Today, I’m very fortunate that I work in a profession where I can call in sick. Damn flu.
That’s all I got . . . too sick 🙁
Homemade Italian Eating
December 10, 2010 by
As I’ve told you before in Fortunate Friday’s Paul’s family is Italian and his mom is an amazing cook. All the Italian dishes she makes taste better than any Italian food I have ever had. Goodbye Olive Garden . . . hello Pina’s kitchen.
Earlier this week, she whipped up an old favourite, Gnocchi with Meat Sauce. OMGG. It was delish. Paul, the great BF that he is, took pictures of the process, as I was at work and missing the action.
Her recipe (in her words) is the following; “potatoes, the good ones, 4 eggs and some flour”. Sounds simple enough, hey? Good luck with that.
Cool Pic Paulie
Paul's Plate
My Plate
Me Ready To Enjoy!
Buon appetito! Thank you Pina and Paul! xo
Red Velvet Cake Balls
December 9, 2010 by
This weekend, I am co-hosting a Christmas Cookie Exchange with my future guest blogger, Gretchen. I LOVE cookie exchanges, though I do have to be honest, I rarely eat the cookies that I get. I don’t know why; it’s not that I don’t like other peoples’ baking, I just never feel like eating it. Maybe this year will be different?? I guess it depends on how the ole gallbladder feels. Side note: I went to my surgeon today, and my operation is going to be scheduled for January. I sure hope it doesn’t interfere with my Wilton cake decorating courses I have registered in!! I will post more about that later…the whole story. That will be a post for when I am bored! Expect weeks of daily posts of daytime TV shows in January 😉
On to the red velvet cake balls . . .
I received package of Dean Jacob’s Red Velvet Cupcake Mix last year as part of a present . . . who would have thought that it would take delicious? So a couple of weeks ago, during a weekly trip to Winners (I’m currently addicted . . . IT’S A NEW STORE EVERYDAY!) I came across the mix again . . . so I bought myself two.
I baked the cake the night before I was to make the balls, in order for the cake to have sufficient time to cool. Obviously it didn’t need that long, but that’s what worked with my schedule.
Add the eggs . . .
and the oil . . .
and the water . . .
mix it all up, and bake!
You can use a mix or your own Red Velvet recipe for this, as all you need is a cake! Make sure you let it completely cool before you make it into crumbs. I used my hands, but I’ve read that you could also use a food processor for the crumbling part of the recipe. I thought a food processor was unnecessary, as my cake was moist enough and crumbled very easily.
Next step is to mix up Cream Cheese Icing! This will be mixed in with the cake crumbs and the moisture in the icing will help to form and hold small round balls.
Cream the butter and cream cheese . . .
add the icing sugar . . .
Roll up your sleeves, cuz you’re about to get dirty!
Start rolling those balls . . . I used a rounded tablespoon as I didn’t have a small scoop on hand (note to self: buy mini scoop). 77 balls later, this is what I had . . .
Pop them into the freezer for around 30 minutes, and then you’re ready to coat them. Freezing them helps keep the crumbs in the coating to a minimum. I used white chocolate chips, but found that they were too thick and difficult to work with. After researching tonight, there is something called “bark coating” which looks like it would work better . . . also, “candy coating” might have been better as well (I’m assuming . . . at least that’s what Bakerella uses! She knows what she’s talking about when it comes to cake balls!) Tip: as the cake balls warm up, they will start to crumble . . . keep heating up new fresh chocolate so you do not end up with “dirty” chocolate. I melted a new bag of Chipits every 16 balls.
Here’s the finished product . . .ready to be packaged for the cookie exchange! I’ll post those pics when the balls are finished cooling. Right, after you have coated them, put them into the fridge to help the solidification process. Then, they should be ready to wrap up!
And the final touch . . .
Cheers!
Wonderful Winter
December 6, 2010 by
Saturday morning, I jumped out of bed (seriously) and went to the gym for a run on the treadmill (again, seriously). It felt so great (you got it, seriously)! I was full of energy the rest of the day and when Paul called to go for a cross country ski, I was super pumped. I managed to get a couple of pictures off before my camera died in the cold. A new camera needed for Christmas, perhaps? Paulie…hint, hint.
Super Pumped!
We love to cross country ski in the ski trails above my house . . . South Star Trails. They’re great in the summer too for mountain biking. A perfect place to live . . . all season uses.
Camera on it's last legs in the cold . . . that's all I could get from our day. Too cold for the batteries I guess.
It was an absolutely beautiful day to go out in the winter weather . . . and what better way than to end of the ski adventure than a steaming cup of hot chocolate.
Mmmmm, hot chocolate.
Holiday Mallows from Jet Puffed
Since this is a cardio post I thought I would do some research on the benefits of Cross Country Skiing. Here’s a little of what I found and what I know.
- It’s easy! You can just strap on your equipment and go . . . literally right out your front door.
- Paul and I have Rossignal backcountry cross country (BC XC) ski gear, and it is awesome. BC XC skis are slightly wider to distribute your body weight in power snow, but they still fit in traditional sized tracks on established XC trails. These skis also have metal edges to allow you to cut into fresh snow, and the edge gives you a little bit more control than those out-of-control alpine skis. You know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever found yourself going too fast down a hill using alpine gear! The BEST thing about these skis is that they are waxless!! Whooo hooo! No sticking to the snow for us. There are also scales on the bottom of the skis to help prevent you from sliding backwards when going uphill . . . you still slide, but not as much. BC XC all the way 🙂
- You can work up a serious sweat! Burn baby, burn. On average, a 150lb woman can burn around 500 calories in one hour spent x country skiing at a moderate pace!
