Gourmet Meals For Less

At the Kid's Table...a fun fall dessert for the kids!

 

 

 

The Kid's Table.

You know the spot where you spent holidays with siblings, various cousins, and the obnoxious kids of your neighbors that your parents felt obliged to have over for every holiday dinner....you know..that place.

 

 

The place where you spent holiday dinners isolated from the real fun.  The fun going on at the "big table".  The place where you sat with your booger eating cousin* while you strained to hear the juicy conversation in the next room.  Which as far as you were concerned, might as well have been miles away instead of feet for all you could hear.

You missed out on the good stuff.  Like, the gossip about Aunt Ethel's* "fill in the blank problem" that nobody would discuss when you were around. Or Great-Uncle Fred's* "issue", or Betty* the floozy former cousin twice removed, that everyone was glad was no longer a party of the family.  You know...the good stuff.

*all name's have been changed to protect the not so innocent, and if any of my cousins are reading this, the booger picking reference does not apply to you.

Let's just face it, the kid's table isn't all it's cracked up to be.  That's why we are devoting several posts over the next two months to At the Kid's Table!  

Fun projects, decorations and recipes to make sitting at the kid's table just a little bit better.  So join us during the month's of November and December as we feature great holiday ideas that will make the kid's table as fun as the big table!

 

 

I would love to meet the ingenious person behind the concept of "dirt and worms".  You know...dirt and worms.  That gooey pudding mixture covered in crushed chocolate sandwich cookies that you stick gummy worms in.  I mean who doesn't love pudding, chocolate and gummy candy all in one delicious dessert.  What's even cooler is that this person just knew kids would love anything that turns a perfectly respectable dessert into something that looks like top soiled covered in lumbricus terrestris (that's the scientific name for words, in case you were wondering).

My girl loves dirt and worms and I decided a spin on this great idea would be a perfect dessert for the kid's table at Thanksgiving.  We came up with our own version.  Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes.

They are perfect for little hands and do not require any special dessert plates or utensils.  You might even find a few adults paying a visit to the kid's table when they spy these great pumpkin patch cupcakes!

 

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes
Serves 18-24

Ingredients:

your favorite homemade or store bought cupcake mix
your favorite homemade or store bought chocolate frosting
white or brown cupcake liners
1 package chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos or a store brand version)
24 candy corn pumpkins
1 package green and red Rips candy

Directions:

Bake cupcakes according to directions.  Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.  While cupcakes are baking open your package of Rips and remove all of the green ones.  Now, see those red ones left?  Those are yours to eat for being so clever and making these pumpkin patch cupcakes.  Keep your stash well hidden though, because your kids might think they are entitled to some of the red Rip's...and they're not.

Begin to gently pull apart the individual strings, being careful not to rip them in two.  They are called Rips for a reason.

 

 
You will end up with a nice pile of little green strings. 
  

Once you have enough strings for two to a cupcake, carefully pull and twist the strings to lengthen them and make them more flexible.  These will become your the "vines" for your pumpkins.

 

 
After you have your strings (vines) prepared.  Place one and a half rows of your sandwich cookies into a food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs.  If they look like a pile of dirt, they are ready.  Keep the remainder of the cookies for those picky children at your dinner who will turn up their nose at pumpkin patch cupcakes but will eat a lard filled cookie without hesitation.  Place your cookie crumbs in a bowl.

  

Frost each cupcake generously, forming frosting into a nice mound (think pile of dirt)

  

 

immediately roll frosting part of cupcake in cookie crumbs.  To fully cover frosting you will have to also scoop crumbs up and gently press onto cupcake.  Shake off access crumbs.  You will need to do each cupcake one at at time through this step, so frosting does not have time to harden. 

 

 

Top each cupcake with a candy corn pumpkin, pressing it into the crumbs and the frosting, and two "vines".  You can twist vines into curls, tucking the ends down into the cupcake.

 

 

These cupcakes are sure to be a hit with your smallest guests on Thanksgiving, they will appreciate having their own special dessert to enjoy At The Kid's Table!

 

 

Be watching for many other great ideas in November and December to make the holidays even more fun for the kids in your life!  If you have a fun project, decoration or recipe and you would like to be considered for a guest post on a segiment of At the Kid's Table please email me, I'd love to hear your idea! 

Also, I always love to hear what my readers have planned for the holidays.  Will you have lots of kids at your home?  Will you be travelling? Are their any kid friendly ideas or recipes you would like to read about over the next few weeks.  If so let me know in the comment section!

Enjoy!
 

This post is linked up to the following awesome parties!  Head on over and check out the other great recipes!

