basic custard recipe

This one is slightly fiddly, but comes out very well and can be customized in tons of ways. I'm putting in the basic recipe here, but you can get full info on different ways to customize here:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09211/987178-107.stm

It can be used as custard for ice cream, or just as custard to go with desserts--I put it in a trifle.

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• Table salt
• 5 large egg yolks

In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup of the cream with the milk, sugar and a pinch of salt. Warm the cream mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and tiny bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan, 3 to 4 minutes. (Add time if you're making more than one quart.)

This is where you infuse your choice of flavoring. Cover, remove from heat and let sit one hour. Taste and let sit longer if you want a stronger flavor. If not infusing, proceed with the recipe. (I didn't try infusing.)

Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with several inches of ice water. Set a smaller metal bowl (one that holds at least 11/2 quarts) in the ice water. Pour the remaining cup of cream into the inner bowl (this helps the custard cool quicker when you pour it in later. Next time I will prepare the ice bath first, before mixing the custard ingredients. The bowl and cream will have a longer time to chill. Or skip the ice bath altogether if making your custard the night before.) Set a fine strainer on top of inner bowl.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. If you have infused the cream mixture, re-warm it over medium-high heat until tiny bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. In a steady stream, pour half of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling.

Pour the egg mixture back into the starting pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heatproof cooking spoon or rubber spatula until the custard thickens slightly (it should be thick enough to coat the utensil and hold a line drawn through it with another spoon) -- 4 to 8 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should read 175 to 180 degrees at this point. Don't let the sauce overheat or boil, or it will curdle. Immediately strain the custard into the cold cream in the ice bath. If using an infusion ingredient, press firmly in the strainer with a spoon or spatula to extract as much flavor as possible. If you want to add melted chocolate and cocoa, do so now. (I italicized that because I managed to skip over that sentence at least 6 times as I was desperately rereading the recipe, trying to figure out when to add the chocolate. And my custard was never very thick, but thick enough to hold a line.)

Cool the custard to below 70 degrees by stirring it over the ice bath. To add a flavor other than chocolate, set it into the cooled custard.

Refrigerate the custard until completely chilled, at least 4 hours. Then freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. If using mix-ins, fold them into the just-churned ice cream. Transfer the ice cream to an air-tight container and freeze solid for at least 4 hours.

Yields 1 quart.

White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili

1 TB vegetable oil

2 medium onions, chopped (approx 1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups chopped chicken breast

3 cups chicken broth

2 TB chopped fresh cilantro or ½ teaspoon ground coriander

2 TB lime or lemon juice

3 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp dried oregano leaves

1 tsp honey

1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, undrained

1 can (15 oz) or 2 cups of great northern beans, drained

1 can (15 oz) or 2 cups butter beans, (or large lima beans) drained

Crushed tortilla chips

Fresh diced tomatoes

Shredded cheese (cheddar or Mexican blend)

Sour Cream

1. Heat oil in 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat.  Cook onions and garlic in oil, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender. Add chicken & cook until done.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes.
3. Serve hot and garnish with corn tortilla chips, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, and sour cream if desired.

I usually double the recipe because it makes great leftovers and freezes well.

Super Yummy Beef Stroganoff

Can you tell it's been cold here? We have been eating this a lot lately, it's really nice on a cold evening. Hearty!

You need decent steak--not super expensive, but not super tough either. We've been using schnitzel steak, but you could use flank or something similar.

3/4 -1 lb steak, cut into strips
1.5 cups sliced button mushrooms
1 medium onion diced
6 TBSP butter
pinch dried oregano or marjoram
1.5 cup sour cream
salt and pepper

Put 3 TBSP butter in a frying pan over medium high heat. Brown beef strips quickly and remove. Do not wipe out the pan. Gently saute onions til clear, then add mushrooms and remaining butter. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add back in beef, spices, and sour cream. Turn to low and simmer until slightly thickened.

This is traditionally served over egg noodles, but I like it best over mashed potatoes.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake

This is in no way healthy, but it is quick and easy and people quite like it.

Ingredients:
1 package Devil's Food Cake Mix (Duncan Hines)
1 package Instant Chocolate Pudding (4 oz)
4 Eggs
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup sour cream
12 ounces semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
Confectioner's Sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together first six ingredients. (Do NOT make the pudding. Just dump the powder in.) Add the chips at the last moment so they won't get too crushed. Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and sprinkle top with confectioner's sugar.

Note:

I recently made this in a gluten-free version, using Betty Crocker (I think) GF Devil's Food Cake Mix. The GF box is a few oz smaller than the regular box, which made the cake lovely and fudgy, and even those of us who didn't need to be GF clamored for more. So if you know someone with celiac, you could be their new best friend!

Healthy-ish Orange Chicken

I found this online somewhere. Andrew and I like it a lot and it doesn't take too long to make. I serve it with plain rice (white or brown or whatever) and steamed broccoli. I tend to use more red pepper than the recipe calls for because I like it spicy. Also, grapefruit zest works just as well as orange zest.

• 1 lb Chicken, Breast
• 1 cup Mandarin Oranges
• 1/3 cup Orange Juice
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1 tsp Splenda
• 2 tsp Orange Zest
• 1 tsp Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 3 cloves Garlic Clove

Cut raw chicken into 1" pieces. Garlic should be minced.

