Black Forrest Stuffed Cupcakes

I'm not a big chocolate cake fan, but I love black Forrest cake (fun fact, I've eaten a slice while IN the Black Forrest in Germany, sitting along the Rhine).

These cupcakes are quick and easy, and like the eclair cake look like you put a lot more effort in!

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg. chocolate cake mix

1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 egg

2 TBS sugar

1 can (20 oz) cherry pie filling, divided

1 ½ cups thawed cool whip

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare cake batter as instructed on package.  Set aside.  Mix cream cheese, egg and sugar until well blended.

Remove ¾ cup of the pie filling for garnish, set aside.  Spoon 2 TBS of the cake batter into each of the 24 paper-lined medium muffin cups.  Top each with 1 TBS each of cream cheese mixture and remaining pie filling.  Cover evenly with remaining cake batter.

20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.  Cool 5 minutes.  Remove from pans to wire racks.  Cool completely.  Top cupcakes with whipped topping and remaining pie filling just before serving.

VERDICT

Oh, goodness.  These are good.  And they look so fancy!

Unfortunately no one ate them because they were all in love with the eclair cake. 

Eclaire Cake

This recipe is super easy- and yet it tastes like it was difficult to make.  Who knew that unsalted saltine crackers could mimic pastry?

INGREDIENTS

2 pkgs instant vanilla pudding mix

3 cups milk

1 container whipped topping

2 sleeves unsalted saltine crackers

1 jar chocolate cake frosting

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, make pudding with 3 cups milk instead of 4.  Blend in whipped cream.

Arrange a single layer of saltine crackers on bottom of pan.  Add half of pudding mix.  Top with another layer of saltine crackers, and remaining pudding mix.  Top final layer of saltine crackers with chocolate pudding.

Let sit at least overnight for best results.

VERDICT

The picture does this no justice.  This recipe is insanely good.  No one ate the adorable black Forrest cupcakes because this was such a hit.

If you want to make it easier, skip layering the pudding and crackers.  You get more pudding and less pastry, but personally I like the mulit-layers!

This tastes just like an eclaire.  But better :)

NUTRITION

Yeah... let's not even go there today.  Everything in moderation, right?

Orange Sesame Shrimp

We've laid off the stir-frys for a while- afterall it is nearly summer and grilling season is already in full swing.  But I did have to try one last stir-fry before I hang up the frying pan for the season.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoon(s) sesame seeds (white, black, or a mix)
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup(s) cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound(s) (21-25 per pound) peeled and deveined raw shrimp
• 2 tablespoon(s) canola oil, divided
• 1 1/4 cup(s) orange juice
• 1/2 cup(s) dry sherry (or white wine)
• 4 tablespoon(s) reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon(s) sugar
• 1  scallion, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS 

Whisk sesame seeds, egg whites, cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. 

Add half the shrimp and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the rest of the shrimp.

Tip:  Place each shrimp into the pan with a pair of tongs.  LEAVE THEM THERE until they easily turn over.  Do not keep monkeying with them in the pan or the breading will all fall off.  And turn into shrimp-scrambled-eggs.  

Add orange juice, sherry, soy sauce, and sugar to the pan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced by half, 4 to 6 minutes. Return the shrimp to the pan and stir to coat with the sauce. 

Serve immediately, with scallion sprinkled on top.  Serve over rice or pasta

VERDICT

I cooked endamame and peppers in the skillet first- the veggies were a nice addition to the dish.  As for the shrimp- you really have to leave them alone and let them cook or the breading will fall off.

The dish has a very orangey flavor- you may wish to cut back on the orange juice.  Overall, we were pleasantly surprised!

NUTRITION

Calories	232
Total Fat	10g
Saturated Fat	1g
Cholesterol	168mg
Sodium	488mg
Total Carbohydrate	12g
Dietary Fiber	1g
Protein	21g

Fluffy Cheese Puffs

Did you know that Disney has a weekly e-newsletter that includes fun crafts, activities, and recipes?  The crafts are fun, but I hadn't tried a recipe.  These looked yummy.  Here's the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup water
1 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 TBS minced chives or scallions

 DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oven to 400.  Lightly coat cookie sheets with cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, oil, salt and cayenne pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and add the flour all at once.  Stir mixture with a wooden spoon until a paste forms.

With a wooden spoon, beat in the eggs one at a time, blending completely each time.  Stir in the cheese and chives/scallions.

