Cuisine Diva

It's Mini-Cupcake Time!

Cuisine Diva Reviews Grazia's Silicone Mini-Muffin Pan

I've been testing Grazia's silicone mini-muffin pan for the Cuisine Diva blog. I reviewed their full-size muffin pan a couple of months ago and was happy to hear Grazia was sending me one of their mini-muffin pans.

I have an old, metal mini-muffin pan that I've used in the past. It's a pain in the butt to clean up after using - it has 24 mini compartments that have to be cleaned. I always use non-stick cooking spray to coat the bottom and sides of the muffin pan but I still end up with a bit of batter stuck on the bottom.

The silicone min-muffin pan comes to the rescue! The 24-compartment pan is light-weight and a breeze to clean up. The muffins literally pop out of the pan - just let the muffins cool off a bit after taking them out of the oven - then turn the pan over and let them fall out onto a large serving platter. 

The only downside of using a silicone muffin pan? Silicone bakeware is a bit floppy. You need to place the pan on a metal baking sheet before you fill it with batter for stability. But because the pan is so flexible and light-weight, you can fold it in half and shove it in a kitchen cabinet when not in use. 

Another plus? Silicone pans don't rust! Some of my older, metal bakeware looks like it's time to retire. I plan on adding more silicone bakeware to my kitchen gadget collection in the future. Silicone bread pans? Silicone cake pans? Silicone pie pans? Hook me up!

Above: blueberry muffins made in the Grazia silicone mini-muffin pan.

Silicone Muffin Pan Product Description

Grazia® Silicone 24 Cup MINI Muffin Pan is a non-stick food grade silicone muffin cupcake baking pan that is extremely easy to clean, safe to use in the oven, microwave, dishwasher, or freezer. It is heat resistant for up to 450°F.

--FDA Approved
--High Quality Construction
--Manufactured in Socially Compliant Facility

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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Betty Crocker & Hershey - a Sweet for Every Style

Betty Crocker has just partnered with Hershey Company to launch a sweet for every style. The fans for the two will now be able to experience the very new line of cupcake mixes, cookie mixes as well as frostings that have all been made with the iconic flavors that include Hershey’s, Reese’s and Almond Joy.

All together they launched a dozen new baking products that your family can enjoy. The new mixes and frostings have a retail price of $2.59 to $2.79 and come in sizes 15.4 oz (cupcake mixes), 12.5 oz (cookie mixes) and 16 oz (frostings).

Jared Pippin, associate marketing manager of Betty Crocker, said that “We are very excited about our continued partnership and the launch of all these new flavors. Our consumers love the new combinations and that we have created a sweet to match the style, including favorites such as s’mores, Cookies ‘n’ Crème, and Reese’s.”

The new line includes six premium frostings, three cookie mixes and three cupcake mixes. Ideas and tips on how you can use them for the best and sweetest result possible, you are invited to check out Betty Crocker's website at www.bettycrocker.com. But you are also encouraged to use your own imagination and come up with your own creations.

 

Disclosure: This post was requested by an advertiser.

 

Cuisine Diva Makes Banana Cake

I've been a fan of banana bread for years. I usually use a recipe from the Mrs. Field's Cookie Cookbook. I didn't have enough bananas to make a full recipe so I played around with it a bit and added less bananas than I usually do and cooked it in cake pans instead of the regular loaf pans I normally use.

This is a less sweet, less dense, cake-like version of banana bread. I like to toast leftovers in the toaster oven then spread with a bit of cream cheese. Yummy! If you want a fancy, two-tiered banana cake whip up a batch of cream cheese frosting and have fun decorating. 

Banana Cake Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter - room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 to 4 whole bananas)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Banana Cake Recpie Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Spray two 9 inch by 5 inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray
• In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and salt
• In a large bowl cream together the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer
• Add the eggs and beat on low speed until well blended
• Add the bowl of dry ingredients then stir in the banana, vanilla and walnuts
• Pour the batter evenly between the two cake pans
• Cook for 40-50 minutes until cooked through

I use a potato masher to mash my ripe bananas before adding them to the cake batter. To make the Mrs. Fields Cookie banana bread recipe double the amount of bananas, add the batter to 2 loaf pans and cook for 60 to 70 minutes. This makes a very dense, very sweet, very sticky banana bread. 

I've had my copy of the Mrs. Fields Cookie Cookbook forever. I don't think it's on print anymore. I did a search on Amazon and saw it listed by a few vendors so you might still be able to find a copy. The cookbook is filled with TONS of dessert recipes, not just cookies. It's one of my all time favorite dessert recipe books!