Combine orange juice, soy sauce, honey, splenda, orange zest, ginger, cornstarch, and pepper flakes. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 sec. Add chicken and sprinkle it with salt and pepper, as desired. Cook chicken 5 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle. Add the juice mixture and mandarin oranges to the pan. Cook until the sauce has thickened, stirring frequently.

Kugel

Apparently this recipe is my entry ticket to the blog, as mandated by Rebecca, so here you go..."kugel" is Yiddish for pudding, but not like Jell-o pudding, more like bread pudding. There are different kinds of kugel - like potato kugel - and many variations of this kugel, which might be called noodle kugel or cheese kugel or dairy kugel, but as far as I'm concerned (and I've tasted a lot of them), my grandmother's is the only one worth the calories :)

Miriam Dean's Noodle Kugel

Makes 24 squares

1 large box of noodles (you want wide egg noodles)
8 oz pkg cream cheese (I recommend Philadelphia)
1 tsp vanilla
6 eggs
1 1/2 c sugar
salt
cinnamon
1 c sour cream
1/2 c melted butter
crushed cornflakes
cinnamon
sugar
melted butter

Boil and drain noodles according to package directions. Set aside. In a large bowl combine and beat next 8 ingredients. (So that you don't have to count, that's cream cheese through melted butter.) Add noodles and mix thoroughly. Place in 9x13 pan. Top with mixture of remaining ingredients. Refrigerate overnight before baking or freezing. Bake 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.

NOTE: If there isn't an amount in the ingredients, it's because it wasn't listed. Also my mother says she never refrigerates overnight before baking. But I do. You can choose to serve it hot or cold - I prefer cold - no contest! You can also put raisins in it - but I don't know how many, sorry. I guess it depends how much you like raisins...I think I used a cup when I made it in Texas in July. Also, you can cut the sugar a bit. I usually use a cup (I think). Once my mom and I went to a neighbor's house and left my father to make the kugel and when we ate it, I asked him how much sugar he had used, because it clearly wasn't enough...apparently, none. He missed that line in the recipe. Anyway, it was still good, but I don't recommend omitting the sugar entirely. Finally, if you want to make this just for your family and don't actually think it's a good idea to make the whole thing because you're likely to eat the whole thing, you can put it into smaller pans, bake the ones you aren't going to eat yet for 45 minutes, let them cool, freeze them, and then when you want to eat them, defrost them and bake them for 45 minutes. But don't top them with the cornflakes (which are really optional anyway) if you are putting them in the freezer.

Chocolate Chip Cranberry Flax Cookies

I'm always on a mission to find healthy dessert recipes that work and haven't had a lot of luck in the cookie department...until now. I have finally found a whole wheat cookie recipe that works, that my kids love and I do, too.

Ingredients:
¼ cup canola oil
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
¼ cup ground flaxseed
½ cup oats
1 tsp baking soda

1 cup dry cranberries
½ cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookies sheets with parchment paper or use 2 ungreased cookie sheets.

In a medium bowl whisk together oil, sugar, egg and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients (flour, flax, oats, and baking soda) separately and then combine with wet ingredients. Mix in chocolate chips and cranberries.

Drop rounded scoops onto cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes and transfer to a wire rack.

(yield: approx 24 cookies)

Honey Taffy

Rebecca got it in her head that we needed to have a taffy pull. Heaven knows why. We had some friends over and made this honey taffy recipe from bees-andbee-keeping.com:

• 2 cups of sugar.
  
• 3/4 cup of honey.
  
• 1 cup of water.
  
• 2 tablespoons of butter

You just mix the sugar, honey, and water in a pot and heat stirring often to soft crack stage (278 F). Soft crack stage is when dropped in cold water you can form flexible threads. Mix in the butter--don't overmix. Pour into a buttered pan and allow to cool to the point that you can touch/work with it. Butter your fingers (you'll need to re-butter a few times) and form the candy into a ball. Pull the candy repeatedly until it becomes very light, opaque, and firm. Form the candy into long ropes on a sheet of waxed paper. Using a buttered knife, cut into pieces, and wrap in wax paper. Yum.

Also, if anyone has a good saltwater taffy recipe, Rebecca now wants to try that :)

mum's super simple fajita chicken

This makes a very quick, very easy fajita chicken that you can either grill with onions and green peppers and eat with tortillas as fajitas, or can simply grill on it's own and eat over salad with tortilla chips for a chicken taco salad.

Chicken marinade:
1/4 cup lime juice
1 TBSP cumin
1TBSP paprika
1/2 TBSP chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together and pour over sliced chicken breast. Marinate for up to six hours in fridge. Grill the chicken and serve as fajitas or taco salad with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.

Note: you can just use 2 TBSP of taco seasoning

Fresh berry salad

This is a bit late for berry season in the states (sorry, but of course it's really, really early for berry season here!), but mum reckons you could do this with frozen as well. This is a fruit salad recipe that one of Amy's friends makes that is apparently very delicious!

Mix together:


1TBsp balsamic vinegar
¼ cup sugar
Fresh raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries (just mix whatever you  have!)
Mix together and add 5-10 fresh mint leaves

I'm not sure if mum meant for the leaves to be chopped or not, but I think it would work with a rough chop.

