Fancy Ice Cream Toppers

Whenever I would see these things on top of desserts I thought they were so elegant but somewhat intimidating. Well I recently attempted these fancy chocolate toppers and they were surprisingly easy. 

Oh boy! I haven't had ice cream in a while, I kind of forgot about it believe it or not. Since I have been making all of these desserts lately I haven't really been eating it that much. Tonight I enjoyed a scoop of mint chip (my favourite) while studying for exams (not my favourite.) I am actually pretty proud of how these came out. You can make just about anything, hearts, squiggles, zigzags or anything your heart desires.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp of canola or vegetable oil 
• A scoop of your favourite ice cream

Directions

1. Combine the chocolate chips and oil in a microwave safe bowl

microwave for 3 sets of 20 second intervals. Stirring in between intervals.

3. Set up a sheet of wax paper on a plate and use a spoon or spatula to drizzle patterns on the paper. You may not get it at first but practice makes perfect.

4. Store in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before serving on top ice cream. When they are ready serve, scoop ice cream in a bowl and gently peel off the chocolate and place it on top the ice cream. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Tapioca

This pudding is an old favourite of mine. I really love this dessert. Tapioca isn't everybody's cup of tea but I love it to bits. Every time I make some it disappears in 10 seconds flat. I sometimes add a raspberry reduction on top to even out the sweet flavour of tapioca with the tart taste of raspberries. If you are looking to get creative, serve them in martini glasses.

I'll give you all an update on the status of my cookbook that I have been working on. As many of you may know, this blog started out as a project for a tech glass. But I enjoyed it so much that I decided to continue the blog. I finished the cookbook and submitted it for marking last week. I hope I do well because I have really been working hard these past few months. 

Yields: 4 servings

Prep time: 5 minutes

Total time: 42 minutes

Ingrediens 

1/4 cup sugar

3 tbsp Minute Tapioca (I use Club House)

1/4 tsp salt

3 cups milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a large saucepan whisk together the sugar, tapioca, salt milk and egg. Let stand for 5 minutes.

2. Bring to a boil on medium heat, whisk occasionally until it come to a full boil. This will take about 17 minutes.

3. Let cool for 20 minutes, whisk twice in that time. Pudding will thicken as it cools. Serve warm or chilled, store leftovers in the fridge.

Note: Looking to spice up this recipe? Try this Raspberry Reduction to top everything off.

Recipe adapted from Club House Minute Tapioca package

Pavlova

This interesting dessert originated in Australia and was made to celebrate the visit from a Russian ballerina called Anna Pavlova. It is basically a twist on the classic meringue but instead of tiny bites sized meringues this is a giant meringue, topped with whipping cream and fresh fruit.

The first time I tried to make this recipe it was a total disaster. Mistake number one was that I tried to beat the egg whites with the paddle attachment instead of the whisk on my Kitchen Aid mixer. My next mistake was that I added the cornstarch before the eggs whites had been mixed well enough. Then it went from bad to worse. Discouraged that my recipe wasn't working, I decided to try and salvage my cornstarch and egg whites by getting creative. I tried to add flour and turn the batter into cookies. I used the wrong temperature clearly because after 10 minutes, the kitchen was filled with smoke and the fire alarm was ringing. What can I say? Sleep deprived teenagers and Mondays don't mix well!

When I tried this recipe again it turned out great and was easier then I had thought it would be. This really taught me that it is completely healthy to make mistakes and the results are often worth it. Like one of my favorite childhood television shows always says, "Take chances, make mistakes and get messy".

Yields: 1 cake

Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

2 egg whites
1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 kiwis, sliced (or your choice of fresh fruit)
1 cup whipping cream (or Cool Whip, thawed)

Directions

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 9-inch circle with a pencil on the paper. This will act as your guide lines for the meringue.

2. In the bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat egg whites until they are well mixed. Add in cornstarch and the mix until white and foamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until stiff, shiny peaks start to form. Quickly add in lemon juice and vanilla. 

3. Spread the meringue inside the circle you have drawn and build up the edges of the pavlova to form a rim. Bake for 40 minutes or until crispy. Important - Turn off the oven and open he door, letting the pavlova completely cool before you take it out of the oven. This keeps the meringue from cracking from the change in temperature. When cooled remove from oven and top with the whipping cream that has been whipped with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks have formed. For some reason this would not work for me so in the end I used some thawed Cool Whip. 

4. Peel and slice the kiwis into thin slices and arrange in a pretty pattern on top of the cake. Let it sit for 10 minutes before you serve it to let the centre soften a bit. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve and keep cool.   

