The bright constellation » Recipes

Bunny Cookies

smefie — Sun, 13 Apr 2014 15:50:41 +0000

What you'll need

1 roll Pillsbury® Refrigerated Sugar Cookies
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fluffy white whipped ready-to-spread frosting (from 12-oz container)
Decorating icing or gel
Assorted small candies or decors

Variations:

Instead of frosting and decorating these cookies, sprinkle with pastel-colored sugars.

How to make it

In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir or knead in flour until well blended. Reshape into log. If too soft to cut into slices, refrigerate up to 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 350°F. Cut cookie dough into 16 slices; cut 8 of the slices in half down the center. To make 1 rabbit cookie, place 1 whole slice on ungreased cookie sheet for head; place 2 halves on top, slightly overlapping on whole slice, for ears. Repeat to make 7 more rabbit cookies, placing 2 inches apart.
Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
Frost cookies with frosting; decorate with icing and candies.

Cooking with Chef Trabocchi

smefie — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 11:58:26 +0000

Award-winning chef Fabio Trabocchi grew up in Italy and learned to cook from his father and grandparents. Now in Washington, D.C., Trabocchi is helping his son Luca, 10, learn to cook— everything from pastry doughs and pasta to grilled sandwiches and fish. Trabocchi’s second restaurant is named after Luca, and his third, Fiola Mare, just opened in February. “Cooking together—whether it’s professionally or just at home—will be something we always do, it’s our way of life,” says the chef. Watch the duo cook Luca’s favorite sandwich in the video.

Click here to watch the video

Microwave brownie recipe

smefie — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 11:46:25 +0000

If you are in need of a chocolate fix then this microwave brownie is for you! Mix it in a mug and pop it into the microwave. When it beeps, top it with a scoop of ice cream for a delicious dessert.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (40g) self-raising flour
1/4 cup (60g) caster sugar
2 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp (60ml) water
1/2 tsp icing sugar (to sprinkle in top)
ice cream (optional)

Method:

Step 1. Add flour to the cup.

Step 2. Add sugar to the cup.

Step 3. Add cocoa to the cup.

Step 4. Add oil to the cup.

Step 5. Add water to the cup.

Step 6. Mix all together until you have a smooth mixture.

Step 7. Place into the microwave on high for 1 min 40 seconds.

Step 8. Dust with a little icing sugar and EAT!

Notes:

I like to add a scoop of ice cream on top.
I have used a BIG tea cup because my mugs are too small.
You may have to experiment with the time in this recipe. Microwaves, like ovens, vary.

Frozen yoghurt pops

smefie — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 12:30:48 +0000

Prep time: about 1 to 2 hours

Ingredients:

1 8-oz. container of your favorite flavor of yogurt

Utensils:

small paper cups
wooden popsicle sticks (available in craft stores)
plastic wrap

Directions:

Pour yogurt into paper cups. Fill them almost to the top.
Stretch a small piece of plastic wrap across the top of each cup.
Using the popsicle stick, poke a hole in the plastic wrap. Stand the stick straight up in the center of the cup.
Put the cups in the freezer until the yogurt is frozen solid.
Remove the plastic wrap, peel away the paper cup, and eat your pop!

Serves: 3 to 4

Serving size: 1 pop

Nutritional analysis (per serving):
127 calories
5 g protein
2 g fat
21 g carbohydrate
0 g fiber
7 mg cholesterol
73 mg sodium
262 mg calcium
0 mg iron

Note: Nutritional analysis may vary depending on ingredient brands used.

Variations and suggestions:
If you like, you can make this recipe using plastic ice-pop molds instead of the paper cups and popsicle sticks.

For a cool-looking snack, fill your cups only halfway with one flavor of yogurt in Step 1. Follow Steps 2, 3, and 4. Remove your pops from the freezer, take off the plastic wrap, and spoon in another flavor of yogurt that's a different color. Put the plastic wrap back on and freeze once more. When your pops are frozen, you'll have two-colored treats!