 

 

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Evil Nut Butters

Above: Jif's chocolate flavored hazelnut spread.

On a recent trip to the grocery store, I discovered Jif's Chocolate Flavored Hazelnut Spread. It's one of those evil, addictive, chocolate foods that you can eat directly from the jar with a spoon. I suppose you could try and fool yourself into thinking it was a healthy snack by substituting a stalk of celery for the spoon. Celery doesn't even have any calories does it? So celery + chocolate = neutral calories. Works for me, welcome to the fantasy-land world of the Cuisine Diva!

Each 2 tablespoon serving of Jif's spread contains 230 calories, with 120 of those calories coming from fat. I probably eat more than 2 Tbsp each time I crack open the jar. Might as well spread it directly to my hips and butt, that's where it's going to end up anyways.

Hazelnut spreads have no nutritional value, the first two ingredient in the Jif spread are sugar and oil, with a bit of hazelnuts and cocoa powder thrown in for good measure. Read the post I wrote back in 2010 on a Healthier Alternative to Nutella. The article compared the pros and cons of MaraNatha Dark Chocolate Almond Spread to Nutella.

So, with the addition of Jif's entry into the chocolate hazelnut spread market, there are now 3 reasons for me to stay home and never again visit a grocery store.

Dang EVIL nut butters!!!!

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA Cuisine Diva

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Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe

Above: pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting.

Delicious Dessert Recipe

Here is a recipe for a pumpkin spice sponge cake with cream cheese frosting. The recipe can be found on the inside label of most canned pumpkin pie filling. The recipe was originally meant to be made as a pumpkin roll, but I've had problems in the past with the filling oozing out and making a big mess. So I prefer to make the cake as directed, but instead of filling it with the icing and rolling it up, I cut the cake in half to make a double layer cake.

Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe Variations

You may add 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to the cake recipe if desired, before baking. I made mine without nuts. Any pumpkin pie spices can be used in this recipe, choose from allspice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and even Chinese five spice powder, for a total of 1 teaspoon.

Pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting would make a delightful culinary addition to a tea party or bridal shower.

Above: canned pumpkin. Leftovers can be used to make pumpkin pancakes.

Pumpkin Spice Cake Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree

Pumpkin Spice Cake Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease and flour a 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a large bowl.
4. In a small bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs.
5. Stir the pumpkin into the sugar and egg mixture.
6. Add the liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until mixed through.
7. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.
8. Let the cake cool to room temperature.
9. Cut the cooled cake in half.
10. Add one half of the cake to a large platter and spread with half of the cream cheese frosting mixture.
11. Top with the other half of the cake and spread with the remaining cream cheese frosting.

 

Above: enjoy pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting along with a cup of coffee or hot tea.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

• 1 eight ounce package cream cheese - room temperature
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine - room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar - sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting Directions

1. Add the cream cheese and butter to a mixing bowl.
2. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy.
3. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Coffee House and Tea Party Ideas

Happy party guests at our coffee house fundraiser.

My husband and I do a lot of fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through our local Team in Training chapter. We recently hosted a Coffee House at our house, to help us with our fundraising goals as we train for the 2010 winter season's century bike ride with TNT. My husband is one of the cycle team coaches, and I am training for the Cocoa Beach century ride which takes place on October 31 in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

 

Team in Training fundraising table setup at coffee house.
 

Serve Lots of Yummy Food

Here is a list of food which I made to serve at the party. I've posted many of these recipes online, and have included links to those recipes where appropriate. I've also hosted various tea parties at our house throughout the years, and all of these recipes are also perfect for serving at a tea party, luncheon or bridal shower.

Bounty of party food.

Coffee House and Tea Party Recipes

• Deviled eggs
• Egg salad finger sandwiches
• Walnut chicken salad finger sandwiches
• Ham & cheese quiche - with Swiss cheese and green onions
• Bacon & cheese quiche - with cheddar cheese and fresh thyme
• Lemon bars
• Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
• Party cookies with chocolate chips & almonds
• Peanut butter cookies with Hersey's Kisses
• Pecan pie bars
• Pumpkin spice muffins

Even more food.

 

Make Ahead and Freeze

When hosting parties at my house, I like to make as much food ahead of time as possible. Certain recipes, such as cookies with a lot of butter in them, can be made ahead and stored in the freezer for up to two weeks before the party. Simply take them out of the freezer the day of the party, and they will thaw out at room temperature in an hour or two.

