Cake Pops and the Alouette Brie Giveaway Winners

I recently made tons of cake pops for my daughter's birthday celebration and today I would like to share a recipe with my readers. It was Bakerella who introduced cake pops to the world and all the recipes that I have seen floating around the internet have originated from her idea. There's an amazing collection of gorgeous cake pops that you will find on Bakerella's website and in fact a whole book on cake pops will be available this fall.

I honestly intended to use the original recipe and got all the necessary ingredients. But at the last minute I changed the plan of action. One reason was because I needed to make a very large batch of cake pops in only a few hours. I made a chocolate cake batter, approximately following a classic Devil's Food Cake.

Although the cake pops were excellent and everyone really loved them the way I made them the first time, I decided that they need to have more chocolate. My improved cake pops are rich and very chocolatey, almost brownie-like. Dipped in melted chocolate, they are a perfect treat for a true chocoholic.


Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons yogurt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ounce finely chopped bittersweet chocolate
Butter, for greasing

2 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons cream
Colored sugar sprinkles

Special Equipment:

Wilton Pops 8-Cavity Silicone Mold
Styrofoam block
Popsicle sticks


Directions:

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Then, add egg, vanilla, yogurt, vegetable oil and mix well until smooth. Fold in the chocolate. Grease the mold cavities generously with butter. Place about a tablespoon of cake batter into each cavity of the mold (the recipe will make about 12 cake pops if using exactly a tablespoon or 8 if using heaping tablespoons).



Place the mold on a baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes on 350° F. Cool for a few minutes, then remove from the mold, inverting the pan and applying gentle pressure to the bottom.



Cool completely, then place in a plastic bag or a covered container and let them chill. (Can be made a day ahead and chilled overnight or you can also put them in a freezer for a few minutes if you want to prepare them right away.)

In a double boiler, melt chocolate and cream, whisking until smooth. Insert a popsicle stick into each cake pop.



Dip the top of the cake pop into the chocolate.



Then dip into colored sprinkles.



Stick the cake pops onto a Styrofoam block.



Refrigerate for at least few hours or freeze for a few minutes if would like to serve immediately.

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The winners for the Alouette Brie Coupons Giveaway are Phyllis and CarolH (randomly selected using random.org)! Please send me your mailing address here or natasha@5starfoodie.com.

Black Forest Smoothie

Our newest smoothie creation replicates the flavors of our all-time favorite Black Forest Cake. The combination of chocolate and cherries is terrific! This recipe is practically fat free and cholesterol free, using skim milk and nonfat Greek yogurt. Because I use sour cherries, I added a bit of sweetener, the amount of which you can adjust according to individual taste.

Ingredients: (2 cups)

1 cup frozen pitted sour cherries
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 nonfat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons Cocoa powder
3 tablespoons sugar (or 2 tablespoons of agave syrup)
Splash of kirsch liqueur (optional)

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth (or use immersion blender). Add any additional sugar to taste and pour into glasses.

(Optional) For a touch of decadence, add a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

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Submit your creative smoothie or a shake for a chance to win a brand new Healthmaster! See the original announcement for more details!

Also, don't miss the Alouette Brie coupons giveaway!

Alouette Extra Creamy Brie Review and Giveaway

Alouette, a leading brand in spreadable and specialty cheeses, is introducing a new brie and sent me a sample for review. The new product is Extra Creamy Brie, a unique triple crème baby brie. It comes in a cute 5 oz. package, perfect for a small portion lunch cheese tasting.



This cheese is very creamy and buttery with a thin rind. It is a young brie with a very mild flavor. While we typically prefer a stronger earthy flavor for a triple crème brie, we still found Alouette Extra Creamy Brie quite pleasant.



This triple crème brie is also great to use in cooking. Last night, I made Brie Truffled Burgers with Kumato Tomatoes and Ramps Mayonnaise. The combination of hints of truffle in the burger, brie, and ramps was excellent.



Ingredients: (4 servings)

4-5 ramps (more info)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground horseradish powder (or mustard powder)
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 yolks
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 pound ground beef or bison
1 teaspoon truffle salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Kumato tomatoes (more info)
Burger buns
Alouette Extra Creamy Brie

Directions:

Chop ramps finely. Combine with salt and horseradish powder and crush to a paste in the mortar and pestle (or use food processor). Whisk in vinegar and egg yolks. Pouring the extra-virgin oil in a thin stream, whisk the mixture until achieving the consistency of mayonnaise. Season with more salt if necessary. Chill.

Prepare the grill. Mix the ground meat with truffle salt and pepper, form four patties. Grill burger patties until cooked through (about 5 minutes per side for beef, 2-3 minutes per side for bison). At the last minute, top the patties with one or two slices of brie.

Assemble the burgers, placing 1-2 tablespoons of ramps mayonnaise on a warmed up bun, followed by a kumato tomato slice, a burger patty with brie on top.

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Alouette also sent me a few free coupons to try any of their products including the new extra creamy brie. I would love to share these coupons with my readers! Just leave me a comment on this post and I will randomly pick two winners to receive two coupons each. This giveaway will be open until midnight on Thursday 5/27/10 and the winners will be announced the following day, 5/28/10.

Grilled Bison Steak with Spicy Picante Pepper Aioli

A few weeks ago I was lucky to win a mortar and pestle in a giveaway at Spicie Foodie blog. I was very excited as I've been wanting to get this essential kitchen tool for a while. It is great for grinding spices or preparing homemade pesto and guacamole. I find it especially useful for making these recipes in very small portions. The first thing I made using my new mortar and pestle is a spicy picante pepper aioli served atop grilled bison steaks.