How to Create Food Art

smefie — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 14:57:52 +0000

Steps

1
Find your fruit or vegetable. You may have a garden and grow some wacky-looking vegetable, or see something that catches your eye at the grocery store. Try to find something that already has character.
2
Carefully use a paring knife to carve out any features.
3
If you want to add eyes, carve small holes for seed, pea, or bean eyes (black-eye peas make especially good eyes)
4
Have fun, be creative, and be careful!
5
Finished.

BROKEN GLASS CUP CAKES – Halloween Recipe

smefie — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 14:54:27 +0000

Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

smefie — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 14:38:57 +0000

When you purchase a pumpkin for your Halloween jack-o-lantern, buy an extra one and make these light-yellow cookies.

Yield: Makes 4 dozen.

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup pumpkin, steamed, drained, and mashed
2-1/2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets. Cream sugar and shortening, beat in eggs and vanilla, and stir in pumpkin. Sift dry ingredients and stir into pumpkin mixture. Add raisins and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake about 15 minutes.

Home Pumpkin Spice Mix Recipe

smefie — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 14:37:27 +0000

Would you like to re-create those pumpkin spice mixtures that are often for sale in gift shops? Here is the right proportion of ingredients.

Pumpkin Spice Mix Recipe

Mix the following in a nice gift jar:

1/3 cup ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg or mace
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1-1/2 teaspoons ground allspice

Add a gift tag with these instructions: "For pumpkin pie, add 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons of spice mix to your other ingredients."

TIP: Sprinkle a teaspoon of pumpkin spice mix into your carved pumpkin before lighting the candle.

Nutella and Blueberry Turnovers

smefie — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 13:29:06 +0000

What you'll need

1 8oz tube of premade crescent roll dough
4 tablespoons of Nutella
1 cup of blueberries
1 tablespoon of butter
2 tablespoons of Nutella for decoration
Parchment paper

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 350°. Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate into the pre-cutted 8 triangles. Place them over a sheet of parchment on an oven tray.
Cut each triangle in 2 leaving you with 16 triangles total.
Scoop a litle bit of Nutella into half of each triangle of dough, a thin layer will be more than enough!
Then add some blueberries, 3 or 4 is good, don't put too many. Fold the triangles so they are all covered. Press on the sides with a fork triying to sear all sides. Some of them will have Nutella overflowing but this is ok.
Add a thin layer of butter to the top of each turnover. Bake for 12 minutes. Meanwhile heat 2 tablespoons of Nutella in a double-broiler until soft.
Take the turnovers out of the oven. Decorate the turnovers with twirls of Nutella, just grab a spoon and softly pour over the tunovers making curves. Eat immediately!

Chicken Barbecue Quesadillas

smefie — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 12:55:16 +0000

These mini quesadillas are best enjoyed while they're still warm – which gives your child the chance to play party host, walking around with a serving tray of savory appetizers he helped make. Don't forget a bowl of guacamole and a serving spoon so your guests can dip in style.

What you'll need

2 cups cooked chicken, finely chopped
1/2 cup store-bought or homemade barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion (optional)
8 large flour tortillas
6 to 8 ounces grated Monterey Jack cheese

How to make it

Heat the chicken, barbecue sauce, and onion together in a small saucepan until warmed through. Meanwhile, have your kids use 2 1/2- or 3-inch cookie cutters to cut the tortillas into pairs of matching shapes (ideally, you'll end up with 12 to 16 pairs).
Place one of each pair of shapes on your work surface and sprinkle cheese on them. Add a tablespoon of the chicken mixture and a little more cheese, then top with the matching tortilla shapes.
Right before serving, place the assembled tortillas, a few at a time, on a warmed griddle and cook over moderate heat for 2 minutes on each side. As you cook them, transfer the tortillas to a baking sheet kept in a warm oven until the whole batch is done. Serve at once. Makes 8 to 10 servings.