Banana Chocolate Chip cake

Yes, this is my photo. This recipe is likely the most-used in the book... as evidenced by its disreputable state in the photo!

You know when you have this great idea, and then it all goes awry? About a year ago, while I was visiting my mom in Ottawa, I took a pile of photos of her old recipe book, thinking I would transcribe them to put them here... they're all recipes I grew up with and still make today. Anyway, I took all these pictures and had all these plans and then... well, I forgot where I filed them. 

I came upon them the other and and I was so excited! So I guess now I'd better get them uploaded and shared before I lose them again! 

This recipe was an absolute staple of my childhood lunches. My mom used to make this at least once a month, and a full batch could last us a whole school week, which was awesome. This cake is moist and delicious without being soggy... and the chocolate chips are such a decadent treat for a school lunch (or a snack at home when you're all growed up).

Literally all of my mom's recipes list margarine or shortening instead of butter. Needless to say, I always use butter. I also prefer to use frozen bananas... mostly because I'm too lazy to remember to take them out of the freezer and thaw them before I start baking lol. Normally, I'll toss whole frozen bananas on a paper towel in the microwave for 30 seconds, or until I can get the peel off. Sometimes they need a little more warming before mashing... sometimes not. And of course, there are other substitutions. For example, you can see I scrawled on the bottom that you can use apple cider vinegar to sour the milk... which is delicious and I recommend it. Also, this recipe is g-r-e-a-t if you substitute pumpkin puree and some pumpkin spice for the bananas. Yummo, I promise. 

So without further ado, here is my childhood favorite. 

What you need:

1/2 C butter (or margarine if you must)
1 1/4 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 C mashed banana (or pumpkin)

1 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 C sour milk

2/3 C chocolate chips (My mom used more, I prefer a higher cake-to-chip ratio. You decide what you want.)

How to sour  your milk:
I normally measure out about 2/3 cups of milk (I almost always use skim, since that's what I keep in the house, but it doesn't really matter). Then, pour enough vinegar (white or cider) to bring the liquid up to 3/4 cups. Stir with a fork, and let it rest for a minute or two until it starts to get nasty. I always give mine another stir before I pour it into the batter. 

What you do:
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until they're nice and smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, bananas (or pumpkin), and mix well. 

In a separate bowl, mix flour, soda, powder and salt. 

Add 1/3 of your dry ingredients into your creamed mix, stirring well. Add 1/3 of your sour milk and stir well again. Keep alternating until all of the dry mixture and the sour milk are mixed into the creamed bowl. Stir in chocolate chips. 

Pour into greased and floured 13 x 9 pan. Honestly, I never even knew I was supposed to flour the pan... haha... so it's not absolutely necessary but it might help? Also, this works well in muffin tins lined with papers, for a more portable snack. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until it pokes clean.

Let it cool before cutting. Haha. Kidding. You'll never be able to let it cool first. Eat it while the chips are melty and gooey, you'll be a happy camper. Mmmmm. 

Crunchy, gluten-free Chex chicken

*not my image, but my chicken looked exactly like this! I got the image here. 

So last week, I made very yummy coconut chicken strips on a night when my step-daughter was visiting. She doesn't eat gluten, so we couldn't share our chicken strips with her, and she was disappointed, so I decided to see if there was a way to adapt the recipe to be gluten-free. 

As it turns out, neither my hubby nor I wanted to eat coconut chicken again so soon. It's good, but it's definitely not a weekly dish at our house. So I decided to do just plain old panko-style chicken strips instead... seemed easy, right!?

First was figuring out how to get gluten-free panko. Turns out, Chex cereal is a great substitute! I bought a box and crushed up enough for the chicken and it worked perfectly. In fact, I liked it better than Panko because it wasn't as sweet. Next, I had to find a flour to use to coat the chicken. This, I think, will be an ongoing challenge. I looked first for coconut flour but nobody in my area had any, so I  chose an all-purpose baking flour that was gluten free instead. It smelled a little weird, but it was actually not bad at all. I might even use it for baking someday lol. 

