Simple Mini Pizza

I don't know where I got this idea from to be honest..I was just trying to think of a healthier alternative for when I'm craving pizza. This definitely hit the spot! You obviously can use any toppings you want, but this is what I used.

1 Fiber One 100 calorie whole wheat english muffin

1 Light creamy Swiss Babybel cheese wedge
About 4 tbs. of diced onions
4 tsp. pizza sauce
Baby spinach
Vegetarian 'pepperoni' slices

The only real step you need to do is cut the english muffin in half, spread the pizza sauce (I used about 2 teaspoons per half), some baby spinach, 1 cheese wedge (I slice it up and make one enough for both halves), sprinkle some onion on top and then the pepperoni slices. I made this for multiple people at a time and used different veggies and cheeses for each one. So so simple! Then pop them in the oven at 350 for 15-20 minutes and they're done.

Hope you like 'em!

Super Mario Star Cupcakes!

I'm not going to post a recipe for this but I thought these cupcakes were cute so I just wanted to share them! For my fiance's birthday, one of the things I made for him were these Super Mario star cupcakes! He is into video games, and I saw this on some website and thought they were so cute. So I gave them a whirl. Everything is homemade..The cupcakes are funfetti with buttercream frosting and then I made the stars out of fondant. In the past I've always regretted every single time I tried working with fondant, but this time it went very smoothly. I think having my Kitchenaid mixer helps a LOT. Trying to mix ingredients with corn syrup by hand is almost impossible. I've done it before but it takes such a long time to get everything blended well. It's just an all around pain.

Enough of my rambling, here are some more pictures!

I found these little cupcake boxes to stick them in too. Aren't they neat? 

He said he liked them a lot, I'm glad they turned out so well!

Profiteroles

The first time I even heard the word 'profiteroles' was about a month ago when my fiance was trying to memorize the lyrics to a Beastie Boys song. I honestly didn't even know what one was, or what they looked like until last weekend when we were watching The Food Network. They looked really good! I originally planned on making canolies that night (future possible blog post?) but these looked more appetizing at the time so we ran to the store and got the ingredients. They're simple to make, messy to eat and for me - hard to pronounce but they really are delicious.

Ingredients:
   1 cup bread flour
   1 tsp. sugar
   1/2 tsp. salt
   1/2 cup water
   1/2 cup whole milk
   6 tbs. butter
   4 eggs

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then put your water, butter, sugar and milk in a medium sized pot and bring it to a boil.

One the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat (I'd say to keep it on medium) and add your flour all at once. Stir constantly until it starts to form a dough like consistency. It should look like the picture above.

The recipe I went by said to transfer the mixture into a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough cools. So I just did that for about 5 minutes.

Beat your eggs in one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl in between each egg to make sure you're getting everything all mixed together well!

Now the recipe I went by said to use a pastry bag with a plain tip to put the dough on your tray. I have an icing decorator, so I just used that. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Mine were done in 20 minutes exactly.

I was anxious to see how they would turn out. I was probably checking the oven every 3 minutes to see if they looked how they were supposed to look. I had never used bread flour before, so I didn't know what to expect!

Let them cool completely. Then slice them in half. The insides will be hollow like this. Perfect for filling!

I filled mine with light whipped cream and the poured melted hot fudge over top. They were so soft and moist, everything just blended together really well in my opinion. I've seen other people who have filled them with ice cream and topped it with chocolate syrup. I definitely will be making these again in the future and mixing it up with different flavors!

Spaghetti Squash with Vegetables

I made spaghetti squash a few times before. In the past I usually just cooked the squash and then added a little spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese. It tastes okay like that but it was a little too plain for my liking. I looked up some recipes and found that you can add almost anything to spice it up a bit. That's why I don't have a picture with ingredients - you can just add what you like! Vegetables were the most common thing, along with hamburger meat. I could have used some Boca meatless crumbles but I stuck with just some veggies - zucchini, tomatoes and onion. Here is what I did:

First take your squash and wash it off so it's nice and clean. Slice it in half lengthwise. Cutting the squash is always the trickiest part for me. It's probably comical to watch me try and cut it open with how much I struggle. You can cut it before or after cooking. There are positives and negatives to both ways. If you cut it after you cook it, it will slice in half a lot easier. You just have to cook it longer that way and be more careful not to burn it. If you slice it before you cook it (like I do), it's less cook time, and less risk of burning it but it's more difficult to slice.

