A 4th of July Re-Post



So 4th of July is right around the corner!  What are your plans?  More important... What's on your menu?  We are going to Tahoe for the weekend with a group of friends.  I will do my very best to remember to take pictures of any blog worthy dishes.  In case you are looking for a special treat to serve for your star spangled weekend,  I thought I'd pull out a post from last year and send it your way.  I LOVE this dessert!  It's so pretty, it tastes great & it's really easy to make!  Maybe you remember it from last year, maybe you don't... either way a little Re-Post never hurts!  Have a safe, fun and full holiday!  Enjoy!

Berry Delicious Mascarpone Cups

Won Ton Wrappers
Melted Butter
Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture
1 Package Mascarpone Cheese
Orange Juice
Honey
Fresh Berries (I used Strawberries & Blueberries)
Optional Topping*

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Brush the individual wonton wrappers with melted butter on each side, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture & place in mini muffin pan.

3. Bake for approx 10 min or until edges are golden brown. Set aside to cool.

4. Meanwhile, mix mascarpone with honey & OJ to desired taste. (careful not to make it too thin) You can even add a little orange zest if desired.

5. Once wonton shells are cooled, add a spoonful of cheese mixture. Top with fresh berries and Topping of your choice. *The first time I had it with whipped cream, even Cool Whip would be great. In this photo I made it with a white chocolate drizzle for the patriotic theme. You could even do a dusting of powdered sugar if you so desired. The possibilities are almost endless...

Note: Find wonton wrappers in the refrigerated produce section of most supermarkets.

BBQ Chicken Polenta Pizza Cakes

I saw this recipe on the Picky-Palate and thought it looked delish!  It was insanely simple to make, seeing as I went the shortcut route and used premade items.  You can go a step further and make your own BBQ sauce and shred a rotisserie chicken, but I happened to see some good quality breast meat BBQ chicken at Costco and figured I'd give it a try.  I made this for dinner with a side salad and rather enjoyed it.  I think it would even be a great appetizer.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.  Enjoy!

 

BBQ Chicken Polenta Pizza Cakes

1 pound/tube of polenta

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cups cooked/shredded BBQ chicken

12 1-inch slices fresh mozzarella ( I did just a little mozzarella & added some smoked gouda)

12 individual cilantro leaves

Preheat oven’s broiler with rack places 5 to 6 inches below heat.

Slice polenta into 1/2 inch slices. Place oil into a grill pan over medium heat. Place polenta slices into hot grill pan and grill for 4 to 5 minutes, until slightly browned. Flip and top with a spoonful of BBQ chicken then a slice of mozzarella cheese.  Grill for 4 minutes then place under broiler until cheese is melted. Top with a cilantro leaf and serve.

For the kid in us all...

This post is about outside the norm for me, however, my dearest gave this dish RAVE reviews.  I saw a recipe for Corn Pup Muffins knew they would be an instant hit at home.  When I told him what I was planning on making, the response was, "What's the occasion??"  During and after many praises were made about the best dinner ever.  I find it kind of funny, cause all too often I get so caught up in the, "things have to be fancy/gourmet/sophisticated to be worth my time" mode that I forget how something so simple and fun can bring out the big kid in us all.  These little Corny Pups took no time at all and if you are a fan of corn dogs than you can't go wrong here.  If you have kids I'm sure these would be a hit.  I also think they'd make a fun appetizer to game night or almost any party.  Give 'em a try and let me know what you think.  Are we ever too old to eat like kids?  Enjoy!

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 hot dogs, cut into 1 inch pieces

Fiesta Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons dry taco seasoning mix

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Coat two 12 cup muffin tins (I did mini & standard) with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, chili powder, cumin and garlic powder. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and oil. Stir until well blended, then gently stir in the cheese. Drop a small spoonful of the batter into the bottom of each muffin cup. Place a piece of hot dog on top of this batter. Fill cups with enough additional batter to cover the hot dog pieces.

3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until muffins are lightly browned and spring back when lightly pressed. Cool slightly before removing from the muffin pans. Serve warm with the Fiesta Dipping Sauce and/or mustard.

4. To make the Fiesta Dipping Sauce, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise and taco seasoning mix until smooth. Serve immediately.

Thirty, Flirty and Thriving!

This past weekend was my bestie's 30th B-Day! To celebrate her big day we partied it up in style at the BEAUTIFUL Van Ruiten Winery.  It was all decked out with gorgeous flowers by AZ Floral Design...

There were pretty white lights, fun music and fantastic food!  A great time was had by all!   I surprised her with this little baby...

Peacock Cake

Blogiversary!

So last Friday was Random Musings' first blogiversary!  (It was also my 30th birthday.)  My goals for this year:

1.) A real, grown up camera!  So I can take fantastic pictures like all those super pretty blogs out there!
2.) At least 2 recipes per week.
3.) A GIVEAWAY
4.) And last but not least, more followers!  I'm hoping the first three goals will help me come up with those.  I love all my faith full followers out there.  (Even you quiet ones)

Any feedback?  What do you like?  What don't you like?  What would you like more of or less of?  I'm all ears!

