Made By Melissa

This was the last class of course 1. We reviewed the Wilton rose, learned how to make sweet peas, bows, leaves and vines. The final cake involved creating a rose spray- roses, leaves, vines and a bow, as well as a shell border with sweet peas tucked in around the bottom.

I have to say that I was just not into this cake, I have not been feeling well for the past couple of days and certainly did not put as much effort in to it as I should have. My Wilton rose did improve somewhat (though to me, they look more like carnations), and the sweet peas were fun to make, but I just wasn’t really feeling this cake. Overall, I have really enjoyed course 1 and plan to move on to course 2. My only complaint about the course is that I feel like I was so limited creatively, I loved making and decorating the cakes, but hated the fact that it had to be a rainbow/clown/rose cake. I know this is the best way to learn the techniques, but I feel like I could have learned them making a cake with my own creativity. I know that some instructors are a little more laid back about what cakes you make, as long as you demonstrate the basic technique, unfortunately mine is not one of them.

I would highly recommend this course to anyone interested in learning about the basics of cake decorating, I really did learn a lot and already have people asking me to make cakes for them. Here are my entries for classes one, two, and three.

I have been debating whether to post the picture of the final cake, since I am really not happy with it. But I am going to go ahead and put it out there for you to see.

Next Course: Course 2 is all about flowers and borders. You learn how to make flowers with color flow and royal icing and finish the course with a basket weave cake at the end. I am looking forward to not having to make a cake every week, just when I want to, and at the end. Cost of the next class is $35 at my Michaels, but again they are having a 50% off sale on classes for the month of April, plus I have the $5 off coupon I received at the end of course 1. Yay!

Supplies needed: I am still looking in to this, I will probably end up picking up the course 2 kit since it contains the oval pans needed for the final cake. I am having a hard time finding these by themselves, but the kit with a 40% off coupon should only be around $12.

So while it seems like the rest of the world is embracing Spring with open arms, we are STILL getting snow! We have had more snow this year then I can ever remember. I know we have gotten at least 100 inches and broken a couple records.  I am more than ready for spring, but if I have to deal with the snow at least I am going to make something warm and comforting to eat!

I had been wanting to make chicken and dumplings all winter, but just hadn’t gotten around to it. Then I saw Chelley’s recipe over at Sugar and Spice. What I like about this recipe is that it used ingredients I already had on hand and other then some prep work, it was pretty much a hands off recipe. I made a few minor changes noted below. This dinner was very good and hit the spot on a cold, snowy day. I can’t wait to make it again in November with some turkey.

Chicken and Dumplings

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced (Nate does not like celery and would not have touched this if he even saw a hint of it)
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 of a large onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (I used 2)
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups Bisquick
• 2/3 cup milk

Place chicken breasts in a pot, cover with water, and boil until fully cooked.

While chicken is boiling, melt butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot (I used a 5 qt saute pan). Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the pan and saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and vegetables are soft. If you see that they are getting too hot, reduce heat to medium low.

Add chicken broth and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 30 minutes.

At this point you can add a slurry of flour and broth if the mixture is too thin for your likeness. I ended up using approximately 1/4 cup of flour, but would recommend adding 1 Tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired thickness. I find the best method for doing this is to ladle a scoop of broth out of the pot and into a separate cup. In that cup, whisk in the flour until smooth, and then whisk that mixture back into the pot. This keeps large clumps of flour from forming in your pot! Keep in mind your soup will thicken some more when your dumplings!

When chicken has finished cooking, let it cool long enough to handle. Shred the chicken and add it to the broth and vegetables, along with the peas and corn. Cover and let simmer for an additional 30 minutes. I only simmered another 10 minutes or so, just long enough for the frozen veggies to cook.

To prepare dumplings, mix together the Bisquick and milk, until a soft dough forms. Drop by rounded tablespoons into the chicken mixture (makes about 16 dumplings - I got exactly this many using my medium scoop from Pampered Chef). Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, uncovered. Cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the dumplings are done. The dumplings were cooked after the 20 minutes, and I was starving, so I served then. Be careful when you stir and serve the chicken and dumplings, as the dumplings are somewhat fragile and will break up into the soup.

When Joelen posted about her new blogging event, Tasty Tools, I immediately knew I wanted to make key lime something. I love all key lime desserts, but have never made any at home. When I went to Target to pick up a microplane, I wandered into the magazine aisle, and ”The Best of America’s Test Kitchen: Best Recipes and Reviews of 2008″ jumped right out at me. I flipped through it and sure enough on page 56 “The Best Key Lime Bars.”

The bars came out pretty good, there was something a little “off” in the texture of the filling for me though. I am not sure what it was, but it was almost a little grainy. It may have been something I did, but I followed the directions exactly.

**Update: After sitting overnight, the texture of the filling is much better today. **

The Best Key Lime Bars

ATK Note: If you cannot find fresh Key limes, use regular (Persian) limes. Do not use bottled lime juice. Grate the zest from the limes before juicing them, avoiding the bitter white pith that lies just beneath the outermost skin. The optional coconut garnish adds textural interest and tames the lime flavor for those who find it too intense. The recipe can be doubled and baked in a 13- by 9-inch baking pan; you will need a double layer of extra-wide foil for the pan (each sheet about 20 inches in length) and should increase the baking times by a minute or two.

