Delicious Sweetheart Cupcakes

Redlicious Delicious Sweetheart Cupcakes For Your Sweetheart

A couple weeks back we  had been brainstorming some exciting Sweetheart  treats to blog about right here on the website and I remembered  these cupcakes I discovered which had hearts baked on the inside of them. I performed a bit of research and discovered these surprise heart inside cupcakes were totally doable and comparatively simple to make. We gave them a go and I believe they turned out very well! Here’s the way I made them:

Redlicious Suprise Sweetheart Cupcakes

1.  Prepare the Vanilla Cupcake mixture.

2.   Separate mixture into 2 parts: Place one half of the mixture right into a big measuring cup having a  (this is to make pouring the actual mixture into the cupcake container less difficult) or a medium sized dish. Put the rest of it into a different bowl and include red food-coloring up until you achieve your required color. (Hint: We made both red as well as pink variations, however the red turned out to be far better since there ended up being a lot more contrast between the two cupcakes.
3.   Place the cupcake liners directly into a clean cupcake pan.
4.   Pre-heat oven to 350-degrees.

Full Instructions Here at Sweetheart Cupcakes

Iced Chocolate

Iced Chocolate 

Decadent and perfect for summer, this chocolate drink is perfect for company or just for a summer night.
Serves: 4 servings

Prep time 15 mins

Cook time 0 min

Total time 30 mins

Ingredients

¾ cup hot water
½ cup super fine sugar
¼ cup good quality unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa
1 teaspoon chocolate extract
1 cup milk
2 cups ice
Club soda
Chocolate Gelato, slightly softened
Fresh mint

Instructions

    Place the hot water, sugar, cocoa and extract in a blender and blend until smooth. Add in the milk and blend to combine. Set aside to cool completely.
    Add the ice to the chocolate mixture. Blend until it is frothy and slush-like, adding more ice if needed.
    Pour a splash of club soda into the bottom of each glass. Fill the glass with the chocolate mixture, leaving about 1 inch of space at the top. Place a small scoop of chocolate gelato on top. Garnish with fresh mint.

Light and Airy Fried Bean Cakes

Photo Credit: eatingnigerian

Light and Airy Fried Bean Cakes

A beautiful bean cake that is light and airy nd cooked to crispy perfection with olive oil and onions.

Serves: 30 pieces
Adapted from: eatingnigerian

Ingredients

250 grams Brown Beans or Black Eye Peas
1 Medium Onions (Weighing approx. 150 grams)
200 mls water for blending
¾ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Dry Pepper
2 Egg yolks
3 Egg Whites
Olive Oil for deep frying

Instructions

Wash beans, place in a medium sauce pan with about one liter of water and bring to a boil. Boil two more minutes and take off the heat. Allow to soak for about one hour then wash the beans rigorously this time to peel the beans, using a sieve to strain the beans peel as you wash and until all the beans have been peeled, strained and clean.
Place the beans, onions and about 200 mls of water in a blender or goblet of a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and mix in salt, pepper and egg yolks.
Place oil for deep frying in a pan on medium heat or turn on a deep fryer. Using a hand whisk or balloon whisk, beat egg whites until stiff. Do not over beat. Carefully fold in egg whites into beans mixture. Using a tablespoon, drop mixture into hot oil and deep fry until golden brown of each side. Place on kitchen paper to drain as much oil as possible and serve.

Roasted Red Pepper Baked Ricotta on Crusty Sourdough Bread

Photo Credit: lifeasastrawberry

Roasted Red Pepper Baked Ricotta on Crusty Sourdough Bread

Delicious roasted red peppers smothered with ricotta cheese that has been infused with herbs and served on a crusty sourdough bread. Yum.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

Yield: Serves 4-6
Adapted from:  lifeasastrawberry

Ingredients

1 large red bell pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp. chopped shallot
2 clove garlic, chopped and divided
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1.5 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 stick butter
1 loaf crusty french or sourdough bread, sliced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

First, roast the pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes until skin is wrinkled and charred. Remove pepper from the oven, place in a small bowl, and immediately cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Let sit until it's cool enough to handle, about a half hour. Remove the stem, peel off the skin, and remove the seeds. Chop roasted pepper and set aside.
In a medium skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil over medium heat.
Add shallot and 1 clove chopped garlic to oil and sauté 2 minutes until shallot is translucent.
Add chopped roasted red pepper, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Continue to cook for 2 minutes until balsamic vinegar is fragrant and mixture has softened.
Transfer red pepper mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. If mixture is too thick, add remaining olive oil and blend until smooth. Taste and re-season if necessary. Set aside.
Spoon ricotta cheese into a small baking dish (I used a 4" cast iron skillet). You don't need to smooth it out unless you really want to - I like leaving it a bit uneven so that the finished dish looks more interesting!
Pour red pepper sauce over ricotta. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is heated through.
While the ricotta bakes, prepare the crostini. In a small saucepan (or in the microwave) melt butter with remaining garlic.
Lay bread slices out on a baking sheet. Brush each piece of bread with butter and garlic mixture. Bake at 400 until lightly toasted, about 5-7 minutes.
Top baked ricotta with fresh chopped parsley for garnish. Serve immediately with crostini.

Shrimp Sweet Potato Mousseline with Parmesan Cheese

Photo Credit: homeatsix

Shrimp Sweet Potato Mousseline with Parmesan Cheese

Tasty shrimp with fresh sweet potato served in a phyllo dough with parmesan cheese and garnish.