Updated: Justin's guacamole

Note: I put this in from memory. Justin just had a look at it and noticed that I got pretty much everything wrong. Sorry! I've fixed the ingredients below:

**************************************************
Hey! This is a request from Gina and Mum. Justin got this recipe by very carefully watching them make tableside guacamole at Cantina Laredo. It's very easy, but you need good avocados.

2 ripe avocados (good size)

1 small tomato (finely chopped/minced)

1 spring onion (green onion)

Handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped/minced 

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp paprika 

Lime juice to taste (no idea how much I squirt in)

Salt and pepper to taste

Not to mention, inspiration and brilliance.

Just scoop out the avocado flesh and mash a bit before adding finely diced tomato and finely sliced green onions (just the white bit). Add lime juice and spices and stir. You can adjust the seasoning to make it hotter/limier/etc.

This is really good just with chips or on burritos, tacos, or fajitas. It's also really nice on grilled fish.

Apple Butter (Feijoa Jelly) Pork Chops

Is anyone else a little weird about cooking pork? I just have no idea how to do it! I found this recipe from 'our best bites' and decided to give it a try when my husband went shopping on his own and showed up at home with seven massive pork chops (they were, to be fair, a very good price . . .) They make their with apple butter, which doesn't work here. I substituted in feijoa (kind of like guava) jelly. I also think it would work really well with a chili jelly, like those ones mum got in Stafford. This was Justin's favourite thing I've made in ages. 

4 boneless pork chops (about 1 lb. Apparently, you can also just slice a pork sirloin roast, into chops about .5-.75 inches thick)
¼ c. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. garlic powder (I used two cloves crushed fresh garlic)
1 c. high-quality apple cider (I used apple juice)
¼ c. apple butter (see note above)
1 tablespoon water
1 ½ tablespoons Creole or coarsely ground mustard (I just used Dijon mustard we had in fridge--ok, so I kind of made this recipe)
1 tsp. pressed garlic
2 large onions, sliced and caramelized in a separate pan

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together in a small bowl. In a large, oven-safe skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Dredge the pork chops in the flour mixture and then brown the pork chops for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they’re brown and crispy.

While the pork chops are browning, combine the apple cider, apple butter, water, garlic, and mustard. When the pork chops are done browning, add the cider mixture to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce begins to evaporate and thicken. Remove from heat and evenly distribute the caramelized onions over the pork chops. Cover the pan with a lid and place in oven for 30 minutes (if you don't have a fry pan that can go in the oven, just transfer to a baking dish, like a small pirex casserole. I served this with cooked veggies and mashed potatoes, but it would also be nice with rice.

Coconut curried rice

I got this one from 'A cozy kitchen' and tried it out this week--it turned out interesting. They say you can make it with any cooked rice (e.g., use up leftover from another meal), but the coconut rice was nice (although I found the raisins a bit much). The curry bit was good. This fed me and Justin with a bit left over, so I would at least double it if I were feeding ravenous children. If you wanted a non-vegetarian meal, you could add chicken pieces to this, just add with the carrots. We always have lime juice on hand because Justin is obsessed with guacamole, but lemon juice would work fine. I wished we had some lemongrass to add in . . .

For the coconut rice:

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup basmati or jasmine rice

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 piece cinnamon stick

1/4 cup raisins

Combine all ingredients in a rice cooker and cook. Remove the cinnamon stick and either use immediately or you can refrigerate for a few days until you’re ready to make the fried rice.

For the curry fried rice:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tablespoon red Thai curry paste

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

3/4 cup frozen peas

1 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Have all of your ingredients prepared and nearby before you begin to cook. (the rice should be ready at this point). Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the eggs and cook on medium-high heat. When the edges of the eggs begin to set, gently flip them over (or just scramble). Once the eggs are completely cooked, remove from the pan and cut into pieces or strips. Wipe the wok clean with a paper towel.

Heat the rest of the olive oil on medium heat. Add in the carrot and cook for 1 minute, then add the garlic and curry paste and cook for a minute more, stirring constantly to begin scorching. Add the rice and peas and cook until heated through. Stir in the egg strips, soy sauce (you may want to add a bit more) and lime juice.

Dorothy Clement's scones

Last one I asked mum for! Just a note for my kiwi husband, these are not scones like cheese scones or date scones, they are more like doughnuts. Based on the amounts below, I think they also may be enough to feed an army! (or, you know, three young men)

• 5 Beaten eggs
• 2c milk – scalded
• ½c shortening
• 1 tsp. salt (rounded)
• 5 Tbsp. yeast – dissolved in ½ c warm water
• ½c sugar
• 6c flour

Pour milk over shortening, sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm. Add yeast and eggs and mix well. Add
flour to make soft dough. Stir well. Put in a greased bowl and let chill for at least 30 mins. Pour out on
a floured surface and roll gently to ¼ “ thick. Cut in strips and cook in deep hot fat (375 F – 190 C) until
brown. Turn only once. This dough can also be used to make doughnuts.

Thumbprint tart crust

Also requested from mum--she can't find her initial thumbprint tart crust dough recipe, but thinks this is close.

