My latest cupcake creation. This is my take on a pub favorite of pretzels and beer. I call it “The Dark Ale PubCake”. This is a dark chocolate cupcake infused with Young’s double chocolate stout beer. This cupcake has a pretzel bottom crust and is topped with a bittersweet ganache and drizzled with a homemade salted caramel. The garnish, a pretzel. These are available through LRBK for $30 per doz. (1 doz. minimum).
Look at that caramel sauce with it’s dark amber color and it’s salty sweet charisma. He’s such a FLIRT! I can’t help myself. This caramel sauce is just that good. If we were left alone in a room together, I’m not sure what might happen. But at least I know I will always be able to make this desirably delicious sauce whenever I want, until empty jar do us part.
Ever since my last salted caramel post I’ve searched and tried different variations and methods and it stops here. Pinky promise. Cross my heart. So, you’ve seen how gorgeous the sauce came out, the taste is out of this world and you can make it in a snap. So go on… flirt with your sugar sauce in that hot pan.
Salted Caramel Sauce (Yields about a 1 to 1 1/2 cup(s) of sauce–double if you dare)
Method:
1. Add the sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a medium sized heavy saucepan. Heat the sugar over medium-high heat, whisking it as it begins to melt. You’ll see that the sugar will begin to form clumps, which is normal. Just keep whisking and the clumps will melt back down. Stop whisking once all of the sugar has melted, and swirl the pan occasionally while the sugar cooks.
2. Continue cooking until the sugar has reached a deep amber color. It should look almost a reddish-brown, and have a slight toasted aroma. This is the point where caramel can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds, so keep a close eye.
3. Add the butter all at once when desired colored is achieved. Be careful, as the caramel will bubble up when the butter is added. Whisk the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the cream a little at a time into the caramel and begin whisking continuously. Again, be careful because the mixture will once again bubble up. Whisk until all of the cream has been incorporated and you have a smooth sauce. Add the coarse salt and whisk to incorporate.
5. Pour the sauce into a glass jar or container and let it cool to room temperature. You can refrigerate the sauce for up to 2 weeks.
Some tips from the Little Red Bird
The family and I have been on vacation in North Carolina the past few days visiting my husband’s parents. Ben’s parents have a farm up near Asheville with goats, cows, chickens, sheep and pigs. We always look forward to taking time from our hectic schedules to slow down in the mountains.
I remember the very first time that I ever went to visit his parents in North Carolina. Ben’s parents had a beautiful home up in the mountains that originally had been a barn. The house was warmly decorated with country chic decor and vaulted ceilings that brought a modern feeling to the once barn home. There were beautiful flowers blooming all around the house and bushes of wild berries growing carelessly across their property. After arriving from a long and tired car trip, we ate supper. Even though I can’t remember what we ate for dinner, I definitely remembered dessert. Ben’s mother, Kathy, made a peach and blueberry pie. Growing up I had never had much pie other than maybe apple so I was curious to try this combination. This pie was absolutely divine. It was the best pie that I had ever eaten. It wasn’t too sweet and the crust was perfectly golden brown and flaky. Perfect, perfect, perfect pie.
On our last night on our most current trip, Kathy made her blueberry peach pie for good ol’ times sake. 
It was just as good as I remembered. There was just something so magical about being in the country mountain setting and eating a warm peach blueberry pie that gave me a feeling of being relaxed and not so focused on time. A feeling of home away from home.
We made it back home to Florida a day before the 4th of July. We were expecting family over the following day to celebrate Independence day with us and I was obviously in charge of dessert. There is the usual red, white and blue flag cake but I wanted to make something different. Something simple yet homey. So I decided to make a Blueberry Peach cobbler. I found a recipe in a cookbook that I had purchased in Asheville while visiting this past week and thought it would be the perfect dessert to celebrate with. It’s summer time and peaches and berries are at their peak which makes for a fresh and inexpensive dessert to make.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and your 4th of July holiday.