 

 

Ice Cream and Cake and Cake...make your own ice cream cake!

"Ice cream and cake and cake..Ice Cream and cake and cake.  Ice Cream and cake, do the ice cream and cake..." 

So how much do you hate me now, since I know you are singing that in your head? I literally hummed this song the entire time I was making this ice cream cake...which in all honesty has no cake in it!  Instead it's a lovely layered confection (say that three times fast) of two different kinds of ice cream, Ghirardelli brownies, chocolate fudge and wrapped in whipped cream frosting. 

When I offered to bake the Sweet 16 birthday cake for one of my favorite young ladies in the whole wide world, Ashton, I had no idea that she wasn't really a "cake girl".  She's more an ice cream girl.  And since I'm always willing to take on a food challenge, I decided to tackle my first ice cream cake. 

I will be honest here, I was pretty nervous.  Cupcakes..easy peasy, Birthday Cake...piece of cake (yes I meant to say that..grin), Ice Cream Cake...not so sure.  Especially, when you know there will be 50 people staring at it.

I am pleased to say it was a success!  And I am going to share some of the tricks and tips I learned while making this cake.  After this endeavor, I can safely say I will NEVER buy a store bought ice cream cake again!  This cake was inspired by one from Zoe Bakes.  Who happens to be a pastry chef, so I was pretty darn proud my turned out even remotely as nice as hers.

{Print Recipe}

Layered Ice Cream and Brownie Cake-inspired greatly by Zoe Bakes
Serves 12

Ingredients:

2 1.75 quart cartons of your favorite ice cream flavors.  (needs to be high quality ice cream)
1 box brownie mix of choice* (needs to be a high quality, I used Ghirardelli that comes with chocolate fudge packet)
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Dark and White Chocolate Bars for chocolate curls (optional)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips for piping (optional)

*You can also use a homemade brownie which I will probably do next time.

Supplies needed:

8-9" springform pan
2 8-9" round cake pans
parchment paper
cooking spray
pastry bags with small round piping tip (optional for piping chocolate swirls)
vegetable peeler (optional for making chocolate curls)
offset spatula for frosting cake
stand mixer or hand-mixer and bowl

Directions:

Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Divide between two 8 or 9" round cake pans that you have lined the bottom with parchment paper.  Use the size cake pan that matches the size of your springform pan.  When brownies are done.  Allow to cool and remove from pans.  Place the bottom part of your springform pan over brownie layers and trim brownie to fit within springform pan.

Place bottom of springform pan back into pan and using strips of parchment paper line sides of springform pan.  All pieces need to extend over top of pan.  You can use a small amount of cooking spray to hold parchment strips to side of pan.  Make sure there are no gaps between paper strips, or ice cream might stick to sides of pan.

Place first brownie layer on bottom of pan, if necessary press down on brownie to make sure it is covering bottom all the way to the sides of the pan.  Using chocolate fudge pack that came with brownie mix, spread half of fudge on top of brownie layer.  A spatula will work well for this. 

Remove first carton of ice cream from freezer and soften in microwave for 30 seconds.  Still well in carton, making sure ice cream is soft and there are no frozen parts still.  Scoop ice cream over brownie and fudge layers, and spread evenly making sure to pack ice cream down.  You will most likely not use all of carton.  These three layers (brownie, fudge and ice cream) should take up half of the depth of pan.  Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes.  After ice cream layer is firm again, repeat above steps one more time, ending with final layer of ice cream.  Your final layer of ice cream should be level with top of pan.

Loosely cover top of cake with parchment paper and place in freezer for minimum of 4-5 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to frost your ice cream cake, place mixing bowl and whisk feature (if using stand mixer) or beaters (if using hand mixer) in freezer for 30 minutes.  Remove and combine whipping cream and sugar in bowl.  Whip until mixture begins to form stiff peaks.  Add in vanilla and mix to combine.  Place whipped cream frosting in container, because you will be taking it in and out of fridge several times.

When frosting is made, remove ice cream cake from freezer.  Carefully remove sides of springform pan and parchment paper.  Place cake on cake-stand or plate and gently slide off bottom of springform pan, your cake should not be resting on your cake-stand.  Place several strips of parchment paper under edge of cake to protect stand while frosting.

Beginning with the top and using an offset spatula, begin to frost cake with a thin layer of frosting.  Place back in freezer for 10 minutes and place frosting in refrigerator.  Remove both and proceed with second layer of frosting.  Continue these steps (being sure to not allow cake to thaw) until you have used most of the frosting.  Reserve a small amount for any piping and decoration along bottom edge of cake.  You will want to make sure your last frosting layer is as smooth as possible.