• 1 stick butter
• 3oz cream cheese
• 1 cup flour

cream butter and cream cheese; mix well and add sifted flour, blend well; let
dough rest in refrigerator, at least 1 hour; pinch off dough and roll into 1.5 inch
balls; put each ball in a MINATURE muffin tin, and press against bottom and sides
to make crust, sprinkle a few chopped pecans in the bottom (this last is optional-
have never done that). Can be baked and then filled with puddings,etc when
cooled or can be filled with pie fillings and baked. The original recipe has pecan
filling recipe with the tart dough. Bake at 350 until light brown. Baking time will
depend on whether they are filled or not.

Mum's salsa

This is mostly just for me! Probably most of you have this already, but I keep loosing my copy! Just a note from Dad, credit for the salsa goes to Glenda Phillips (original recipe) but it's been developed a bit by mum and dad too!

• 56 tomatoes, peeled & diced
• 4 c  chopped onion
• 6 c chopped green pepper (can also use yellow/red/orange pepper)  Mum uses 2 cups green, 2 cups yellow and 2 cups of red or orange. (or whatever is cheapest!)
• 3 Tbs. hot chili peppers (add more to make more spicy – the original recipe is sweet and mild) serranos, jalapeno, etc.  can use a combination to get it as hot as you want.*
• 2 Tbs.oregano
• 3 tsp. cumin
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• ½ c salt        
• 1 c sugar
• 2 cans of tomato sauce-8oz

Put everything but one can of tomato sauce in large kettle and cook down.  The last 20 minutes  add 2nd can tomato sauce mixed with 3 Tbs. flour to thicken.  Seal in pint jars.

Note:  This recipe is only a suggestion and guideline.  You can add many more hot peppers (and more varieties of them) to taste.  If you can’t find tomato sauce, you can just take liquid from the mix to mix with flour to thicken.  

* Justin and I really recommend habaneros if you can get your hands on them. We threw in about 6 TBSP of habaneros last year, and it came out, as they say in NZ, grunty!

Grilled Lamb Chops with Salsa Verde and Yoghurt SAuce

Serves: 4

Total Time: 30 minutes

8 lamb loin chops

Salt and pepper

1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons diced shallot

Zest of one lemon, grated

5 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon toasted fennel, anise or dill seed, ground or smashed with a mortar and pestle

½ teaspoon chili flakes

½ cup packed parsley leaves

½ cup packed mint leaves

½ cup packed picked dill, roughly chopped

½ cup grapeseed or olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon for frying

½ cup Greek yogurt, preferably organic

What to Do:

1. Season lamb with salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Mix garlic, shallot, zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, spices and chili flakes together in a small bowl.

3. For the salsa verde, roughly chop the herbs and toss them together in a medium bowl. Add chopped garlic-shallot mixture and grated lemon zest.

4. Stir in oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more lemon juice or oil if needed. Allow sauce to rest at least 15 minutes.

5. Set a large grill or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Swirl in 1 tablespoon oil. Lay lamb chops in the pan, working in batches if need be, and cook each side 6 minutes for medium-rare results.

Transfer chops to a platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Squeeze additional lemon juice over the chops and sprinkle with salt.

6. Meanwhile, mix yogurt with 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Season with salt to taste.

7. Serve lamb with bowls of salsa verde and yogurt alongside for dipping.

Pesto

Justin found this online last week and made it to use up some of our overgrown basil plant. It's really yummy! We had it one night over pasta, and one night just on crusty bread with ham, cheese and tomato.

3 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup pine nuts
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Chuck it all in the blender or food processor. Blend (or process :). Adjust seasonings if necessary.

This kept pretty well in the fridge for a few days.

Accidental banana cake

When I was on my mission, I made banana bread all the time, and it always worked and was delicious and everyone loved it (I'm not just remembering it that way, I swear this is true). And since my mission, I can't make banana bread to save my life. Once, when I was at BYU and announced that I would make banana bread with some browning bananas, my flatmate pointed out that we could just throw out the bananas, or wait an hour and throw out the bananas along with some butter, sugar, flour, etc.

We had a bunch of bananas going bad the other day, and Justin requested banana bread (cause he's foolhardy). I found this recipe on tasty kitchen and gave it a try. Because we had so many bananas, I doubled the recipe. Ya, I'm not good at that . . . Anyway, I ended up doubling everything but the flour, and worked that out 20 minutes into cooking. I still maintain that this would have been good banana bread, but it worked surprising well as a soft cake. I'll put in instructions for both:

Ingredients:

• ¾ cups Butter Or Margarine, Softened
• 1-½ cup Sugar
• 1-½ cup Bananas, Mashed
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ½ cups Buttermilk
• 2 cups Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Instructions (for banana bread):
If you don't have buttermilk, just use milk with 1 tsp vinegar.


Cream together butter and sugar, then add bananas, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. Add the baking soda and salt, mixing well. Add the flour one cup at a time, mixing well. 


Pour into two medium or one large greased, floured loaf tins and bake at 350 F for 45 min (longer if using one large tin) until a pick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then cool completely on a wire rack.


(for steamy banana cake)
Leave out 1 cup of flour. Follow other instructions. Once cooled. slice into small cubes. Put the cubes in a square cake tin and warm in the oven til warmed through and slightly crisp on the edges. Serve in bowls with warm custard.

