What is your cooking style?

Do you consider cooking an experiment? An art form? A necessary evil?

 

Do you carefully measure your ingredients and follow recipes exactly? Are you one of the few to change up a recipe and make it your own?  Or, are you one of the even fewer that does not use a recipe at all?

 

I was raised reading recipes and can follow pretty much any instructions given. What I don’t know can be easily Googled or watched on YouTube.  However over the years of watching all the lovely women in my life I have learned that it is much more fun to change up the recipe, or even create something compleatly new on your own.

 

Some of my “creations” are an experiment because I am using whatever we have in the house. Fortunately my children love being my little taste testers. Sometimes cooking is an art form that take hours to complete and tastes oh so delicious to the palate.

It is these times when my little ones refuse to eat the deliciousness that is set before them. They do not yet have the delicate and mature palate required to eat a meal that takes longer than an hour to prepare.

 

I can no longer follow a recipe. I absolutely have to change it. Even those pre-made box dinners, or pancake mix has to get an overhaul. Over the years I have come up with so many of my own recipes, but I never ever write them down.  I am a firm believer in the dump method of cooking.  I do not measure, unless I am baking a cake. And I always add extra flavors to those cakes.

 

There in lies my problem.  When someone likes one of my dishes, or “creations” and asks for a recipe, I can not give them one unless, they too are of the dump method of cooking.  I can give you the ingredients, but would totally be guessing about the measurements of each one. So, would that recipe turn out the same as mine? Probably not.  I am a huge fan of flavor and 99% of the time I cook by smell. If it smells good, it’s more than likely going to taste good.

 

Are any of you like me? Or is this a unique trait as well? If you are like me, how do you share your delicious treats with others? Do you give in and finally measure everything so that you can have a recipe to share with others?

Pumpkin dark chocolate chip craisin muffins

Pumpkin dark chocolate craisin muffins

6 eggs

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)melted

1/4 cup agave nectar

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup craisins

Preheat oven to 350°

Combine dry ingredients in bowl.

 In separate bowl whisk eggs and add remaining wet ingredients.

 Add flour mixture.

 Fold in chocolate chips and craisins.

scoop mix into lined muffin cup.

Bake for 35-40 min.

Happy healthy baking!

My first ice cream cake

My daughter turned 10 on Tuesday and to celebrate I made her an Ice Cream cake. It was a big hit even though I didn't use a recipe.  Because this was my first attempt at an ice cream cake, I took pictures to document my success or failure.  Choose the flavors you like, although this combination was delicious!

Bake brownies from a box mix in two 9" cake pans

Transfer first brownie "cake" into a 9' spring form pan

This is the Ice Cream I used, Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Bean

Allow ice cream to soften

 (or if you are impatient like me put it in the microwave for 30 seconds)

Spread first layer of ice cream. (Strawberry cheesecake)

Add second brownie "cake" on top of ice cream

Add second layer of ice cream (Vanilla Bean)

Wrap in foil and freeze for at least 3 hours

 (I did all the steps above the night before her birthday and froze over night)

Now it's time to make the frosting

Mix softened cream cheese, Vanilla and almond extract to taste

1 cup sugar and 2 cups heavy cream

This is a firm whipped frosting that will hold it's shape and not "melt off"

Remove the frozen cake from it's pan.

If it is frozen closed, place entire thing in the sink in hot water for about 10 seconds, the edges will release from the pan and the latch will easily open.

(don't submerge the entire cake, just the metal part. I know you knew that but just in case)

I put the cake on a cake board because the icing and decorations will be further out than the spring form pan

( I just left it there, it made the cake board stronger)

Place cake back in the freezer so it can firm back up again.

Use the next 10 or so minutes to smash a few Oreos

use your hands to smoosh the Oreos around the side of the cake.

I used my Pampered Chef  Easy accent decorator to decorate the top and bottom

Any day that I get to use my Kitchen Aid and decorator is a good day!

Drizzle with caramel and chocolate sauce.

I used the caramel that came with the box of brownies. It was a turtle brownie

And the shell chocolate so it was hard on the cake not dripping

 

                                       add a cookie and maraschino cherry in the middle

freeze until 15 min before you are ready to blow out the candles

Inside

Make sure to cut the pieces small! This is a very rich cake.

It easily serves 12-18 people

Enjoy!