And one more thing, tell me... what was YOUR favorite recipe posted in my first year in the blog-o-sphere?

Carrot Cake

So I probably should have posted this BEFORE Easter, but hey, a carrot cake this good should be made more than once a year!  In fact, if you are a carrot cake fan, like I am, YOU MUST TRY THIS CAKE!!!  Did you hear that, I'm not kidding, please you have no clue what you are missing... TRY THIS CAKE SOON!

I LOVE carrot cake.  But you will almost never see me order it, because I'm almost ALWAYS disappointed in the outcome.  Even I have screwed up a carrot cake or two.  Oh I'll never forget the notorious two tiered carrot cake disaster that still gives me nightmares!  I'll never live that one down.  I swore I would never make another carrot cake again.  Oh but that's a story for another day, this as a happy story, this is a story about the last carrot cake recipe you will ever need.  This is the cake that your family will beg you to make.  And know, I pass it on to you!

PS... Do not, I repeat, DO NOT skip the GLAZE.  It is the MOST important part of this cake.  You may think it will be fine without it.  But you will be wrong.  And come on, do want a cake that is just "fine" or do you want a cake that is absolutely divine?  Enjoy!

Carrot Cake w/ Buttermilk Glaze & Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
¾ cup buttermilk
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups coarsely grated carrots
1 ½ cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 8-oz can crushed pineapple in juice
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with vegetable oil; dust w/ flour. Whisk first 4 ingredients into a medium bowl. Set aside. Beat sugar, eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Beat in dry ingredients. Fold in carrots, pineapple w/ juice, and pecans. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake for 30 minutes. Tent loosely with foil. Continue to bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 10 - 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Using bamboo skewer (or whatever), poke deep holes all over cake.

Glaze
1 cup sugar
 ½ cup buttermilk
½ cup unsalted butter
1 Tbs light corn syrup
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Bring all ingredients but vanilla to boil in large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until glaze is a deep amber color, whisking often, 4-5 minutes. Mixture will froth up and double in size before returning back to syrup like state. Remove from heat; add vanilla.
Spoon hot glaze evenly over warm cake. Cool cake completely in pan.


*Note: When boiling the glaze watch it carefully! It will boil over if you walk away and it will make a mess all over your stove! It’s not easy to clean, I learned this the hard way!

Frosting
1½ 8-oz packages cream cheese
½ cup unsalted butter, room temp.
1 1-lb box powdered sugar
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon; beat until well blended. Spread frosting over cooled cake in pan. Cake can be made one day in advance, just cover and chill.

Healthy Treats... for Dogs

Yep, this post is dedicated to the four legged family members our there.

Last month, my sweet little Chihuahua, Martini, was diagnosed with Epilepsy.  The good news, it can be controlled with medication.  The bad news, the medication makes her extra hungry, all the time!  When I was faced with the issue of a constantly starving doggie I thought knew a few things things:

1.) I didn't want to give her a bunch of unhealthy treats filled with junk fillers.
2.) I didn't want to spend a ton of money on "designer treats".
3.) I wanted to find lower calorie calorie options for her if at all possible.

I don't mind paying a bit more for her food, but with the treats I figured I can find a way to keep it simple.  Here are are few healthy treat alternative that your pup should love.  Keep in mind when it comes to any treats, they shouldn't make up more than 25% of your dog's diet.

Green Beans
Green beans are especially great for overweight dogs.  Just wash & dry them, trim the ends, put them in a Ziploc bag, and throw them in the freezer.  Tini loves to eat one right out of the freezer.  I give it to her whole and she chews it until there is nothing left.


Yogurt
Yogurt is a good source of calcium and protein. When choosing yogurt, pick one that has live active bacteria and no sugars or artificial sweeteners.  If your pooch is pudgy, make sure that you pick fat-free yogurt but not one that contains fat substitutes. For a great summer treat, make your dog Fro Yo! 

Mix 32 oz Yogurt, 1 cup melted Peanut Butter and 1 Tbls Honey.   Pour into ice cube trays or lined cupcake tins and freeze.  Once solid pop out and place in a Ziploc bag to store in the freezer.

Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are great sliced and dehydrated as a chewy treat for your dog.  Sweet potatoes are loaded with beneficial nutrients like Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Potassium, and Iron.  Your dog will love these treats and they will keep him or her occupied for a little longer than some treats cause they are dehydrated, almost like a rawhide.

Just cut a clean, dry sweet potato into 1/3"-1/4" slices.  Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 3 hours, turning halfway.  Cool completely and store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to three weeks or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

More tasty doggie treat ideas to come, but for now I hope you and your pooch... Enjoy!