Desserts for Still Hot Weather

We're still in summer .That means a hot kitchen. Yet many are craving desserts , sort of an upcoming nod to fall where home baking resumes. The best bet is go the easy route.Don;t heat up the kitchen too much,

Again Dave Tanis tapped into this in Wednesday;s New York Times Wednesday Food section.He create a blackberry napoleon iwt fresh blackberries and easy to defrost frozen puff pastry. The puff pastry is put into the oven while a lemon curd for the filling  is made on the stove top.This is an easy cook, similar to sabayon where eggs sugar and salt are remixed together with lemon zest.Once this is cooked this is blended with whipping cream and confectioner's  sugar.Its the layered on the cooled and split puff pastry along with the blackberries to create a sandwich.You can do the same with ice cream and any kind of sauce, Think chocolate ice cream with strawberries and a bit of chocolate sauce or vanilla ice cream with caramel and  air fried toasted almonds. The puff pastry can also be the base for a fancy strawberry shortcake,Just layer the berries with whipped cream(or even Cool Whip) if you don;t want to fuss.You can also create a quick chocolate mousse with Cool Whip and chocolate pudding mixed together. Layer this on puff pastry for an elegant quick dessert.

Ice cream pies ,cakes and cupcakes are all still great right now.They're the perfect send off party cake too, for kids heading off to college . Have a good silicone pan that's easy to take the cake out of. (Amazon has a good array of them)It starts with a good crust - name Nabisco chocolate wafer cookies These are crushed and mixed with melted butter or margarine. The crust can be layered two or three times throughout the cake.Then add whatever flavors the future college student's favorite flavors. Think a mocha latte  pie or cake.Start with the chocolate crust. Then add a layer of chocolate fudge and fill in the mold with softened coffee ice cream.Layer with more chocolate crumbs and then spread a layer of whipped cream or Cool whip on top. You can just add puffs of Reddi Whip too for a fancier cake or pie.This can  be done with ice cream cupcakes too. Use silicone cupcake molds (again you can get these on Amazon). Use the same technique that you would for the pies and cakes. You can also do a fun surprise layer of M&M's chocolate chips or even crushed toffee.Top with a swirl on Reddi Whip and top with sprinkles or cherries.

Desserts can still be made.Yet make them easy during these still hot days. It;s a simple way to enjoy having a sweet treat 

Colonel Popper Old Fashioned Goodness

There's nothing like old fashioned popcorn. It definitely tastes better than the boxed, seasoned kind and its' not soaked in preservatives. However there is one problem. You have to stand by the stove and constantly shake the pan or pot to prevent burning. There's a solution - Colonel Popper. This is a silicone popper that gives you microwave popcorn.

I bought this for my brother - the absolute popcorn fanatic - for his birthday. I thought it would be a fun - much more healthier way to enjoy his favorite snack.

It folds within itself and pops out when you want to use it.

Neat huh? It has a cute lid with popcorn embossed on it.

To make the popcorn we bought the Stop & Shop kernels and Bertoli olive oil.

It was three tablespoons of oil and half a cup of the corn.

Three minutes later we had this.

It produced light fluffy and delicious popcorn. If you're going to pop corn, then use olive oil. It adds a sweetness to the flavor along with creating a deeper corn flavor. I sprinkled Celtic gray salt over it and this is by far this best tasting popcorn ever. I will never go back to those packets of microwave stuff. I may add some rosemary or Parmesan cheese next for something different. 

Get the Colonel Popper if you want good , old fashioned popcorn in a new fashioned microwave, then buy this container. You'll enjoy an all natural snack that beyond delicious and super healthy.

Colonel Popper can be bought at Amazon for $14.00

Doodads And Gadgets

Every kitchen should have an array of gadgets and appliances that will help to facilitate cooking and baking. However should a home chef have every thingamabob available. What should your kitchen have? What's considered a frill or a necessity.

Of course every home should have mid size appliances. Microwaves and toasters are a must. Where would we be without them. The first helps in reheating leftovers and cooking quick sides. As for the toaster, many go for a toaster oven because it does more than the average toaster. It can bake frozen pizza and cinnamon buns along with giving leftovers a nice , crispy surface. A toaster is  a  good choice if you strapped for kitchen space.it's smaller and compact and fits perfectly on a counter or table.  You should have one even if you don't eat toast on a regular basis.Toasted bread adds  something to egg or tuna salad sandwiches and BLTs. Should you add an air fryer to your arsenal?I'd say yes, simply because it's a best alternative to an oven. It cooks everything from fries to meat cuts evenly and some larger models allow you to bake in them. There's a timer which is always a plus. Another must have gadget or appliance (depending on how you look at it) is the crockpot or Instapot. These are great stand ins for your cooktop and oven. A crockpot allows you to make sauce or chili, without having to slave over a hot stove. Also the slow cooking adds more complexity and layers to simple recipes.

