Buttercream Icicing

I recently wanted to start decorating my own cakes… so i discovered that buttercream icing really works well for that! I died it orange and black… the black turned out darkasscharcol purple!

Anyways here is the recipie! I used 1 cup of butter instead of shortening

Buttercream Icing

“An easy to make egg-free frosting that works great for decorating cookies for holidays, birthdays and parties.”

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups confectioners’ sugar 2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1.	In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and vanilla. Blend in the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk, and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered until ready to decorate.

Recipie Hunting…

Alot of my recipies i find at www.allrecipies.com … you can become a member and browse and they keep track of the recipies for you… i think they even make you an ingreident shopping list:D Wrathofpink… if ya wanna follow me!

BBQ Chilli Drunk stick with Avacado Tomato salsa

8 chicken drumsticks
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1/4 onion, diced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice

Remove skin from the chicken. Put the drumsticks in a plastic bag and drizzle with oil. Mix together cumin, chili, sugar, salt and pepper and sprinkle over drumsticks. Toss until seasonings coat each drumstick.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Grill the chicken with the lid down, turning once, until full cooked and browned – about 20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the chicken reads 170F (77C).

While chicken cooks, combine tomatoes, avocado, onion and cilantro in a bowl. Stir in lime juice. Serve with chicken. Serves 4.

Tip: to quickly remove chicken skin, grab the skin with paper towel and pull. The paper towel gives you a better grip on the skin.

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Note: The salsa very well dissapointed me… but the drumsticks were awesome:D I like the tip at the bottom about the skin. This one I would make again… and maybe try something differnt with the salsa

Black Bean and Tortelini Salad

This easy and delicious vegetarian main dish salad recipe is perfect for a hot summer day.

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 (20 ounce) package frozen cheese tortellini
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup honey mustard salad dressing
• 1/4 cup honey mustard
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1-1/2 cups cubed Havarti cheese
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add frozen tortellini; cook for 3-4 minutes according to package directions until hot and tender. Drain. Meanwhile, in large bowl combine yogurt, mayonnaise, salad dressing, honey mustard, and milk and mix well. Add tortellini along with remaining ingredients and stir to coat. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours before serving.

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this is a really good meal salad. I made my own honey mustard dressing which worked well. One thing is… use fresh pasta liek Oliverai or whatever its called.. the frozen stuff didn’t cook up well!

Japanese Salad

Japanese cabbage salad

small cabbage coleslaw
2 green onion chopped
1/4 cup of sunflower seeds (toasted)
1/2 cup sliced almonds (toasted)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can (14oz) bean sprouts
1 pkg chicken ramen noodles (broken)
Taco strips (add at end)

dressing:

seasoning from noodles (chicken)
1/2 cup veg. oil
3 tbsp soya sauce
3 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

-combine all top stuff except for the noodle
-Add noodles and taco strips right before you serve then toss it
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Note: I ommitted mushrooms… cause i hate them… but this one is acutally really good:d got it from Andrews mumsie

quick n easy samosa (must try!)

Quick and Easy Samosas

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
Kosher salt and pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
2 cups (about 16 ounces) refrigerated mashed potatoes
1 10-ounce package frozen peas, thawed
1 15-ounce package refrigerated piecrusts
1 jar mango chutney (optional)

Heat oven to 375° F.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the potatoes and peas.

Unroll the piecrusts and cut each into 6 triangles. Place a heaping tablespoon of the potato mixture in the center of each piece. Gather the corners of the dough and pinch to form a point. Pinch the seams to seal. Transfer to a baking sheet.

Bake the samosas until golden, about 25 minutes. Serve with the mango chutney, if desired.

Yield: Makes 12

CALORIES 216 (50% from fat); FAT 12g (sat 4g); CHOLESTEROL 7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26g; SODIUM 518mg; PROTEIN 3g; FIBER 3g; SUGAR 2g
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Comments!!! yay!

SWEET GOD THESE WORKED… YAY I USED PIlSBURY ROlLED UP CRUSTS… I ALSO USED MILK AND BUTTER INTO THE MASHED POTATOES. WHEN I MAKE THEM AGAIN… I WILL USE MORE CURRY. THE MANGO CHUNETY THEY SUGGESTED IS A LITTLE STRONG BUT ANY SAUSE WOULD WORK…  THESE ARE PRETTY WRECK PROOF… THO… THEY DID COME OUT PRETTY GOLDEN… HAHA A LIL BURNAGE… BUT THATS CAUSE MY OVENS SUCKS… SO TRY!

Black Bean Salad

Black Bean Salad

Yield

4 servings (1/2 cup bean mixture and 1 cup salad greens)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  tablespoons  minced fresh cilantro
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh parsley
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1  (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2  cup  chopped tomato
• 1/4  cup  diced peeled avocado
• 2  tablespoons  chopped green onions
• 1  tablespoon  chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
• 4  cups  gourmet salad greens

Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add beans, tomato, avocado, onions, and jalapeno; toss well. Cover and chill 2 hours. Serve over salad greens.