- It is fun! A great way to enjoy a cold winter day. I used to HATE winter, but I’ve found myself activities that I can enjoy, and slowly, my opinion is changing.
I hope you had a good weekend too.
What I’m Reading
December 4, 2010 by
I finished Nick Hornby’s Slam (really funny by the way), and now I’m on to Wicked by Gregory Maguire. Wicked is a story about how the Wicked Witch of the West ended up so wicked . . . and hopefully they explain how she became green. We’ll see how it is . . . I’ve heard mixed reviews. Some people say they love it, some people have said it is hard to get into.
The travelling Broadway production of Wicked is coming to Spokane in the spring, and I’m thinking that will be a great Christmas present for my mom (uhhhh . . . and I). A fun mother/daughter getaway in May!
The thing I like about reading the book the most right now is that the edges of the pages are vibrant emerald green . . . I think I like it so much just because it’s different than the same old newsprint.
Spin Swansong
December 4, 2010 by
I taught my last early morning 6:00am spin class the other morning . . . bittersweet. I love teaching, obviously, or I wouldn’t do it, but honestly, getting up at 5:00am is a bitch. I did enjoy that I only had to do it once a week . . . I don’t think I could have done anymore than that. Hopefully I get another class soon to call my own, but for right now, it’s back to alternating Tuesday’s and Saturday’s and subbing for the occasional vacationer or sickie. Here’s the spin from earlier this week.
SPIN – G
Duration 45 mins
Warm Up
Born Losers – 5:20 – 10 pushups (chest to the bars), 1 min seated, 1 min hover, 1 min stand, repeat
Footloose – 3:41 – very quick tempo, try to stay on the beat! Stand for 30 seconds on the beat every time the chorus comes on.
We Didn’t Start the Fire – 4:30 – slides – slide for duration of chorus. Watch out for the last one! It’s a long one.
When Love Takes Over – 3:05 – sprints, 10s on, 20s off
Candle – 4:00 – climb, increase speed (bursts) for duration of chorus. Add tension after every “burst.”
All You Did Was Save My Life – 3:45 – hover/stand 30s jumps
Life In Technicolor II – 4:00 – standing climb, with running arm(s). Alternate between right and left arm.
Lucky Man – 4:53 – seated to standing climb
Call on Me – 8:03 – yes, I said, 8 minutes and 3 seconds. Endurance sprint! Sprint for 1 minute on, 30 second recovery.
Wipe off the sweat and you’re finished! Remember to cool down and stretch.
These are the bikes we use at my gym. They’re pretty great for the most part. Easy to ride, smooth, and easy to adjust which makes it easy for new comers, and vets alike.
Fortunate Friday
December 4, 2010 by
I’m fortunate for new Uggs . . . toasty toes in this cold, winter weather 🙂
I’m fortunate, once again, for good friends who enjoy grocery shopping in the US with as much sick pleasure as I do. I heart you G.
I’m fortunate for a Purdy’s advent calendar . . . feels just like being a kid again.
I’m fortunate that I remembered to post this on FRIDAY!
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
November 28, 2010 by
My friends and I had established this month’s dinner theme to be “Your Heritage” so I went searching for English, Scottish or Irish treats. I did not find this cupcake recipe appealing at all when I first read the recipe (I don’t like Guinness, I don’t like whiskey, I don’t like them mixed together . . . but I do like Bailey’s!) but I figured, hey, it’s better than haggis! I totally judged a book by it’s cover, and I was SO wrong!
These cupcakes are seriously the most delicious cupcake I have ever eaten! No lie. I did a wicked job making them . . . as I actually read, AND followed the recipe . . . hahahaha. But, really, they are insanely good. I think that it is the ganache filling . . . and Guinness chocolate cake . . . and the Bailey’s icing . . . and the plethora of booze! Or maybe it was the wine talking as Christy and I did make 60 bottles of wine that morning. Consensus around the table (none for the kids!) was that they were very good . . . and when people had seconds and thirds (Adam!) I knew it wasn’t just me. Try them out and see for yourself! Let me know what you think.
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
(adapted from Big City Cooking)
Open Up That Liquor Cabinet!
1 c. Guinness (thanks Dad!)
1 c. unsalted butter
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 c. all purpose flour
2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2/3 c. sour cream
Ganache Filling
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
2/3 c. heavy cream (I used whipping cream)
2 tbsp butter, room temperature
2 tsp Jameson Whiskey
Baileys Frosting (I doubled this recipe)
3 to 4 c. confections sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 to 4 tbsp Baileys
Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.
Butter and Guinness Mixture
Cocoa added in
Ganache filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.
Ganache
Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped. Meanwhile, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
Hollowed Out Centres, Ready To Be Filled!
Mmmmm, Filled With Ganache
Make the frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.
When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.
Ice and decorate the cupcakes.
Bailey's Frosting
And the wine making . . .
Christy Making Cranberry Chianti
Half Done The Green Apple Riesling