Blueberry Peach Cobbler
(adapted from Sunny Point Cafe recipe book, “Breakfast and Beyond- comfort food from dawn to dark, By April Moon)
Ingredients
Topping
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix together blueberries, peaches, flour, sugar, nutmeg and cardamom. Turn fruit into a well greased 2 quart baking dish.
2. Make the topping. Place flours, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut butter into small chunks and work into the flour with fingertips or a pastry cutter until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Using a tablespoon drop batter over the top of the fruit until entire surface is covered. Sprinkle with raw sugar.
3. Place cobbler in the preheated oven and bake 30-40 minutes. The top will be golden and the center bubbling when done. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Some tips from the little red bird:
Wow. I look at the picture above in disbelief. I can’t believe that I made that. Me. Lasagna-lly challenged. The thought of lasagna used to make me cringe with the multiple steps of cooking noodles, the meat, making the sauce, layer, layer, layer. I remember making lasagna almost a year ago thinking I could whip it up in 30 minutes or less. I got somewhat impatient and made a HUGE MESS in my kitchen. Needless to say, I was frustrated and even ended up beating my stove with a metal spoon. Yeah, the oven ended up with three small dings on the left hand corner. I know, I know… what did the oven do to me?! Nothing. Not my finest moment in the kitchen, but I learned the meaning and purpose of “Mise en place“. It’s French for “everything in it’s place”. The best thing ANY home cook, whether beginner, intermediate or professional, could do for themselves is to have everything set up before beginning the process of a multi-step recipe. First thing’s first. Read the recipe entirely. Sometimes looking over the ingredients and the steps will kind of give you an idea of what to begin with first, such as, pulling out all needed ingredients and materials, chopping veggies, measuring ingredients, and maybe even looking for steps that could require more time or ingredients that never made it to the ingredient list. Remember, the people writing these recipes make mistakes. We’re human.
So now that we’ve talked about how to make sure everything should be in it’s place, let’s talk about the recipe itself. This recipe comes from Tyler Florence from his show, “Tyler’s Ultimate” on Food Network. So this is his Ultimate Lasagna. I kept most of the ingredients the same, but made some adjustments depending on what I had on hand and my taste preference. You will see that this recipe calls for cinnamon. Cinnamon?! ::gasps:: … Yes, I know we’re not making French toast. I was skeptical myself but it really works in this dish. It adds another layer of flavor and plays well off the sauce, and let me tell you what, after the first bite and a few chews in, it is quite possible that your eyes may close and you may start imagining that you are in Lasagna Heaven. It was really that good. The only way this lasagna could have been better is if I would have made the pasta myself. That’s another post way in the future. So, without further a due, lets make some LASAGNA!
LASAGNA RECIPE
Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Tyler said to cook the noodles prior but I didn’t. I left them uncooked and let the moisture from the sauce do that step for me. You can cook them if you aren’t sure but it’s not necessary.
If cooking the noodles, follow this next step. If not, move on to the next.
1. Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly and coat with olive oil to keep them moist and easy to work with.
2. In a food processor, combine the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, parsley, an oregano. Process until pureed. Scrape out with a spatula into a bowl and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta and the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Taste here. Adjust seasoning or add more/less of either of the cheeses. Once reached desired taste, add the egg and mix until well combined.
4. Over medium high heat, coat a large skillet with olive oil, add beef and sausage and brown until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the puree to the pan with the ground meat and stir to combine. Add the flour to the meat. Next, pour in the wine and cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes and add the heavy cream and the cinnamon.
5. To assemble the lasagna: . If uncooked noodles are being used, ladle in some meat sauce at the bottom to help cook these noodles at the bottom. If using cooked noodles, coat the bottom of a deep 13 by 9-inch pan with olive oil. Arrange 4 uncooked or cooked noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce or oiled pan. Then, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. This forms a collar that holds in the corners. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the pasta, spread to the edges with a spatula. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the ricotta. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top with a ladle full of sauce, spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, ricotta, sauce, and cheeses. Top last layer with noodles, sauce, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily.
Some tips from the Little Red Bird:
I hope that after reading this post, you will be inspired to get into your kitchen, roll up your sleeves and show those lasagna noodles who’s boss.
Buen Provecho!
