Through The Camera Lens

Camp Scrap: Recipe

Another two pager for class on visiting the water park in early Spring - when it's been months of cold and summer is a too distant memory and beach days are still 3 months away. I based it off May's sketch & also her "recipe" for the page.

Was a nice relaxing weekend with some fireworks at the lake:

And some at home:

  And lots of grilling & salads:

American Potato Salad

• 1.5-2 pounds Red Potatoes
• 4 Green Onions, sliced thin
• 4 stalks Celery, sliced thin
• 4-6 hard boiled eggs
• Mayo
• Sour Cream
• Brown Mustard
• Garlic Salt
• Onion Salt
• Pepper
• Salt
• Dry Mustard
• Paprika

Wish I had measurements but I don't - it was a phone to call Mom years ago & then some adjustments over the years, lol. I mix equal parts of sour cream & mayo together - about 1/2 C each and stir in bits & dashes of the mustard and spices into a very large bowl. After boiling potatoes to fork tender & let cooled, cube them along with 2-3 of the hard boiled eggs toss into mayo mixture along with sliced green onions and celery. Let refrigerate for a few hours and toss with just a bit of mayo before moving to serving bowl. Top with remaining hard boiled eggs, sliced and sprinkle  with some paprika - you can find many variations with EXACT measurements here.

All in all a pretty good Fourth of July Weekend!

Hope you had a Cracklin' one too!

Fourth of July Cupcakes

Here's my take on 4th of July Cupcakes. I went with Pillsbury Stars & Stripes & added a few ingredients from a Cupcake Doctor recipe:

• 1 Box (18.25 oz) White cake mix (I used Stars & Stripes)
• 1/3 C all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 C whole milk
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp. Vanilla

Beat all ingredients until well mixed. About 2 minutes.

I then divided the batter into thirds & added the sprinkles that came with box mix to one bowl of white only, then added red & blue food coloring to the other two bowls. Layered by spoonful into cupcake tins beginning with blue, white & then red on top.This batter is a bit thick so I very careful spread each layer to edges before adding next. (You want about 1/3 C of batter in each cup when done)

Bake at 350F for 16-20 minutes.

Topped with some Buttercream frosting & Patriotic Nonpareils:

• 1/2 C butter (1 stick)
• 3 C powdered sugar, sifted
• 3-4 T milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla - I tend to go with about 1 1/2 tsp, LOVE Vanilla.

Cream butter in mixer, then slowly add powdered sugar and bits of milk & Vanilla until incorporated and desired consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes.

Hope you have a fun & safe Fourth of July weekend! :)

Three for Thursday - Red, White & Blue Recipes

Red, White & Blueberry Parfait

Stained Glass Jello Stars

Red, White & Blue Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

And of course I couldn't forget Cupcakes - check back tomorrow!

Ham & Cheese Sliders

Found these on this yummy blog through TasteSpotting and had to try them. Made a few flavor combos and turned out great!

Ham & Cheese Sliders

• 24 Dinner Rolls
• 24 slices of ham
• 12 slices of Swiss cheese
• 12 slices of Havarti cheese
• Mayo
• Horseradish Sauce

Poppy Seed Sauce

• 1 T poppy seeds (I used Holland Blue Poppy Seeds)
• 1 1/2 T yellow mustard
• 1 stick (1/2 Cup) butter, melted
• 1 T minced onion
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Assemble sandwiches with one piece of ham and choice of cheese and spread with mayo and/or horseradish sauce. (I now wish I would've added slices of pickle to the ones with Havarti)

Place all sandwiches onto cookie sheet - they will be crammed in there. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over all the sandwiches. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Cover with foil and bake for 12-15 minutes, remove foil and cook for 2 minutes longer.

They were a hit with everyone - which is hard to do!

These seem perfect for a Father's Day get-together.

Hello Dolly Bars

Found this take on Magic Cookie Bars in my "More from Magnolia" cookbook. So easy to throw together:

Hello Dolly Bars

• 2 C graham cracker crumbs
• 2 C chopped pecans
• 2 C sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 C butterscotch chips
• 1 C chocolate chips
• 3/4 C butter, melted
• One and half cans of 14 oz sweetened condensed milk (I used one and was fine)

• 1 tsp. Vanilla (Not in original recipe - I stirred into can of SC milk before pouring over.)

Preheat oven to 325F degrees & lightly grease 13 x 9 pan.

Mix together all ingredients EXCEPT sweetened condensed milk in bowl. Once combined pat down evenly in baking pan. Pour milk over and carefully spread over top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until top is lightly golden.

The recipe calls for allowing to cool and covering with plastic wrap and let set and cut the next day.

Um, I couldn't wait that long. But good luck to you! :)

Hope you try & enjoy!

Memorial Day Cupcakes

Did a practice run for some Memorial Day cupcakes using a souped up Pillsbury Stars & Stripes cake mix & Cake Doctor recipe, nice & moist cake:

• Stars & Stripes Cake Mix
• 1/3 C all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 C milk
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix for about 2 minutes. Pour 1/4C of batter into tins and bake at 350F for 16-20 minutes.

Have to be honest here, I had the Hubs pick up some canned frosting <gasp> as this little critter here:

ate a dozen cupcakes and I didn't want to make frosting for just a few cupcakes. Also, made some stars for the kids:

Love the little Red, White & Blue stars I found (and so much more) at the Vanilla Bean.

What are your plans for the upcoming Holiday weekend?