Prep time:15 mins
Cook time:10 mins
Total time:25 mins



Adapted from: homeatsix
Serves: 24

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes
¼ yellow onion, chopped
1 cup cooked shrimp (+ ½ cup for garnish)
1 clove garlic
½ tsp salt
green onion for garnish
6 sheets phyllo dough
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 tbs grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F
Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan
Add chopped sweet potato and cook over medium heat until fork tender, remove from heat
Over medium heat, sautee onions and garlic until softened, remove from heat
Meanwhile, prepare phyllo cups by laying sheet on large surface and brushing with oil
Sprinkle each layer with finely chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese before adding new layer
Repeat until 3 sheets are layered
Using a sharp knife, cut sheets into 12 squares
Carefully, line lightly grease mini-muffin tins with layered phyllo and press to fill
Blind bake for 5 minutes and remove from oven
Add cooked sweet potato, onion, garlic, and shrimp to food processor and mix until smooth
Salt to taste
Pipe mixture into phyllo cups and bake for 5-7 minutes until golden, watching carefully so that phyllo doesn't burn
Garnish with green onion and shrimp
Serve warm or cold

Cheese Wontons with Monterey Jack Cheese

Photo Credit: showmetheyummy

Cheese Wontons with Monterey Jack Cheese

I love the crunch of potato chips the taste of melted cheese so what could be better than wontons filled with melted cheese.

Crispy, crunchy on the outside and filled with hot, gooey melty cheese! What could be better?
Adapted from: showmetheyummy

Ingredients

1 package wonton wrappers
1 (1 lb) block Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions

Start with one wonton wrapper, brush it with water (you can just use your finger like below too if you don't have the real fancy brush), and place another wrapper directly on top of it. Press down on it firmly all over so they stick together.
Then slice your cheese, I think Monterey Jack works the best for these, into ¾ - 1 oz cubes.  I put 4-5 cubes in each Wonton, it should fill it up pretty well once folded.
Dip your pointer finger in water, and brush the outside edges with water. No need to be stingy, the water helps the wonton adhere to itself.
Take opposite corners of the wonton and bring them together.
Pinch tightly and repeat with the other two opposite corners.
Make sure the seams are firmly pinched together (really... make sure they're stuck together well) and then place the whole wonton into your hand and gently squeeze out any excess air.
Check to make sure there are no holes, pockets, or loose seams in the wonton wrapper, as the cheese will melt out! Repeat this process with as many wontons as you'd like.
Now you're going to grab a saucepan (I don't suggest using a frying pan for this, it's too messy and dangerous) and place about an inch worth of vegetable oil in it on medium high heat until it's 325 degrees Fahrenheit. I use a candy thermometer to make sure I stay in the 325-350 range.
Place your wonton(s) carefully in the hot oil and cook until golden brown. The cooking time will vary depending on how many you're cooking at once. It took me about a minute for two wontons, and we flipped them about half way through. Tipping the pan, so the oil can fully submerge the wonton helps to cook them faster, and you don't have to flip them! You'll be able to tell when they're ready, just look for a nice golden color! I would suggest testing one at a time, until you feel comfortable on the amount of time it takes to get a golden, crunchy outside, with a gooey cheese center!
Also, make sure you're keeping an eye on the oil temperature, because you may need to adjust the heat level as you're going to maintain 325 degree F oil.
After the wontons are done, place on a paper towel to drain excess oil and serve immediately with that really awesome honey mustard that's been waiting in the fridge.

Notes

The best thing about this recipe is that you can make just one, or make enough for a crowd! 1 (1 oz) cube of cheese = 1 wonton wrapper. 1 (1 lb) block of cheese = 1 package wonton wrappers.

If you really don't feel like frying, these can be baked at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, flipping over halfway through the cooking time!

Durban Curry Buns with Lime Zest

Photo Credit: cookbooks365

Durban Curry Buns with Lime Zest

Fresh curried lamb with lemon zest, ginger and garlic served on crusty rustic bread with tomato and chopped kale and a hint of cilantro for garnish.

Adapted from: cookbooks365

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless lean lamb, preferably from the leg, cubed
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2–3 curry leaves or grated zest of ½ lime
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1½ teaspoons minced peeled ginger
1½ teaspoons minced garlic
4 teaspoons Durban masala, or 4 teaspoons mild curry powder plus
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 medium red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
¼ cup water
Kosher salt

For Serving

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
½ cup chopped kale
¼ cup chopped tomato
3 loaves crusty rustic bread, or 6 Kaiser rolls or large brioche buns
Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

Massage the lamb with the garam masala and leave it on the counter until you need it.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the onion, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and curry leaves. Cook until the onion is light golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, Durban masala, and turmeric. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes cook down, about 10 minutes.
Add the lamb and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan partway, and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender and the potatoes are cooked, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt as needed.

To Serve

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over high heat. When it’s almost smoking, add the kale and sauté, stirring, just until it starts to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add to the stew, along with the ¼ cup chopped tomato.
Split the bread and pull out some of the soft insides (fold it into the stew, if you’d like). Spoon the curry into the hollowed-out loaves of bread, garnish with cilantro, and serve.

Photo Credit: cookbooks365

Notes

Durban masala is a mix of coriander, cumin, and fenugreek seeds, urad dal (Indian black lentils), peppercorns, chile powder, and paprika. If you’re lucky enough to have a South African market near you, buy some. You can also find recipes online.

Look for fresh curry leaves— which add a warm, slightly bitter, slightly citrusy flavor—in specialty or Indian markets. They freeze beautifully.