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The original inspiration for this came from an amazing blog. You can find it here

This is how you do it.

1. Make your cupcake batter. You can use any light coloured sponge recipe, although you should make sure it is a moist recipe and not too dry. Why not try the easy peasy lemon squeezy recipe or madeira cake recipe?

2. Once you have made your batter separate a 1/3 of it into a different bowl. Cling film the remaining 2/3rds of batter mix and leave to one side.

3. Use food colouring or natural alternatives to dye the 1/3rd you have just separated to the colour of your choice. I’ve chosen pink for my hearts.

4. Grease the base/sides of a square, (any shape will do, i just preferred square for doing this) deep baking tray and pour in the coloured mixture to a depth of a couple of centermeters. Use your judgement here, you are looking for a risen depth that will fit into your cupcake cases, whilst leaving room for the non dyed batter as well.

5. Pop the baking tray into the oven at the temperature the recipe suggests. Take the cake out as soon as it is firm enough to handle being cut into. Try and avoid baking for the full suggested recipe time if you can. Keep testing it so that you can remove from the oven the second it is firm enough to cut.

6. Once firmed take the cake out of the oven and leave to cool completely. Popping it into the fridge will speed the process up.

7. Use a small heart shaped cutter to cut out shapes from the coloured cake. Leave to one side.

8. Place your cupcake cases into your muffin tin. Remove the clingfilm from your 2/3rd non dyed batter and spoon a dollop into the base of each case.

9. Take each heart and stand it vertically (point to the base) into the dollop of batter. Then spoon a dollop of batter on either side of the heart. Make sure your batter reaches roughly the half way mark of the cupcake, high enough to support the heart, but remembering that the batter will rise!

10. Carry this technique on until you have filled all the cupcake cases.

11. Cover the muffin tin completely in tinfoil in order to prevent the pre-baked hearts from drying out and allow the cupcakes to cook evenly from the sides/base.

12. Cook for the full amount of time as dictated by your recipe, then remove and cool.

Tip* When decorating these create a design that makes it clear which way round these should be eaten from. If you cut in the wrong way all you get is a coloured shape and not a beautiful heart!

You could try this technique with circles, stars, teddy bears, practically any shape that is small enough to fit inside a cupcake!

There are many many things that can be baked into cupcakes, try whole fruits or sweets, or even posh chocolates!

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
A creation compiled by me along with two giants in the cooking world.
NOTE: to make things easier, make the cheesecake and crust on one day and the mousse and ganache on the next day. Cheesecake lasts longer than mousse. Keep this cake refrigerated and will last up to 2-3 days but is best eaten the day it's made.

Layer 1: Oreo Cookie Crust

30-32 Oreo cookies (or chocolate sandwich cookies) for a high crust
4 Tbsp unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted
1-2 tsp espresso powder (optional)

Crush cookies in a food processor or in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin or mallet. In a bowl or food processor, pour melted butter on top of the crushed cookies and add the espresso powder (optional), and mix or pulse well. Place the oreo mixture at the bottom of a springform pan. Smooth out the mixture with the bottom of a measuring cup or glass. Wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil. Place the crust in the freezer while you make the cheesecake.

Layer 2: Tall & Creamy Cheesecake
HALVED & adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

For the cheesecake:
1 pound (two 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (I always use kosher salt)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup heavy cream (or sour cream or combination)

Put a kettle or pot of water on to boil. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Working in a stand mixer (or large bowl with hand mixer), preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft for about 4 minutes. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt, and continue to beat another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition to yield a well-aerated batter. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and stir in the heavy cream or sour cream.
Put the foil-wrapped springform pan in the roaster pan, and pour in a few cups of the hot water in the pan around the springform pan (I do half before putting the cheesecake mixture, to reduce my chances of getting water in the cheesecake and to get everything ready.) 
Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure that nothing has been left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan. The batter should fill only half of the pan. Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour the rest of the boiling water into the roaster to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 15-30 minutes, at which point the top will be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven's heat, and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its water bath for another hour.
After 1 hour, carefully pull the setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster—be careful, there may be some hot water in the aluminum foil—remove the foil. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and chill the cake for at least 4 hours or overnight. Make the mousse once the cheesecake has cooled.

Quality chocolate courtesy of Callebaut Chocolate. YUM.