Overall, the were good but bland. My step-daughter liked them, but she likes any meat she can get her hands on so this is not a surprise. My hubby and I found them good but a little bland to eat. The coating was super crunchy and delicious, but the flour was a little gooey, and since I didn't really season them, they didn't have any real flavor. Next time, I will add seasoning to the flour before dragging the chicken through. 

What you need:

1 to 1 1/2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips. You could use pre-cut tenderloin strips if you don't want to trim the chicken yourself. 

2 eggs, beaten

2C crushed Chex cereal. You could probably crush your cereal in a food processor, but I just did it in a bag and that was fine. 

2C gluten-free flour

salt and pepper (and other seasonings!)

What you do:

Set up your prep station as follows: chicken strips, then a bowl with your flour, then a bowl with the eggs, and then a bowl with your crushed Chex cereal. 

Turn on the oven to 400, and lightly spray a cookie sheet with Pam (Original Pam = gluten-free).

Take a piece of chicken and coat it in flour. 

Next, drag it through your egg wash, ensuring the entire strip is wet and eggy. 

Next, press the strip into your Chex cereal, coating both sides with Chex bits. I press my chicken in pretty hard so the Chex sticks well. 

Repeat with each piece of chicken, lining the finished pieces up on the cookie sheet. 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Flip. Bake for another 10 to 12 minutes. Check your chicken for done-ness, but it should be ready to go. 

Take it out and eat it. I paired it with rice... I don't recommend this. Pair it with salad instead! I also dipped my strips in President's Choice Memories of Thailand spicy sauce... yum, yum, YUM! 

If you have any suggestions to make this recipe better, please post them in comments! 

Wrap and roll breakfast for dinner

*yup, this is my image... and my dinner!

You have no idea how much I love breakfast. I never tire of breakfast food... like, never. So when I'm bored with recipes and want to do something delicious, I often explore breakfast options. Why not, right?

When Tim and I were dating, we would often go to Chez Cora for breakfast or brunch. It's delicious and they have a little more variety than your standard breakfast place on their menu. That's where the inspiration for this recipe came from: we tried a "Good Morning", and we were both hooked! Essentially, it's a basic crèpe wrapped around fried eggs, bacon, and cheese, then pressed in a panini press and served with fresh fruit. I skip all the formalities like pressing and fruit... who do I think I am?

The nice thing about this is you can make most of it ahead of time. I've done the prep work the night before so we could have a really nice breakfast without cooking for an hour first. I make the crèpes and bacon ahead, then fry up the eggs when we are ready to eat. Yum!

What you need:

Crèpes:
1C flour (AP)
2 eggs
2/3C milk
1/2C water
1/4tsp salt
2TBSP butter, melted

1 package of bacon (I like John Morrell Applewood Smoked)
Your favorite cheese (we used pepperjack cheese this time; I highly recommend it!)

What you'll do:

Making the crèpes:
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and eggs. I mixed by hand, and got them as smooth as possible.
Slowly add the milk and water, stirring continuously to try and keep the mixture as smooth as you can.
Add salt and butter. Beat until no lumps remain.
Heat a pan to medium. Use about 1/3C of batter per crèpe. Cook on one side until there are bubbles across the entire surface, then flip for a few seconds.

Once they're done, set the crèpes aside for a bit. I put mine into a ziploc bag, each separated by a sheet of wax paper. This keeps them soft and pliable.

Next, cook your bacon however you like to. I vote BBQ, but that's just me. You want to let it drain and pat it dry as much as possible... you don't want too much grease getting into your wrap/roll.

Finally, if you're ready to eat, fry up some eggs. We use one egg, 1.5 pieces of bacon, and 1 slice of cheese for each wrap. Tim and I both prefer our eggs over hard for this sandwich, but you could do them lighter if you prefer.

Assembly:
Put a crèpe on your prep surface and place your cheese in the centre. Take your egg right out of the pan and put it right onto the cheese, then put the bacon (broken into smaller pieces) on top. Fold up the bottom 1/3 of your crèpe, pulling the edge towards the centre. Then fold in the sides, and roll the whole thing up until you've got a tidy little packet. I throw my little packets back into the egg pan for a few minutes to seal them up and crisp up the outside as well. Serve and eat them hot!