Easy Oreo Truffles

I'm not a huge Oreo cookie fan, but these truffles are REALLY yummy and easy to make. I made them for a couple different events in February and they were a hit. I dipped some of them in white almond bark, too, just for variety.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. (18 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 4-1/4 cups), divided
2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted (or 16 oz chocolate chips)

Instructions:
MIX cream cheese and 3 cups cookie crumbs until well blended.
SHAPE into 48 (1-inch) balls. Dip in *melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.
REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

*How to Melt Chocolate:
Place unwrapped chocolate squares in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 2-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted, stirring every 30 sec.

How to Easily Dip Truffles
To easily coat truffles with the melted chocolate, add truffles, in batches, to bowl of melted chocolate. Use 2 forks to roll truffles in chocolate until evenly coated. Remove truffles with forks, letting excess chocolate drip back into bowl. Place truffles on prepared baking sheet; let stand until firm.

Protein Bars

After an annual checkup where my doctor continually insulted me by pointing out how old I was getting (his bedside manner is horrible!) I decided I needed to find healthier food options. I was watching Good Eats one night and saw Alton Brown make this recipe for protein bars. You can find the more obscure items in a health food store or a really good grocery store (down here, I find everything at HEB).

Ingredients
4 ounces soy protein powder, approximately 1 cup
2 1/4 ounces oat bran, approximately 1/2 cup
2 3/4 ounces whole-wheat flour, approximately 1/2 cup
3/4-ounce wheat germ, approximately 1/4 cup
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 ounces raisins, approximately 1/2 cup
2 1/2 ounces dried cherries, approximately 1/2 cup
3 ounces dried blueberries, approximately 1/2 cup
2 1/2 ounces dried apricots, approximately 1/2 cup
1 (12.3-ounce) package soft silken tofu
1/2 cup unfiltered apple juice
4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/2 cup packed
2 large whole eggs, beaten
2/3 cup natural peanut butter
Canola oil, for pan

Directions

Line the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with parchment paper and lightly coat with canola oil. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the protein powder, oat bran, wheat flour, wheat germ, and salt. Set aside.
Coarsely chop the raisins, dried cherries, blueberries and apricots and place in a small bowl and set aside.
In a third mixing bowl, whisk the tofu until smooth. Add the apple juice, brown sugar, eggs, and peanut butter, 1 at a time, and whisk to combine after each addition. Add this to the protein powder mixture and stir well to combine. Fold in the dried fruit. Spread evenly in the prepared baking dish and bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees F. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into squares. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

They're pretty good, and you can vary the ingredients somewhat based on preference. Kristen didn't like the peanut butter flavor, so I substituted Nutella (which tastes MUCH better!). Yes, it raises the saturated fat content, but not a lot (maybe only a few percent). The cost is a little high at first because the soy protein costs a bit, but it will last for many batches. Depending on how quickly you eat them, you might want to freeze some (the first time I made them, the last few went bad).

If you look this recipe up on the Food Network website, some of the commentors suggest some interesting alterations. One day I'm going to try adding a dash of cayenne pepper!

Beef and Broccoli

This is a quick easy Asian meal--I like it cause it's mostly stuff I tend to have around the house anyway. It comes from the Steamy Kitchen blog (I think it's in her cookbook as well). Technically, it's a one pot recipe as well. Here you go:

1 lb top sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced into 1/8-inch-thick strips
11/2 lbs broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

BEEF MARINADE
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cooking oil
Freshly ground black pepper to season the beef

STIR-FRY SAUCE
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine*
2 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)*

* I have never used this--I usually just use regular white vinegar or rice wine vinegar. I've only made this with balsamic--I've never found chinese black vinegar here. The balsamic is fine.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and add the beef strips. Toss to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes or so.

2. Combine the ingredients for the stir-fry sauce in a small bowl.

3. Bring about 1 inch of water to boil in a large frying pan (that has a lid). Add the broccoli, cover and steam for 2-3 minutes until the broccoli is bright green and tender (but not wilted). Drain and set aside.

4. Dry the pan and return to stove. Heat the oil in it and swirl to coat the pan (note: olive oil doesn't hold up well to this heat--canola or vegetable oil is better). Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds til fragrant. Add the beef strips and fry til browned, turning as needed (about 30 seconds per side).

5. Add the stir fry sauce and stir through. Simmer until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the broccoli and toss to coat well. Remove from heat and serve over rice.

Sweet cherry tomato and sausage bake

We still had some sausages in the freezer left over from Bea's blessing, so we were going to make Mandy's sausage recipe this week. After I sent Justin to the store to get all the stuff, I found a sausage casserole recipe in our Jamie Oliver cookbook (Jamie at Home) that I wanted to try. Our cherry tomato plants went crazy this summer (they were almost as tall as I am) and when we couldn't keep up with them, Justin starting putting them in the freezer (where they now make a sound like marbles clinking). Since you can't really thaw a frozen tomato and stick it in a salad, I thought this might be a way of getting through them.

In terms of success, I really liked this--it's quick and easy and tasty and make with stuff I had on hand. Justin wasn't as big a fan, but I think that's because he looked at it and thought it was a curry, and it isn't. The recipe is for 6 people (12 sausages) but you could cut that down/scale it up easily.

