try it. Last night I finally did and wow am I glad I have leftovers for work today! (click to read her glowing recipe introduction)
With base ingredients of carrots, onions and celery, this makes a perfect companion recipe to Chicken Noodle Soup (after making the soup, I always end up with half a bag of carrots and half a bunch of celery that eventually gets thrown out).
Enjoy!
ingredients:
1 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
5-6 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
2 carrots (finely diced or grated)
2 stalks of celery (finely diced)
1/2 medium white onion (finely diced)
1 zucchini (finely diced or grated)
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
2/3 c. parsley (finely chopped)
1 lb. lean hamburger
1 lb. hot jimmy dean sausage
1 c. panko bread crumbs
1/2 c. parmesan cheese (grated)
1/2 c. ketchup
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. worchestshire sauce
2 t. hot sauce (chalula)
2 T. BBQ sauce
2 T. steak sauce (A1)
glaze:
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
1 T. worchestshire sauce
1 T. BBQ sauce
1 T. steak sauce (A1)
1 t. hot sauce (chalula)
* side note, if you don’t have all of these sauces, don’t worry. just remember that the ketchup and balsamic vinegar are the only 2 that you shouldn’t change.
*RZ side note - I only used ketchup, balsamic vinegar, KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce and A1. Delicious.
directions:
preheat oven to 400 degrees.
heat the oil and butter in a large saute pan. add the garlic, carrots, celery, onion, and zucchini. saute vegetables until almost soft, about 5 minutes. salt and pepper vegetables, to taste. set aside to cool.
whisk together the eggs and parsley in a large bowl. add the meat, bread crumbs, cheese, sauces, and cooled vegetables. mix until just combined – it’s usually best to do it by hand. [side note: like i said, if you don't have all of the sauces, don't worry. the ketchup and balsamic vinegar are the most important. as for the rest of them, just throw in what you have. those were the sauces that we decided to use, to give it a little extra kick, so feel free to leave some of them out or add some of your own].
mold the meatloaf on a baking sheet. whisk together the ingredients for the glaze, and spread it across the entire meatloaf. cook for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. [use a meat thermometer if you have one, cook to 165 degrees]. *RZ - let the meatloaf rest for 15 minutes after you take it out of the oven for easier slicing.
You guessed it… Mint Oreo Truffles ummmmm… good. These might even be better than the originals (well, maybe). And, they’re just as easy to make, but because I could only find the mint Oreos in Double Stuf, I changed the ratios a little from the regular Oreo Truffle recipe. Here you go…
Mint Oreo Truffles
1 pkg. Double Stuf Oreos – Cool Mint Flavor – (1 lb. , 1 oz. pkg.)
• use 22 cookies with cream centers included
• use 10 cookies with cream centers discarded
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
chocolate bark or candy coating*
*Or, go green:
white chocolate bark/candy coating for dipping
green candy melts for dipping
Makes about 36 truffles.
I used a brand from Hobby Lobby for the green candy melts and regular white chocolate bark found at Kroger for the rest.
Puff Pancakes
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 C Milk
1/2 C Flour
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Vanilla
dash of Salt
dash of Cinnamon
1. Melt butter in pan in oven while it is preheating.
2. Whisk all ingredients together in bowl, pour into pan w/ melted butter and move to oven.
3. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes or until the pancake has risen and is firm.
Serve right away (it will start to puff down, that's ok) with fruit, syrup, powdered sugar... whatever you want!
*we always double it so we each get our own.
http://taza-and-husband.blogspot.com/2010/02/our-weekend-snowed-in-walks-around.html
You'll need six, new, 3 or 4-inch terra-cotta (clay) glazed flower pots, thoroughly washed. (I used 4 inch pots from Home Depot.) Even with glazed pots, I think I'd line the inside of the pot with aluminum foil, just to be safe. Another option would be to use plastic cups, inside, cutting them down to the right height.
You also need 6 flowers, either real or faux....gerbera daisies work really well. I opted for faux flowers and bought a big bunch for $1 at Dollar Tree. (Important: If you use real flowers, make sure they are pesticide free.)
You'll need 3 boxes of the cheesecake mix if you use 4 inch pots. While your cheesecake mix is mixing away, place a cookie in the bottom of each clay pot to cover the little hole, if you didn't line the pots with aluminum foil. Most recipes suggest using vanilla wafers, but I used little shortbread cookies since I like them better. Spoon your cheesecake mixture into each pot, stopping 1/2 inch from the top.
Now, the recipes I found said to use a plastic straw for this next part, but I found these cute little cereal straws and thought they would be more fun...plus, they are edible! :-) If you use real flowers, you may want to opt for the plastic straw. One cereal straw, when cut in half, was the perfect height for the pot...so it only took 3 straws for all 6 pots. Just press the straw down into the center of the cheesecake mixture. If you find one is a tad tall, just take your kitchen scissors and snip off the top a bit.
Now, for the fun part! (insert evil laugh here) I bought some gummy worms at Dollar Tree...just take a worm and position him on your cheesecake...like he's slithering right out of the pot. :-)
You'll probably only need one bag of Oreos for this next part, that was all I used. I broke up the Oreos before putting them into my mini-Cuisinart. I used my little Cuisinart to crush them, instead of my big one. It took 3 batches in the mini one; if you use a full size Cuisinart, you could probably do the whole bag at once.
Sprinkle your "dirt" over the top of your pots. Then chill them in the frig until you are ready to serve.
At serving time, just poke the little flower stem down into the cereal straw and your done! Just place a worm or two on the saucer of the pot for some added fun. :-)
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2009/04/welcome-to-36th-tablescape-thursday-and.html
Breadsticks
1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour
In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.
Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.
Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.
Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it's okay if they're close; pulling apart hot bread is one of life's greatest pleasures!
Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. Look how fat and happy they are...
When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks (just put a ziploc bag on your hand, grab some softened butter, and have at it) and sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning or the powdery Parmesan cheese in a can and garlic salt.
Or you could sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar. I did that once. It was awesome.
http://www.ourbestbites.com/