You could (probably, you should...) serve them with fresh fruit or a light salad. You could also douse them in maple syrup, if you're so inclined, and I'm pretty sure honey or jam would work really well too.

Enjoy!

Sweet Molasses Steak

*Not my image, it came with the recipe. Also, those are PC molasses, so we know the recipe is from Canada. Yay!

The more I eat, the more I love to cook. The more I cook, the more I like to eat!

Over the past eight months, I've learned to cook a whole lot of new things, but we were still using store-bought marinade for beef. So when I saw this recipe, originally from Allrecipes.com, I had to try it.


Overall, I loved this recipe, but it was much sweeter than we were expecting. It really was very sweet, but that works with a nice juicy steak! Also, I expected the marinade to burn off a bit more on the grill, but because I was grilling rare and medium-rare, the steaks came out a little bit saucy. It works, but if you don't like sauce or gravy, you might want to wipe the marinade off the steaks before grilling.

Next time I make this, I'm going to spice it up a little bit. I would almost add jalapenos to the marinade... Or perhaps serve it with a spicy veggie/rice dish instead? I'm not sure. But anyway, enough maybe, here is what you came for.

Admittedly, it takes a lot of discipline for me to use molasses in cooking, because my instinct is instead to eat them directly out of the jar. I definitely had a few tastes along the way, but managed to get my 1/2 cup in the bowl.

As usual, I can't follow an original recipe to save my life. So I made some changes. This is my version.

What you need:

1/2 C molasses
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C tomato ketchup
1/2 C spicy ketchup (I used Heinz chili ketchup)
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP dried oregano
1 Tsp minced garlic
2 TBSP minced white onion

What you do:

Ready? Easiest. Directions. Ever.

Take all your ingredients. Mix them in a bowl and stir them together. Put them in a zipper bag with your steaks. Let them sit anywhere from 4 to 24 hours. Grill to taste. Serve with something. Or nothing. As you like it.

One suggestion: If you can't marinade for at least 4 hours, I suggest you tenderize your steaks with a fork... lots of holes means the marinade will get more surface area and help make your steaks soft and juicy. Yums.

Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken

*yes, this is my image... I'm doing my best to resist gobbling it all up before the hubby gets home!

Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken

I'm seriously starting to think I need a Pinterest intervention. A Pintervention! Anyway, I have seen this recipe floating around Pinterest for ages and finally decided to give it a go. Some claim it's the awesomest Sweet & Sour chicken ever. Some say it's "addicting", which, incidentally, drives me up the wall. The word is addictive. As in "That chicken is addictive" or "These bath salts are addictive". Addicting? Not a word. Non-addicting is a word. It means you cannot become addicted to something... it isn't an addictive substance. Kapish?! 

Now then. The recipe is on Life as a Lofthouse's blog, so go check it out already! 

As usual, I can't follow the darn directions, so I substituted fresh minced garlic (you know, fresh from a jar in my fridge?!). I also added a few hefty shakes of chili flakes to my sauce, to spice it up a bit. I highly recommend you do the same, because it's awesome. 

Start out by preheating your oven to 325...

What you need for the chicken:

1 to 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, thawed, trimmed, and cubed.
Salt and pepper to taste

1 C corn starch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 C canola oil

What you do to the chicken:

As advertised: thaw it, rinse it, trim it, cube it. Put it in a bowl or whatever makes you comfortable. 

Add salt and pepper to taste. I used none, because that tastes best to me. 

Pour the oil into a large skillet and start it heating. 

Next, roll the chicken cubes around in the corn starch, ensuring they are completely covered. 

Dip the corn starchy chicken into the eggs, ensuring full coverage. 

*Fry your chicken until it is lightly browned and sealed, but not cooked through. 

Remove from skillet and place in a 9 x 13 baking pan, ensuring they're as evenly spaced as possible. 

*Confession: I don't fry a lot of things. Ok, this was totally the first time I've tried this. So one thing I learned is, you can't overcrowd your skillet or it makes turning your chicken really difficult... and you end up with uneven batter. So, if you used lots of chicken (more than a pound), or if you're a pan-frying pro, you'll know to do this step in two batches. I didn't, and it wasn't catastrophic, but I recommend you don't overcrowd your pan. 

