Whipped Cream-Stuffed Strawberries

I made these for a Shabbat dinner a few nights ago. They go over well with friends and they are a cinch to make, even when you are pressed for time! So pretty but so simple!

Makes about 16 finished strawberries

1 lb fresh strawberries
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons sugar

1. Wash strawberries. Cut the stem portion off, leaving a flat end to stand the strawberries on. With a sharp knife, cut each strawberry from its point almost to the base, but leave about 1/2 inch uncut at the base. Repeat with another perpendicular cut. Your cuts should look like this:

2. Prepare filling - (Preferably) using a cold bowl and cold beaters, beat cream, vanilla, and sugar on high speed until stiff. Put whipped cream into a plastic bag with a corner snipped off or a pastry bag. Pipe filling into each strawberry (some man-handling of strawberries to keep them sufficiently open may be required ;). Best served immediately, but they hold up quite well in the fridge.

Comments: So easy! They made up very pretty and were much enjoyed at the dinner. These would be great as an hors d'œuvre or part of a light dessert. I have also used them as decorations on a friend's birthday cake! And these are great for when you don't have a lot of time to spend but want to turn out something beautiful!

Credits: Based on the recipe "Stuffed Strawberries" by IMVINTAGE on Allrecipes.com. I did not use the filling given in the recipe.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Growing up, my mom would once in a while make a fabulous recipe for Pink Lemonade Cookies from an old Christmas cookie magazine. Over the years they had grown to become one of my favorites. Having their great taste in mind, I was pleased to see this recipe on Tasty Kitchen for Pink Lemonade Cupcakes. They promised "a tart, lemony punch", so I had to give them a shot. Here's the scoop:

CUPCAKES:
Makes 24 cupcakes

1 box white cake mix (18 oz box)
3/4 cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 whole egg whites
Red food coloring, if desired

FROSTING (not the one used in the original recipe):

1 recipe Wilton Class Buttercream, with the following substitutions:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature for half of the shortening
Pink lemonade concentrate for the water (add until desired consistency is achieved. You may want to start thinning it down with another liquid if the flavor starts to become a bit too puckery for your tastes :)
Red food coloring, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and properly grease 24 muffin tins or prepare them with liners.
2. Combine all cupcake ingredients in an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium speed for another minute. Add food coloring to tint the batter pink, if desired.
3. Divide batter evenly, filling each tin about 2/3 full.
4. Bake cupcakes for about 25 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.
5. Prepare frosting. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

Comments: These are fun cupcakes! With the cake and frosting together, they have great flavor. I got the idea to insert the straws into the cupcakes from the recipe page I used. They are a crowd-pleaser!

So next time you spot pink lemonade concentrate for a buck in the supermarket, consider giving these a try! ;)

Credits:
CUPCAKES: sweettooth via Tasty Kitchen (recipe page here). I did not use the recipe given for the buttercream.
FROSTING: Wilton Class Buttercream by Wilton, with some modifications by yours truly :)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Streusel Topping

A delicious (and surprisingly easy) summertime pie! I saw it on Tasty Kitchen and had to try it out...

FILLING:

2 3/4 cups sliced fresh rhubarb, about 5-6 medium stalks
2 cups sliced strawberries
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch

STREUSEL TOPPING:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (one stick), cold and cut into small pieces
*1 unbaked single pie crust (store-bought or your favorite recipe)

Makes 8 servings

1. Combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium-large bowl. Mix well. Mixture should be thick and syrupy after this step.

2. Roll out pie crust per recipe or store-bought instructions and place in a 9 inch or a 9 1/2 inch pie plate. Pour filling into crust, using a large spoon to spread evenly.

3. For the filling, combine flour and brown sugar in a small (I'd actually suggest medium) bowl. Cut butter into pieces and cut the butter into the flour/brown sugar mixture with two knives or a pastry cutter. It should have the consistency of coarse crumbs when you are finished. Sprinkle the crumbs over the rhubarb/strawberry mixture.

4. Place pie plate on a rimmed cookie sheet (this step is important ;) and into a 400 degree oven. Bake for 50-55 minutes, covering the edges with foil halfway through to prevent overbrowning of the crust.

5. Let the pie cool completely before serving. Serve with freshly whipped cream, if desired (highly recommended ;)

*This is the crust I used (and the one I use for any pie that asks a pastry crust). A family recipe!
Makes 2 crusts

1 cup shortening
2 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
(1 1/2 cups ice water + 1 tablespoon vinegar) 6-7 tablespoons of ice water mixture

Cut shortening into flour and salt. Add water gradually, cutting it into the dough after every 1-2 tablespoonful addition. Roll out onto floured surface after dough barely comes together.