The inside will look like this. I get a glass dish, fill it with about half an inch of water and then get one half of the squash and place it (seed-side facing down) in the dish. Microwave for about 8-11 minutes. It will be VERY hot when you get it out - so be careful. Then scrape out the pulp and seeds.

In a bowl, scrap out all the squash. I remember the first time I did this - I was amazed at how much squash is in there. You'll be left with just a shell.

Mm mm.

Next fry up your veggies.

I added a little spaghetti sauce and cheese as well. This is what they suggested in the recipe I went by. It gives it even more flavor.

Combine your vegetables with the spaghetti squash. Make sure it's all mixed together well and then scoop it back into your shells.

Sprinkle some cheese on top of both halves, then pop it in the oven and broil it until the cheese is melted - nice and brown!

Doesn't it look so tasty? Take a scoop (a big scoop if you're like me) and enjoy!

FUN da-middles

I was in awe when I saw these on a baking blog a few months back. I was aware that you could make filled cupcakes, but I never thought of them being in simple box mix form! The next time I went to the grocery store, I made sure to look for them. There are three different flavors. Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla cream filling, vanilla cupcakes with chocolate cream filling and the kind I got - vanilla cupcakes with vanilla cream filling.

I wasn't sure if I was suppose to frost them or not..I looked it up and not a lot of people did, so I didn't either. I'm sure it'd be good with frosting, but it was fine without. I'd recommend trying them if you want something sweet. They're so quick and simple to make.

They even have a fun little video on the Betty Crocker website showing you how easy they are to make.

My New Mixer!

So I know I have not posted in awhile, but I've still been cooking and baking a lot. I do have a few recipes to post, I just haven't gotten around to uploading the pictures and such. But now my posts will be a lot more consistent! Winter is my favorite time to try new baking recipes. I already have a few different types of cookies in mind that I plan on making once it gets closer to Christmas, so be on the lookout for those!

For this blog post, I just wanted to share the excitement over my new mixer..

I now own the dream mixer! (Well, my dream mixer anyway!)

Isn't it so pretty??

You can bet I will be baking up a storm with this mixer!

Cauliflower Pizza

I first heard of cauliflower pizza on Pinterest. It looked like regular pizza..and since I'm always trying to find healthier alternatives to the food I already love, I thought I would give this a try. It actually turned out really good. I liked it a lot - I told a lot of people that I could probably switch to this kind and wouldn't miss the regular dough, and I really think I could. It has a unique taste. The crust doesn't taste like dough, but it doesn't taste like cauliflower either. I would recommend trying it out. It cuts back on calories and carbs, so I didn't feel guilty about having an extra piece!

Since everyone likes different cheeses and toppings, I didn't think taking a picture of the ingredients was necessary. The only thing you will definitely need is :

1 head of cauliflower (grated, you'll probably need 2 cups)
2 eggs (I used 1 whole egg and 1 egg white)
14 oz. jar of pizza sauce

First you'll want to cut up and steam your cauliflower.

While your waiting on the cauliflower, cut up any veggies you want to use on your pizza. For me, it was tomato and onion!

You can preheat your oven awhile to 450. Then, using a food processor, grate the cauliflower so that it looks almost like rice. I've seen that mentioned a few times in different recipes, and that's pretty much the best way to describe it.

Now add in your eggs and give it a stir.

Spray your pan with cooking spray and then spread your 'dough' evenly. You basically just form it into a circle and make sure it's all sticking together the best you can, just so it holds its shape. You can also do a square shape if you'd rather it like that. Sprinkle with whatever seasonings you'd like. I used parsley, oregano and a little bit of garlic powder.

You want to pop it in the oven for 12-15 minutes, just to let the crust set up. Take it out and add your pizza sauce (I didn't use the whole jar, just use what you like), then add your cheese and toppings. Then turn the heat up to broil until the cheese is melted and the crust is crispy.

This is what it looks like when it's done. You can see I added some vegetarian pepperoni to half of the pizza too. 

Here's a close up. Doesn't it look tasty?