2 kgs (about 5 lbs) ripe cherry tomatoes (mixed colours if possible)
2 sprigs each fresh thyme, rosemary, and bay (I didn't have fresh bay, so I just threw in a few dried bay leaves)
1 TBSP dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
12 sausages (calls for Cumberland or Italian pork, I just used basic pork sausages. Probably wouldn't use hot dogs . . .)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Put all the tomatoes, herbs, garlic, and sausages (leave whole) into a large roasting dish. Drizzle well with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Toss together, then make sure the sausages are on top and pop into the over for 1/2 hour. Pull the roasting tray from the oven, give it a shake and turn the sausages over. Cook for another 15-30 min, depending on how roasted you like your sausages.

If the sauce is too thin, lift out the sausages and cook over two burners on your stovetop until it cooks down (note, this will thicken a lot when it cools, so don't cook it down too much). Put the sausages back in. Serve either with a loaf of warm crusty bread, or over potatoes, rice, or polenta.

Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding

Pudding here is more like cake, but with a sticky sauce poured over it. This is a self-saucing pudding, which means it's easy. It's really fast and yummy:

Pre-heat oven to 350F

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 TBSP cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar

Mix together in a medium bowl. Add:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Stir together til mixed. Pour into a deep 8-inch baking dish. In a separate bowl, mix together:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 TBSP cocoa powder

Sprinkle evenly over batter. Finally, pour 1 1/2 cups hot tap water over the batter. Do not stir. Bake for about 35-40 min until the water is absorbed and the centre is set. It should have a very soft cakey consistency. Scoop out with a spoon, and spoon extra sauce over the top. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

You can put this all together (except for the hot water) in advance and just bake when you're ready.

Stuffed Kumera

Kumera are NZ sweet potatoes. We actually have several varieties of these--they show up with roasts, mashed, or even as fries. The following is a quick, easy vegetarian meal. I usually make this with yellow kumera, but you could do it with the orange ones (same as yams) instead. It's basically twice baked potatoes, but with yams and veggies instead.

You need 1 large sweet potato per person. ones that are more potato-like in shape are easier to use than ones that are more twisty carrot-like. Wash the sweet potatoes, and roast at about 400F for 1/2 hour or so til soft. Allow to cool a bit, then cut in half and scoop out insides into a large bowl. Mash with sour cream (about 1 cup of sour cream for 3-4 yams). Mix in veggies (I just use the frozen veggie mix where they're cut up really small, but up to you) and shredded cheese. I also like to fry up some bacon (ok, not a real vegetarian meal), and crumble into it. Refill sweet potato skins, cover with cheese, and warm in oven til cheese melts. I usually serve this with salad.

Everyday Cassoulet

We just had this for dinner tonight and I REALLY liked it, so I wanted to post it while it's fresh on my mind. The boys actually liked it, too. I'm always looking for more ways to incorporate beans into our diet, since they're so healthy and economical. This is a new recipe I discovered in my faithful Betty Crocker Bridal Edition cookbook.

Cassoulet is a French bean and meat stew.

1 pound Polish or smoked sausage, diagonaly cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (15 to 16 oz) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 to 16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 to 16 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)
2 small onions, thinly sliced and separated into rings
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine or beef broth (I used red wine vinegar)
2 TBS packed brown sugar
2 TBS chopped fresh or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves

1. Heat oven to 375*.
2. Mix all ingredients in ungreased 3-quart casserole. Cover and bake 60-75 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly and carrots are tender.

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This stew is delicious! Perfect for a cold-weather dinner! I served it with brown rice.

Silverside (corned beef)

I never learned to eat corned beef til I came to NZ--I'd only seen the stuff in a can (which is vile, don't try it). In NZ and Australia it's a common Sunday roast, one of our cheapest cuts of meat, and not served with cabbage, so all in all I'm a fan. It's also really, really simple to cook. Just to be clear though, no meat from a can (on that point, does anyone else remember the year or so that Jamie was obsessed with Spam?). In NZ we usually buy silverside, which according to wikipedia is a round cut, but you can also buy brisket corned beef. It should be in the beef section at your supermarket (you all probably know all this, I just didn't)

To cook it, take it out of the plastic and rinse well. Put the beef into a large pot and fill most of the way with water. Add:

1/2 cup vinegar (white, white wine, brown, or apple cider all work well)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 TBSP whole cloves
3 TBSP whole peppercorns
3 Bay leaves

If needed, add more water to fill the pot. You want to cover as much of the meat as possible. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least 2-3 hours.

You can cook this for as long as you like, the longer it simmers, the more tender it will be. It will be salty from the brining, so don't add any salt.

In NZ and Oz it's usually served with mashed potatoes and some sort of green vegetable--broccoli is nice. You don't need to do a gravy, it will stay very moist, but a lot of people here serve it with a simple cheese sauce. I like cooking this because it's easy, and because it makes my house smell good.

Simple Savory Pork Roast

I've not heard of that Zooborns blog, but I look forward to checking it out with the boys.

I've been trying to branch out and try new pork recipes. I've never been a pork fan, but that's because my only pork experience as a child was with fatty pork chops, salty ham and bacon, neither of which I like. I've discovered I actually like pork if it's a nice lean cut. I got a couple of pork loin roasts on sale a couple of weeks ago and tried out this recipe. It was yummy. I served it with roasted potatoes (drizzled with olive oil, salt, rosemary and Parmesan...also delicious...I'll post that recipe, too).