In the case of the crab canapes and asparagus roll-ups, leave them in the freezer until you are ready to bake them. The instructions for those two appetizers are for cooking them directly from the freezer. Other foods, such as the quiche, can be made a day or two ahead of time, and stored in the refrigerator until the day of the party.

Fussy Food Handling

More fragile food, such as deviled eggs, egg salad finger sandwiches and walnut chicken salad finger sandwiches are best assembled the day of the party. I cooked the hard boiled eggs the day before the party, so they would have enough time to cool down. But I didn't actually make the deviled eggs, or assemble the egg salad sandwiches until the day of the party. Our party went from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM, which gave me plenty of time to do last minute cooking, assembly and cleaning before the party started.

 

Another group shot.

Party Foods That Freeze Well

• Crab canapes
• Asparagus roll-ups
• Cocoa spice drops
• Pistachio shortbread
• Lemon poppy seed teacakes

A Variety of Beverages

Not everyone likes coffee, and I knew a few children would be attending our coffee house party, so I had a variety of beverages available. I let my husband be in charge of all the coffee making. He is a great fan of coffee and I was quite busy with last minute food prep, and meeting and greeting guests as they arrived, so not having to deal with coffee preparation was a huge weight off my shoulders.

1. Hot coffee - we have a regular coffee pot, cappucinno machine and two French press pots, so we were able to make a variety of coffee throughout the party.
2. Iced coffee - we brewed up an extra strong pot of coffee the night before the party, let it cool to room temperature, then stored it in a coffee carafe.
3. Sweat iced tea
4. Soda - a friend of ours brought a variety of soda to the party for everyone to enjoy; rootbeer, orange, lemon lime and a diet cola.
5. Ice - my husband took one of our coolers in to his office and filled it up with ice. Guests could fill their cups up with ice if they were drinking water, iced tea, iced coffee or soda. His office has a large, hotel sized ice maker in the back, which is convenient anytime we host parties at our house.

I'd love to hear about the types of food and beverages you like to serve at coffee and tea parties. Or have you been to a favorite restaurant or tea house for their tea service? I would love to hear about it!

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Above: Plate full of blueberry muffins.

How to Make Blueberry Muffins

Here's a recipe for an easy to make blueberry muffin, with a streusel topping. I used vanilla soy milk in place of the milk. The oil, egg and milk mixture should equal one cup of liquid. I used a 2 cup glass measuring cup and added the egg and oil, then added enough milk to equal one cup. Then I used a small whisk to mix everything together, before adding the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients.

Above: Stir blueberries into muffin batter.

Blueberry Muffin Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Above: Fill muffin tins 2/3 full with batter.

Blueberry Muffin Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the oil, egg and milk.
4. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir until well blended.
5. Stir in the vanilla extract and blueberries.
6. Spray a 12 compartment muffin pan with non stick cooking spray.
7. Fill each muffin compartment approximately 2/3 with batter.
8. Top each muffin with approximately 1 tablespoon of the streusel topping.
9. Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Above: Use pastry knife to blend struesel topping ingredients together.

Streusel Topping For Blueberry Muffins

This topping makes a sweet and nutty crispy topping for the blueberry muffins.

Streusel Topping Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Streusel Topping Directions

1. Sift together the sugar, flour and cinnamon.
2. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife, or a large fork, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Stir in the nuts.

Above: Top each muffin compartment with 1 tablespoon of the streusel topping.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Edible Chocolate Hanukkah Dreidels

The Cuisine Diva just received an email from the PR department of Mindy's Meals on Heels. They wanted to know if I would be interested in posting a Hanukkah recipe from site founder Mindy Korbrin on the Cuisine Diva site.It looked like an interesting idea, so here it is, enjoy!

Here's a new spin on a traditional Hanukkah activity that the whole family can enjoy! Celebrations and entertaining expert; Mindy Kobrin, founder of Mindy’s Meals on Heels (www.mealsonheelsbymindy.com) has created an Incredible Edible Hanukkah Dreidel which will allow kids (and adults) the opportunity to play with their food!

 

Above: Incredible edible Hanukkah dreidels.

 

Ingredients for Edible Hanukkah Dreidel

• 12 thin pretzel sticks
• 12 large marshmallows
• 8 oz dark chocolate, melted
• 2 oz white chocolate, melted or white frosting
• 12 Hershey kisses

Directions for Edible Hanukkah Dreidel

1. Dip bottom of chocolate kiss in melted semisweet chocolate
2. Press onto marshmallow; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet
3. Repeat to make 12 dreidels. Refrigerate for 10 minutes
4. Cut a small slit in bottom of each marshmallow; insert 1 thin pretzel stick
5. Dip dreidels in chocolate, and return to baking sheet
6. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes
7. Fill a resealable plastic bag with melted white chocolate; cut a tiny opening in a corner, and pipe Hebrew letters onto 3 sides of each dreidel
8. Refrigerate at least 5 minutes or up to 8 hours before serving

Homemade Pecan Pie

Above: Homemade pecan pie.