Using a tablespoon, drop balls of batter onto the cookie sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the puffs are firm and well browned.

Makes 30-40 puffs.

VERDICT:

It's refreshing to know that Disney doesn't do everything well.

30-40 puffs my ass.  Try 15 flat as a pancake cheese & egg clumps.  The taste wasn't bad, but these would make a good breakfast dish as they were very eggy.  If you want really good cheesy biscuits, try... well, I was going to post a link to my cheddar bay biscuits, but apparently I haven't published them yet!  Stay tuned, I'll have them up this week!

Crispy Oven Fries

I told you I would get to the fries last night.  And it's a good thing too- because our steaks were TERRIBLE.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large baking potatoes
• 4 teaspoons plain breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 egg whites
• Olive oil cooking spray

DIRECTIONS 

Heat oven to 400°. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise; cut each half into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick fries; pat dry with a paper towel.

In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs with spices. In another bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy, about 1 minute; add fries to coat. Toss fries in spice mixture until evenly coated. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray; arrange fries on sheet with space in between; spritz fries with cooking spray. Bake, turning once, until fries are golden and crispy, about 20 minutes. (30-40 minutes- see verdict)

VERDICT

These are so good! When you first lay them out, and for about the first 35 minutes... they look and taste like raw potatoes.  Then suddenly in the last 5 minutes of cooking POW!  They're crispy, tasty french fries!   

NUTRITION

Servings:  4

Calories:  173 calories per serving
Fat: 1 g fat (0 g saturated)
Carbs:  36 g carbs
Fiber:  3 g fiber
Protein: 6 g protein

Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken

Any recipe that includes peanut butter, lime juice and brown sugar would normally be ignored on the spot. But the picture on the website had me. It looked delicious. Here's what I tried:

INGREDIENTS

12 oz. soba noodles (I used rice noodles instead. I LOVE rice noodles!)

6 Tbsp fresh lime juice

3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

3 Tbsp reduced-fat peanut butter

1 Tbsp Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (or 3 Tbsp of regular brown sugar)

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup cooked chicken, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/4 cup scallions, sliced

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Sesame seeds, as garnish

DIRECTIONS

Cook soba noodles according to package directions. I wanted to add some vegetables, so I threw them into the water to cook with the noodles.  Meanwhile, whisk together peanut butter and 3 tablespoons of lime juice. 

 Whisk in the rest of the ingredients, including your fresh herbs, and toss with the noodles. Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!

VERDICT

So... I made a mistake with the chicken. I didn't have it pre-cooked. So I cooked it in a skillet with a generous amount of teriyaki sauce. Then I added everything else into the skillet, including the noodles when they were done. It wasn't according to directions, but it worked just fine.

And it was.... delicious. The peanut butter/soy sauce/lime juice mix was amazing. Extremely different, but terrific. Definitely try this at home.

NUTRITION

Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 222
Fat: 5.8g
Carbs: 32.7g
Protein: 12.8g
Fiber: .8g

Why were there no new posts for April?

I was looking for pictures to add to one of the previous posts today when I noticed the date of my last post here.  April 1st.  It's been a month, actually more, since I last posted.

And I know you're disappointed, so let me explain.  Maybe.

When I realized how long it's been I immediately went to my planner.  My planner keeps track of EVERYTHING.  Aside from the events, meetings, and appointments filled in on the appropriate days, I keep my notes there.  On the left, the workout schedule of P90X routines for the week.  On the right, the week's menu, including a post-it with items I'll need at the store.  And of course, a to-do list.

And perhaps that to-do list is the cause of the lack of new recipes.

In the past month these were some of the recipes that I was supposed to make:
Herb Crusted Pork Chops
Poached Fish with Spicy Sauce
Bow Ties Florentine (ok, I did make this, but it turns out it wasn't a new recipe.  So I didn't post it here again).
Sole with Shrimp Sauce
Dry Rubbed Chicken
Skinny Coconut Chicken
Chicken in Tarragon Sauce
Arizona Tortilla Soup
Gift of Garlic Pizza
Caribbean Peanut Chicken

Most of the recipes were moved to later dates in my calendar.  For when I catch up and start cooking again.

And maybe I'll have something to add tomorrow morning. I've already scratched the recipe for tonight- Balsamic Steak Au Poivre- deciding that the weather is just to nice to be cooking over a skillet when it can be cooked on the grill instead.  But I do have a recipe for oven-baked french fries. 

Stay tuned...