Esperia's recipes <3 <3 <3

[esperia 0]

iLOVE cooking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

when im nervous i used to go to kitchen and miracle my nerves gone!!!!!!!!!
love this thread so i will post often recipes and i will look others!!!!!!!!to be honest ive created a common thread to greek corner before months but noone except fashionista post.....
so im so excited

my first recipes are for X-mas (love x-mas and x-mas foods)!!!!!!!!!!!!
enjoy my recipes

[esperia 0]

Candy cane for x-mas

* 3 cups granulated sugar
* 1 cup light corn syrup
* 1/4 cup water
* 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
* A few drops of red food coloring
* Plastic gloves

Preparation:

1. Prepare two cookie sheets by spraying them with nonstick cooking spray or covering them with a light layer of oil. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

2. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the sugar dissolves. Insert a candy thermometer and continue cooking without stirring until the candy reaches 285 (soft-crack stage).

3. Once the proper temperature is reached, remove the candy from the heat immediately and stir in the mint extract. Pour half of the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet and place it in the preheated oven to stay warm.

4. Add red food coloring to the remaining candy. Pour the candy out onto a marble slab or heat-safe cutting board. Allow it to sit briefly until it forms a “skin.”

5. Spray a bench scraper or heat-safe spatula with nonstick cooking spray, and use the tool to begin spreading the candy out and pushing it back together, working it across the board and allowing it to cool. Don’t forget to check out the instructions showing how to pull candy if you get confused about the process.

6. As soon as the candy is cool enough to handle (but still quite hot), begin to pull it. If you have plastic gloves, put them on and spray the gloves with nonstick cooking spray—this will help prevent overheated or burned hands. Take the candy in both hands and pull the hands in opposite directions, stretching the candy into a long rope. Bring the ends of the strands together and twist the candy into a rope, then pull the rope out into a long strand. Continue to twist and pull the candy until it has a satin-like finish and is an opaque red color. Once the candy is still pliable but barely warm, pull it into a strand about 2” thick, and place it on the remaining prepared baking sheet. Put this sheet back into the oven, turn off the heat, and remove the baking sheet with the other half of the candy syrup. The pulled candy will remaining pliable in the warm oven while you work the second portion.

7. Repeat the pulling procedure with the second, clear portion of candy. At the end, the candy should be a pearly white color. Form it into a log 2” in diameter, just like the red candy.

8. Remove the red candy from the oven. Cut a 5-inch segment from the white and the red log, and place them next to each other. Begin to pull the candies together, twisting gradually to form the familiar candy stripes. Once the twisted candy is the thickness you want, use oiled kitchen shears to cut them to approximately 8” lengths. Immediately form the hook at the top of the cane, and place it on a baking sheet to set at room temperature.

9. Repeat the twisting with the remaining candy. If the candy gets too hard to pull, place it in the warm oven for a few minutes to soften, but don’t let it sit too long and melt. The candy canes will get very hard at room temperature, but if left out for long periods of time they will get soft and sticky, so be sure to wrap them in cellophane once they are set.

[esperia 0]

Gingerbread Cookies

These gingerbread cookies are as delicious to eat as they are fun to make. I think my kids enjoyed making these gingerbread cookies even more than sugar cookies this year. Perhaps it's because the gingerbread people seem to have a bit of personality. Use whatever decorations you have on hand. We found red and green striped white chocolate chips and thought they made terrific buttons for these gingerbread men.
Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup molasses
* 1 large egg
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 3/4 tsp. baking soda
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 2 tsp. ground ginger
* 1 tsp. cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp. cloves
* gel icing for decorating
* M&Ms or striped white chocolate chips for decorating

Preparation:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the molasses, egg and vanilla. Beat well.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.

3. Stir into the wet ingredients until well-incorporated (you can do this with your hands).

4. Separate the dough into three pieces. Form into logs and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

5. When ready to bake, remove dough from oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

6. Roll dough out to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Use cookie cutters to make gingerbread people.

7. Bake 8-10 minutes. Let cool and decorate.

[esperia 0]

Angel Cake

* 9 egg whites
* 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1 cup sugar
* 7/8 cup flour
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Beat the whites of the eggs to a froth, add the cream of tartar and beat till the eggs are stiff but not dry, then gradually add the sugar (which has been sifted twice), beating after additions.
2. Sift the flour with the salt five times and fold it into the mixture.
3. Add the vanilla.
4. Bake in an ungreased angel cake tin in a very moderate oven (250-320 degrees F.) for forty-five minutes.
5. Be careful not to jar or disturb while baking.
6. Remove from the oven, turn the pan upside down on a wire netting or with a knife handle or some other small article inserted under the edge of the pan to permit steam to escape, and let it stand until the cake falls out.
7. Ice placed on the bottom of the tin will hasten the release of the cake.

[orik 0]

so xmas recipes well done esperia!!!!!!!!!!hope u will do them also to the home

[esperia 0]

hahahahahahaha i will try

[esperia 0]

Traditional plum pudding

Cooking Time 240 minutes
Ingredients (serves 12)
* 1 x 375g pkt raisins, coarsely chopped
* 1 x 300g pkt currants
* 150g sultanas
* 1 x 170g pkt craisins (dried cranberries)
* 250ml (1 cup) rum
* Melted butter, to grease
* 250g butter, at room temperature
* 200g (1 cup) firmly-packed brown sugar
* 4 eggs
* 175g (2 1/2 cups) fresh breadcrumbs
* 75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour
* 75g (1/2 cup) plain flour
* 1 tsp mixed spice
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* Warmed custard, to serve

1.Combine raisins, currants, sultanas, craisins and rum in a bowl. Set aside for 6 hours to macerate.
2.Brush a 2L (8-cup) capacity pudding basin with melted butter to grease. Line the base with non-stick baking paper.
3.Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (mixture may appear curdled). Stir in breadcrumbs, combined flours, mixed spice and cinnamon. Add the raisin mixture and stir until combined. Spoon into basin.
4.Place an upturned heatproof saucer in the base of a saucepan. Fill one-third of the saucepan with boiling water and bring to a simmer over low heat.
5.Cut a 30cm-square piece of non-stick baking paper and a 30cm-square piece of foil. Place paper on foil and fold to make a pleat in the centre. Place over basin, foil-side up. Tie a double piece of kitchen string around basin to secure. To make a handle, tie a double piece of string loosely over the top of the basin.
6.Lower the basin onto the saucer in saucepan. Add enough boiling water to reach two-thirds of the way up the basin. Simmer, covered, over low heat, adding boiling water when necessary, for 4 hours or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the pudding comes out clean.
7.Remove basin from pan. Set aside for 5 minutes. Pour over custard to serve.

[esperia 0]

Jelly Donut Cupcakes

Makes 18 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes
1 cup (2 sticks) sweet butter, softened
1 cup superfine sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup raspberry jam or jelly

[NOTES: I didn't have raspberry so I used strawberry. Same difference! ]

Frosting
1 cup cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powder sugar, sifted
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

To make cupcakes
> Preheat oven 350F
> Place 18 baking cups in cupcake pan (this seems like a duh? step don’t you think?)
> Combine all ingredients except jelly in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer, about 2-3 minutes
> Spoon the batter into the cups. Bake for 20 minutes
> Remove pans from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes and cool on rack
> Hollow out a hole from the top of cupcake and fill with jelly. Replace top and add frosting

To make frosting
> Slowly beat cream cheese and powder sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until creamy and soft
> Add lemon juice and vanilla and beat briskly until well combined
> Spread frosting on cupcakes