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment and tell the whole wide web what you thought!
I must admit I was never a fan of caramel up until a few years ago. I had never even heard of salted caramel and couldn’t imagine something sweet could be salted and taste amazing. I must have been living under a rock. One of the things that I couldn’t stand about typical caramel was that it was toothache sweet. The salt really helps cut through some of the sweetness and bring in a nice balance of salty sweet. This is just one of the MANY reasons why I LOVE salted caramel. Another reason, like I need any, is the simplicity of making salted caramel. That’s right. You are just a few ingredients and short minutes away from experiencing salted caramel bliss.
The recipe below is one I came across a few months ago and have really liked the results. There are several variations to making salted caramel, and I’m sure there may be some better recipes out there for making it, but the key to making the BEST caramel is making sure you reach the right amber color when turning the sugar into a syrup. The picture above that I took, you can tell the color isn’t as “caramel” as I would have liked. I pulled it a little too soon, but it still came out delicious. I went ahead and posted the picture anyway to show that even some of the ones who have had more experience in the kitchen can make mistakes. So the color wasn’t as dark as I would have liked, but the taste was still terrific. So far I’ve spooned it over ice cream, French toast, chocolate chip pancakes, and cupcakes. It is so good I would gladly pour it over a gym sock and eat it… well, maybe just lick it off. Check out this recipe and give it a shot.
Salted Caramel Sauce
Time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients
Method
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. If necessary, use a wet pastry brush to wash down any crystals on the side of the pan. Boil until the syrup is a deep amber color, about 5-6 minutes.
Remove the sugar from the heat and carefully whisk in heavy cream. The mixture WILL BUBBLE! Stir in the unsalted butter, and salt. Transfer the caramel to a dish to cool.
Tips from the little red bird
Buen provecho!
If you tried this recipe, leave a comment to tell the whole wide web what you thought!
From August until early June, I am a special education teacher. I work with students who are visually impaired and have multiple disabilities. Each week, my class makes fresh chocolate chip cookies to sell to students and staff from our classroom store. I first made this recipe not too long after I received my very own copy of “The joy of cooking” cookbook from my parents this past year for my birthday. They came out perfect and were such a cinch to make. Me, absolutely loving to be in the kitchen, conjoined my passion for baking to my classroom curriculum. The result, a line out my door for chocolate chip cookies and infinite lessons in math, reading, job skills and independence. We typically sell out, so students and staff try to be the first in line at our class door because once they’re gone, they’re gone.
This brings me to now. It’s June and school is out, yet I had to make these cookies because my son, husband and father are HUGE fans of these cookies. I doubled the recipe and made tons of cookies. Once I had split the order, somewhat evenly, I had some leftover and thought I would bring them to my dentist appointment. I know what you’re thinking, “Bringing your dentist cookies?!” Yeah, I know, weird. But I must say, I have the BEST dentist with the most awesome staff. And besides, wouldn’t you want to be nice to the one with the drill? After handing over the freshly made batch of cookies to the women at the front desk, I went to the back to get some work done… a deep cleaning and CAVITY FILLINGS! So, as I sat there in the dreaded dentist chair with a mouth that had been shot up with Novocaine, I had one of the assistants ask me for the recipe and several others compliment the cookies as they passed my room. With a puffy mouth and maybe some slight drooling, I said “sure”. So there I was in the dentist chair writing the recipe down by memory. All this to say, this cookie is a winner. The cookies come out crispy around the edges, yet the center is soft and chewy. So whether you like crispy, chewy, or soft, this will please all of your cookie aficionados.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
“This recipe is a JOY classic, appearing in the book since the 1943 wartime edition.”
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees if using a light colored cookie sheet or 325 if using a dark colored cookie sheet. Explanation to follow in notes. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (preferred method) or grease cookie sheets with non-cookie spray or butter.
INGREDIENTS
METHOD:
In a large bowl, whisk the flour and baking soda and set aside.
Using a stander mixer or hand mixer, beat butter and sugars until well blended. Add the egg, salt and vanilla until you have a homogenous mixture.