Nutritional Information

Calories:112 (17% from fat)

Fat:2.1g (sat 0.4g,mono 1g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:6.8g

Carbohydrate:18.3g

Fiber:4.2g

Cholesterol:0.0mg

Iron:2.3mg

Sodium:320mg

Calcium46mg

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Personal thoughts: I more made this for my boyfriend Andrew. Simple enough… just bought gormet salad greens from safeway.

Falafel Pitas with Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing

Pack the cucumber-yogurt dressing in a separate container to serve with the sandwiches. Vegetable crudités such as bell pepper wedges and carrot or celery sticks will round out the meal. You can substitute fresh baby spinach for the arugula, if desired.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 filled pita half)

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  minced red onion
• 1  tablespoon  Dijon mustard
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/2  teaspoon  paprika
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1  (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1  (1-ounce) slice whole wheat bread, torn into pieces
• 1  large egg
• 1  large egg white
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 2  (6-inch) whole wheat pitas, split
• 1  cup  arugula
• 1/2  cup  Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing <- you need that recipe too for the dressing just click!!!

Preparation

Combine first 10 ingredients in a food processor; pulse 6 times or until well blended (mixture will be wet).

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon about 1/3 cup chickpea mixture per patty into pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Line each pita half with 1/4 cup arugula, add 1 patty to each pita half, and spoon 2 tablespoons Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing into each pita half.

Note: Nutritional analysis includes Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 280 (30% from fat)

Fat: 9.4g (sat 1.2g,mono 5g,poly 2.2g)

Protein: 11.4g

Carbohydrate: 40.1g

Fiber: 7.3g

Cholesterol: 53mg

Iron: 3.3mg

Sodium: 592mg

Calcium: 81mg

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Personal Thoughts: I subsituted the  Arugula for spinich… NOTE NOTE NOTE : Make the patties as thin as you can get them. My bf loved this recipie. I did too… DELISOUSOOO

Curry-Spiced Samosas with Plum and Tomato Marmalade

Yield

12 servings (serving size: 1 samosa and about 2 tablespoons marmalade)

Ingredients

• Marmalade:
• 2  tablespoons  pine nuts
• 2  cups  coarsely chopped plum (about 3)
• 2  tablespoons  chopped shallots
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  butter
• 2  medium tomatoes, quartered (about 1 pound)
• 1  garlic clove, chopped
• 1  tablespoon  sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon  harissa
• 1  thyme sprig
• 1  (2-inch) piece vanilla bean
• 1/2  teaspoon  chopped fresh basil
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• Filling:
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup  thinly sliced yellow onion
• 1  pound  Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
• 1/2  cup  chopped carrot
• 2 1/2  teaspoons  red curry paste
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1  cup  water
• 1/3  cup  light coconut milk
• 2  teaspoons  fresh lime juice
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• Dough:
• 1  teaspoon  ground turmeric
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground ginger
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 6.75  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/4  cup  hot water
• 6  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 7  teaspoons  peanut oil, divided

Preparation

1. To prepare marmalade, place pine nuts in a saucepan over medium heat; cook 2 minutes or until fragrant and golden, stirring often. Add plum, shallots, olive oil, butter, tomatoes, and garlic; bring to a simmer, and cook 30 minutes, stirring often. Stir in sugar, harissa, thyme, and vanilla bean. Simmer 20 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 30 minutes. Discard thyme sprig and vanilla bean; stir in basil and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

2. To prepare filling, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and potatoes to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Reduce heat to low. Add carrot, curry paste, and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup water and coconut milk; bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates and potatoes are tender. Stir in lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer to a bowl; cool. Partially mash potato mixture with a fork.

3. To prepare dough, combine turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook 30 seconds or until fragrant, stirring constantly. Transfer to a plate; cool.

4. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour, toasted spices, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and baking soda in a food processor; pulse to combine. Combine 1/4 cup hot water, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a bowl. Add the hot water mixture through food chute with food processor on, and process until dough forms a ball. Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rest 15 minutes.

5. Divide dough into 12 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), roll on a lightly floured surface to a 4-inch circle. Place 2 tablespoons filling in the center of each dough circle. Moisten edges of dough with water; fold dough over filling to make a half moon. Crimp edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with remaining 11 dough portions and filling to form 12 samosas.

6. Heat 2 teaspoons peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 6 samosas to pan; cook 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn and cook 3 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 teaspoons peanut oil and remaining 6 samosas. Serve with Plum and Tomato Marmalade.

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Personal thoughts on this recipie:

THIS TOOK FOREVER TO MAKE. I am no ways experienced with making dough like this it was very crumbly and wasn’t very easy to work with. Everything else turned out great. Once made it was pretty delicous… only do this on a weekend when you have an afternoon to kill!