What about those other gadgets and doodads? You know the ones. There in those ads between games.  One company, Esfranki, has a whole range of fun gadgets and doodads for every aspect of your life.I've bought a couple of their products such as their reusable toaster bags which I can use to make no mess grilled cheese. and their silicon leak proof bags for leftovers.. I have yet to use them but will - eventually.Their strawberry huller looks interesting and it makes it easier to get rid of the stems. Yet a, paring knife can also do the job.Their stainless steel watermelon cutter also could be  useful, although a good all purpose knife can do the trick. I often think I should buy a cookie dough scooper.It would make it easier to drop dough on the cookie sheet .Using a regular spoon can get sticky and messy, making for unevenly sized cookies. However I found that my family's ice cream scoop, sixty years old and thick like a hammer works perfectly if it's sprayed with a cooking spray.As for my cookie press, it needs a bit of finesse to get perfect cookies. Will I use it again after all the angst it caused?Or will I just make scoop cookies?I'll try it again, maybe for a get together or possibly Easter.

A kitchen doesn't need so many gadgets and doodads.You can make do with what you already have. If it does the trick keep it. Yet it's no sin to expand. If you see an interesting doodad, buy it.

FoodCubby A Fun Way To Eat Neat

There are many kids - and adults who hate when their food touches each other. It can be a pain scraping a side off to the side of the dish, making sure there's no sauce or gravy on it. Forget spreading foods like creamed spinach or beans. Not to dispair. Food cubbies are here.

These smile shaped separators are made of BPA Free food grade silicone. That means they're safe for your picky little and probably pickier big eaters. They also have a second function - .they help in pushing food onto utensils. The separators act as walls that make it easier for those with arthritis or hand injuries to get the food onto a fork or spoon. They're only $14.99 for the two - and they will last for years.

I liked using them. I'm not overly fond of my veggies touching the main course, so I decided to give it a try.

The creamed, buttered spinach stayed in place and it didn't spread over to the ranch sauce. (Ick if it had).What was another plus was that the Gardein chicken tenders didn't have any spinach on them . Trust me, the flavors change - and not for the better  - when they're mixed. The chicken and the sauce went untouched as did the spinach. Both kept their distinctive flavors . Another plus is that it's easy to affix the separator on the plate. Wash  and stick - that's it. They also clean up well too. Just wash with regular dish soap like Dawn and let dry.

If you want to keep your main and sides dishes pure in flavor then get a FoodCubby package. These are great in separating different foods on one plate. They also help in pushing food on a fork or spoon. Buy them for the picky eaters or your picky self.

Carrots, Cream Cheese, and Cupcakes

I did it. I baked twenty-four  perfect cupcakes thanks to Duncan Hines and All Recipes. It started with making the carrot cake mix.

The cake batter is super easy to make. It even had carrots and raisithe ns that had to be reconstituted in hot tap water. From there it was blending in three eggs and a  1/4 cup of vegetable oil.It produced twenty-four  perfect cupcakes. I used the three tablespoon method to fill the cups, both metal and the

silicone.

Now here's the whole gang waiting to be iced

The icing recipe was the classic cream cheese which I got from All Recipes. I like their recipes which are simple and easy to make, yet packed with flavor. It's taking eight ounces or a brick of cream cheese with a stick of butter. 

i used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter..The two blended together perfectly,, although it was sticky at first. The recipe called for four cups of confectioners sugar, I used three and a half. I felt that using less would bring out the cream cheese flavor more. 

 I used my Madagascar vanilla, from Neilsen Massey (I reviewed them back in August of 2015). The two teaspoons of pure essence. This has no alcohol and no aftertaste.
 Here are the guys frosted and dusted with sprinkles and frosting puffs.
I love this frosting. It is definitely going to be my go to frosting for every flavor, including vanilla and chocolate cake.It doesn;t have that cloying sweetness that regular buttercream has. It has a much needed tang that definitely will go great with chocolate cupcakes.I can't wait to make it and dye it  to decorate more baked treats.It also is great for decorating, holding it's shape well as it comes out of a icing nozzle.