Adapted from William Sanoma The Best of Kitchen Library: Desserts

Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

Smoothies are so yummy and this will definitely hit the spot when you are hungry after a long day or when you have finished a workout. It is my go to snack between meals or on a hot summer day.

I have been making these smoothies for ever, when ever I go out for a run I always whip up one of these when I come back. They make you feel like you just have eaten a big slice of banana bread. And not only is this a heathy treat, but it is super simple as well!

Yields: 2 servings

Prep time: 1 minute

Total time: 2 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 banana
• 1  cup milk
• 6 ice cubes
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter

Directions

1. Put all of the ingredients in the blender.

2. Shut the lid on top and blend for 1 minute. 

3. Serve into 2 glasses and enjoy!

The Perfect Banana Bread

To find a good banana bread recipe is like finding a diamond in a hay stack. It takes a lot of experimenting to find the perfect one. This is by far the best banana bread I have ever made.

For me banana bread is a summer thing. I would eat it a lot when my family would go to our cottage in the summer and in the morning we would have this for breakfast. But I think that banana bread should be a year round thing. Especially after I tried this recipe! 

Yields: 1 loaf

Prep time: 8 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 bananas crushed
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper.  

2. Cream together butter and sugar with your electric mixer. Use a blender to mash the banana if it isn't fully ripe yet. Add eggs, vanilla and banana. Mix until combined.

3. In separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Turn mixer to low and gradually mix in dry ingredients. Try not to over mix or it will make the loaf tough.

4. Pour into lined loaf pan and bake for 70 minutes or until a knife or skewer comes out dry. Cool completely and serve.  

Originally from food.com 

Peanut Butter Cookies

If you are looking for a fast cookie that never fails to impress then you have found it. Peanut butter cookies can sometimes be too hard but these ones are just right! 

 This weekend I didn't have as much homework as I usually do, so I planned to meet up with two friends to go to the art gallery! I woke up late and only had an hour to get ready, but I still really wanted to bake something to take along for the drive. Since I only had an hour before they came to pick me up, I decided to try these cookies out. They were super fast and both of my friends ended up asking me for the recipe because they both liked them so much. I am not sure which was better, the cookies or the art show. 

Yields: 4 dozen

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Put the peanut butter and butter in the bowl of your electric mixer. Beat until smooth on medium for about 1 Minute. Stop and scrape bowl. Add the sugars, egg and vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for 1 minute. Stop and scrap bowl.

3. Turn the mixer on to stir and add the rest of the dry ingredients into the mixture. Turn back to medium-low and mix for 30 seconds.

4. Roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Place 12 balls on a sheet at a time. Press down the cookies with your thumb or a fork. (I used a fork.)

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Remove the cookies from the sheet immediately and let them cool.

This recipe is originally from the KitchenAid Best-Loved Recipes cookbook.

When Life Gives You Lemons... Make Lemon Bars

Not only are lemon bars easy but everybody remembers having them at some point in their childhood. It was in the 1970's that everybody really got bitten by the lemon bar bug. They were everywhere (so my mother tells me). The memorable combination of heart warming short bread and sweet lemon curd on top is something you can't easily forget.

Ever since I was young, lemon bars were the basic essential to any tea party I went to! Whether it be with my great aunts or my stuffed animals, lemon bars have been a big part of it. These sweet treats hold a special place in everyones heart! This is why I love making them. 

Yields: 16 squares
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

For the Crust
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 heaping cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Pinch of salt, optional

For the Filling
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 medium size lemons)
2 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon lemon zest
Confectioners sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Start with the crust. In a large bowl, combine all the crust ingredients and add the butter. Mix until the mixture looks crumbly. You can use a spoon or fork or even your hands for this.

3. Transfer the crust mixture into the pan and press down with your fingers to make an even crust. Make 12 pokes in the crust with a fork to prevent air bubbles. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes.

4. While the crust is in the oven you can start the filling. In      a large bowl, combine the sugar, lemon juice, eggs, milk and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Add the flour then mix until the the lumps are evenly combined. Last whisk in the lemon zest.

5. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. You know it is done when it is no longer runny and firm to the touch. Remove from oven.

6. Let the bars cool at room temperature for 10 minutes and then cover pan and refrigerate for 1 hour.

7. When the bars are cool, you can dust some confectioners sugar on the top.

8. Carefully lift the foil out of the pan and cut into 16 squares. Enjoy :)