Raspberry Limeade

Here in Korea, the high for today is 65 degrees... SIXTY-FIVE.  Oh, how happy this makes me.  Summer is right around the corner, folks, and I'm ready for it.  So in honor of this beautiful weather, I felt the need to make up something cheerful and summery.  I saw this recipe a couple weeks ago on FoodGawker, and I've had it saved for a special day like today.  I'm all about some limeade and some fruity summer drinks...

Raspberry Limeade
recipe from Taylor Takes a Taste

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (6 or 7 limes)
• 1/2 cup pureed raspberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

In a large pot, dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water over medium heat.  Stir until completely dissolved, then turn heat on low, creating a simple syrup.

In a food processor (or blender) puree raspberries.  Add lemon and lime juice and puree for a few more seconds.   Add raspberry mixture to the simple syrup and stir until combined.

Pour through a strainer into a separate pot to get rid of the seeds.  Then combine with 3 cups of water and stir over low heat until completely combined.  Transfer to a container of your choice, and serve over ice.  Garnish with lime slices.  Makes approx. 40 ounces.

Oreo Cupcakes

My husband informed me that these are now his new favorite cupcake.  And he also requested that I make them for his birthday (which is only 2 weeks away).  I must agree with him, though - they're definitely one of the best cupcakes I've ever made.  They're not overly sweet like you think they'd be, but just perfect.  And aren't they pretty, too?  I love the little oreo crust on the bottom.  As for the frosting, I've seen a lot of people use cream cheese frosting for these, but I decided to use a vanilla.  I just didn't like the idea of cream cheese frosting with oreos, not sure why.  You can use whatever frosting sounds good to you.  :)  I halved the recipe when I made mine and they turned out great.  Since it's just my husband and I eating these, I figured 12 cupcakes would be quite enough!  Besides, I already have my eye on another cupcake recipe I'm going to try and I'm VERY excited about it..

Oreo Cupcakes
recipe from Beantown Baker

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 24 oreo halves (the side with the cream filling still on it)
• 20 oreos, coarsely chopped (quartered)
• For Garnish:  oreo cookie crumbs, and 24 oreo cookie halves
• For Frosting:  Use your favorite vanilla frosting recipe.  Cream cheese frosting might also be good.

Preaheat oven to 350 F.

Line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners.  Put an oreo half in each liner, cream side up.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir together to combine and set aside.  In another bowl, with an electric mixer combine the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Blend in the egg whites and vanilla extract, beating well.  Then, with the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients until just incorporated.  Add the milk, and beat until just combined, then mix in the rest of the dry ingredients.  Gently fold in the chopped oreos with a rubber spatula, being careful not to over-mix. 

Distribute batter evenly into the cupcake liners and bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.  Cool completely, then frosting and garnish.

Overnight Upside-Down French Toast

My husband has been rushing off to work all week without breakfast and I wanted to make some yummy that he could eat quickly before he goes - and something that was easy on me too, because I'm not a morning person!  I've had this overnight french toast that I had yet to try.  It was perfect!  I assembled it the night before and then just popped it in the oven for 20 minutes in the morning.  It really can't get any easier than that.  And boy am I glad I did that because I only got about 2 hours of sleep that night.  I'm finding it harder and harder to get comfortable while pregnant.  Ah well.. on to the recipe..

Overnight Upside-Down French Toast

• 1/2 cup butter/margarine, softened
• 1 tsp. + 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 tbsp. milk
• 2 tsp. white sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Roughly 7 or so pieces of texas toast (or whatever bread you prefer)

Mix together butter, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and brown sugar.  Spread evenly in a greased baking dish.

In a big bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and vanilla.  Dip bread in mixture and place in baking dish.  You may have to cut some pieces in half so all brown sugar topping is covered.  Use all of egg mixture.  Cover pan with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight (you don't have to, but it makes for an easy breakfast the next day).  Remove saran wrap and bake 20 minutes in a 400 F oven.

Dust with powdered sugar and turn over to serve.  Top with syrup or strawberries, or whatever you feel like.  :)

Scotcheroos

This past week my Aunt and Uncle were visiting us for a few days, and I had a very sweet friend who let us borrow a few things to help us better accommodate their stay.  A perfect excuse for me to make some goodies!  I decided to make Scotcheroos - something my Grandma used to make.  I really hope they enjoy the treats, she deserves something yummy for letting us borrow their Korean GPS and air mattress (and just for all of her kindness in general:)!

Scotcheroos

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 6 cups rice krispies
• 6 oz. butterscotch chips
• 6 oz. chocolate chips

 In a large pot, bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil.  Once boiling, immediately remove from heat.  Add peanut butter, stir to mix well.  Then add 6 cups of rice krispies.  Stir fast, until thoroughly mixed.  Press into a buttered 9x13 pan.  Melt together 6 ounces butterscotch chips and 6 ounces chocolate chips.  Spread over the rice krispies.  Let set until cooled, then cut into squares and enjoy!

I guess they're kind of a fun little take on rice krispies treats.  They bring back good memories.. and they're super yummy.  Of course I had to keep a few for myself - my husband has never had them before!

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

We had this at our wedding reception, and it's definitely one of my favorite things.  I love chicken and  I love cheese (especially swiss cheese).  I've never made it before, mainly because it seemed so tedious to make.  But this recipe proved me wrong.  It's easy, and delicious.  And my husband had fun stabbing the chicken with the toothpicks (yes, he helped me cook!).  This was given a two-thumbs up by my husband, so into the recipe box it goes..

Chicken Cordon Bleu
recipe from Omnomicon

• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts, if you like)
• 4 slices deli ham or prosciutto
• 4 slices deli swiss cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• several plain toothpicks

Tenderize if you need to.

Cut the swiss cheese into eight rectangles and stack.  Slice the ham in half lengthwise, stack both pieces, then roll around the stack of cheese.  Now create a little “meat purse” out of your chicken around the ham and cheese, and tack it up with toothpicks.  The chicken will be cooked leaky-side up so that the cheese has less of an opportunity of gushing out of your creation all over the pan.

Set up three bowls for breading the chicken. The first holds flour for dusting the chicken balls; the second will have a beaten egg and 1/4 c water whisked together for an egg wash. The last will have some seasoned bread crumbs. After your done wrapping and tacking it up with toothpicks, dip the chickens in the flour, the egg wash, then the bread crumbs. Place, toothpick side up, on lightly greased cookie sheet (I like to use aluminum foil for easy clean up).

Bake about 25 minutes in a 350^o oven.  Serves 4.

About to go in the oven!