Recipe Review - 7 Minute Frosting

"No Cook" 7 Minute Frosting

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 unbeaten egg whites
food coloring (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix sugar, cream of tartar, vanilla and egg whites.
2. Add boiling water.
3. Beat on high til mixture forms peaks (like meringue) approx 5-7 minutes.

http://www.recipezaar.com/No-Cook-7-Minute-Frosting-107841

I really thought this was going to be the first recipe review that I wouldn't have any complaints about. Unfortunately, that's not exactly the case.

At the last minute on Saturday evening, I decided to make a birthday cake for a family get together - Happy Birthday, Becky & Amy! That morning, I had seen a recipe for a 7 Minute Frosting on America's Test Kitchen. Apparently it's a pretty old recipe, but I'd never heard of it. However, it's a very pretty frosting, and I knew I wanted to try it. The problem is, I've never had a double boiler, and don't even really have the right pots for a makeshift one, and this recipe called for a double boiler.

I searched online, to try to find a recipe that was simpler than the one I'd seen that morning. As luck would have it, I came across this "No Cook" recipe. It was a breeze to make, and really turned out beautifully. If was very white and fluffy looking, and very light tasting.

To make it a little more festive, since it was a birthday cake, I decided to add some yellow gel food coloring. Well, it worked, and the icing took the color really well, but it actually ended up looking like whipped butter. I wish I had gotten a photo of it. It was so funny. It looked like we slathered the cake in Country Crock.

Thankfully, the butter-look didn't phase anyone. Even the frosting-haters of the family, agreed that this frosting was tasty. For the birthday party, I made a Fun-fetti cake and frosted it with the butter-yellow "No Cook" 7 Minute Frosting. And it was delicious.

Late that night, I was still in the baking mood, so I decided to try it again. I made a double batch this time, because I wanted to make a layer cake and use the frosting between the layers. I also mixed it up a little, and used almond extract instead of vanilla. It was a success.

This almond frosting had a very good flavor. I actually preferred it to the vanilla. And let me tell you, this chocolate layer cake turned out to be almost too pretty to eat.

But as you can see, we really didn't have a problem digging right in. It was heavenly. The almond flavoring added such a nice touch to it. And the texture of this frosting is just nearly perfect.

So, all in all, for a cake that's going to be eaten in one day, this recipe it a complete success. I give it an A+ for same day enjoyment.

The problem comes after the cake sits for a while. I made the chocolate cake late at night; I probably finished it around midnight. The next morning, approximately 12 hours later, this is what we were welcomed with when we got down to the kitchen.

As you can see, the layers basically disappeared. I didn't expect the cake to keep it's shape completely, because the frosting was so light, but I never figured something like this would happen. The frosting on the outside was much thicker than the layers, and didn't disappear, but got all foamy. It was so strange. We went ahead and tried a bit, and it still tasted really great. The frosting sort of just absorbed into the cake and made it really moist, and again that almond flavor was really wonderful. But it was still so weird. I can't figure out if it's just this recipe, or if any 7 Minute Frosting will do this. Like I said, this is the first time I'd ever heard of it.

My other idea, is that maybe it's supposed to be refrigerated? I just don't know.

So, in conclusion, this recipe fails in the long run, but only in looks. The flavor is still wonderful, even after the frosting disappears.

Overall, I give it a C, and suggest you consume the frosted cake within 6 hours of preparation.

If any of you make this, or have ever made a traditional 7 Minute Frosting, please let me know if this is the standard, of if I've done something wrong.

As always, if you have any suggestions for recipes you'd like me to review, please leave a comment. Stay tuned!

Recipe Review - Whole Wheat Biscuits

FLUFFY WHOLE WHEAT BISCUITS

INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt; mix well. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk just until moistened. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 8 to 10 times. Roll to 3/4-in. thickness; cut with a 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fluffy-Whole-Wheat-Biscuits/Detail.aspx

These biscuits were not fluffy. They were actually pretty heavy, and didn't really have a biscuit-like texture at all. And as you can see, if you compare my photo to the photo in the link, they didn't look at all like fluffy biscuits either. Instead of eating a biscuit, it was more like chowing down on a big hunk of wheat bread. I'm all for homemade wheat bread, and might actually end up making these again, to have with dinner one night. However, they did not go very well with our breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausage.

Please take into consideration, that it's entirely possible that I did something wrong when making these biscuits. Other than cakes and sweets, I've not done a lot of baking. I don't have a lot of bread making experience, and unfortunately, Keith likes canned biscuits, so I've been lazy about perfecting that particular craft. I'm able to make my Grandma's biscuit recipe turn out a lot better than these though.