Stir in the flour mixture until well blended and smooth.
Add the chocolate chips and nuts, if desired, and fold in using a spatula.
Place dough into a bowl or container, cover with saran wrap and place in the refrigerator for an hour or until set. –This is very important.
Using a tablespoon of measuring, scoop cookie dough and quickly shape into 1 inch uniform balls.
Bake cookies 8-10 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.
Place freshly baked cookies on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes. Store them in an air tight container or cookie jar in order to keep them chewy.
Some Tips From The Little Red Bird
I hope you and your friends, family and dentists enjoy this cookie.
Buen provecho!
Leave a comment if you made this cookie and tell the world wide web what you thought!
I am a HUGE fan of Wild Blue Blueberry lager. It’s yeasty, sweet, smooth and incorporates natural blueberry flavors and juice. Plus, the alcohol abv is a whopping 8% per 12-ounce! Not bad for a lager. The more I dive into the cupcake world, the more I try to think of ways to separate myself from every other super-sweet, dainty, cutesy-wootsy cupcake shop. So here comes my Blue-Beery cupcake with her bad self. She’s made with a fresh blueberry compote, Wild Blue blueberry lager and a blueberry goat cheese frosting. No fondant. No fancy frosting decorations. No short cuts on ingredients. Made by hand every step of the way because that is what LRBK is all about. Check out my “LRBK Cupcake” tab for more mouthwatering cupcakes that are available.
Spring is definitely my favorite season of the year and not for the reason one might think. The reason: Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs. Yes, I know. Seems like I should be more excited about the flowers blooming and planting herbs and gardens, and the wonderful harvest that Spring brings and while I do love all those things, I kind of love these peanut butter eggs just a bit more. I know I can get a Reese’s PB cup at any given time but it really isn’t the same and this is because of the peanut butter to chocolate ratio–little chocolate + extra PB = Skipping through fields of candy canes and lollipops with rainbows and sunshine. Yes, they make me that happy. But besides my hardcore love of peanut butter, I love the blending of salty and sweet and the Reese’s PB egg does just that.
Reese’s has caught on to the obsession of those of us who look forward to the eggs that come out in spring and have begun selling similar items, such as, pumpkins and Christmas tree shaped PB cups which do what the egg does, increase the PB to chocolate ratio. So technically, they are available from the end of Fall to Spring, however, I will only buy the eggs the day after Easter. It’s a tradition. The Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg has been a favorite of mine since high school. My sister (who is also an egg fanatic) and I couldn’t wait for the day after Easter so we could load up on these half priced goodies. We would literally buy 10+ bags and enjoy them into the summertime. So we keep this tradition alive and stock up as much as we can. If one runs out before the other, there is some silent grumbling and maybe even some quick thoughts of not sharing but in the end we do the right thing… we share.
So I guess it’s only natural that I make a cupcake after my favorite candy in this whole wide world. And the internet is full of Reese’s peanut butter cup inspired cupcakes but this is a personal favorite of mine. And as much as I considered not sharing this recipe, I feel as though I would be letting down the PB egg fan community. So pull up a chair (if you’re not sitting), sit back and feast your eyes on this deliciously rich, moist, sweet, salty cupcake that will make your eyes roll back and leave a huge smile on your face.
LRBK’s “Skippy Loves Choco” cupcakes (Yields 12 cupcakes)
METHOD:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with liners.
Sift all dry ingredients together into a large bowl, set aside. Combine all wet ingredients (except vinegar) into mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low (stir speed) until combined. Add dry ingredients slowly and increase speed on mixer to #2 speed on mixer until you reach a homogeneous mixture (about 2 minutes). Scrape sides of the bowl regularly. Add vinegar and stir on #2 speed for another minute. Pour batter just slightly over half in each liner and place in the middle rack of your oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.
Peanut Butter Frosting (Yields: enough frosting for 12 cupcakes)
METHOD:
Using a mixer with paddle attachment, mix peanut butter, vanilla and salt until well combined. Scrape sides as needed. Add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping the sides after each addition. Add the milk or heavy cream and mix until smooth and creamy. This frosting will be slightly loose but thick enough to pipe with. If too runny, add more sugar. If too stiff, add more heavy cream or milk. Frost cupcakes and top with Reese’s peanut butter wedge.
LRBK sells these delectably fabulous cupcakes in regular and littleBIG bites. Check them out here!
Love this cupcake recipe or have tried them? Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
Strawberry Frosting
Yields: enough for one dozen cupcakes
Directions:
I see I have your attention.
Still in the Irish spirit, I decided to make a Guinness Shepherd’s pie this week. I knew that swiping the last can of Guinness from my husband’s beer fridge would normally result in creating Mr. Cranky pants but I knew I would be easily forgiven once he knew it was repurposed for that evening’s supper… and a new pack would be nice and cold waiting for him in the regular fridge (Gotta keep’em happy).
I had seen Alton Brown do an episode on Good Eats about Shepherd’s pie, so I looked up the recipe on Food Network. It didn’t have the Guinness component but I threw it in there anyway, along with a few other extra goodies to make this:
..Yes, not the best photos I know but I’m working with camera phones and an Olympus Stylus 850 here. Remember, teacher’s salary = budget friendly camera. Moving on.
Shepherd’s pie is a meat pie with a potato crust. It is traditionally made with lamb or mutton and not beef. If beef or any other left-over meat is used instead of sheep meat, then it is referred to as Cottage Pie. …Thank you Wikipedia and Alton for the helping us know the difference.
The Taste: The potato crust was slightly crisp when I cut right through it. As I scooped it with my serving spoon, I saw the dark rich gravy drip on to the plate and I immediately had to sweep my finger across it to taste it. ::insert big cheesy smile here:: The herbs danced around nicely in the pie and the Guinness added a delightfully complex flavor. Whether it’s Shepherd or Cottage, the outcome is superb. Check out the recipe below.
Guinness Shepherd’s (I mean Cottage) Pie Recipe
Ingredients
For the potatoes:
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
1/4 cup half-and-half
2 ounces unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg yolk
For the meat filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and diced small
3 celery ribs, sliced in half and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds ground beef (you can use lamb to create a “real” shepherd’s pie)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 16 oz. can of Guinness beer
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary (fresh is best. If using fresh, increase to 2 tsp.)
1/2 teaspoon freshly dried thyme leaves (if using fresh, increase to 1 tsp.)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (optional)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
Directions
Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Place the half-and-half and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk until well combined.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the butter into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. Once the butter shimmers, add the carrots and saute just until they begin to soften, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Next add the onions and celery and wait for the onions to become translucent. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the beef, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 4 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, beer, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.
Add the corn and peas to the meat mixture and spread evenly into a baking dish.Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Some Tips and/or Substitutions:
1. Russet potatoes are nice and starchy and hold butter and cream well. They are great for baking and mashing. If you don’t have russets, a good substitution would be yellow or white potatoes.
2. Want to make it lighter? Use Fat-Free half and half or skim milk; use a lean meat (90/10); after cooking the meat and before adding the rest of the ingredients, drain the excess fat; use less beer and add more veggies; put a thinner layer of mashed potatoes. Doing some or all of this will bring the calories and carbohydrates down.
3.I underlined the use of a parchment lined baking sheet because even though I spread the mashed potatoes to the edges to create a seal, the delicious gravy decided to escape anyway. This resulted in hearing hissing sounds coming from my oven and having to clean a big mess. Thumbs. Down.
4. If you have leftover meat filling (as I did), use it to make quesadilla with and use some gouda or sharp cheddar cheese to put inside of it. Or, use it to fill empanada shells with. Deep fry. Make it light and bake in the oven at 350 degrees, 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. YUM!
A final note:
Before I leave you to go show that kitchen who’s boss, here is a little Guinness Beer fact goodie.
Guinness has been referred to as the beer that “drinks like a meal” but infact it has only 198 calories per pint, which is less caloric than skimmed milk, orange juice and even some other non-light beers.
Cheers and Buen Provecho!
Recipe adapted from Alton Brown, Good Eats: Oh my, meat pies episode, The Food Network.