Comments: This pie is GREAT. The rhubarb packs a lotta punch without being totally overwhelming, thanks to the sugar and strawberries. And the streusel topping totally makes it.

Rave reviews from roommates and friends. Try it! :D

Credit:

PIE: Melanie of Mel's Kitchen Cafe via Tasty Kitchen. The recipe is pretty much the same... I just copied it in somewhat different wording  :)    

*CRUST: Recipe from my mom, who believes it is originally from her grandma, Delsa Hill Beck :) I may have put a little spin on the instructions over time (my hand-written ones were scant!), but I think the integrity is still there ;)

Lime-Yogurt Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream

I made these last night to (take a break from life/lighten the heavy Pearl of Great Price reading/use up some of my fairly large supply of citrus fruits). Finished the decorating today... this is how it goes.

CUPCAKES:
Makes 24 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, separated, room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
4 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup plain yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 24 muffin slots with oil or cupcake papers.

2. Whisk together flour, soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. Beat egg whites on medium speed (I always did high speed, hehe) until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until peaks are stiff and glossy but not dry.

4. If using a stand mixer and needing the used bowl, move beaten egg whites to another bowl. Set aside.

5. Cream butter in mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and zest, then beat until pale and fluffy.

6. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Mix in lime juice and vanilla.

7. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in three sets, alternating with two sets of yogurt. Beat until just incorporated after each addition.

8. Mix in 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

9. Divide batter evenly among baking cups, about 3/4 full each. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning the cakes halfway through (though I never do this haha). Transfer finished cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely (I also neglect this part, but you do need to let them cool completely at any rate ;).

*FROSTING:
I based my frosting off of this recipe out of my Decorating Basics Lesson Plan by Wilton: http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Class-Buttercream-Icing-Stiff-Consistency. I substituted about 4-5 teaspoons fresh lime juice for the water and Kirkland Pure Vanilla Extract for the Wilton Flavor. I also cut corners with the process and put ingredients in at about the same time, but that's just me ;)

*Note: This yields a very stiff frosting. I wanted this consistency to produce the rose decorations you saw in the photo above. If you aren't interested in creating these intricate shapes, add water until you achieve the consistency you want. 


In retrospect, I probably should've added more liquid to my frosting so my petals wouldn't split as much, but the cracked petals have their own charm ;)

These are created using a technique taught in the Wilton Decorating Basics class!

***

Comments: Don't be daunted by how much work this looks like! It's really not so bad... and the results are so worth it! :) I have made the cupcake recipe twice now, but this time around my egg whites collapsed (due either to the amount of humidity as of late or some human error of mine). But, after consulting the guru of cooking questions (aka Dad) and being unwilling to scratch the recipe, I went ahead and carried on as usual and used my flopped egg whites. Perhaps the results were more dense this time around, but the flavor was perfectly fine! Also, I didn't make this recipe exactly to the T in terms of measurements or the precise order of ingredient adding (that's just me), but everything resembled pretty closely to what is above. :)

***

Credits:
CUPCAKES - Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes (2009) recipe "Lemon-Yogurt Cupcakes with Raspberry Jam", page 125. Here, I substituted the lemon ingredients for lime ones, as well as other adjustments, like salted butter instead of unsalted, and leaving out the raspberry jam instructions.

FROSTING - Adapted from Wilton's "Class Buttercream Icing (Stiff Consistency)" recipe out of my Decorating Basics Lesson Plan by Wilton. I substituted lime juice for the water (and didn't use quite 7-8 teaspoons as perhaps I should have) and Kirkland Pure Vanilla Extract for the Wilton Flavor.

Well, thanks for stoppin' by. The next thing up here won't be near so lengthy, I promise. Maybe. :)

Peace,
Rackel

Let's Have A Look...

Butter?

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Cake pedestal? 

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Camera? 

(Source: store.kodak.com. Click on the picture above for the source page.)
Check.

It's all here. Now...

Let the food bloggage commence!

I will try to populate this place with my delicious finds from various sources, from family recipes to food websites to friends! I hope y'all will enjoy the ride along with me, and maybe try something you see here that catches your fancy.

Thanks for being great, everybody, and I hope to see you again soon!

Rackel