The recipe specifies that these biscuits should be baked on an ungreased baking sheet. In my opinion, they might need a little grease to give them the right outer texture - that little bit of a layer of bite that good biscuits need. If I ever were to try them again, I'd brush hot oil on them before baking, and see if that helps.

Also, I baked these biscuits 3 minutes longer than recipe called for. I was trying to get them to "lightly brown" but it didn't seem to help. They didn't brown at all.

As Keith was not at all impressed with these biscuits, I had a lot of leftovers. I decided to bag them up and take them to work with me. They've made for a good breakfast snack, after bring microwaved and slathered in peanut butter. I'll be having the last of them later this morning. Peanut butter makes anything better.

So, in closing, you might want to give them a try if you're a better baker than me. But if you want a sure thing, skip this recipe. If I ever try baking these biscuits again, I'll be sure to update you on the outcome.

Stay tuned for more reviews, and please leave a comment if you have any suggestions for me. Well, actually, you can feel free to leave a comment even if you don't have a suggestion.

Timetable Amendments

I spoke about the basic schedule I had in mind for this blog in this post. With the constraints of time, resources, and ideas I've decided to amend this schedule, just slightly.

Prize Drawing Product Reviews will now be posted on the 1st Monday of the month. The winner of that prize drawing will be announced the 2nd Monday of the month. With that, there will not be a review posted on the 2nd Monday of the month. However, all other Mondays in any given month will include some sort of review. It might be a restaurant review, a book review, a movie review, or any other product review. Starting next Monday, things should be on a regular schedule.

I plan to stay on task, with the weekly Friday recipe reviews, as well as the Wednesday picture pages. If you have any products or recipes you think I might like to review, please leave a comment and let me know. I'm open to almost any suggestions.

Thanks, and stay tuned!

Recipe Review - Chocolate Strawberry Dump Cake

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY DUMP CAKE

INGREDIENTS
1 package Jiffy Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
1lb fresh strawberries
1.5 tbsp water
1 stick butter - melted

DIRECTIONS
Filling:
Chop strawberries into large chunks
In a mixing bowl, combine strawberry pieces with sugar and water, and stir until all sugar is dissolved

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°
Spray a small baking dish with Pam (you can use almost any small baking dish - 8X8 square, 8" round, loaf pan, etc)
Melt 1 stick of butter in a microwave safe dish, or on the stove top
Dump strawberry mixture into baking dish
Dump Jiffy cake mix evenly on top of strawberry mixture
DO NOT STIR
Spoon melted butter, as evenly as possible, on top of cake mix
Again, DO NOT STIR
Sprinkle 1tbsp of sugar on top of butter

Bake for 55 mins @ 350°
Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving
Enjoy!

My usual dump cake recipe uses canned apple pie filling and Jiffy brand yellow cake mix. I've always wanted to switch it up a little, and try it with a chocolate cake mix. I gave it a go once, using canned strawberry pie filling and a Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix, and it did not cook properly. The cake mix stayed powdery, so I assume the Jiffy cake mix is the trick to this recipe. I noticed that the Homeland near our house carries the Jiffy Devil's Food Cake mix, so I had to give it a try.

I don't particularly care for strawberry pie filling, and I don't like cherries at all, so I experimented a little further. I decided to make my own sort of filling. I think it turned out pretty good. I found the dessert very rich and sweet, with a tart bite to it at the end. I can see how it would not be for everyone. However, I am very fond of rich desserts, so I thought it was wonderful.

Keith enjoyed the cake part, which when cooked in this way, turns out to be a sort of brownie consistency. It's really very good. He was not fond of the strawberry filling, and I can understand how some wouldn't be. Keith actually thinks it might be tasty using the chocolate cake mix, and the apple pie filling. I'm not sure that's something I will ever be brave enough to try, but if I do, I'll be sure to let you know the outcome.

If you'd like to try this recipe yourself, and don't mind the taste of canned strawberry pie filling, feel free to use that. You would need an approximately 20oz can. For those who like cherry pie filling, that might be a good thing to try with this Devil's Food cake mix as well.

Just remember, using the Jiffy brand cake mix seems to be what makes this recipe a success.

If you have a recipe or product you'd like me to review, please let me know. Just leave a comment - I'm open to almost any suggestions.