Thanksgiving Desserts

A holiday meal at our house is not complete without one or more types of pie. I usually make a pumpkin and/or a pecan pie as part of our Thanksgiving Day meal. This year I decided to make 2 pecan pies. It's just as easy to make 2 pies, as it is to make 1 pie. I made the pies 2 days before Thanksgiving, so we had an extra pie to snack on. I wouldn't want anyone to starve to death in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.

Above: A pair of pecan pies, cooling off and waiting to be served on Thanksgiving Day.

Recipe to Make a Single Pecan Pie

I used Pillsbury's ready to bake, pre-made pie crust when making my pecan pies. You could also use a defrosted, frozen, ready to bake pie crust if desired, or make a pie crust from scratch. I used a combination of chopped and whole pecans when making my pies. I added the chopped pecans to the bottom of the pie crust, poured in the filling, then garnished the top of the pie with whole pecans before baking. I couldn't find my pie pans yesterday, so I used two metal cake pans, made the pie kind of look like a deep dish pecan pie.

• 1 ready to bake, pre-made pie crust
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups chopped or whole pecans

Above: Use a ready to bake, pre-made pie crust to save time when making pie.

Directions to Make a Single Pecan Pie

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Let the ready to bake pie crust come to room temperature.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir in the corn syrup, brown sugar and granulated sugar.
4. Whisk the eggs into the sugar mixture.
5. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla extract.
6. Spray a metal pie pan or cake pan with non stick cooking spray.
7. Place the pie crust in the bottom of the pan.
8. Spread the chopped or whole pecans evenly over the bottom of the pie crust.
9. Pour the pie batter into the pan.
10. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 60 to 70 minutes, until golden brown on top.
11. Let cool slightly before serving. Fresh baked pecan pie comes out of the oven resembling molten lava, please let it cool down before trying to eat a piece, or you could end up burning yourself!

Above: A single serving of homemade pecan pie. Where's the vanilla ice cream?

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

 

Homemade Cranberry Pear Sauce

Above: Homemade cranberry pear sauce

Delicious Holiday Side Dish

Here is a recipe for an easy to prepare cranberry sauce, which can be made in a slow cooker. It will keep in the refrigerator, for up to one week, and can be prepared a day or two before Thanksgiving Day.

I got the idea for this recipe in the Slow Cooker Ready & Waiting Cookbook, written by Rick Rodgers. On page 185 of that cookbook, there is a recipe for a Cranberry Pear Walnut Sauce. I've modified the recipe slightly.

Above: Use the slow cooker to make cranberry pear sauce.

Cuisine Diva's Cranberry Pear Sauce

Bosc pears have brown skins. When I went to the store to purchase pears, there were 3 varieties to choose from. I was going to buy the green skin variety, then saw the sign on the brown skin variety that said Bosc pears. Bosc pears cook up a bit like an apple, and retain their shape/texture in this recipe. The orange, dried apricot and cranberries all cook down into a delightful sweet and tangy sauce.

The original recipe called for 1 cup of dark raisins. I am not a fan of raisins, so decided to substitute 3/4 cup chopped, dried apricots. The original recipe also called for only the zest of 1 orange, but I added the juice along with the zest. The original recipe also called for 1 cup of toasted, chopped walnuts but I decided to omit the nuts.

Above: Serve cranberry pear sauce as part of your Thanksgiving meal.

Ingredients for Cranberry Sauce

• One 12 ounce bag cranberries - rinsed
• 3 Bosc pears - peel, core and chopped
• Zest from 1 orange
• Flesh and/or juice from 1 orange
• 3/4 cup dried apricots - chopped
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Directions for Cranberry Sauce

Place all the ingredients into a crock pot, or slow cooker. Cook on high heat for 2 hours, or until most of the cranberries have popped. Add the sauce to a storage container and let cool slightly. Place the lid on the storage container and let the sauce cool over night in the refrigerator.

The hot, freshly made sauce would taste great on top of vanilla bean ice cream. Serve the cool sauce, in a decorative serving dish on Thanksgiving Day, to accompany the rest of your holiday meal. Leftover cranberry sauce can be served as a type of homemade jam, along with freshly baked muffins, the day after Thanksgiving.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva