Whisking Wednesdays #11

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Welcome to Whisking Wednesdays!


What a week.  Blazing hot heat, beaches, pools and finally all my stuff unpacked and getting organized.  I'm loving the heat and this Summer has been amazing so far.  I hope you all are having a wonderful Summer as well and getting some lazy time in by the pool now and again.   

The top three from last week's Whisking Wednesday are below.  You are welcome to grab a feature button if you'd like.  Thank you all for visiting and sharing your recipes!

These Sweet and Sassy Sliders look so perfect.  I would have never thought they were a dessert!  They look so much like the real thing.  I'm not sure if I could make them so perfect!  I'm just in awe over them.  

#1
The Seven Year Cottage
Sweet 'n Sassy Sliders

I love meatballs and have never tried BBQ ones.  This recipe looks awesome.  I love the use of ground turkey and homemade BBQ sauce.  A definite must try for this Summer.

#2
Sweet as Sugar Cookies
BBQ Meatballs

Everyone knows grilling goes hand in hand with Summer.  There are few things better than a big juicy steak.  I'm a big fan of marinating our steaks before we grill them and this marinade looks great, and come on, so does that big juicy steak!

#3
The Kitchen Cookie
Steak Marinade

The Rules:

1. Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your recipe.
2. Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
3. Share your delicious recipes from this week. You are welcome to link up multiple recipes.
4. Leave me a comment and let me know that you've linked up.
5. Please visit at least two others and comment on the goodies they've added to this party.
6. Also, I would love for you to follow me but it isn't a requirement.  

This weeks theme is going to be just your favorite recipe you've made from the week.  Whether it is a dessert, breakfast, dinner or snack.  

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Red, White & Blue Cake

 I'm a bit late with this but since I was unable to make anything patriotic for Memorial Day or the Fourth of July because of moving to Japan and not having my stuff and all I felt like I had something to make up for.  This is my Red, White & Blue cake.  My husband thought it was a bit clownish but I felt it had just the right amount of patriotism added to it!  I found a recipe that was similar to this one but it was boxed cake and melted whipped frosting from a can and I don't like either.  So I decided I'd make the cake and frosting from scratch.  Granted the frosting didn't really look the way the original picture I was shooting for in thin drizzly lines but that's because I decided to make a buttercream frosting instead of a whipped frosting.  My daughter loved helping me with all the colors in the cake and frosting, especially since I very rarely use dye in my food.  I'm not big on dye but I made an exception. 

I think I over did it on the frosting just a tad though because it was hard to taste the cake over the insanely sweet layers of red, white and blue buttercream, but I'll never complain about something being too sweet.  Here in Japan the desserts simply aren't sweet.  Every time I eat one I feel like they must have forgotten to add the sugar.  But, hey that is part of what I love about being an American, I can use as much sugar as I want!  

Classic White Cake:

1 c. room temp. milk
6 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 c. all-purpose unbleached flour (or cake flour)
1 3/4 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

3/4 c. (6 oz), softened
Red & Blue food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease a bundt pan with vegetable shortening and flour the pan. Combine milk, eggs whites and extracts in a small bowl with a fork. Set aside. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in an electric mixer and mix at slow speed with a paddle attachment. Add butter. Continue beating at slow speed until mixture looks like wet sand Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat at medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining milk mixture and beat for an additional 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. Do not overmix.  Divide batter evenly in three separate bowls.  Leave one white, add red dye to the other and blue dye to the third.  I actually needed the entire bottle of red and blue but mine were mini-sized bottles.  Bake 45-55 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.  

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting: 


1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. room temp. butter
2-3 tbsp. half and half
4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Red & Blue food coloring


Add all ingredients into a mixer with whisk attachment and beat on low speed until combined.  Then turn to medium low and beat until fluffy and desired consistency.  Separate into three bowls, add red & blue to two bowls until desired color.  I spooned mine into a zip lock baggie and cut the corner to get a stream of frosting for easier application to the cake.

This post shared with: 

Sweet As Sugar Cookies  

Every Day Sisters
Debbie Debbie Doos

Sugar and Dots
At Home with Haley 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

      I love chocolate chip cookies.  Who doesn't?  One of the first things I did once we got all of our furniture and I was unable to unpack my kitchen was bake a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies and take them to all my neighbors and introduce myself.  I love baking and love having someone to give whatever I bake to as my husband just can't seem to eat all of what I make.  Guess I get carried away sometimes and make too much.  This is my "go to" chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I love bittersweet chocolate chips in my cookies, I think it just tastes better than semi-sweet.  I like to use a combination of dark chocolate and bittersweet.  I like cakey gooey cookies, not crisp ones so I usually use shortening and baking powder in addition to the baking soda.  However, you could use 1/2 butter 1/2 shortening or all butter.  If you like yours more crispy, omit the baking powder.  


      Chocolate Chip Cookies
       
      2 1/4 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
      1 ½ tsp baking powder

      ½ tsp. baking soda

      1/4 tsp salt

      1 c. shortening

      3/4 c. granulated sugar

      3/4 c. packed dark brown sugar

      1 tsp. vanilla extract

      2 large room temp. eggs

      1 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips

1 1/2 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream shortening and white and brown sugar together until light and fluffy in color, medium speed approximately 4-5 minutes.  Add one egg at a time and vanilla.  In a separate bowl sift flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together.  Add into sugar mixture and beat until just combined.  Add in the chocolate chips.  Spoon onto parchment paper and bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are just golden.  