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

Had a wicked chocolate craving so decided what else...time to bake some cupcakes! Since I was going for lots of chocolate components I decided to use a doctored up mix from The Cake Doctor recipe book:

Chocolate Cupcakes

• 18.25 oz box Devils Food Cake Mix
• 1 C sour cream
• 3/4 C water
• 1/3 C oil
• 3 large eggs
  
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat all ingredients together in mixer until well blended. Fill each muffin tin with 1/2 C of batter. Bake until cupcake springs back when lightly touched - about 19-22 minutes.

I used this pan so I could fill with Ganache but you can also cut & scoop out centers.

Chocolate Cinnamon Ganache Filling

• 2/3 C whipping cream
• 8 oz chocolate chips
• Few shakes of cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp vanilla

Pour chocolate chips into a metal bowl and shake some cinnamon over them. Heat cream just to boiling point and pour over chocolate chips, add vanilla and stir with heat-resistant spoon until melted. Let sit for about 40 minutes.

Chocolate Buttercream

• 1/2 C butter
• 1/2 C cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 2/3 C confectioner's sugar, sifted
• 1/3 C whipping cream

Cream butter in electric mixer, blend in cocoa. Add vanilla, then alternate sugar & whipping cream and continue mixing until desired consistency. You may have to add a bit more cream.

Craving satisfied! Hope you try them!

Strawberry Cupcakes Forever

Trying to take advantage of the Strawberry season and made these Strawberry cupcakes. Came across this recipe from Sprinkles on Martha's blog:

Strawberry Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2/3 C strawberries
• 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
2. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.
5. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.
6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

Then I topped with this recipe I adapted from Wilton:

Strawberry French Buttercream

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup cold butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 5-6 large strawberries, pureed

Place sugar, flour and salt in saucepan and mix thoroughly, stir in milk. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly until very thick. Remove from heat and pour into a medium mixing bowl. Cool to room temperature. Add 1/2 cup butter at a time (cut into several pieces) and beat at medium-high speed until smooth. Add vanilla & strawberry puree and blend well by hand. Chill icing for a few minutes before decorating. Iced cupcakes must be refrigerated until serving time.

I love making traditional Buttercream - but let me tell you this was SO worth the extra effort! I could just sit with the bowl. Seriously.

I frosted my cupcakes a little light and have some left over - thinking going to be a fruit dip. So good.

Hope you try this yummy "Taste of Spring" cupcake!

Tres Leches Cupcakes

Since it's Cinco de Mayo I decided to plan a Mexican dinner - Enchiladas for the adults & taco bar for the kids, along with some Mexican Rice & Refried Beans, of course!

And for dessert Tres Leches Cupcakes (Three Milk Cupcakes). Yum! After much searching and reading recipes, I came up with these two from here & here and then did the following:

Tres Leches Cupcakes

• 1 cup sugar
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp. Mexican vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

Mix 3/4 cup sugar with 5 egg yolks until doubled in volume. Then add milk, vanilla, flour, baking powder, salt & butter - I beat at med speed fairly quickly just to combine. In another bowl beat the 5 egg whites with remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until soft peaks formed and then folded into batter.

Pour into cupcake foils about halfway - you don't want them to bake over the cups. Bake at 325F for 22-25 minutes. This recipe made 24 cupcakes.

After cupcakes have cooled, pierce holes in top of cupcakes. I used a BBQ fork stopping just before it went through foil.

 

Next mix together:

• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/8 cup heavy whipping cream

While original recipes only call for above, I added:

• 1 tsp. Mexican vanilla
• Few shakes of cinnamon

Brush over cupcakes. By the time I got to the last cupcake the first ones had soaked up the mixture and I was able to keep going. Made 3 sweeps before it seemed it like it might not absorb any more.

Then I made the topping - whipped cream:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla

Topped the cupcakes and "sprinkled" on some cinnamon. So good!

Oh and it can't be just any vanilla or cinnamon, it has to be:

Fiesta or Siesta - hope you find a way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! ;)

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

While it's not as fancy as the cute cupcakes I posted yesterday and also not the ones I had first envisioned creating - this was the end result.

I started with a sponge cake recipe from here:

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Separate the eggs. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until very thick and lemon colored. Beat in sugar gradually. Add water, lemon extract and lemon rind. Beat in flour.
2. In another bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Then add cream of tartar and salt. Beat mixture until whites are stiff, but not until they are dry. Fold this whipped mixture into yolk mixture.
3. Pour batter into cupcake tins and bake at 325 for 18-22 minutes.
   

I found this recipe to make about 36 cupcakes.

I used my new cupcake pan to have holes for filling:

The pan worked great! I sprayed the silicon "plugs" really well with Pam (vegetable oil spray) and waited 15 minutes to let it cool down before attempting removing.

Then made some Strawberry Whipped Cream:

• 1 Cup heavy whipping cream
• 1-2 Tablespoon powdered sugar
• 6-8 Strawberries, mashed

Whip cream and sugar together until soft peaks form, add strawberries and again beat into soft peaks.

I found and increased the recipe from here.

I then used the decorator tool to fill the cupcakes:

It worked really well. The only issues I had were operator ones. A few John Belushi/Animal House moments when my strawberries got clogged in the decorator tip - mash them WELL! :)

And then I tried something, which failed & will be for another post - I have not given up! So as a back up I topped the remaining cupcakes with the little bit of whipped cream I had left and added a slice of strawberry on top. No one around knew any better.

Have a great weekend! Any fun plans?