What you need for the sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt (as mentioned, I used about the same of "fresh" minced garlic"... in my continued boycott of any dehydrated garlic products.)

What you do for the sauce:

Well, this is easy: Put the ingredients into a bowl. Whisk them together. Ta-da!

Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken. I was a little leery when I saw that my sauce wasn't going to actually cover the chicken, but it's ok... it works fine because you're going to be turning the chicken throughout the cooking process. I gave mine a few shakes once it was in there, just to ensure even-ness.

Place your baking pan in the oven. Close the door. Bake for 1 hour, turning every 15 minutes. 

I served mine with steamed white rice and steamed mixed veggies (broccoli, peas, water chesnut, carrots, etc... I think it's called "Asian Mix".) Well, I served what was left anyway. Some serious snacking occurred when the chicken came out of the oven. 

Awesome AJ-Grilled Turkey Breast

*Yes, this is my image... I ate every scrap of food on my plate!

Awesome AJ-Grilled Turkey Breast

My hubby and I try to eat relatively healthy. Nothing pre-packaged if we can help it... mostly, dinner is meat and vegetables. We love chicken, beef, and pork, but after a while these three can get a little boring. Hence bringing turkey into the mix. While browsing Pinterest, I found this awesome recipe by Taste of Home and had to try it out. 

Guys, I do not regret it! If you love turkey, you will love this recipe. The flavor is interesting but not overpowering, and grilling the turkey makes it tender and juicy and wonderful. This is so good that I ate an entire tenderloin while standing next to the grill! Of course, I was locked out of the house at the time (long story) so it's not like I had anywhere to go at the time, but still. 

As you can see, I served my turkey with steamed peas. I think it would be great served with just about anything. I also think it would be fantastic chilled, sliced, and stuffed in a sandwich with some mayo, cheese, lettuce, onion and tomato... but we liked it so much tonight that there are no leftovers at all. 

What you need:

You'll need to marinate your turkey for a minimum of two  hours. I would suggest anywhere from four to eight hours to get lots of flavour out of your marinade. But two hours is sufficient to get some flavour in there so go for it!

1 to 1.5 lbs boneless skinless turkey breast tenderloins

1/4 C Apple juice
1/4 C Soy sauce (reduced-sodium if possible)
1/4 C canola oil
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP fresh minced onion (I just chopped mine nice and fine... it wasn't quite minced but it was fine)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp minced garlic (I always use the kind in the jar)

Dash of black pepper

I don't know if I've mentioned this or not, but I try really hard to stay away from garlic powder and powdered onion. There are two simple reasons for this. First, I prefer the taste of fresh garlic / onion. Second, I find my body processes fresh better than powdered, period. The original recipe calls for 2T dried minced onion and a dash of garlic powder. If you prefer dried, please feel free.... just don't breathe on me!

What you do:

Easiest. Process. Ever. 

Whisk all ingredients except the turkey in a bowl to mix them together. 

If you are marinating less than four hours, pierce your turkey tenderloins all over with a fork so they absorb more flavour. If you're marinating for longer, you don't need to do this (but it won't hurt, either). 

Put your turkey into a plastic zipper bag. Pour the marinade on top of it. Seal the bag. Your prep work is done!

Now, if you're going to marinate less than four hours, I suggest you marinate it at room temperature. If you're marinating for longer than four hours, you should put the bag into the fridge. Try flipping it over a few times throughout the day if you can, but this isn't necessary. 

Warm up your grill to medium heat. If you've been marinating in the fridge, be sure to take your bag out at least a half hour before you want to start  grilling and let it warm to room temperature.

Grill tenderloin for 16 to 20 minutes, turning every 4 to 5 minutes. You can use a meat thermometer to check done-ness, but I prefer just to slice a small piece out to check it. 

Let it rest for a couple of minutes before serving, and enjoy! 

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

*Yep, that's my image. Don't those look wonderful!?

Awesome Bacon-wrapped glazed chicken

This was another find on Pinterest and it has become a staple at our place. The original recipe I tried is from Kaotic Kitchen, but I've made a few changes so I'm posting what I actually do. This is super easy, quick, and delicious. Check out the variation* at the end, too! 

