I have to say it was quite tasty! Here is the final cake:
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Make-shift King Cake
On Fat Tuesday I wasn't organized enough to get to the store in time to buy a king cake. So we had to improvise! I took a can of cinnamon rolls (reduced fat and trans fat-free) and created our own king cake. Of course the kiddos helped. We unrolled all the dough and then braided individual lengths first. Then we braided those braids. Finally we placed the braided dough in a ring in a non-stick baking pan. We backed the "king cake" for about 20 mins and then iced it with the icing that came with the cinnamon rolls. Being a king cake, it needed something a little extra special. Little man and big sis added purple, green, and yellow sprinkles. Finally I "hid" the baby in the cake. Little man found it this year. :).
I have to say it was quite tasty! Here is the final cake:
I have to say it was quite tasty! Here is the final cake:
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Paula Deen's Fluffy Sweet Potato Biscuits
I don't cook often. Early in our marriage, Disco and I struck a deal that he would cook and I would clean. We had completely different styles and were always running over each other or making "suggestions" the other ignored. I'm also not a very exact cook, "close counts" as far as I am concerned. Disco is a perfectionist with his recipes. So the divide and conquer philosophy has worked out well for many years.
But ever since we have had kiddos running our household a few changes have occurred. I now take care of "making lunches" which really means I throw leftovers and single serving meals in a lunch box for big sis. I do make the effort to create special lunches from time to time - her favorites are the ones she gets to help me prepare. I also spend some time baking with the kiddos. Mostly we bake cookies.
Last Saturday Disco made gumbo and I decided that I should try out my new cookbook - Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible. I have to admit the recipe we found was FULL of butter. But who could expect anything less from Paula . . .
We tried the Fluffy Sweet Potato Biscuits. I highly recommend this recipe!!!!! The ingredients were simple and all items we would have on hand regularly. Really, the sweet potato was the only odd ball ingredient and we have been keeping those stocked up around our house anyway.
Disco microwaved a large sweet potato for me and the rest was just measuring and mixing. I have to admit I have been skimping and using cake and brownie mixes with the kids (after years of making homemade cookie dough pre-kiddos). I have now realized I was wrong to think mixes were the way to go. Making biscuit dough is FUN! No one was interested in helping with the measuring/dumping part. However, I initially used knives and then my hands to cut in the butter. So when I got my hands into the dough to finish mixing in the butter all hands were on deck to jump in to help. I think part of my issues with cooking is that I don't want to go from touching utensils to getting my hands dirty with handling ingredients back to touching utensils. The biscuit dough didn't really stick to my fingers and once you started working with your hands there wasn't much else to touch until it was time to put the biscuits in the oven. And OMG those hot sweet potato biscuits were GOOD!!!
After it was all said and done I ended up making two batches of biscuits over the weekend. The kiddos have no idea that they were eating sweet potatoes. Not that it matters because the exorbitant amount of butter in the biscuits negates any possible health advantage. Disco offered to get me a pastry blender for cutting in the butter, but I really liked digging in with my hands and letting the kiddos run amok in a dough they could actually taste if they wanted (no eggs).
Final note - I didn't need to add extra milk to the recipe as suggested was a possibility. I guess our sweet potatoes were moist. Also, our oven either runs hot or the cook time is not quite right. Either way I had to pull the biscuits out 1-2 mins earlier than the lowest suggested cooking time for both batches.
I hope to try more recipes this year from Paula's cookbook. Be prepared to hear me make a 2013 New Year's Resolution to lower my cholesterol after all the butter, heavy cream, and real mayonnaise we will consume! :)
But ever since we have had kiddos running our household a few changes have occurred. I now take care of "making lunches" which really means I throw leftovers and single serving meals in a lunch box for big sis. I do make the effort to create special lunches from time to time - her favorites are the ones she gets to help me prepare. I also spend some time baking with the kiddos. Mostly we bake cookies.
Last Saturday Disco made gumbo and I decided that I should try out my new cookbook - Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible. I have to admit the recipe we found was FULL of butter. But who could expect anything less from Paula . . .
We tried the Fluffy Sweet Potato Biscuits. I highly recommend this recipe!!!!! The ingredients were simple and all items we would have on hand regularly. Really, the sweet potato was the only odd ball ingredient and we have been keeping those stocked up around our house anyway.
Disco microwaved a large sweet potato for me and the rest was just measuring and mixing. I have to admit I have been skimping and using cake and brownie mixes with the kids (after years of making homemade cookie dough pre-kiddos). I have now realized I was wrong to think mixes were the way to go. Making biscuit dough is FUN! No one was interested in helping with the measuring/dumping part. However, I initially used knives and then my hands to cut in the butter. So when I got my hands into the dough to finish mixing in the butter all hands were on deck to jump in to help. I think part of my issues with cooking is that I don't want to go from touching utensils to getting my hands dirty with handling ingredients back to touching utensils. The biscuit dough didn't really stick to my fingers and once you started working with your hands there wasn't much else to touch until it was time to put the biscuits in the oven. And OMG those hot sweet potato biscuits were GOOD!!!
After it was all said and done I ended up making two batches of biscuits over the weekend. The kiddos have no idea that they were eating sweet potatoes. Not that it matters because the exorbitant amount of butter in the biscuits negates any possible health advantage. Disco offered to get me a pastry blender for cutting in the butter, but I really liked digging in with my hands and letting the kiddos run amok in a dough they could actually taste if they wanted (no eggs).
Final note - I didn't need to add extra milk to the recipe as suggested was a possibility. I guess our sweet potatoes were moist. Also, our oven either runs hot or the cook time is not quite right. Either way I had to pull the biscuits out 1-2 mins earlier than the lowest suggested cooking time for both batches.
I hope to try more recipes this year from Paula's cookbook. Be prepared to hear me make a 2013 New Year's Resolution to lower my cholesterol after all the butter, heavy cream, and real mayonnaise we will consume! :)
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