Layer 3: Mousse au chocolat/French Chocolate Mousse
adapted from Tyler Florence on Food Network

6 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, chopped (I used Callebaut; use good chocolate)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp espresso powder (added to intensify chocolate flavor, optional)
3 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream, cold (do not use half-frozen cream; the whipped cream will curdle)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, and place over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler). Melt the chocolate and butter together and stir with a whisk until smooth. Add in the espresso powder. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add the egg yolks to the chocolate, 1 by 1, beating with a whisk until incorporated. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, and continue to beat. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Beat heavy cream in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters until it begins to foam and thicken up. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and vanilla. Continue to whip the cream until it holds soft peaks.
Gradually and gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then, delicately fold in the whipped cream. Take care not over work the mousse but make sure you blend in the cream well. Place the mousse on top of the cooled cheesecake while still in the springform pan. 

Cover the mousse cheesecake with foil, being careful to not let it touch the mousse. (If your springform is too small for this, just use less mousse in the cheesecake and instead eat them in ramekins while you prepare the ganache!) If making the ganacheimmediately, place mousse-covered cheesecake in the freezer as you make the ganache (the cheesecake should NOT be in the freezer for more than 30 minutes). Ifmaking the ganache later, place the cheesecake in the refrigerator for a few hours. Either way, the ganache must be cool before you can pour it on top of the cheesecake. 

Top layer: Espresso Ganache
HALVED and adapted from allrecipes.com

1/2 cup heavy cream
4.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Callebaut semi-sweet and milk chocolate)
1 tsp espresso powder (optional)
1 1/2 tsp dark rum (I used vanilla extract instead)

Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Heat it up just BEFORE it boils. Place the chocolate in the cream, and remove from heat. Stir the mixture until smooth. Stir in the espresso powder and rum or vanilla extract. Allow the ganache to cool for about 15 minutes before pouring the mixture on top of the mousse cheesecake.

Release the springform pan. With an offset spatula, smooth the ganache while starting at the center of the cake and working outward. (I did a "crumb" crust by placing a thin layer of the warm, not hot, ganache on top, allowed it to cool in the freezer for 30 minutes, then I poured more on the cheesecake after releasing the springfrom pan so that it could pour down the cake.) Don't do exactly what I did, though. Just pour ganache on top once it has cooled. Keep in mind that the cold temperature of the cake will cause the ganache to firm up quickly, and you may have to pour more on top.

Save the rest of the ganache for decorations (if you whip the ganache when it's cold, you can pipe a beautiful decoration) or save it for something else.

cannoli

For cannoli shells

• 1 cup all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 lb cold lard
• 2 tablespoons sweet Marsala wine
• 1 large egg, separated
• About 3 cups vegetable oil

For filling

• 1 lb fresh ricotta (2 cups)
• 2 oz soft mild goat cheese
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 tablespoon minced candied orange peel
• 1/2 teaspoon orange-flower water (also called orange-blossom water)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup shelled unsalted pistachios (not dyed red), chopped
• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped (1/2 cup)

• Special equipment: a pasta maker; a 4- to 4 1/4-inch round cookie cutter; a deep-fat thermometer; 6 (roughly 5 5/8- by 5/8-inch) metal cannoli tubes; 2 heavy-duty oven mitts; a pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch plain tip
• Garnish: confectioners sugar

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preparation

Make dough for shells:
Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Add 2 tablespoons lard and blend in with your fingertips until combined. Add wine and yolk and stir until a dough forms.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Form dough into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Make filling while dough stands:
Beat together ricotta, goat cheese, confectioners sugar, orange peel, orange-flower water, and cinnamon in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed 1 minute (do not overbeat). Fold in nuts and chocolate until combined and chill.

Make shells:
Set smooth rollers of pasta maker at widest setting. Unwrap dough and cut in half, then lightly flour 1 piece (keep remaining half covered with plastic wrap). Flatten floured dough into an oval and feed through rollers. Turn dial down 2 notches and feed dough through rollers again. Continue to feed dough through rollers, making space between rollers narrower by 2 notches each time, until narrowest setting is used.

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Transfer rolled dough to a lightly floured surface and cut out 4 or 5 rounds with floured cutter. Transfer rounds to baking sheet and keep covered with more plastic wrap. Roll out remaining dough and cut rounds in same manner. Gather scraps and let stand 10 minutes. Roll out scraps and cut in same manner.

Heat remaining lard with 1 1/4 inches oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until it registers 350°F on thermometer.

