Easter means it's time to color EGGS!

Share

So my sister and I normally color our Easter eggs together at my parent's house every year, this year however she has moved to L.A. so I am on my own. :( Now perhaps this is just my family, but we LOVE when the little PAAS easter kit contains the coveted white crayon so that we can write secret phrases on the eggs that reveal themselves once they are colored. Normal people probably write Happy Easter or other such Easter like phrases; not my family. We tend to write that one dog loves the other more and for some reason we got into this habit of writing Mom is a ho bag. Yes I know you are all very shocked, who would ever write such a thing about one's own mother?! Well my mom was always there and found it humerous. Not sure how in the world it got started that we were writing that, but it happened every year and even though my sister, Ashley is not here with me to laugh and joke and write obscene funny phrases on the eggs I will try to keep the tradition going. Although she is surely missed.

Now it's  EGG COLORING TIME!!!!

Start with room temperature eggs.
Eggs that have been sitting on the kitchen counter for up to an hour are less prone to cracking when the cooking water rapidly heats up than ones that come straight from a cold fridge. The USDA says don't keep raw eggs out of the refrigerator for more than two hours.

3. Cook eggs in one layer in cold water.
Place eggs in one layer in a saucepan and cover by about two inches of cold water. Gently bring to a boil. This helps prevent cracking. Don't overcrowd. Eggs jostling each other can also lead to breakage. It's safer to cook a large number of eggs in a few batches.

4. Turn off burner and cover.
When the water comes to a full boil, turn off the heat and cover pan tightly.

5. Let eggs sit undisturbed for about 12 minutes.
They will slowly cook in the hot water yielding a tender white and sunny yellow yoke. Jumbo eggs will need 15 minutes. The beauty of this method is that it's difficult to overcook your eggs, so you can be flexible about the timing.

6. Gently remove eggs from water.
With a slotted spoon, carefully transfer boiled eggs to a large bowl of ice water.

7. For easy peeling, crack shell and submerge in water.
Gently roll a hardboiled egg on the countertop and place in a bowl of water for a few minutes before peeling. The water will seep in and loosen the shell.
Store hardboiled eggs in the fridge for up to a week.

Now it's time to color them!! I found this idea on Pinterest and it's awesome. Instead of using 12 different bowls for each egg color why not use a muffin pan?!

 Place each egg in the muffin slot and rotate after a few mintues until desired color is reached.

Once desired color is reached, place the finished eggs back in the egg carton!



Happy Easter Everyone!!!!

Cinnamon SuperFluff Donuts

Share

It's a cold grey Saturday morning in Cleveland....what to make for breakfast? DONUTS! I saw this recipe on (what else) Pinterest and just had to try it. It's incredibly easy!

Ingredients:
Grands Biscuits-not flaky layers
Sugar
Cinnamon
oil

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet. Take the biscuits and cut a hole in the middle, I used an apple corer, but you could use whatever you have on hand. Brown the soon to be donuts in the oil, this does not take long whatsoever. Keep on eye on them they burn easily. Literally less then a minute on each side. Set aside each donut on paper towel lined plate. Let cool.

Heat butter in a bowl and combine cinnamon and sugar in another. Once the donut is cool, coat each one in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

That's it!!! Now sit down with a good cup of coffee (I am enjoying a coconut mocha one now) and devour these things! I am sorry they are really really good. Michael ate 3 just while I was typing this! And don't forget the little donut holes, they are excellent as well!

Paczki's

Share

Now I thought that everyone knew what paczki's were, but I recently found out that I was wrong. Now these things are great and only come ONCE A YEAR!! That's right, only ONE time!! It's quite sad actually. These are wonderful. So a little bit about what these wonderous creations are....
 
Pączki (Polish) are pastries traditional to Polish cuisine (the word pączek is sometimes translated as doughnut). Pączki is the plural form of the Polish word pączek.

A pączek is a deep-fried piece of dough shaped into a flattened sphere and filled with confiture or other sweet filling. Pączki are usually covered with powdered sugar, icing or bits of dried orange zest. A small amount of grain alcohol (traditionally, Spiritus) is added to the dough before cooking; as it evaporates, it prevents the absorption of oil deep into the dough. Although they look like jelly doughnuts (generic name; sometimes "jam donut"), pączki are made from especially rich dough containing eggs, fats, sugar and sometimes milk. They feature a variety of fruit and creme fillings and can be glazed, or covered with granulated or powdered sugar.

