A sugary review

So, when I found out about Duncan Hines new Frosting Creations Flavor Mixes I had to check them out. When I discovered they had a Cotton Candy flavor I just about lost it and drooled all over my keyboard. Cotton Candy could be one of my main food groups. No exaggerations. I eat it all the time, every time I go somewhere that has it, have a Cotton Candy maker and even buy ten bags of the store bought kind every time I catch it included in Kroger's ten for ten sale.

It's safe to say I'm obsessed.

Duncan Hines even provides two recipes on their website. A Cotton Candy Cake Pop and Cotton Candy Cupcakes. Both of which look absolutely delicious.

Click here to view the recipes 

I decided that I would try out making a Cotton Candy cupcake. I didn't get fancy at all with my cupcakes, just wanted to try out this new icing for taste.

I used a plain white cake mix, the Cotton Candy flavor pack and the starter icing. Overall, I am happy with them. The taste is really sweet and the Cotton Candy flavor does come through. I am thinking I am going to try using two flavor packages next time around to add more Cotton Candy flavor. I wish I hadn't eaten all my Cotton Candy so I could have added a little decoration but oh well.

I recommend you try out these new flavor packets and see what you can come up with!

Quick & healthy

Not the best photo but tonight I made Couscous for the first time! I paired it with baked chicken and garlic green beans. It was super quick, super easy and super tasty.

I'm not the best at explaining myself either when it comes to recipes, especially since I didn't use one; just threw this together. I'm not one to ever actually write things down, I just wing it but I'll try my best to write the ingredients and what I did.

Ingredients
Chicken cutlets
Couscous
Green Beans
Fresh garlic
Pepper
Salt
Oil

I poured some oil in a frying pan, salt, pepper and threw the chicken cutlets in. Fried them for just a few minutes to get a little bit of hardness to the skin. Took them out, put them in a square pan and popped them in the oven till they reached 165 degrees. Next I put some green beans in a pot with garlic, salt and pepper covered them and let them cook (I usually add butter to the green beans when they are cooking but I ran out of butter earlier today, didn't feel like going to the store). I then cooked the couscous with nothing but a little garlic, salt and pepper as well. Finally, I plate everything and ate it up!

Simple dinner idea

I am in no way, shape or form a chef but after a nice evening spent in Barnes & Nobel, specifically the cooking section, I was motivated to go home and whip up a quick meal with what I already have handy. I raided my fridge, as well as my cabinets and came up with the idea of an asparagus pasta dish with a sauce.

Quick run down of what you need and how it was made:

What:
Asparagus
Pasta (any will work, I used angel hair)
Salt
Pepper
Fresh Garlic
Basil
Fresh Shredded Parmesan
Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup of the water the asparagus was cooked in

I didn't do any real measuring besides the amount of asparagus water I used, just wing it to your taste!

How:
Chop and boil asparagus
Boil pasta
Mix 1/2 cup asparagus water and a small amount of your cooked asparagus along with the other ingredients listed above in the blender. Blend about a minute. My sauce ended up a wonderful light green color.

Finally, mix it all up in big bowl, serve and enjoy!

My favorite speedy dinners!

A lot of evenings I find myself searching the pantry, refrigerator, freezer, etc, for something edible that me and my stomach both can agree on. Probably around three times a week I end up going back to a simple, quick, yet tasty pasta or rice dish. I always make sure to keep a few items on hand that I consider to be staple items.  I buy an amount of fresh broccoli and green beans that will last me a while; I wash, cut,store them in the freezer and take out what I will use each meal. Spaghetti is another staple for me, it can go with a whole bunch of dishes or just be the dish itself; the same goes for rice. I love rice! A rice cooker was one of the best gifts I have ever received. A large bag from the grocery store of uncooked rice can last me a couple months!

The above is just regular spaghetti pasta cooked al dente. Steamed broccoli topped with grated parmesan cheese, garlic and black pepper. Sometimes I add a little butter to the mix if the noodles seem to be sticking.

My second favorite fast meal is just green beans with rice. While the rice is cooking, I throw the green beans in a pan and cook them on the stove with butter, black pepper, salt and diced garlic to taste. I usually leave them in the entire time the rice is cooking so I can just throw them on top of my fresh rice.

I know these are very easy but I like to keep my meals simple with little dishes to clean but still very tasty! I am a college student, dishes are not on my list of favorite things to do and I like my meals fast but still healthier than hitting up the nearest drive-thru. If you find these to be a little plain or want to make a larger meal of them, I sometimes make boneless chicken breasts. This is just an idea starter!

Recipe - No Bake Cookies

No-Bake Cookies
makes about 2 dozen
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa
pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
3 cups oatmeal
1
Combine sugar, cocoa, milk and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2
Cook until the mixture starts to boil and cook for 1 minute.
3
Add vanilla, salt, peanut butter and oatmeal and quickly stir until combined.
4
Drop teaspoons onto parchment paper and let cool.
orginally found here

Recipe - Olive Garden Salad

Edit: I did try this and did not like it, not really anything like Olive Garden, but I will leave it up anyway.

Olive Garden anyone? I don't know about you but I just love their salads and salad dressing. I found this recipe but have yet to try it out. I hope to do so soon!

Olive Garden Italian Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons romano cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in a blender until well mixed. If this is a little to tart for your own personal tastes please add a little extra sugar.

You could throw this on any ol' salad but here is what they use;
Olive Garden Salad Mix

1 bag American Blend Dole Salad
4-5 slices Red Onion
4-6 Black Olives
2-4 Banana Peppers
1/2 cup Croutons
1 small Tomato Quartered
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Recipe - Mint Brownies

Brownie Layer:

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces (114 grams) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (70 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mint Layer:

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (115 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon nonfat Greek yogurt (this was heavy cream in the original recipe)
1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract or 1-2 tablespoons crème de menthe
green food coloring (optional) (I used a mix of blue and yellow powdered food coloring)

Chocolate Glaze:

3 ounces (90 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped (Here, I used Scharffen Berger 70%)
1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Have ready a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) square baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper across the bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan, like a sling. (You can also use buttered aluminum foil for this, but I like parchment because for me, it tears less and is easier to work with.) Set aside.

Brownies: In a stainless steel (heatproof) bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (with a wooden spoon) after each addition. Stir in the flour and salt and beat, with a wooden spoon, until the batter is smooth and glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan (about one minute). Pour the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the edges of the brownies are just beginning to brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies will come out almost clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to completely cool.

Mint Layer: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat all the ingredients until smooth. Add a few drops of green food coloring if you want the frosting green. If the frosting is too thick, add a little extra cream. (The frosting should be just thin enough to spread.) Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled brownie layer. Place in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes or until firm.

Chocolate Glaze: In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Spread over the mint filling and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until the chocolate glaze starts to dull.

Found here