Meanwhile, lightly oil cannoli tubes. Lightly beat egg white, then brush bottom edge of 1 dough round with egg white. Wrap dough around a tube, overlapping ends (egg-white edge should go on top), then press edges together to seal. Make 5 more shells in same manner (keep remaining rounds covered with plastic).

Fry dough on tubes 1 at a time, turning with metal tongs, until 1 shade darker, about 45 seconds. Wearing oven mitts, clamp end of hot tubes, 1 at a time, with tongs and, holding tube vertically, allow shell to slide off tube onto paper towels, gently shaking tube and wiggling shell as needed to loosen. (If you allow shell to cool it will stick to tube and shatter when you try to remove it.) Transfer shells to paper towels to drain and cool tubes before reusing. Wrap remaining dough around tubes and fry in same manner.

Spoon filling into pastry bag and pipe some into 1 end of a cannoli shell, filling shell halfway, then pipe into other end. Repeat with remaining shells.

Cooks' notes:•Dough can be made 1 day before frying shells and chilled. Let dough stand at room temperature 1 hour before rolling.
•Shells can be fried 2 days ahead and cooled completely, then kept, layered between paper towels, in an airtight container at room temperature.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sicilian-Cannoli-232015#ixzz1jOCHhelK

more food :) I love FOOD

Recipe: Michel’s Healthier Super Bowl Guacamole

• 4 ripe avocados
• 2 limes
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
• 2 small zucchinis, washed
• 1/2 cup cilantro, washed and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chilies
• salt and pepper

1. Trim ends of zucchini, then roughly chop and add to a food processor. Process until smooth. Optional: if you don’t have a processor, finely grate zucchini on a grater or microplane.
2. As demonstrated in the vlog, cut avocado in half and remove pit. Using a spoon, scrape out the flesh into a large bowl.
3. Cut limes in half along their equator and squeeze their juice over the avocados. Mash up avocados with a potato masher.
4. To the bowl, add chopped garlic, chopped red onion, crushed chillies, chopped cilantro, and puréed zucchini. Mash everything up thouroughly with the potato masher.
5. Season generously with salt and pepper and taste. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Gigantic Triple Chocolate Cookies
makes 10-12 gigantic cookies

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Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until lightened in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition.  With the mixer on low, add the cocoa powder and mix until well blended.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.  Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.

Transfer the dough to a work surface and briefly mix by hand to incorporate any crumbly bits left at the bottom of the bowl.

Using a scale, divide the cookie dough into 4-ounce balls (or just divide into equal pieces).  Place dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, a few inches apart.  Gently flatten the tops (don’t press down too much).  Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until the tops are no longer glossy.  Let cookies cool on pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!  Store in an air-tight container.

*NOTES:
- I used dutch-process cocoa from Penzeys Spices.  You can use Hershey’s Special Dark if you can find it.
- Microwave leftover cookies for 30 seconds to get the chocolate all melty and yummy.
- For smaller cookies, 3-ounce cookies bake for 13-14 minutes and yield about 16 cookies.  2-ounce cookies bake for 10-11 minutes and yield about 22 cookies.

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats

Recipe: Monkey Bread with Bourbon Crème Anglaise

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Breakfast was not a special meal in my house growing up. At least, not in the sense that we enjoyed fancy homemade cinnamon rolls and coffee cakes on a regular basis. Sure, we made pancakes (from a box) on weekends, but it was nothing to write home about.

Monkey Bread with Bourbon Crème Anglaise
Serves 6-8

For the dough
1/4 cup warm water (105-110 degrees)
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

For the caramel coating
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the bourbon crème anglaise
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
6 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of sugar over warm water and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan, heat the milk and butter over medium-low until butter is just melted. Turn off heat and cool (to approximately 105 ° - 110 °). Stir in the egg, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt, followed by the yeast mixture.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add 2 cups of flour to the milk mixture and beat until the flour is absorbed and the dough is sticky. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour and continue to mix on medium-low speed until the dough is shiny and smooth, about 6 - 8 minutes. Add more flour, tablespoon by tablespoon, if the dough is too sticky. (The dough should remove easily from the sides of the bowl.)

Transfer the dough to a large, well-greased mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest in a warm, draft-free place for one hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a rough, flat square, about 1/2-inch thick. Using a pastry cutter or knife, cut the dough into small pieces, about 1-inch in size, rolling each in the palm of your hands to form a smooth ball.

Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Have the melted butter ready in a separate bowl. Dunk each ball into melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated evenly. Layer the balls as you go in a well-greased Bundt pan, staggering the rows as you build. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (If cooking on the same day, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest again in a warm place for an additional hour, or until it has doubled in size. Continue with the baking instructions below.) Remove the dough from the refrigerator at least one hour before ready to cook and allow to rise in a warm place.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 30-35 minutes (33 works for me), until the top is a deep golden brown and the caramel is bubbling. Cool the bread in the pan for NO LONGER THAN 5 minutes (to prevent sticking), then turn out onto a serving platter. Cool for an additional 10 minutes before eating. This bread is best enjoyed immediately. Serve with bourbon crème anglaise dipping sauce.

For the bourbon crème anglaise, heat the cream and milk in a heavy saucepan over medium-low until a ring of bubbles begins to form around the edges. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and salt. Pour about 1/4 of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking vigorously to prevent scrambling. Pour the warmed eggs into the remaining milk in the saucepan. Return the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon (about 10 minutes). Whisk in the vanilla and bourbon. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve and chill, covered, until ready to serve.

Il Barone Ristorante's limoncello tiramisu

Total time: 40 minutes plus chilling time

Servings: 12

Note: Adapted from Il Barone Ristorante in Newport Beach.

3 large eggs (separated)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 cups whipping cream

1 pound mascarpone cheese

1 cup limoncello

2 cups milk

About 5 dozen ladyfinger cookies

2 to 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

About 1 cup shaved white chocolate

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat together the egg yolks, powdered sugar and lemon zest until light and pale, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the whipping cream and mascarpone and continue to beat (if using a stand mixer, switch to the paddle attachment) until fluffy. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl if using a stand mixer.

2. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whites into the mascarpone base. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the limoncello and milk.

4. Quickly soak the ladyfingers in the limoncello mixture and use them to line the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Gently spoon over about half of the whipped mascarpone mixture, smoothing it over the soaked ladyfingers.

5. Add another layer of soaked ladyfingers, then cover with the remaining whipped mascarpone mixture.

6. Refrigerate just until chilled, about 2 hours. Serve within a few hours of assembly. Before serving, sprinkle over the cocoa powder and top with shaved white chocolate.

Each serving: 694 calories; 13 grams protein; 59 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 43 grams fat; 24 grams saturated fat; 278 mg cholesterol; 24 grams sugar; 163 mg sodium.

Chile Con Queso
Ingredients:
1/2 onion diced (about 1/2 cup)
4 cloves of garlic minced
3 Serrano peppers diced
3 jalapeno peppers diced
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of milk
6 cups of shredded cheese, can use any combination of Longhorn cheddar and Monterrey Jack
1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, peeled and diced (about 1 cup, can use canned if tomatoes aren’t in season)
1/2 cup of sour cream
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium-low heat, and then cook the onions and peppers for about five minutes or until onions are translucent.
2. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Whisk the flour into the butter, vegetable mix and cook for about 30 seconds.
4. Add the milk to the pot, and cook on medium, whisking constantly until sauce is thick, about five minutes. Stir in the cilantro and tomatoes.
5. Turn heat down to low, and a 1/4-cup at a time, slowly add the shredded cheese stirring into the white sauce until completely melted. Repeat.
6. Stir in the sour cream.
7. Add salt to taste.

Serves four.

Notes: You can vary which chiles you use to control how hot you want the queso to be. Also, if the sauce is too thick, feel free to add a bit more milk a tablespoon at a time. The key, however, to a smooth sauce is adding the cheese very slowly and not adding any more cheese until the previous addition is completely integrated into the sauce.

i love this roast

three Packet Slow Cooker Roast

By: Kerstin 

"Simple and Easy Roast that has become a family favorite. Goes great with a side of mashed potatoes or over rice!"

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Prep Time:
10 Min

Cook Time:
6 Hrs

Ready In:
6 Hrs 10 Min

Servings  (Help)

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Original Recipe Yield 6 servings

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
• 1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
• 1 (.75 ounce) packet dry brown gravy mix
• 1 (3 pound) boneless beef chuck roast

Directions

1. Whisk together the water, Italian dressing mix, ranch dressing mix, and brown gravy mix together in a bowl until smooth. Place the beef roast into a slow cooker, and pour the sauce over top.
2. Cook on Low until the roast is easily pierced by a fork, 6 to 8 hours.