Place cake back into freezer.  In the meantime, melt chocolate chips a small amount at at a time in microwave according to package directions.  Place melted chocolate in decorator bag with small round piping tip.  Remove cake and begin to quickly make swirls along top and sides of chocolate.  If you make a mistake, wait a moment until chocolate hardens and then carefully remove with a toothpick.  If you run out of chocolate melt a new batch.  It is better to work in small batches as chocolate hardens quickly and makes piping it impossible.

Return cake to freezer when you are done decorating.  If desired make chocolate curls for top of cake using a vegetable peeler.  Run your peeler along flat surface of chocolate bars, forming chocolate curls.  Spring curls in center of cake.

Keep cake in freezer, until 15 minutes before serving.  You will need a very sharp, long knife to properly cut ice cream cake.

  

Something I might do different next time:

Next time I might make the bottom layer a chocolate cookie crumb layer.  Because I was also making 50 cupcakes, I made my bottom layer a day in advance and the bottom brownie layer froze pretty solid.  It was difficult to cut through when serving.  I might try a different bottom layer next time.  But your experience might be different.

 

I'd love to hear if you decide to make your own ice cream cake! 

I also made cupcakes for Miss Ashton, since we knew the cake would not serve everyone.  I made red velvet with cream cheese frosting and chocolate A's:

 

  I was accused by a Texas fan of trying to sneak in Alabama cupcakes by making these...geesh! 
I think someone (ahem..Philip) is just a poor loser...grin!

 

and my chocolate salted caramel cupcakes:

 

 

 

 

I had so much fun making all of this for my sweet friend.  I was honored to be a part of her special day.  Ashton...I love you much! 

 

And a big thank you to my friend Jonny, who came out to take pictures and provided me with these. You're the best!

Also, just a reminder to PLEASE KEEP VOTING in the Everyday Chef Challenge.  Every vote counts!  Here are links to both of my recipes:

Steak Portabello French Dip au jus and Spinach Pesto Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

 Thank you!

Enjoy!

This post is linked up to

Ice Cream Soda Pop, Cherry on the Top!.... Cream Soda Cupcakes

 

 
 

I ♥ cream soda!  It just makes me happy...it doesn't fill my overwhelming addiction to desire for caffeine like Diet Coke or Diet Dr. Pepper, but there's just something fun and kid like about drinking a cream soda.

Makes me think of sitting in a soda shop somewhere... on the set of Happy Days maybe, waiting for Fonzie to walk in and hit the jukebox and some cool song would start up and he would look my way and I'd be sitting in a booth sipping my cream soda, but then he'd end up walking out with the hoochie mama girl with the tight leather pants, the big bosoms and the cool scarf tied around her neck.... 

ahem...okay back to reality.  So I found this great cream soda cupcake recipe in a collection of Better Homes and Gardens desserts and just knew I had to try them!

 
 
   

 They said..."be a kid again!" to me, but in a grown up kind of way with the browned butter frosting and a hint of nutmeg!  Besides, they gave me a great excuse to buy a 2 liter of A&W Cream Soda, which I proceeded to hide way in the back of the fridge so that I and I alone, could drink the remaining cream soda. When my kids asked where it was I just told them the cupcakes needed the whole 2 liters. They don't ever read this, so they'll never know I drank it all...and don't you tell them either! So if you love cream soda like I do and need an excuse to buy a 2 liter of it than make these cupcakes.  They only take 1/2 a cup, and then you can drink the rest yourself!

{Print this Recipe}

Cream Soda and Toffee Cupcakes-adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
18 cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. molasses
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cream soda (not diet)
3/4 cup toffee pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line eighteen 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.

In large bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high 30 seconds. Add sugars; beat until well combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, on low until combined. Beat in molasses and vanilla.

Alternately add flour mixture, buttermilk, and cream soda to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until combined. Stir in 1/2 cup of the toffee. Fill cups 3/4 full. Bake about 18 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pans on racks 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool. Frost; top with remaining toffee. Makes 18 cupcakes.

 

 

 

Brown Butter Frosting: For brown butter, in saucepan heat 1/4 cup butter over medium-low heat until lightly browned, about 8 minutes; cool. In bowl beat 1/4 cup softened butter with mixer on medium 30 seconds. Add cooled brown butter; beat until combined. Add 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and dash salt. Beat in 1 to 2 tablespoons half and half (the original called for buttermilk, but I have a lot of success with half and half so I stuck with what I knew)until spreadable. Use immediately. I used an additional cup of powdered sugar and an additional 1-2 Tbs. half and half to get more frosting, frosting.  If frosting begins to set up, stir in a small amount of boiling water.

