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Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

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For the longest time I wanted to get an ice cream maker after seeing so many ice cream, sherbet and frozen yogurt recipes from fellow bloggers…now I have one! For my first trial I wanted to try something easy and simple and more importantly use ingredients that I had available in the fridge…I got this recipe from the Food Network and worked beautifully with some minor adaptations.

Ingredients:

4 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped> (1 lb strawberries chopped)
3/4 cup sugar (1/3 cup agave syrup)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon rum
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and seeds scraped
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
Mint leaves for garnish

Method:

A full 24 hours before you make your frozen yogurt, place your ice cream maker insert into the freezer.

In a bowl, add strawberries, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and rum to a bowl and mix gently. Using a hand blender or food processor pulse the berries and the vanilla.

Place in the refrigerator to chill for approximately 1 hour. Mix the yogurt with the strawberry mix and turn your ice cream machine.

Pour the yogurt mixture in the machine. Churn until the mixture looks slushy like soft serve, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Garnish with mint leave and serve immediately or place in the freezer for several hours until hard enough to scoop.

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Banana Bread

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This is a very simple recipe for banana bread. Since my husband loves banana and we always get it at Costco, no need to mention that once in a while we end up with extra ripe bananas. This recipe was taken from Desserts Magazine’s kid’s issue, so you can guess that this recipe is a very simple and easy one :-).

Ingredients:

  • 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup chocolate chips

Method:

In a bowl sift the flour, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl mix the egg, sugar, oil, mashed banana and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture, mix gently until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven for approximately 75 minutes or until inserting a toothpick it comes clean.

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Lemon Blueberry Muffins

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This is a very simple and easy recipe for muffins, since I have lots of lemons (they came from my sister’s backyard) I wanted to make something that uses lemon, and here I am with these muffins. They came out great, moist and lemony.

Ingredients:

½ cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

1 cup blueberries

Method:

In a medium bowl sift all the dry ingredients. And in another larger bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, yogurt, vanilla extract, lemon juice and eggs. Add the sifted dry ingredients and stir until combined.
Add the blueberries and mix gently. Spoon batter into the prepared muffins cups. Bake in a preheated 325F oven for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
Serve warm.

 

Did you know that there are studies showing that blueberries can lower cholesterol therefore preventing heart disease?

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Peanut Butter Cookies

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Well, we got peanut butter from Costco, therefore you can imagine how much peanut butter we have at home…so I decided to make cookies! We all have our favorite peanut butter cookies recipe, this one is a mix and match from many recipes and small changes were made. Like most of the peanut butter cookies recipes this one as well is a very simple recipe to follow. The cookies are so good…and here is what I did.

Ingredients:

½ cup sugar, use ¼ cup if you like less sweet cookies
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter, room temperature
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Method:

In a medium bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients but the sugars.

In another bowl, add the butter, sugars, egg, milk and vanilla extract and cream for approximately 2~3 minutes. Then add the peanut butter and mix until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients, and refrigerate the dough for approximately 3 hours. Once cold, pre heat the oven at 375F and remove the dough from the fridge and make 1 ¼ inch balls, flatten and using a wet fork make crisscross.

Bake for approximately 9 to 10 minutes, and cool on baking sheet.

Did you know that the skin of the peanut contain resveratrol? Resveratrol is a compound found mainly in the skin of the grapes which is believed to have an anti aging, anti cancer and cardioprotective properties.

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Almond Crisps and a “Visitor””

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This is a very simple and easy recipe for such a yummie treat. It is low in cholesterol, although you can make it cholesterol free by substituting the butter for vegetable oil. I just decided to use butter because they sure taste better… But be aware that it is hard to eat these crisps in moderation since they are so light, crispy, crunchy and very addictive….again very addictive.

Ingredients:

  • 4 egg whites
  • 6 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1½ cup sliced almond

Method:

Preheat the oven at 325F

Mix the sugar with the egg whites until the sugar is dissolved, fold in the sifted all purposed flour. Mix until the flour is incorporated to the egg whites. Add the salt, vanilla extract and the lemon zest. Mix gently and add the melted butter.

Using a spoon, pour half of the batter to a cookie sheet cover with parchment paper or silicone mate and spread the batter through the sheet. Repeat the same with the other half batter. Once the batter is thinly spread throughout the sheet gently cover the batter with the sliced almond.

Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 300F and leave it for another 10 minutes. At the end of the 10 minutes turn the oven off and leave the almond crisp in the oven until the oven cooled down, the almond crisp sheet color will be even.

Please note that oven temperature varies, so keep an eye while baking, since the layer is very thin it can be burned very easily.

Break the pieces randomly and store in an air tight container.

Now, the pictures of my visitor…

Did you know that almond contains substantial amount of carbohydrates therefore is used as flour for cakes and cookies? Moreover, almond flour is gluten free thus used for people that are gluten sensitive.

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Meringue Kisses Cookies

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This is a very simple recipe which gives you beautiful colors of cookies. These cookies are very light and non fat. I adapted this recipe from Desserts Magazine, December issues of cookies. In the original recipe raspberry Jell-O was used, I decided to make two tones of colored cookies, strawberry and lime. These meringue cookies taste so good… mainly because of the Jell-O flavor. It is not too sweet and slightly tart, you cannot stop eating them. It is sure a favorite among the kids and adults.