Pączki Day
In Poland, pączki are eaten especially on Fat Thursday (the last Thursday before Ash Wednesday). Many Polish Americans celebrate Pączki Day on Fat Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday). Traditionally, the reason for making pączki was to use up all the lard, sugar, eggs and fruit in the house, because they were forbidden to be consumed due to Catholic fasting practices during Lent.
In the large Polish community of Chicago, and other large cities across the Midwest, Pączki Day is celebrated annually by immigrants and locals alike. In Buffalo, Toledo, Delta, Ohio, Cleveland, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, South Bend, and Windsor, Pączki Day is more commonly celebrated on Fat Tuesday instead of Fat Thursday. Chicago celebrates the festival on both Fat Thursday and Fat Tuesday, due to its sizable Polish population. Chicagoans also often eat paczki on Casimir Pulaski Day.

Buying Paczki in Cleveland:

In Cleveland, the bakeries and markets of Slavic Village all make paczki, beginning about three to four weeks prior to Lent. If you're interested in a quantity of paczki, especially on Paczki Day, it's wise to order in advance. Gertrude Bakery, Seven Roses Deli, and Europa Market are all good sources of paczki in Cleveland.

* I pre ordered mine at Jack Frost Donuts.....call to pre-order RIGHT NOW!!! They are SOOOOOOO freaking good!

Want to make your own paczki's?? Check out the recipe here.

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

Share

I found this recipe on pinterest and they are excellent!
Prep Time: 30 Minutes | Cook Time: 25 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 12-16
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup shortening
2 egg
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 TB cinnamon

Begin by stirring together 3 cups of flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teasoon salt…then stir in the nutmeg. Do this in a separate bowl.

In the bowl of a mixer (not necessary, but makes life sooooo much easier) combine 2/3 cup of shortening…then add the 1 cup of sugar.

Mix to combine, then add 2 eggs and mix again. Add flour mixture and 1 cup of milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.

Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full, then bake in a 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

In a microwave safe container, melt butter. In another container, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar and cinnamon. I just added butter to a bowl, so you may need more or less.

Roll each muffin in the butter and then roll the buttered muffin in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Do this until well coated. Voila you are done!! I highly suggest eating these warm, they are very very good!!!

All in One Place Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pam spray 12 muffin cups.
In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a different bowl (or your mixer), cream together 1 cup sugar and shortening. Then add eggs and mix again. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
In a bowl, melt butter. In a separate bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Dip baked muffins in butter, coating thoroughly, then coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

**So I learned these get a little hard if not covered also throw them in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds and they are soooooooooo much better

*** Also learned that they are better a day or so later AND if you put them in the microwave for 10 seconds O M G they are amazing!!!!!!! I kept eating them, one just wasn't good enough, I had to go back for at LEASE seconds!

Eggs in a Basket

Share

Hello, it's been awhile since I've blogged anything cause honestly its been awhile since I cooked anything! New jobs will do that to you. So these Eggs in a Basket are super easy to make and I threw it together in about 10 minutes. Here is what you will need:
Ingredients:
8-9 eggs
frozen spinach in a box
1/2 cup sour cream
bag of hashbrowns
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
muffin pan
bacon (optional)

I say the bacon is optional because I did not make this with bacon, but only because I did not have it on hand. Now if I did have bacon, you know it would have been added.

Cook the spinach in the microwave according to directions. Preheat oven to 300. Take a large mixing bowl and whisk your eggs together. Add in your sour cream. (when it comes to this you can add as little or as much as you would like, or none at all if you want. I think it gives it more texture. Add in 1-2 cups of cheese, depending on your preference for cheese. Add half the bag of hashbrowns. Add spinach.
Essentially take everything and mix in a large bowl, pretty easy huh? Now if you have bacon I would have cooked the bacon and added a small piece to the top.

I sprayed each muffin cup with Pam spray and filled each cup. You can do this anyway you want, but it makes it so much easier to pop out later and you can heat them up real easy for a snack or for breakfast.
I do have a slight variation of this recipe using pie crust that I will tell you at the end.
Fill each muffin tin till the top and let cook for about 25 minutes. Check at 20 minutes just to make sure. Let cool slightly and then run a knife around the edge of each tin and then they will pop out. This recipe makes about 18 or so depending on how high you fill them.

*variation of Eggs in a Basket
The other way I have made these are without the hash browns and using pie crust dough instead. Just pick up a pre made pie crust in the refridgerator section at the grocery store. Take a small ramikin or even the top of a glass and cut out circles of pie crust. Place that in the botton of the muffin tin. They will be bigger then the bottom of the tin, I push on the sides to raise the crust up so its surrounds the muffin tin. It won't reach the top and that is okay. The rest of the ingredients are the same. Add a large spoonfuls to the muffin tin, till it almost reaches the top. You can cut strips of the pie crust to lay along top of the egg mixture, but honestly it just gets messy. Cook at 300 for about 25 minutes or so. Check after 20 minutes. Let cool slightly (so you don't burn yourself) and I run a knife around the edge of each and then they sort of pop off. These are quite good. Similar to the ones above just no hashbrowns.