Enjoy!

 

Heaven in a cupcake....Salted, Caramel, Chocolate goodness!

 

  
  

Chocolate. Caramel. Sea Salt. Heath Bar....nuff said.  I mean really it’s hard to top that combination.  If you love a good chocolate nutty candy bar then you will ADORE these cupcakes.  They are so delicious and actually quite easy to make.

I stumbled upon this recipe on a great blog  

Me and My Pink Mixer . I would think she was pretty awesome for the cupcake recipe alone; but the fact that she seems as in love with her pink mixer as I am with my flamin’ hot red one makes her truly a kindred spirit!I mean I truly ♥ my Kitchen Aid Mixer!

She found the recipe on , Joy's Hope, another great blog.  That's what I love about blogging, all the great ideas, recipes, and information that can be shared.  It makes the great big wide web seem less like a giant global enterprise and more like a small community.

 

  

 

 

As soon as I saw these cupcakes I knew I HAD to make them.They were calling to me…I could just imagine how great the combination of salt and caramel would be oozing out of the center of the cupcake and drizzled over the homemade buttercream frosting.  They completely lived up to the cupcake fantasy I had created in my mind expectation I had.  And I am pretty sure every guinea pig family member, neighbor and friend who had a cupcake shoved in their hand and taste tested them for me would agree.  At least I’m assuming that’s what all the “mmm…yum….so good….mmm's" translated to.

 

Hope you’ll give them a try!

 

 

Salted Caramel Cupcakes-Joy's Hope

Makes 24 cupcakes

 

Instructions:

 

Cupcakes

 

One Box German Chocolate Cake Mix and ingredients to make it
Sea Salt
Heath Bar Toffee Bits or 4-5 Skor Bars, crushed 
Hershey's or Smuckers Caramel Ice Cream Topping (I used smuckers)
 Squeeze Bottle

 

Bake cupcakes according to cake mix directions.  Allow to cool

 

Buttercream Frosting-Me and My Pink Mixer

 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6 - 8 cups confectioner's sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 - 3 T milk or whipping cream

 

 

Frosting Directions:

 

With an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes on medium speed. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition, until the frosting is a good spreading consistency.  Frosting can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

 

Assembling Cupcakes:

 

When cupcakes are approximately 4-5 minutes from being done, pour caramel into a measuring cup or bowl.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt per 8 oz. of caramel. Warm in the microwave for one minute.  Stir.  Pour the warm salted caramel in to a squeeze bottle.

As soon as the cupcakes come out of the oven move them to a cooling rack and inject caramel into each one, reserving some of the caramel to top cupcakes.  

 

After the cupcakes have cooled, frost them with buttercream frosting using a frosting bag and decorator tip or frost with knife.

 

Drizzle remaining salted caramel over each cupcake and top with Heath Bar bits or crushed Skor bars. 

 

 

 

 

Total: approx. $6.50 for 24 cupcakes!  Try to buy gourmet cupcakes for that price, betcha can't do it! 

And I leave you with one more view of these delicious cupcakes to tempt you to make them yourself!  C'mon you know you want one....

 

 

Enjoy!
  

 

This recipe is linked up to Hoosier Homemade.  Check out the other great cupcakes featured on Cupcake Tuesday.

I Love My Funny Valentine....

 
  I love my husband.."Well, of course you do",  I can hear you saying.  But in today's world that's not a given anymore.  After almost 18 years of marriage and 20 years together, I can honestly say I love him more today than I did then, and I love him more than I did 5 years ago or 1 year ago.  I am so blessed that I get to love him a little more each year, each day....can't wait to see what 50 years looks like!

Because I love him and because he gives me the gift of providing for me, and allowing me the blessing of staying home each day to educate our children in our home and the opportunity to be a homemaker in a beautiful house, because he never denies me really anything....I decided to do something special for HIM for Valentine's Day.  Really, who decided that Valentine's Day was a "ladies only" holiday? 

I wanted to surprise him, so I had to do a lot of secret behind the scenes preparation.  This involved finding a place for all four "children" to go, two who are human and two who are canine.  And then, deciding where to take him...This is where we ended up

And they all said.........ROLL TIDE!!

Today's entry will be a little bit different than normal because today is a very special day for the our family, I would almost venture to say it's a Holy Day...especially given what else gets labeled as Holidays, I figured it would be okay to give today that status.  Today is....

the BCS National Championship!!

and those of you who know us well, know that when Alabama plays football the world stops.  We are die-hard Alabama fans, one could even say rabid Alabama fans.  We bleed Crimson Red. 