Crust

• 5 ounces animal crackers
• 3 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
• pinch salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Filling

• 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temp
• 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
• pinch salt
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup Key lime or fresh lime juice (see note above)(I really wanted to use key limes, so I squeezed all but a couple from the bag to make 1/2 cup)

Garnish (Optional)

• 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut about 12-inch length extra-wide heavy-duty foil; fold cut edges back to form 7 1/2-inch width. With folded sides facing down, fit foil securely into bottom and up sides of 8-inch-square baking pan, allowing excess to overhang pan sides. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

TO MAKE THE CRUST: In workbowl of food processor, pulse animal crackers until broken down, about ten 1-second pulses; process crumbs until evenly fine, about 10 seconds (you should have about 1 1/4 cups crumbs). Add brown sugar and salt; process to combine, ten to twelve 1-second pulses (if large sugar lumps remain, break them apart with fingers). Drizzle butter over crumbs and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened with butter, about ten 1-second pulses. Press crumbs evenly and firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling. Do not turn off oven.

TO MAKE THE FILLING: While crust cools, in medium bowl, stir cream cheese, zest, and salt with rubber spatula until softened, creamy, and thoroughly combined. Add sweetened condensed milk and whisk vigorously until incorporated and no lumps of cream cheese remain; whisk in egg yolk. Add lime juice and whisk gently until incorporated (mixture will thicken slightly).

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: Pour filling into crust; spread to corners and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until set and edges begin to pull away slightly from sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Cover with foil and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.

Loosen edges with paring knife and lift bars from baking pan using foil extensions; cut bars into 16 squares. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, if using, and serve. (Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 2 days; crust will soften slightly. Let bars stand at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving.)

I am willing to try another recipe, so if you have one or know of one, please feel free to leave me a comment with a link!

I had tucked this recipe aside for a night when I needed something quick and easy. This chicken bakes up very easily and comes out moist and flavorful. We had it with long-grain and wild rice and broccoli. Thank you to Julia for finding this recipe from allrecipes.com.

Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil (I increased to 3 tablespoons)
1 clove garlic, minced (I increased to 3 cloves, we love garlic!)
1 cup dry bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned)
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves (omitted)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used 3 chicken breasts, pounded thin and cut in half)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. 

This is another fabulous recipe from Elly’s blog. I used pork chops instead of tenderloin since that is what we had, and made a few other minor changes. The pork was very good-  moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside, and the chunky tomato sauce added great flavor. We had this with Pecorino-Parmesan orzo, also from Elly.

Pork Milanese with Tomato Topping

• 1 pork tenderloin, about 1 lb. (I used 4 boneless pork chops)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs( I used 3/4 cup Italian seasoned Panko)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

This works best if the tenderloin is very cold. Sticking it in the freezer for 10 minutes will help.

Combine the breadcrumbs and the grated cheese in a shallow bowl.

Slice the pork tenderloin into medallions that are approximately 1/2″ thick. Pound the medallions until they are about half as thick with a mallet or heavy-bottomed pan or object. I did not bother pounding the pork chops. Season with salt and pepper.

Dip the thin slices first into the beaten eggs and then into the breadcrumbs/cheese, coating all pieces.

Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and heat until hot.

Add breaded pork tenderloin to the hot oil and pan-fry until pork is done. This should only take about a minute or two per side since the pork is so thin. Set aside and keep warm. The pork chops took about 4-5 minutes per side.

Tomato Topping

This is another recipe from Elly Says Opa. I have only made orzo a couple of times, but it is quickly becoming one of my favorite side dishes. The orzo, paired with the pork milanese and green beans, made for an excellent dinner.

Parmesan-Pecorino Orzo

• 8 oz. orzo
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2.5 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup pecorino or Parmesan cheese (I used about 1/4 cup of each, oink oink!)

Heat butter until melted. Add garlic and saute until fragrant.

Stir in orzo and coat in the butter, toasting slightly, for a couple of minutes.

Stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until done, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Off the heat, stir in the cheese. I added about 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley.

This month’s Master Baker ingredient was Easter candy. Since I knew I would be working Easter Sunday, I wanted to make something that I could take to work. I also used this cake to practice some of my newly learned cake decorating skills. The Easter candy I used in this cake: Dove Milk Chocolate Eggs, Cadbury Mini Eggs (best Easter candy ever!) and marshmallow Peeps.

I have been wanting to try this Hershey’s chocolate cake recipe for a while, as it is always highly recommended. The cake was excellent, very moist and dense, but not fudgy. I was a little worried that it was not “chocolatey” enough when I tried the piece I trimmed off the top. But after sitting overnight, it seems like the chocolate flavor developed more.

The frosting on the other hand proved to be more of a challenge then I expected. Maybe it’s something about the Master Baker blog event that my intended recipe will not work out. Last month, I had planned on making an apple strudel, but that was a disaster, so I ended up making cinnamon biscotti. Well this time, the frosting I had planned on making was a complete flop. It turned to liquid and would not set. So, after some frantic google searching I settled on the recipe below from grouprecipes.com. I am so glad I did, it was a perfect match with the chocolate cake. I think it tasted a lot better then my original frosting as well. It was sweet, but not as sweet as a buttercream frosting and the texture was great for decorating with.