Whisking Wednesdays #10

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Welcome to Whisking Wednesdays!


Yikes, I didn't do so well with my link party this last week.  I think me not being able to spend time on the computer is effecting this negatively. Thank God my furniture will be delivered in two days and I will have a semi-normal life back again and can spend time on here again!  

I hope you all had an amazing Fourth of July!  

The top three from last week's Whisking Wednesday are below.  You are welcome to grab a feature button if you'd like.  Thank you all for visiting and sharing your recipes!

Who doesn't love a jumbo cookie with candy!?  This looks so yummy!  Plus I love the colorful candy in it.  I also really like the combination of shortening and butter in a cookie as it gives it the best of both worlds. 

#1
 The Sweet Detail
Jumbo Candy Cookies 

I've never made a trifle before and this one looks super chocolately and I love the homemade brownies in this.  Plus it looks so pretty.  All these delicious layers of chocolate and pudding and whip cream and such, yum!

#2
Chef in Training
Died and Gone to Heaven

I love egg casseroles.  I have one of my all time favorite egg casserole recipes on my blog here somewhere but I just adore them.  So this one looks fantastic and hope to try it soon as I'm always looking for something tasty to do with eggs!  Plus, I'm a huge fan of anything that is usually for breakfast and having it at dinner!

#3
Talking Dollars and Cents
Breakfast Casserole for Dinner

The Rules:

1. Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your recipe.
2. Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
3. Share your delicious recipes from this week. You are welcome to link up multiple recipes.
4. Leave me a comment and let me know that you've linked up.
5. Please visit at least two others and comment on the goodies they've added to this party.
6. Also, I would love for you to follow me but it isn't a requirement.  

This weeks theme is going to be just your favorite recipe you've made from the week.  Whether it is a dessert, breakfast, dinner or snack.  

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Hotdog Chili

You can't have the Fourth of July without something so very American like hamburgers, hotdogs, grilling, watermelon and those sorts of things.  I decided since we were going to a Fourth of July festival in the afternoon that I'd make us some chili cheese hotdogs for lunch first.  In Japan it is actually the afternon of July 5th already so though these are posting on my blog on July 4th, I'm quite a bit past that already.  I love chili cheese dogs and it makes me feel so very American.  I'm finding that I need that American feeling a bit more these days since I'm in another country.  It has been quite a change and adjustment on my part.  This is a super simple hotdog chili recipe that I've been making for a few years now and everyone seems to love. 

Hotdog Chili

1 small onion (diced)

1 clove garlic (minced)

1 lb. hamburger

1 small bottle Heinz Ketchup

1 ½ tbsp. yellow mustard

6 tbsp. chili powder (or to taste, I prefer extra)

Brown hamburger and onion together.  Add garlic and simmer another couple minutes.  Add entire bottle of ketchup, mustard and chili powder and simmer approximately 10 minutes.  Cover your hotdog with chili and cheese and enjoy!

Patriotic Pancakes

I made these pancakes for our Fourth of July breakfast.  It is basically a regular pancake recipe except with red, white and blue sprinkles added to it.  I have yet to find buttermilk in Japan though so instead of buttermilk I substituted almond milk.  These pancakes were fluffly and delicious!

Patriotic Pancakes

1 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs

2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/4 c. almond milk

½ tbsp. lemon zest

1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Butter

For the pancakes:

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, oil, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture. Mix together until flour is just incorporated. Fold in the red, white & blue sprinkles.  Let set for 15-20 minutes. Heat a nonstick pan or cast iron griddle over medium heat. Brush with the butter and heat until the butter just begins to sizzle. Scoop/pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan or onto the griddle and cook until bubbles appear on the top surface and the bottom is golden brown. Flip over and cook until the bottom is lightly golden brown.

S'mores Cookie Bars

I finally was able to get back in the kitchen yesterday and bake.  I got this recipe from Chef in Training a few weeks ago.  I've been dying to make it since I saw this recipe! Of course, mine doesn't look nearly as perfect as hers but they were still incredibly tasty!  I loved them.  As promised they totally did not disappoint.  I plan on making these again (probably quite a few times) over this summer!  I thought they tasted great warm out of the oven, room temperature or cold.  I'm not sure what happened but I made an entire batch and the next thing I knew they were gone.  My daughter ate one, my husband I think ate two or three.  Seems I may have eaten the rest of the pan all by myself.  Oops!  Guess they just weren't quick enough!  This is one of those recipes I followed the recipes completely and wouldn't change a thing!

S'mores Cookie Bars

1/2 c. room temp. butter

1/4 c. light brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/3. c. flour (I use unbleached all-purpose)

3/4 c. crushed honey graham crackers

1 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

4 Hershey Chocolate Bars

1 1/2 c. marshmallow fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 pan.  I usually just place aluminum foil down with parts over the side to lift the entire thing out once cooled a bit for easy cutting.  In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar then beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over the dough in a single layer covering the entire pan. Spread marshmallow fluff over the chocolate. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff by pressing down and spreading with your hands.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.