 
Hubby and I had the privilege of seeing Alabama walk over Kentucky this year.  As every good wife of a fanatic football fan knows there's no quicker way to your man's heart than food and football tickets...It was a privilege to spend our anniversary watching the Crimson Tide with my man!

 

And tonight as we all know (and you did know this right??) is the night that the Alabama Crimson Tide takes on the Texas Longhorns (boooo...)for the BCS National Championship Title.  This is a day we've been waiting for a long time.  So in honor of our upcoming win (and we will win...right? right?) and in the ancient ritual of consuming your enemy before battle (okay I made this up..I think, maybe...) we will be having

Texas Longhorn Chili
with Southern Buttermilk Cornbread
(in honor of hubby's Southern Heritage)
and
Crimson Tide Red Velvet and Cream Cheese Frosting Cupcakes

So here's where it pays off to have a mother in law who is a wonderful cook.  She will be making the chili for us which will cut down drastically on our out of pocket food costs and I will be making the cornbread and cupcakes (one of my favorite things to make).  This will feed a ton with plenty left over for hubby to take to work on Friday, if he can dig his way out of the snow.  So we'll break this down at the end and see how cheap we were able to make a meal worthy of a National Title.....ROOOLLL TIIIDDDEEE!

 

Texas Longhorn Chili (or just Chili con Carne any other time Alabama is not playing Texas)

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil .25
3 cans Chili Beans (get the store brand ones, there is really no difference) 1.52
1 can black beans rinsed and drained .67
1 can yellow and white corn (do not drain) .69
3 stalk celery diced .35
1 onion diced .25
1- 1/2 lbs ground round or chuck or 2 lbs pre-cut stew meat. $2.59-6.00 depending on the type of meat used
3 Tbs chili powder (this is a minimum we put in a whole lot more) (PI)
3 cloves of minced garlic (or if you are out of fresh 1Tbs. of garlic powder) (PI)
2 cups water (hubby likes to substitute one or both cups of water with a good dark beer makes the chili extra good)
1/2 cup ketchup (PI)
salt and pepper to taste (PI)

Directions:

In hot oil saute onion, garlic and celery in the bottom of a large dutch oven until softened.  Add ground round to vegetables and cook until no longer pink.  At this point you can drain the grease off the meat and vegetables, but often I don't have a lot of grease when using ground round so I just leave the meat in the dutch oven.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for an additional 45 minutes.  Season to taste before serving.

 

 

Total Cost for chili: $6.32-$9.73 (depending on type of meat)

This recipe makes enough chili to easily serve 8. A family of 4 can make two meals or more out of one pot.  In the past we have had the chili the next night Cincinnati style over spaghetti noodles and topped with cheese!  Yum!  Of course you can always freeze half and save it for another night.

 

 

Crimson Tide Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Red Velvet Cupcake Mix

24 cupcakes

 

Ingredients:

 

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (PI) but approx. .75

3 tsp. cocoa powder  .25
1 1/2 cups sugar  .40

1 tsp. baking soda (PI)

1 tsp salt (PI)

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (PI)

1 cup butbuttermilk, room temperature (using up that buttermilk again) .50

2 large eggs, room temperature .16

1 tsp. vanilla (PI)

1 tsp. white distilled vinegar (PI)

1-2 Tbs. red food coloring (add this in 1 Tbs. at a time to achieve desired color) .25

1 tub cream cheese frosting $1 on sale (confession time.  I usually make homemade frosting but had a tub in the pantry so I used it...all out of butter and I wasn't going to the store)

 

Directions:

 

Combine all dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Gently beat together oil, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, vinegar and food coloring to mixing bowl.   Gradually add dry ingredients being careful to incorporate well with wet ingredients.  Mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

 

Your batter will be very red....Alabama red

 

 

Fill cupcake holders 2/3 full

 

 

Bake cupcakes at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, rotating cupcake pans from top to bottom shelves and rotating pans 1/2 turn.  Remove cupcakes and allow to cool completely before frosting.  When you are all done they will looks like this...

 

 

 

The Shrine

 

 

ROLL TIDE BABY!!

 

Total Cost for Cupcakes: $3.31

Wow!  $3.00 for 2 dozen cupcakes.  I chose to freeze 12 unfrosted cupcakes to have available for a time when I need a quick dessert.  Makes you rethink those expensive cupcakes you buy in a store.

 

*(PI) Pantry Item

 

Total Cost of Championship Dinner for 6 people

including cornbread (See Shrimp Creole Y'all for recipe)

 

$10.21-14.62 (depending on meat used)

 

Now that's a dinner of champions!

 

Enjoy!