Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Cuban Sliders

I have seen those baked ham and cheese sliders all over pinterest for a while now, and while I have wanted to make them I wanted something a bit more interesting than just ham and cheese to make the husband want to eat them.

These Cuban sliders are so delicious, we both loved them and have made them a couple of times now.  I decided on provolone cheese as Randal doesn't really like swiss cheese.


12 hawaiian sweet rolls
Deli ham slices
Provolone cheese slices
Dill pickles
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 stick butter
Yellow mustard

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt the butter in a small pan, add the onions and cook for a few minutes until softened.  Add 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard, stir together and remove from heat. 

Grease a baking dish, slice the rolls in half and place the bottom half of the rolls in the pan, brush with yellow mustard.  Layer the provolone cheese, ham and dill pickles on the rolls then add the tops of the rolls.  Pour the onion mixture over the top of the sliders, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

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Menu Plan Monday








 Monday: Bbq beef stuffed baked potatoes

Tuesday: Tilapia with mango salsa, jasmine rice

Wednesday: Bacon cheeseburger meatballs, mashed potatoes and peas

Thursday: Tacos

Friday: Eating out
  
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Coconut Passion Fruit Cupcakes

It's that time of year again when I start thinking about the United Way bake sale that takes place at my husbands office.  It may not be until October, but with the daycare I have so little free time that I have to grab any chance I get to try out new recipes.  I have had my eye on these passion fruit cupcakes from Hungry Rabbit for a while.  I knew I wanted to make them full size cupcakes with a frosting so I changed the original recipe a little.  I made 3 or 4 different cupcakes for Randal to take to work that day as round one of our cupcake testing and I am pretty sure that these were the most popular by far!


Coconut cupcakes
1-1/2 cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
6  tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 and line a cupcake tin with liners.

In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. 

Heat coconut milk and butter in a small pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine eggs and sugar, beat for 2 - 3 minutes.  Add in the dry ingredients and mix just to combine.  Add in eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Coconut cream
1 cup coconut milk, divided
1-1/2 tbsp cornstarch
6 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp coconut extract

Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup of coconut milk. Combine remaining 3/4 cup of coconut milk with sugar and salt in a saucepan; bring to boil and remove from heat.
Beat egg, then egg yolks into cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/2 of boiling coconut milk into egg mixture, whisk constantly. Return the remaining coconut milk to a boil; pour in hot egg mixture in a steady stream, whisking constantly.
Continue whisking until cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and extracts until fully combined. Pour cream through a fine sieve into a bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate immediately until cold, at least 1 hour.

Coconut swiss meringue buttercream
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 large egg whites
1 cup + 2 tbsp of sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
pinch of salt

To make the frosting, put a few inches of water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Put the egg whites, sugar and salt into a bowl that will fit over the pan of water and whisk until it reaches 150 degrees and the sugar has all melted. Transfer mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk on medium speed until the bowl feels cold (this can take up to 10 minutes) add the butter 2 tablespoons at a time, finally beat in the vanilla and coconut extracts.

White chocolate passion fruit glaze
1/2 cup passion fruit pureƩ
6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbsp light corn syrup

 In a samll pan bring passion fruit puree to a simmer.. Remove from heat, add white chocolate and corn syrup. Let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let cool.

To assemble cupcakes, using the cone method fill the center of each cupcake with the coconut cream.  Frost with the coconut swiss meringue buttercream, top with the passion fruit glaze.

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Bread Machine Naan Bread

I have recently rediscovered my bread machine, I used to love that thing and used it frequently but for the past few years it has been sitting in my pantry unused and neglected.  I really don't know why, but I walked past it recently and just decided to drag it out, clean it up and actually make something with it.

I ended up deciding on a bread machine naan bread as we were having curry for dinner that night, so a perfect combination.  I really can't believe I have ignored my bread machine for so long, it is just so easy and always produces great bread. 


2/3 cup warm milk 
2 tsp unsalted butter, melted 
2 tsp yeast 
1 lb all purpose flour 
1 tsp salt 
1 tsp baking powder 
2 tbsp olive oil 
2/3 cup plain yogurt 
1 large egg 
2 tsp sugar

In the bowl of the bread machine add the milk, butter, sugar and yeast.  Followed by the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the olive oil, yogurt and egg.  

Set the bread machine to the dough setting.

When the bread machine has finished, heat the oven to 500.  Divide the dough into 6 equal balls, and with a rolling pin flatten into ovals about 1/3 inch thick.  Place the dough onto a large baking sheet and bake for 2-3 minutes, until dough starts to puff.  Brush with melted butter and serve.

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Monday, July 21, 2014

Menu Plan Monday








 Monday: BLT's and tomato soup

Tuesday: Tilapia with mango salsa, jasmine rice

Wednesday: Pepsi pot roast

Thursday: Tacos

Friday: Eating out
  
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

Monday, July 14, 2014

Menu Plan Monday








 Monday: Cuban sliders and fries

Tuesday: Pizza burgers

Wednesday: Chicken tikka, jasmine rice

Thursday:Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans

Friday: Eating out
  
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie

SRC - Stawberry Cheesecake Parfait

Time for another Secret Recipe Club reveal.  This month I was assigned the blog  This Mama Cooks.  I spent a lot of time looking at all the recipes on this blog, there were so many I wanted to try.  At first I was set on making the plantain chips  as I have been kind of obsessed with plantain chips recently, then I realised it would be better to make something that Randal would also try so I moved on to the tandoori chicken  as we both love indian food, but as soon as I found the strawberry cheesecake parfaits  I was sold, it looked so good and I knew we both would love it, I didn't make them as healthy as the original recipe though I must admit as the husband only likes full fat dairy products, so we went with regular cream cheese and vanilla yogurt which is why mine looks a little more yellow, and Randal made some whipped cream in place of the cool whip.




1 lb strawberries, sliced
1 tbsp sugar
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup whipped cream
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

Place the strawberries and the one tablespoon of sugar n a bowl, mix and set aside.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese, yogurt, icing sugar and almond extract until smooth.  Fold in the whipped cream.

To assemble, layer the strawberries, graham cracker crumbs and cream cheese mixture and repeat the layers.
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Monday, July 7, 2014

Menu Plan Monday








 Monday: Baked spaghetti

Tuesday: Swedish meatballs

Wednesday: Chicken tikka, jasmine rice

Thursday: Kung pao chicken and fried rice

Friday: Eating out
  
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie