The Best Banana Breakfast

I read a lot of food blogs. Being an aspiring chef, I spend hours and hours online reading recipes, watching tutorials, and feasting my eyes on beautiful, edible photography. Of course, then I go try it myself, and I can just never get the picture perfect outcome that everyone has on the internet. However, I havent given up, nor do I ever see that in my future, so here I am, with yet another recipe you dont want to miss.

An issue I have always had is breakfast. Like so many others, I would much rather have waffles and bacon over cereal, but of course on most days it doesnt work out thay way. However, whilst scrolling through (wait for it) Pinterest, I found a gorgeous image. And better yet- it looked like something I could do in a jiffy. I quickly clicked the link and it led me to make what I feel was one of the best, most easy, and quickest breakfasts I've ever made in my life. Kids will love how colorful and sweet it is. Best part? It's HEALTHY! (depending on how much chocolate syrup you put on)!! Enjoy!

•Adapted from Bake At 350•

Ingredients:
•1 banana
•3-4 strawberries
•1 container of any flavor yogurt (I used the whipped kind of yogurt- strawberry flavored- and threw it in the freezer about two hours before. It was like ice cream!)
•shredded coconut (for garnish)
•chocolate syrup

Cut the banana in half length wise and place halves on a plate. Spoon the yogurt between the two halfs. Top that with the cut up strawberries. Sprinkle a generous amount of coconut and drizzle with chocolate syrup. And thats it!

Cocoa Creme Pie

Do you like pudding? Then this is the pie for you. Dont like pudding? Well, you may want to try this anyways because this pie has found its way in the hearts of even the least sweet-toothed people there are. My step-dad is one of them, and he dislikes both pie and pudding (I know, inhuman, right?). However, once he had a bite of this rich yet light chocolate-y goodness, he took back his harsh feelings on pie.

I found this recipe in 'Hershey's 1934 Cookbook', published by Hershey Foods Corporation. I adapted it slightly, but not much. I recommend, if you like chocolate, looking into this book. Maybe you can find recipes from it online, or find the book on ebay, but its amazing. Every single thing I have made from it has nonfailingly been one of the best desserts ever. So, without further adu, here's Cocoa Creme Pie.

For Crust (9-inch, one crust):
1/3 cup plus 1 T. shortening
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 t. salt
2-3 T. cold water

Sift flour and salt together then cut shortening into mixture until you have particles roughly the size of beads. Sprinkle in the water, start with one tablespoon then add on, until the dough forms a ball and cleans the side of the bowl. You may not need the 3rd tablespoon.

Lightly flour a cloth covered table or board and shape dough ball into a flattened round, then roll out until its 2 inches larger around the upside-down piepan (use it as a guide). Place it into the pan and press into the bottom and sides. Flute the edges, or just trim them, and prick thoroughly both the sides and the bottom. Bake at 475 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until its light brown. Take out and cool.

For the Pie Filling:
1/4 cup Cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 T. butter
1t. + 1/2 t. vanilla

In a medium saucepan, mix the cocoa, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Then stir in milk one cup at a time, mixing thoroughly until smooth. Cook at medium/low heat until filling gets thick, stirring constantly, then boil for one minute (still stirring). Remove from heat and mix half of the chocolate mix into the egg yolks, then blend that back into the saucepan. Boil for another minute, stirring all the while, then remove from heat again. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour this into the pie shell and set aside.

For the meringue:

2 egg whites
1/4 t. cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 t. vanilla

Beat the egg whites and tartar together until it gets foamy. Add the sugar and beat until you have stiff peaks. Beat in the vanilla. Pour meringue on top of the pie.

Brown pie in oven at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. You can serve immediatly, or put it in the fridge (I suggest covering with tin foil. Best for 24 hours after but its still good after!) and serve cold. Enjoy!! :)

Chompin' Chocolate Chip Cookies

Easy and yummy! Everyone will LOVE these cookies- I guarantee it! :)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup crisco
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 and 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Beat crisco, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and eggs together. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet then add chocolate chips. Portion them onto a baking sheet and bake at 375 for 10-15 minutues, depending on how soft or crunchy you like them. Enjoy!

Simple Designs

Sometimes we get so focused on making new, exciting, and challenging ways to make cupcakes that the simple designs are left behind and forgotten about. This doesnt take many directions, looks cute, and can even be a help to people who want to induldge in an assortment of cupcakes.

1.) Choose a flavor of cake. For these (Pictures below) I used spice cake.

2.) Make the cupcakes as directed. *Tip* The boxes say to fill your cups 2/3 of the way full. I usually fill mine more than that, just below the top of the mold. That way, the cupcakes pop over and get the nice muffin top thats desired for decorating.

3.) Put a base of plain frosting on.

4.) For the simple toppings, you get to be creative. Choose something that marks the type of cake. I used pecans for spice cake, and that can tip the consumers off that it is a spice cake, since spice and nuts are commonly used together. Sprinkling a spice cake with cinnamon is also a good idea. For chocolate cake, use fancy chocolate shavings, or for strawberry, use a whole or half strawberry! It isnt hard to come up with what to put on, but it still looks sophisticated.

5.) For the swirls/designs, use a colored frosting, tip #1 or a cut off hole in a ziplock bag, and have fun. Put imagination into it, and have fun swirling!

Its not hard to make fun cupcakes for people to enjoy. It doesnt take a lot to make people appreciate the little things, and it will always taste amazing! :) Have fun!

Spring Cupcakes

Its time for spring, and that means: Time for spring cupcakes! But with all the things going on this time of year- sports starting, school tests, or the anual spring cleaning- there isnt a lot of time to make extremely fancy and amazing cupcakes. With this simple decorating idea, you can get praised for creativeness without ove exerting yourseld.

Supplies needed:
•Cupcakes, any flavor
•White frosting, thin/medium consistency, enough to frost your cupcakes
•Pink frosting, medium consistency. About 2 cups
•Green frosting, medium consistency. 1/4 cup
•Pipe cleaners
•Candy Necklaces (1 necklace decorates 2 cupcakes)
Piping bags and tips 12, 352, 3 with couplers

Steps:
1.) Frost your cupcakes so the frosting is smooth all around. Use white frosting
2.) Use tip 12 to make flowers with the pink icing. Tip 2D or other flower tips can be used as well.
3.) Use tip 3 to pipe pink (or another color or your preference, I used blue) centers to the flowers
4.) Use tip 352 with green icing to make leaves around the flower
5.) Cut a pipecleaner in about half (hold it up to your cupcakes to decide how tall you want the handle of the basket to be. You will need about 1/4-1/2 an inch on both sides to stick into the cupcake)
6.) String the pipecleaner with the candy off he necklaces (make sure to leave room on both ends!)
7.) Place the handle into the frosted cupcake.

And thats it! These are easy but are still cute, and are good crafts for the kids!

Wilton Decorating Course 1

I recently took- and finished- Wilton's first cake decorating course at Micheals. I found it an extremely interesting and helpful class, and although I may need some extra practice, it taught me quite a lot. It was also nice because the class has so few people that the instructer gives a lot of individual help, plus its a friendly enviroment where its easy to chat with your neighbor and make aquaintances.

In this course, the basics of how to hold the piping bag, how to squeeze it, which tips to use, how to get perfect icings and cakes, and more along those lines were highlighted. The instructer showed us how to frost a cake so the icing was completely smooth, how to torte a cake, and how to fill cupcakes too! At the end, everyone got a certificate as well, and I think everyone left feeling like a pastry chef.

These are a couple things we did. All together with the four classes, we decorated cookies, two cakes, and cupcakes. I didnt take a picture of the cookies, and my cupcake picture didnt turn out great because I forgot to take it until the last one, the worst one, was left and it was late at night so the lighting wasnt great. But, it gives a general idea to what you would do in the class. I highly reccommend it to all of you who want to learn a little more on decorating, whether its just for home or the first step to becoming a pastry chef (like me!)!!

So Many Cakes!

I'll be the first to admit that I have a LOT to learn when it comes to cake decorating. But as I go through the photos Ive taken of cakes Ive made, I think Ive been improving. Here are some images, some old and some new, of what Ive been making over this past year! (from this time in 2011). These arent in order, and are my personal favorites.

One day, Ill take the time to plan the lighting and backgrounds so it will look more professional. However, this is more for fun than anything else. :)