What you need:

Preheat oven to 425F

1 package of pre-trimmed chicken breast tenderloins (about 1 to 1.5lbs of chicken)
1 package of bacon (I use John Morrell Applewood Smoked)
3 TBSP bbq sauce (right now, I'm using Jack Daniel's Honey BBQ sauce)
3 TBSP honey

Update 1/18/2014: I almost never use the glaze anymore, FYI. I just wrap the chicken and grill. This works great on turkey too... tasty!

What you do:

Line a baking sheet with foil. 

Mix bbq sauce and honey, then set aside. 

Wrap each chicken piece with a piece of bacon. For very large pieces, use additional bacon as needed. 

Ideally, you want all of the chicken meat to be covered with bacon. 

Lay each bacon-wrapped piece of chicken on your sheet. 

Brush the top side of each piece lightly but thoroughly with honey sauce. 

Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the bacon starts  to get crispy. 

Remove from oven and flip each piece over. Brush new top side with honey sauce. 

Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the bacon starts to crisp. 

Remove from oven and let set for a few minutes before serving. They go great with a  salad or steamed veggies.  

*Variation: I have made these stuffed with goat cheese a few times. I absolutely love goat cheese, but my hubby doesn't, so I don't make them this way very often. The only difference is the goat cheese, really. I take two of the chicken tenderloins and put goat cheese between them. Then I wrap the whole thing in two slices of bacon and brush on the glaze. Enjoy!  

Baked Chicken Parmesan

*Yes, this is my image, and it was my chicken parm... delish!

Chicken Parmesan Bake

I've never been a huge fan of chicken parmesan, but this recipe has totally changed my mind. It's easy, delicious, and hearty. We decided within three bites that this recipe is a keeper. It's originally posted on the Food Wishes blog, which I highly recommend because it's awesome! Great recipes, great tutorials, and Chef John has a pleasant voice and a great sense of humour too. 

Here's the recipe... but be sure to read  the *Disclaimer* at the end... it's important if you're making this for a date! 

What you need:

1.5lbs of boneless, skinless chicken. (Could go up to 2lbs I think)
2Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
Crushed chillies or hot red pepper flakes, to taste
2 C pasta sauce
1/4C chopped fresh basil
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
4 oz Parmesan, grated
1 (5 oz) package of garlic croutons*

Preheat oven to 350. 

What you do:

Grab yourself a baking pan. I used a 9x13 Pyrex dish which was fine. You know what you've got, go get it! 

Drizzle the olive oil into the pan and add the chopped garlic. Smear it all around so the garlic and oil cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle your hot peppers lightly across the pan, making it as spicy as you want it. 

Next, lay your cleaned and trimmed chicken breast (I used pre-cut chicken tenderloins, but whatever your preference is will work fine) on the bottom of the baking dish. I wouldn't leave much space between them... I put mine close together down the middle of the pan because I had some extra room. 

Spread your pasta sauce (we used a Classico variety) evenly over top of the chicken, making sure to cover the chicken completely. Sprinkle half of your mozzarella cheese over the pasta sauce, then half your Parm. 

Spread the croutons evenly over top of everything else, then sprinkle the rest of your mozzarella and Parmesan on top of that. Basically make everything into a big pile of Italian goodness. 

Bake for 30-40 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken breasts. Take it out, check the chicken for done-ness, then let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. If you're going to serve it over pasta, try to coordinate so that your pasta is ready when the chicken has rested for 10 minutes so it's nice and hot. 

Enjoy!

*Disclaimer: This recipe is super, super garlicky. Think about it: you're using chopped garlic in the pan, garlic croutons, and depending on the sauce you use you will probably have garlic in there as well. If it's date night, I would suggest cutting back on the garlic by using plain croutons or using a non-garlic sauce or cutting back/skipping the chopped garlic in the pan. Just a thought. 

Wicked Tex-Mex Chicken or Turkey Pasta

*yep, that's my picture... Of my dinner. ;)

Wicked Tex-Mex Chicken

I was always told not to go to the grocery store when hungry. I suppose it's sound advice; going to the grocery store hungry often leads to impulse purchases, and they're not usually healthy choices! 