I love how this cake came out, and it was a hit with all of my co-workers. I am really proud of myself for taking this “vision” of the cake I had in my head and transforming it into a really cute cake! The colors are slightly different then they appear in the picture, they look better in person.

Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. I dropped about a cup of the Dove eggs into the pan. When the cake baked up, these settled on the bottom, but retained their shape providing an extra bit of chocolatey goodness!

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. 10 to 12 servings. I wasn’t paying attention to the amount of cake batter this made and baked it in my 8-inch round, 3-inch deep cake pan. Let’s just say it overflowed *slightly* and filled my house with a lovely burnt chocolate smell.

VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13×9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

Marshmallow Frosting

2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 jar (1 lb) marshmallow fluff
1 pkg. ( 1 lb.) confectioners sugar (about 4 cups)
1 tsp. clear vanilla extract

 On medium-high , beat butter until fluffy, 2 minutes.

Add fluff, beat 30 seconds. Gradually beat in confectioners sugar and vanilla until combined. On medium-high, beat 1 minute.Fill and frost cake, using some of frosting to pipe decorative edge around top of cake.

How I decorated the cake: Fill the cake with the white icing. Set aside about 3/4 of a cup then tint the rest of the icing a pale green. I used a combination of Wilton gel coloring in Willow and Kelly greens. Frost the cake with the green, then transfer the remainder of the green in to a pastry bag. Using a number 21 star tip, pipe a green border around the bottom of the cake. Press Cadbury Mini-Eggs into every-other star. Set green icing aside. Tint the remaining icing lavender. I used Wilton gel coloring in violet. Transfer to a pastry bag with a coupler. Write your message on the top of the cake with a number 2 round tip. Change the tip to a number 18 star tip and pipe a border around the top edge. Using the green icing with the number 21 tip, pipe 2 mounds of frosting under where you want each Peep Bunny to go. Stick a toothpick about 1/2 way in to the Peep, then set on top of the mounds of frosting, pushing the other half of the toothpick into the cake.

Tonight I learned the Wilton rose (which we will never speak of again), the shell border, figure piping, drop flowers, and the cake was the “clown” cake.

The shell border is the most common cake border out there, it is the one you see on 99% of the cakes you would buy at the grocery store. It is a pretty easy border to make, and looks very pretty. Figure piping covered making little heads, teddy bears, hearts and fruit, as well as the clowns for the cake. The drop flowers are super cute little flowers that would be perfect for a spring cake.

I made a funfetti cake this time using the diet soda trick. My cake did not rise very much though, I am not sure if it was because I used the diet soda or something else. The cake was decorated with a star border on the top and bottom, multi-colored dots around the side and of course the clowns on top.

Clown Cake

Next class: The final class of course 1! Yay! The final cake revolves around the rose spray (ugghhh). It will incorporate leaves, vines, bows and floral accents. I will be spending my weekend practicing roses.

Supplies needed: There are no new supplies needed for this class, but I am going to pick up a couple more small spatulas.

So I was lucky enough to score some TCHO chocolate during Blakes last give-a-way. If you haven’t checked out Blake’s blog yet, head over there right now and sign up to be a sooper hero! Then maybe you can have free food too!

Now on to the chocolate. TCHO is a new chocolate company who actually manufactures their own chocolate. They worked with Blake to get the word out about their product. I was so excited to come home and see the cute silver bubble wrap sitting in my mailbox. Inside was there signature paper packaging containing 2 small bars of dark chocolate.

This is seriousely good chocolate. Smooth, rich and just the right balance of dark chocolate flavor. Visit the TCHO website to learn more about who TCHO is, read reviews, and even order some of your own chocolate.

I love the Zuppa Toscana Soup at Olive Garden, it is my favorite soup to get when we go out. Since it is STILL winter and we are STILL getting snow, I made this along with garlic swirl bread for a warm, comforting meal. This is another recipe from allrecipes.com, written as I made it, following some of the tips from reviewers.

Zuppa Toscana

• 1 (16 ounce) package smoked sausage (I used a 1lb roll of Jimmy Dean light sausage) 
• 2 potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 6 slices bacon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 cups kale - washed, dried, and shredded
• 2 tablespoons chicken soup base
• 1 quart water (I used 2 cups of chicken broth, 2 1/2 cups of water)
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. Place the sausage links onto a sheet pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until done. Cut links in half lengthwise, then cut at an angle into 1/2 -inch slices. I just cooked/crumbled the sausage in a frying pan, drained and set aside.

Cook the bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until slightly crispy. Remove bacon from pan, crumble and set aside. Add onions to the pan and cook until almost clear. Add garlic to the onions and cook an additional 1 minute. Add chicken soup base, water, chicken broth and potatoes, simmer 15 minutes.

Add crumbled bacon, sausage, kale, and cream. Simmer 4 minutes (I let it simmer about minutes to soften the kale) and serve.