Monday, September 30, 2013

Menu Plan Monday







Monday: Coronation chicken sandwiches and potato salad

Tuesday: Cayenne cinnamon ribs with maple glaze, corn on the cob and potato salad

Wednesday: BLT's and soup

Thursday: Thai yellow chicken curry with jasmine rice

Friday: Eating out

  
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie


Monday, September 23, 2013

Menu Plan Monday







Monday: Chicken curry and coconut rice

Tuesday:  Spanish hamburgers

Wednesday: Tacos

Thursday: Spag bol and salad

Friday: Eating out

  
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie


Sunday, September 22, 2013

Tamarind Chicken

Randal has been really wanted to try and make something with a tamarind marinade or sauce. I don't know if they still have it as we haven't been there for a long time, but the melting pot used to have a tamarind sauce that Randal just loves, so when we were at the British Isles store recently he actually found a jar of tamarind chutney, and immediately said we had to make something with it and decided that chicken thighs would be great and we really did both enjoy them.


8 bone in chicken thighs
1/2 cup tamarind chutney
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp five spice
1 tsp ginger

Mix the chutney, ketchup, sugar, five spice and ginger together.  Pour over the chicken thighs, refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 400

Remove chicken from the marinade, place on a baking tray and cook for 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

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Saturday, September 21, 2013

Tangerine Cupcakes

Another cupcake recipe I tried for the upcoming bake sale. I have lots of chocolate cakes on my list, so I thought something citrusy might be nice.  I made a tangerine cake batter and my favourite swiss meringue buttercream, coloured orange and flavoured with tangerine juice.


Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2  cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
zest of one tangerine
3 tbsp. fresh squeezed tangerine juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 Cup milk

Preheat oven to 350, line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a small bowl, mix together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar, until pale and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, add the zest, juice and vanilla and mix well.  Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk.

Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full and bake for 18 minutes.

Tangerine 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
3 tbsp tangerine juice
zest of one tangerine
 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 the tangerine zest and juice.
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Chocolate Butterscotch Cupcakes

Randal came up with the idea for these cupcakes, based on these Salted Butterscotch Caramels that he loves from Trader Joe's.  We experimented with putting those caramels in the batter then baking, or putting them in the center of the baked cupcakes while still warm, and we found that the baked ones just didn't work, but putting a caramel into the center of the warm cupcake resulted in a slightly melted, soft caramel center.


Chocolate Cupcakes:
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. valrhona cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
½ cup black coffee
½ cup buttermilk
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
12 butterscotch caramels

In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt, whisk to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, vegetable oil and egg. Beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, blend in half of the dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated. Blend in the coffee, buttermilk and vanilla just until smooth. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Divide between baking cups and bake at 350 for 22-24 minutes.While the cupcakes are still warm, place a caramel in the center of each cupcake.

Butterscotch Buttercream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup butterscotch topping
1 tsp vanilla extract
16 oz icing sugar
3 tbsp milk

Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the 3 tablespoons of milk and beat until smooth.
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Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Mango Cupcakes

I am always looking for new cupcake recipes to try, especially at this time of year when my husband's office holds a bake sale. I found these mango cupcakes over at Hungry Rabbit and I couldn't wait to try them. I have never made a mango cake before, and these cupcakes start with making a mango puree that goes into the cake batter and turned into a mango curd, finally frosted with a mango swiss meringue buttercream.


Mango Puree:
24 ounces mango
1/4 cup sugar

Place the mango and sugar into a blender, puree until smooth.

Mango Curd:
3/4 cup of the mango puree
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp lime juice
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

 Place mango puree, sugar, lime juice, salt and egg yolks into a saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, whisking constantly until thickened, and temperature reaches 170.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.  Stain through a sieve, cover the strained curd with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Cupcakes:
1/4 cup mango puree
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pure almond extract
1 cup cake flour
1 tbsp all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter,

Preheat oven to 350, line 2 cupcake pans with liners.

In a small bowl whisk together mango puree, egg whites, egg, coconut milk, coconut oil and extracts. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt, mix on low speed until combined. Add butter and mix until combined. Add in the mango mixture and mix until just combined.

Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 18 minutes.  Leave to cool.

Once cupcakes are cool, cut out a cone shape from the center of the cupcake, fill the center with mango curd, cut the end off the cake cone and place back over the mango curd.  Frost with the mango swiss meringue buttercream.

Mango 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 cup mango curd
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 the mango curd.
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Monday, September 16, 2013

Menu Plan Monday



Monday: Chicken curry and coconut rice

Tuesday: Country club chicken

Wednesday: Lasagna rolls

Thursday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans

Friday:  Tacos

  
See other menu plans over at Organizing Junkie