Here's the pork roast recipe I got from Allrecipes.com:

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary (I used a couple teaspoons of dried rosemary)
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 pounds boneless pork loin roast

DIRECTIONS:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.In a large, resealable plastic bag, mix rosemary, garlic salt, thyme, and pepper. Place pork roast in the bag, seal, and toss until thoroughly coated with the garlic salt mixture. Transfer to a medium baking dish.
3.Cook pork roast 1 hour in the preheated oven, or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Non Recipe Post

Did you guys know about this blog: Zoo Borns? It's dedicated to new animals born in zoos around the world. It has pics, videos and info on the new babies. Thought your kids (and mom) might like it :)

Turtle Cheesecake

I keep thinking that we need to post more family friendly meal ideas (btw, thanks for the last two Mandy!), and fewer decedent desserts, for this site to be useful. I mean, after all, we all know plenty of ways to get fat . . . but I'm really proud of this recipe and I made it for Justin's birthday last week. After this, I'll post healthy stuff!

Amy told me that they had turtle cheesecake at the hospital where she had the new twins, which got me thinking . . . I don't think what I came up with was what they did, but it was nice! It's based on the New York Cheesecake recipe from the Philadelphia Cream Cheese 'A Little Taste of Heaven' cookbook (thanks Amy!)

Crust:
1.5 cups of oreos
2 TBSP melted butter

Ganache:
15oz dark chocolate (I use 70% or higher)
About 1 cup cream

Filling:
4 pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 TBSP flour
1 TBSP vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs

Salted Caramel Glaze:
1/2 cup cream
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cups unsalted butter
2 tsp salt
1 TBSP powdered geletin mixed with 1/4 cup water

Garnish:
1-1.5 cups chopped pecans

Instructions
Crush the oreos in a food processor or with a rolling pin. Mix in the butter. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 325F for 10-15 minutes. It will be softer than a graham cracker crust, you want it to be starting to get crispy. Allow to cool slightly.

Warm the cream for the ganache and slowly add the chocolate, stirring frequently. You may need to add more cream or more chocolate, depending on the milk content of your chocolate. You want a smooth, dark, quite thick but pourable ganache. Thicker than fondue. Pour about 1/2 of the ganache over the crust. Sprinkle 1/2 of the chopped pecans over the chocolate. Cool in the fridge while you make the filling.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla on medium speed until well blended. Blend in sour cream. Add eggs, mixing on a low speed until just blended. Pour over chocolate/pecans.

Bake at 325F for about 60-70 minutes (bake on lowest oven rack). You want the centre to be almost set, but you don't want the edges to brown. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen cake, cook for 1 hour before removing the rim of the springform. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Warm the remaining ganache and pour over the top of the cheesecake. Sprinkle remaining nuts on top. Refrigerate til set.

Gently warm the cream for the caramel in a small pot on low. Meanwhile, pour 2 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup of water into a medium pan (do not stir) and place on a medium high heat. Cook until the mixture turns to a deep amber. Remove from heat and add the warmed cream, butter, and salt.* Stir to combine until smooth. When the mixture is smooth, stir in the gelatin/water mixture, a little at a time. Allow to cool slightly.

To serve, cut slices of cheesecake, turn onto the side on the place, pour over caramel glaze.

When I cooked this, I also cooked a layer of caramel in the cake. This made it really, really hard to get out of the springform, and the flavour got pretty lost next to the ganache. If you want the caramel through the cheesecake, you could mix 1/2 the caramel with 1/2 the cheesecake mix, and either layer or swirl with the remaining filling.

*if you leave out the gelatin, this is a really yummy caramel fondue.

Oven Roasted Cauliflower

I had never thought to roast cauliflower before, but I saw this recipe in our local grocery store ad and tried it out this past week. It was delicious and so easy to make. Even Jamie, who doesn't care for cauliflower really liked it.

One 2 1/2 pound cauliflower, cut into 2-inch florets
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, drizzle the cauliflower florets with the olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper and toss well. Roast for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender and golden brown. Transfer to plates, garnish with the lemon wedges and serve hot or at room temperature.

White Chili

Taken from Betty Crocker with adaptations by Mandi Adams

1 TB vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped (approx 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
2 cups chopped chicken breast

3 cups chicken broth
2 TB chopped fresh cilantro or ½ teaspoon ground coriander
2 TB lime or lemon juice
3 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp honey

1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15 oz) or 2 cups of great northern beans, drained
1 can (15 oz) or 2 cups butter beans, (or large lima beans) drained

Crushed tortilla chips
Fresh diced tomatoes
Shredded cheese (cheddar or Mexican blend)
Sour Cream


Heat oil in 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic in oil, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender. Add chicken & cook until done.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes.

Serve hot and garnish with corn tortilla chips, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, and sour cream if desired.

I usually double the recipe because it makes great leftovers and freezes well, too.

Sweet and sour meatballs

This is a really easy yummy dinner. It's also nice if you like 70's era Hawaiian nostalgia . . . you know, the blending of Asian and western foods and the random use of pineapple. We had this last night, and I kept thinking they probably served it at the midnight buffet on the Love Boat. You could probably just make it with the frozen meatballs that mum buys, but since we don't have Costco in NZ, I had to actually touch raw ground beef. Justin points out that it didn't kill me. There's a lot of sympathy in our marriage . . .

From "The Pioneer Woman".