However, one trip on an empty stomach inspired me to make this wicked tex-mex chicken, which has become a pasta staple in our house. 

What you need:

1 lb skinless boneless chicken or turkey, cubed
1 (16 oz) container of Garden Fresh "Jack's Special" medium salsa (the best salsa ever. If you can't get this one, any fresh-made salsa would probably work)
2.5 servings bowtie pasta
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used Kraft Mexican four cheese)
2 T olive oil

What you do:

Set water to boil for pasta. Add pasta. Cook it. You know how this works. I try to cook the pasta simultaneously with the chicken, so everything is ready at the same time. Once your pasta is done, strain and set aside. Don't let it dry out. 

Heat oil in a frying pan on med-high heat.

Add chicken or turkey. Cook until sealed on all sides. 

Turn heat down to medium.

Add 1/2 the package of salsa. Stir with the chicken. Simmer until chicken turkey is fully cooked. 

Remove everything from heat. In a casserole dish, stir salsa and chicken or turkey together with pasta. Add half the remaining salsa from the package and stir it all together. Sprinkle with cheese. You can eat it now...
or...

...put the casserole under the broiler until the cheese starts to bubble. 

Once bubbled to your liking, remove the casserole from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. 

Eat it. Praise me silently (or not) throughout the meal. The great thing about this dish is that it's absolutely delish as a leftover, hot or cold. :) 

Milk & Honey Cake with Toasted Coconut Topping

*Yes, this is my image. I ate most of this cake myself. It was delicious.

Milk & Honey Cake (Toasted Honey-Coconut Topping)  

This is one of my favorite recipes to make, because it fills the whole house with this delicious baking smell... there is nothing like it. Plus, it's one of those recipes where the more you mix, the better... and I like to mix it up! 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease one 8" round pan. 

1 1/2 C flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C sugar
1 egg
1/3 C butter (soft)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C honey (pick your favorite)
2/3 C milk

Combine flour, powder, salt, set aside.

Cream butter. Gradually beat in sugar and vanilla. Then beat in egg and honey. 

Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with milk, stirring lightly after each addition. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes... it should be golden, and a tester should come out totally clean. The top of your cake may crack... no biggee, you won't be able to tell anyway once you get the topping on it :).

Cool on wire rack. 

Once it's cool, transfer to  a piece of foil. 

Honey -Coconut Topping

Turn on the broiler! 

1 C flaked or shredded coconut (I use sweetened. Your call.)
1/2 C liquid honey
1 Tbsp melted butter

Combine these ingredients until thoroughly mixed.

Put a thick layer of topping on the top of the cake, then frost the sides. Or not. It's your call. 

I like to cover the top in thick frosting and then just drizzle down the sides... 

Once it's properly frosted, place your cake on a pizza pan or cookie sheet (an old crappy one). Place the cake (on the foil) on the cookie sheet and place it under the broiler. 

DO NOT. LEAVE. YOUR CAKE. I cannot say this loudly or obnoxiously enough. Watch it like a hawk. Butter and coconut brown quickly and easily and this cake is no good if it's on fire. 

Toast the topping until it is bubbling and golden brown.  Remove, and allow to cool before serving. 

You could serve this cake still warm with a dollop of fresh whip cream on it if you wanted to. Personally, I find it stands alone just fine. It's very rich and moist, and with the honey seeping through it... divine. 

CiCi's Buttercream

*not my image.

Buttercream Icing

I get a lot of requests for my buttercream icing recipe. The tricky part is, I don't really use a recipe. My mom taught me to make this delicious mixture and she never measured anything, either.

The great thing about making icing without a recipe is you get to taste it. Often. And, you can customize it to suit your palate on a given day. Sometimes I like my icing sweet enough to hurt my teeth, while other times I prefer it to be a little more on the buttery side. Sometimes if I'm making a variation, I want the "special" ingredient to stand out most of all. So it really depends.

Here are some general guidelines:

Don't bother with a mixer, you really need to hand mix this stuff. I prefer a wooden spoon.

Start with about 2 Tbsp of butter.

Add about ½ C of icing sugar*.

Mix them together well, then add about 1/8 C of milk.

