Cake Pops!

     I got to make cake pops the other day for a party. What I did differently than the cake balls (see earlier recipe post on the blog) is I used the popcicle sticks. After freezing the balls for twenty minutes or so before I dip them in the melted chocolate the directions are a little different. 

     Melt the chocolate before you take the balls out of the freezer.  Take one stick and dip just the tip, about a half inch, into the melted chocolate and hold it for just a few seconds, then push it into the center of the cake ball a bit past half way.  Then dip the ball in the chocolate, decorate with sprinkles if you want to, then set to dry.  I got some hard styrofoam rectangle blocks to punch them into to set and to serve. It works great, 

Liz's Easy Leek Cauliflower Soup

     I created this soup tonight from scratch. It is simple and delicious. I will give the recipe mainly in pictures with a little bit of text. Pure and simple. 

ingredients: 

2 large leeks, thinly sliced about two inches from the base up the stalk. 

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 head cauliflower, loosely chopped

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 peeled potato, cut in chunks

1 can low fat chicken broth or substitute veggie broth

1 tsp. fine Mediterranean sea salt

3 cups water

Olive oil for the pot

     In a large heavy bottom soup pot add a few tablespoons of olive oil with the sliced leeks, celery and garlic.  Saute for a few minutes until they just start to get limp.

     Add the chunks of cauliflower, sliced peeled potato, salt, broth, and water and bring to a boil. Cover and turn down the heat so it gently boils for 30 minutes. 

     Using a food processor or blender mix the soup until it is just smooth. Use all the liquid and the soft vegetables. 

     Serve immediately. Garnish with some cayenne pepper if you like the heat. Salt and pepper to your liking!  Enjoy!

Gluten-free Pancakes ~ Delicious Too!

     We absolutely adore pancakes at my house. Pancakes were a staple breakfast at my house raising 4 children and a husband who is my favorite eater to cook for; he has a great zest for eating!  I have a terrific butermilk pancake recipe as well as rcipes for crepes and traditional pancakes. I have added blueberries and banana slices to my pancakes and I have become known in my youngest son's circke of friends as the Chocolate pancake Mom. 

     So it seems fitting that I look for pancakes recipes in cookbooks and on Pinterest on a regular basis. I started experimenting with some of them and tweeked a few of them to come up with the following recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

6 egg whites (large eggs)

1 1/4 cup instant oatmeal, dry

1 1/4 cup small curd cottage cheese of your choice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/16 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons sugar

     Start by adding the egg whites to your blender and blend on high until they start to thicken. 

     Now add the cottage cheese, oatmeal, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Blend on high until very well mixed. 

     

     Fry your pancakes on a hot skillet or griddle with a little butter. Add the batter when the pan is fairly hot and if you sprinkle a few drops of water on it the drops sizzle. Turn the pancakes over when the edges are loose from the pan and bubbles appear through out the batter. 

     

     Enjoy!  

Coffee Syrup

What to do with leftover coffee?  Make coffee syrup!  My first attempt came out pretty darn delicious and I am sure I will experiment with variations of it in the future. I took a cup of left over fresh brewed hazelnut coffee and added it to a heavy bottomed sauce pan. To this I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract, a cup of white cane sugar and a quarter cup of light corn syrup just for the heck of it. I had the stove set on medium (electric ceramic stove top) and continuously stirred it until all the sugar was dissolved. I sprinkled in some cream of tarter (not sure why, it just sounded fun) and added about another cup of cane sugar and continued to stir it on a very light boil for about ten minutes. After removing the pan from the stove and letting it cool for 30 minutes I poured it into a used and cleaned syrup bottle. 

It is great over ice cream and added to a fresh cup of hot coffee. I want to try it in Italian Cream Sodas which I will post about when I get some heavy cream and Club Soda. Another thought is to take a slice of pound cake, put it on your serving plate, add sliced fresh raspberries and/or strawberries, top with whipped cream then drizzle it with the coffee syrup. Until next time, happy cooking ~ happy tummies!