Meatballs:

• 1.25 lb ground beef
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder

Mix together and form into small meatballs (about 20 or so). Line on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for 15 min (this is just to keep them from falling apart during cooking--Jamie could instead set them outside for 1 min . . .)

While they are freezing, chop up the vegetables and make the sauce.

Vegetables:

• 2 whole bell peppers, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups pineapple, chopped

The recipe calls for fresh pineapple, but I just used canned. Fresh would have been better, but that's generally true.

Sauce:

• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 TBSP soy sauce
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 TBSP cornstarch

Roll the balls in a small bowl of flour. Fry in batches in a canola oil. Set aside. Drain excess oil from the pan and throw in the bell peppers. Fry for one minute*, add the pineapple and fry for another minute. Pour in the sauce and add back the meatballs. Boil together gently until the sauce thickens. Add rice and additional chili powder as needed. Serve over rice.

* I followed these instructions last night, but I found that cooking that long made the bell peppers too soft. When I do this next, I'll either cook the peppers quickly then set aside before adding pineapples and the sauce, or just skip that step entirely and add them at the end.

• 
  

Killer Brownies

Note from Rebecca: I am editing this for Scott, who is too lazy to do a temperature conversion. He claims to be a scientist.

Ingredients:

1 cup Cocoa

2 cups White Sugar

200 gms Butter (for Americans, this is about 2 sticks--1 cup)

1 Egg

1 tsp Vanilla

3/4 cup Plain Flour

250 gms Dark Chocolate Chips (at least)

Pre-heat oven to 180 C (this is 350 F)

Melt butter to liquid

Mix cocoa, sugar, butter, egg and vanilla in a bowl until it is a paste.

Add flour and chocolate chips.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes (give or take).

Leave brownies to set and cut.

Caramel Spiced Apple Cupcakes

First, we would like to point out that our lame username is simply a result of being pressured to pick one quickly. Given time, I'm sure we would have come up with something much cooler.

We made these cupcakes one week for family home evening and were amazed at how yummy they turned out. The recipe is from the "Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor" cookbook.

Cupcakes:

1 jar (14.5 oz) red spiced apple rings, drained (we didn't have these, so just made a quick apple compote instead - peel, core and slice apples and boil 5 minutes with a little sugar, depending on variety. Add a little corn starch mixed with water to thicken to a syrup.)
1 package (18.25 oz) plain yellow cake mix (we used butter pecan instead)
1 package (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
3/4 C water
1/2 C vegetable oil (we used applesauce)
3 large eggs

Glaze:

45 to 50 caramels (from a 14-oz bag)
1/3 C evaporated milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped (we left these out)
24 wooden craft sticks (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners.

2. Prepare cupcake batter. Place the drained apple rings in the food processor and in on-off pulse motions finely chop them, 15 seconds. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, chopped apple rings, water, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low seed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 3 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined. Spoon or scoop 1/4 C batter into each lined muffin cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans side by side in the oven.

3. Bake the cupcakes until they are golden and the top springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before glazing.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the caramel glaze: Unwrap the caramels and place them in a medium-size saucepan. Add the evaporated milk. Stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat until all the caramels are melted, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.

5. Immediately spoon the warm caramel glaze over the top of each cooled cupcake and sprinkle the chopped peanuts around the edges. Push a craft stick in the center of each cupcake, if desired. The cupcakes are ready to serve.

Super easy and super yummy.

By the way, if you have these sitting on a plate, don't leave the plate on top of the dishwasher while it is running, or else all of the glaze will melt off of the cupcakes. Trust us, we know.

Thin Mint Cupcakes

Mum is currently helping me make these for my mother in law's birthday. They're from the 'Tasty Kitchen' site, which is a place where lots of food bloggers post recipes. Anyway, they are good! They are supposed to be made with thin mints, but I'm making them tomorrow with after 8's. Also, I'm changing it a bit--the recipe calls for bought hot fudge sauce--I usually just make up a quick ganache instead. I'm putting the ganache in here, but you could always do it the other way.

Also, these are really, really yummy.


FOR THE CUPCAKES:

• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Brown Sugar, Not Packed
• 1-¾ cup Flour
• ¾ cups Cocoa Powder
• 1-½ teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 cup Milk
• ½ cups Oil
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 1 cup Boiling Water

FOR THE TOPPING:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 9 oz dark chocolate (or semi-sweet--you can use chocolate chips)

FOR THE FROSTING:

• 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
• ¼ cups Powdered Sugar
• 4 drops Peppermint Extract
• 4 drops Green Food Color

AND FINALLY:

• 24 whole Thin Mint Cookies

For the cupcakes:

Sift the dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Mix well. Add the boiling water. The batter will be very runny. Pour the batter into a measuring cup to make filling the cupcake liners easier.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely before frosting.

For the topping:

Warm the cream, and melt the chocolate in over a low-medium heat, stirring frequently. Cool to lukewarm.

For the frosting:

Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks forms, add about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, 4-6 drops of food color and 4-6 drops of extract, depending on how strong of mint flavor you want and what color you want it. Place whipped cream in a decorator bag, I used the Wilton plastic bag with a 1M tip.

For assembly:
Spread ganache onto the cupcake. Pipe on the frosting and top with a Thin Mint Cookie (if desired). These are really cute on a cupcake stand!