Add 1/4 tsp vanilla (or more, if you're making more icing) 

That's it. You'll be able to tell by the consistency if the icing is useable in it's current form. If it looks to be about the right consistency, which can also vary by the way, the next step is to taste your icing. Do it. 

You know you want to.

If it’s too sweet, add a little more butter, or try a little more vanilla. Stir again, taste again.

If it’s too wet, add a little more sugar (and if that makes it too sweet, see above). Stir again, taste again.

If it's too dry, add a little more milk.

Keep playing with it until it seems right. Depending on how thick you make it, you can use this as a simple glaze, you can use it in an icing bag to make pretty shapes, or you can spread it on with a knife (usually my preferred method). 

Variations:

Bailey's Irish buttercream icing: Exactly the same as above, but substitute Bailey's Irish Cream for all (or some) of the milk. I like this one to taste of Bailey's, so I often make it a little thinner. 

Maple buttercream icing: Exactly the same as above, but substitute real maple syrup for all of the milk. For the love of maple, do not use table syrup for your icing. Trust me, it's not worth it. 

Chocolate buttercream icing: This is a little trickier. You start out by gently melting 2-4 squares of Baker's chocolate (the bitter kind) in a saucepan. Add your butter while it's melting, so that the chocolate won't harden as it cools. Once it's melted, or mostly melted, take the saucepan off the heat and stir, stir, stir. Add your milk (at room temperature) once the chocolate/butter mixture has cooled a little. Stir some more. 

Add your icing sugar. Stir. Check texture. Taste now. With this variation, it's important that you don't over-sugar the icing. If it gets too sweet, you definitely won't want to have to melt more chocolate, it's a pain in the arse. So once you have tasted and checked your texture, carefully add a little more of whatever you think is missing. Stir often, taste often. 

I think you get the idea. Add just about anything you think will taste good and try it. If it doesn't work out, try something else! If you make something really great, please post it here.

*icing sugar is the same as powdered sugar or confectioners sugar.

Cupcaketastic's Awesome Maple Cupcakes

*Not my image... it's Cupcaketastic's!

Delicious Maple Cupcakes

Cupcaketastic posted this awesome, delicious recipe for creamy maple syrup cupcakes. The original recipe 'Maple Walnut Delights' in Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman.

I don't like walnuts, so they got scrapped. I also mixed the syrup and the milk together before adding them to the batter. I don't know that this would make any appreciable difference or not. I beat the hell out of the butter and sugar, and I  mixed the batter thoroughly after each egg addition. My batter was smooth and creamy and I got 18 perfect cupcakes from this recipe. 

Please, for the love of maple, DO NOT attempt this recipe with table syrup. It's not worth it. It won't taste good. The maple flavour in this recipe is lovely; you get the scent of maple when you put the cupcake to your lips, but it's not overpowering in the cake itself. You do get a nice maple aftertaste though. Trust me, real maple syrup is the only way to go for this recipe. 

Making the cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup/1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Alternatively add dry ingredients and syrup and milk, blending well after each addition. (Fold in walnuts).

Spoon batter into cupcake papers, filling cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a tested into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

You'll notice on Cupcaketastic's version there is a recipe for maple meringue icing. I skipped this, not being a huge fan of meringue, but if you try it please let me know how it worked out. I topped these babies with my maple buttercream instead, and sprinkled some maple flakes for looks.

Coconut Chicken Strips

*Yes, this is my (gloriously blurry) image

Baked Coconut Chicken Strips

This was a Pinterest find, and I'm glad I found it! So easy, so yummy... a great upgrade to classic chicken fingers. It was originally posted on Back To Her Roots' recipe blog. Here is what you need:

What you need:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Or one package of pre-trimmed chicken breast tenderloins, 1 to 1.5 lbs)
3 C white flour
2 eggs
Splash of milk
Salt and Pepper
2 C each unsweetened shredded coconut and panko bread crumbs (I used coconut flakes, but I would recommend shredded if it's available.)
Oil spray (I used Pam).

Here is what you do:

Preheat oven to 400°.

If you're using whole chicken breasts, place them in a large zip-top bag and pound down to about 1/2″ thickness. Slice into 3/4″ strips.