Ingredients:

Lime Meringue Kisses Cookies
3 large egg whites
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
1 package (3 oz) lime Jell-O
1/3 cup fine granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Strawberry Meringue Kisses Cookies
3 large egg whites
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
1 package (3 oz) strawberry Jell-O
1/3 cup fine granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:

Position one oven rack in the top third of the oven and the other rack on the bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 275°F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the egg whites and salt in a large bowl beat using medium speed until frothy , about 30 seconds. Turn the speed to high and pour the Jell-O and the sugar into the bowl in a slow, steady stream. Continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff and shiny, about 5 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the vanilla. Place the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a very large plain or star tip and pipe the cookies, each about 1V inches in diameter, onto the baking sheets.

Bake the meringues until they are firm on the outside but still soft on the inside, about 30 minutes. Remove the cookies from the parchment sheet and place on a wire rack and let them cool. These cookies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

Did you know that whipped egg whites are more stable when cream of tartar is added to the whites? Moreover, cream of tartar serves as a binding agent and helps to denature the protein in the eggs whites in order to form firm peaks.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!



Orange Cherry Cookies

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I hope you all had a great holiday season and hope your lots of happiness, health and joy in this coming year, have a Very Happy New Year!

I had 2 weeks off from work. During this time I had my mom staying with us for a few days. We got to go out shopping, eat and talk a lot….when I say a lot, it was a lot…even my husband kept asking how come we have so much to talk, and if we will ever run out of topic to talk about…and I must tell you that my mom lives approximately 45 minutes from us and I talk to her everyday. It was very nice having her here and do things together. Besides my mom’s visit I had time for myself. I did a lot of reading, reorganizing closet, flower pots…very relaxing.

Now the cookies…I got this recipe from Desserts Magazine which is featuring Cookie Swap Party. I made some adaption since I just want to make less cookies then what is in the original recipe. These cookies have a great flavor, the tartness of the cherries combined with the orange flavor is just so yummie!

So here comes a very simple recipe for orange cherry cookies, a lovely sweet way to start the New Year :-)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup fine granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
½ cup chopped dry cherries

Method:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat together with an electric mixer on medium-high until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the egg, vanilla and orange zest and beat until smooth. Beat in the flour mixture on low until just incorporated, abd add the dried cherries.

Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours (or up to 24 hours). Remove the dough from the refrigerator and make small balls, approximately 24 balls. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Flat the balls and place the cookies at least 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake the cookies until they are lightly golden around the edges but still soft on top, 13 to 15 minutes. Let them stand on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then remove them with a metal spatula to a wire rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Icebox Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!



Chiffon Black Forest Cake

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I love black forest cake…and this time I decided to make the cake using chocolate chiffon cake instead of this chocolate cake recipe. Chiffon cake is a lighter cake, it is moist and soft since vegetable oil is used in the batter. It is great combined with whipped cream and lots and lots of cherries. In spite of the recipe being very simple, the cake looks very festive as a result it is a perfect dessert for the Holidays.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Chiffon Cake
¾ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup chocolate powder
1/3 cup sugar, divided into half
½ teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 eggs
4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Whipped Cream Frosting
1 8oz whipping cream
4 tablespoons of ultra fine sugar or confectionary sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 small jar of cherries, drain and chopped. Reserve the syrup

Grated semi sweet chocolate, approximately 1/3 cup

Preparation:

Chocolate Chiffon Cake
Preheat oven to 350F. Sift flour, chocolate powder, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. Separate the eggs carefully. Add the cream of tart to the egg whites and mix using a clean and dry beater until stiff, add half sugar and continue to beat until flip upside down it does not fall.

Add the oil to the egg yolk and beat until the color is a pale yellow, add the other half sugar and continue to beat. Add the water and the vanilla extract, beat until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients and beat for more approximately 2 minutes.

Gently fold in the egg whites to the batter using a spatula, make sure that you mix very gently. Pour the batter to a 9 in pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven and turn upside down, until cool.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

Whipped Cream Frosting
Place the whipping cream and the vanilla extract into a big bowl and have it in a ice/water bath.

Whip the whipping cream starting with a low speed, until start to thicken, then increase the speed to a medium~high speed, slowly add the sugar and continue to whisk until stiff peaks forms.

Gently fold in the cherries.

Assembly
Cut the cake in the middle, but using toothpick and reference.

Separate the layers and sprinkle the bottom layer with small amount of the cherry syrup.

Place a layer of chopped cherries and cover with whipped cream.

Gently layer the top layer of the cake and cover with the remaining whipped cream.

Sprinkle the side of the cake with the grated chocolate and decorate the top of the cake with whole cherries.

Place the cake in the refrigerator until time to serve.

Did you know that an insurance salesman called Harry Baker from Hollywood is the one that came up with the original recipe of chiffon cake in 1927? Moreover, the recipe only went public in 1948, after Baker sold the recipe to General Mills and was release in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
And thank you so much for visiting Simple Recipes…



Pumpkin Cookies

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I am sharing a very simple recipe for a very yummie pumpkin cookie. The cookies are soft almost like a cake. Great as a snack or even as a breakfast treat. This recipe was adapted from the Very Best Baking.

Ingredients:

Cookie

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Pumpkin pie spices
½ teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar, sift
1 tablespoon of milk
1 tablespoon of melted butter
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

Method:

Cookie
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract and continue mixing until smooth. Slowly add in the flour mixture. Using two spoons, drop cookie dough on to a baking sheet or silicone baking liner.

Bake in a pre-heated oven of 350F for 15 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Cool the cookies before glazing the cookies.

Glaze

Combine all the ingredients together until smooth, if too thick add a little more milk.

Drizzle over the cookies.

 

Did you know that the orange color of the pumpkins are due to high content of lutein and alpha and beta carotene? In the human body, beta carotene generates vitamin A which is important for the health of the eyes.