Friday's Recipe Review - Coming Soon

I'm sorry everyone, but Friday's Recipe Review will have to be put off until Saturday. I didn't finish writing it up last night, and it's 5:30am right now, and there's just no way it's getting done this early in the morning.

But, Keith is working tomorrow morning, so I will finish it up either tonight or tomorrow morning, and I promise it will be posted by noon tomorrow.

Now, in about 2 1/2 hours, I'll be choosing the random winner of the Prize Drawing. I'll post the results at around 1pm this afternoon.

Until then...

All About Scheduling

I procrastinate, a lot. I'm pretty lazy, and though I believe my ideas are always good ones, I don't usually have a ton of faith that they will truly come to fruition. I've just come to realize over the past 20+ years, that this is just going to have to be how it is in my life. It hasn't changed so far, and I don't really see it changing in the future.

However, I have decided to try going with a certain timetable for this blog. I need some sort of formula to strive for, even if I know it probably won't always work out how I plan.

So, here's what I've come up with:

~ I've decided that on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'll post about my random thoughts and feelings on all the weird little things that enter into my mind throughout each and every day. It gets pretty weird inside my head sometimes, y'all. This will also include all the things going on in my life, or in the lives of my loved ones.

~ On Mondays, I'll try to post product reviews. If you have any ideas for things you'd like for me to review, just let me know. I'm open to (well, almost) anything.

~ Wednesdays will be set aside for Picture Pages (Bill Cosby will likely not be included.) Old family photos will abound. It will be tons of fun, and is possibly my favorite idea for the blog so far. Of course I'll also include recent photos and just to warn you, a lot of them will probably be of Cami. Oooh and the State Fair, when it starts!

~ I almost forgot about Fridays! Recipe reviews are planned for Fridays. Yay! Yes, yes, I know today is Friday. Yes, I know I posted a recipe review yesterday. But, I didn't have this plan in place yesterday, so you'll have to forgive me.

Well, that's about it. If you have any ideas or feedback for me, leave a comment. I need some traffic through this place so that I don't get bored, people!

Recipe Review - Pot Roast #1

AWESOME SLOW COOKER POT ROAST

INGREDIENTS
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1 1/4 cups water
5 1/2 pounds pot roast

DIRECTIONS
In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water. Place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture. Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Awesome-Slow-Cooker-Pot-Roast/Detail.aspx

I was very disappointed with my first attempt at this recipe. The soup didn't thicken, so it was basically watery juice. It also had an odd flavor, but that may have been from my addition of potatoes and carrots to the dish. Now that I've had time to read the reviews from Allrecipes.com, I plan to try it again, with a few alterations.

I did change just a few things on my first attempt, but I really can't see how the changes I made would have had much effect on the outcome. I didn't have a 5.5lb roast, so I used a 2.5lb roast, and cut the rest of the ingredients in half. I also made the soup mixture up the night before, and marinated the roast in it for about 8 hours in the refrigerator. That way, when I got up the next morning, I was able to dump it directly into the crock-pot and turn it on as I headed out the door. After reading the reviews, I'm thinking my biggest mistake might have been adding carrots and potatoes to the bottom of the crock. It looks like that might be this recipes' downfall. Now I know better.

When I try this recipe again, I know I will do at least 3 things differently:

~ I will try using beef broth instead of water, which I would have done this time, but I was out of beef broth.

~ I will coat the meat with flour and other seasonings, and sear it slightly before cooking.

~ I will not add potatoes or carrots to the crock to cook along with the roast.

I'm hoping that with these adjustments, this will be a good go-to recipe for a quick and easy pot roast.

Using a slow cooker is such a nice thing to do when it's hot outside. I think most people only consider using them for winter cooking, but using them in the summer helps to keep the house cool, and makes meals a snap. When you've just come in from 100 degree weather and don't feel like doing much cooking, less time in the kitchen is a great selling point.

I leave the house before 7:30am most mornings, and get home at around 5:30pm. When I use my crock-pot to make our entrée for dinner, we're usually sitting down to eat by 6:00pm. It works out nicely for us. With Keith eating lunch at 11am most days, he's typically starving by the time I get home.

So, if you don't have a crock-pot/slow cooker, go out and buy yourself one. They are a great investment for your family. Less time in a hot kitchen = More time bonding with the people you've been missing all day long.

I'll be sure to keep you posted on my 2nd outcome of this recipe.

Stay tuned for more recipe reviews, as well as other miscellaneous product reviews. Please feel free to post comments and let me know if you have any products you'd like for me to review.