Next grab three bowls, each larger than your chicken breast strips. 

Bowl 1: Just the flour, baby. 

Bowl 2: Whisk together eggs and splash of milk. 

Bowl 3: Mix panko and coconut in one bowl, season with salt and pepper.

Here comes the fun part! You can use any technique you like. I prefer a wet-hand / dry-hand system. 

You'll want to run your chicken through the bowls in order... first in the flour, then in the egg, and then press it into the coconut-panko mix. If you're using coconut flakes, like I did, you'll really want to press the chicken into the coconut-panko mix to get the larger flakes to stick. 

Place each strip onto a greased cookie sheet. 

Bake at 400 for 20ish minutes, flipping after 10. Let your strips rest for a few minutes before serving. 

I paired mine with President's Choice "Memories of Thailand" spicy chili dipping sauce. Unfortunately, it's only available in Canada, but if you can get it, it's worth it! If not, I think any sweet and spicy sauce would add a little zing to these yummy strips. 

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

*Yes, that's my image... of my trashed cookie book.

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Rather than post a picture of the finished product, I thought it would be insightful to post a picture of my cookbook. Everybody has a recipe like this; when I pick up the book, it naturally falls open to the page with the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe on it. The page is crispy, wrinkled, covered in batter and oil and other debris. The spine of the book at that spot is full of old flour and spices. That's how you know it's a great recipe. 

The cook book is called The Ultimate Cookie Book (Tormont, 1997). You can buy it here. 

I never follow instructions very well. Call it a character flaw or whatever you will, it's just the way I am. That said, I've only made a few minor changes to this recipe. I eliminated shortening, because why use shortening when you can use butter right!? I also use AP flour instead of cake flour, and a large egg instead of a small egg, and I drop the cookies on a cookie tray with spoons rather than pressing them out of a pastry bag... though lately, I've been rolling them into little balls and then squishing them with a fork. I hate cleaning pastry bags, so spoons or balls are a better option. It's also just faster and easier... cookies to mouth in less time = good. 

What you need:

1/3 C butter, softened. (The original recipe calls for unsalted, I use salted, you use whatever you like!)
1/4 C brown sugar, lightly packed
1/3 C granulated sugar
1 C flour (The original recipe calls for cake flour, I use AP, you use whatever you like!)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 C chocolate chips

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a cookie sheet... I use Pam spray, but butter adds even more buttery taste to the cookies, which is always good right?!

Using a mixer, cream butter and both sugars. Once they're nice and smooth, add the egg and blend really well.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix the dry ingredients into the wet. You can use your fingertips too, but the dough is sticky.
Once your dough is nice and smooth, add the chocolate chips and blend well. Your dough should be stiff but sticky. 

Drop the batter onto a cookie sheet using a spoon*, or roll the dough into ping-pong-sized balls and then squish them down with a fork. Bake until cookies are golden. I suggest you let them rest for a couple of minutes before eating, but not too many minutes, or your chocolate chips won't be melty and gooey.

Awesome news! This dough can be frozen! I used to buy pre-made frozen cookie dough... you know, the one in the yellow or blue package at the grocery store? I totally lack discipline, so the ability to bake only one or two cookies instead of a whole batch is a much better option for me. I will eat the whole batch if it's in my kitchen.
So anyway, I decided to try freezing my own dough to see if I could get the same results as store-bought, and guess what!? It worked perfectly! What I do is make the dough exactly as described above, then chill it in the fridge for 20 or 30 minutes to make it easier to work with. Then I wet my hands, roll the dough into a ball, and split it in half... then split those in half, and those in half, and so on until I have the number and size of cookies I will want to bake. I put them between sheets of wax paper and put them in the freezer... after 24 hours, I pop the waxed paper covered cookies into a freezer bag and voila! To bake them, just put them on a  greased cookie sheet and pop them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. I set the timer for ten, then have a peek to make sure the centres aren't still wet... if they are, they get an extra 2 minutes. If not, I eat them immediately. Almost. :)

*Originally, the recipe calls for the cookies to be pressed out of a pastry bag fitted with a large round tube. As mentioned, I hate washing my pastry crap, so I just don't do this.... but you can!