For the recipe and more details, please check out my guest post at Spicie Foodie Blog.

***

Also, please check out the new foodie site I will be part of, Foodierama.

Foodierama is a homepage for foodies based on the idea of serendipity. It's designed as a portal front page containing teasers to the latest posts of all the best food blogs. Whenever users enter the page they discover something new and exciting: a new blog, a new recipe or cooking technique etc. With Foodierama users get a panoramic view of what's going on in the food blog-sphere all on one graphic page.

Foodierama also includes an intuitive logo-based directory of the best food sites on the web. Registered users can add their own personal links to the directory for easy access. Last but not least, Foodierama includes a specialized food search engine based on Google search. Using the search box at the top of the page users can perform either a regular Google search or a food related search that will only show results from the best food sources on the web.

Cupcakes, Cake Pops, Avocado Feta Tartelettes and Other Small Bites

We had a terrific birthday weekend for my daughter. The weather was just perfect for a kids' party in a nature park on Saturday and we had a fun family get together on Sunday. Here's a peek at some of the food that I prepared for the celebration.

We started with the Saturday sweet treats for the kids, cake pops and cupcakes, both with chocolate flavor. The cake pops were dipped in chocolate and yellow sugar sprinkles.



My daughter dipped every cupcake in chocolate herself and we decorated the cupcakes with six yellow dots, representing the birthday girl turning six and the theme of the party, fireflies.





On Sunday for our family celebration, we had appetizers and baked goodies:


Mini Caprese bites with heirloom cherry tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella drizzled with balsamic vinegar


Salmon roe caviar sandwiches


Brioche crostini with melted brie topped with sauteed mushrooms and onions


Pastelitos with guava jelly and cream cheese


plum jam biscuits (different shape than the original recipe)

Inspired by Quickies Challenge on Lazaro Cooks! & Quickies on the Dinner Table, I also made an appetizer with avocado and feta. My original concept was to make a smoked salmon roll with avocado and feta filling.



After I made this pretty little roll, I realized that unfortunately I did not buy enough smoked salmon to make this for everyone. I changed the plan, and instead made phyllo tartelettes with avocado, feta, and smoked salmon.



They were very easy to put together. I mixed feta (1 cup) with cream cheese (1/2 cup) in one bowl, then mixed chunks of avocado (1 avocado) with a tablespoon of lemon juice. I then filled the mini phyllo cups with feta mixture, then avocados, and topped it with a little slice of smoked salmon. These little bites were just scrumptious.

***

This post was supposed to be published on Monday but I decided that I really needed a few more days of blogging break. I will start catching up with my blog reading and replying to comments tonight.

Don't forget to submit a smoothie or a shake with a twist for a chance to win a brand new Healthmaster! See the original announcement for more details!

International Dumplings Incident Party: Pelmeni

Pelmeni are small stuffed boiled dumplings, originally from Siberia and Tatarstan, that are now part of the traditional Russian cuisine. It is probable that they came to Siberia from China and are indeed similar to jiǎozi, or pot stickers. Pelmeni are different from other Russian-style dumplings such as vareniki, as the dough is much thinner and there are lot more filling in each little dumpling. Also, the filling for pelmeni is always savory, typically pork or mixture of pork and beef seasoned with onion and a generous amount of black pepper.



Although pelmeni is one of my all-time favorite foods, it's been a long time since I've made them. When I was little, we used to make them more frequently because we had a special pelmeni mold that sped up the process quite a bit. Without the mold, making pelmeni is time consuming but they are so very good and the effort is definitely worth it!



Ingredients: (makes about 80 dumplings)

3 cups flour (I used 00 flour this time but usually use all-purpose)
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup cold water

1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1-2 tablespoons butter
Sour cream, vinegar, black pepper

Directions:

First, prepare filling. If using already ground pork, grind it again together with onion. Otherwise, the pork has to be put through the meat grinder twice. Season with salt and pepper.



Mix flour and salt together. Add eggs and water and mix well until dough forms, adding a little more water if necessary. Knead the dough well. Separate in three or four pieces and form flat disks. Roll out each disk until very thin. Using a small wine glass or a round cookie cutter (about 2 inches in diameter or less), cut out little circles. Gather the dough scraps into another disk and roll out, cutting out more circles, repeating the process as many times as possible. Place small dollops of pork filling onto each circle, fold in half, and pinch the ends firmly.



Pelmeni can be prepared ahead and frozen or cooked right away. Cook pelmeni in boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes (about 2-5 minutes after they rise to the top). Drain and toss with butter.



Pelmeni are commonly served with sour cream, but we like it with a generous sprinkling of vinegar and freshly grounded black pepper!



If you have any leftover dough, it can be fried and served with powdered sugar for a quick and yummy dessert.

***

Please check the other dumpling creations of everyone participating in the International Dumplings Incident Party! This month we celebrate many birthdays and my best wishes to Mardi @ ELTW, Divina @ Sense & Seredipity, Shirley @ Enriching Your Kid, Pam @ My Man's Belly, and Evelyne @ Cheap Ethnic Eatz!

Tomorrow is also my daughter's birthday in honor of which I will be taking a little blogging break. I will still be blogging today and will check in on the blogosphere happenings as time permits for the rest of the long weekend.

5 Star Makeover Announcement: Smoothies and Shakes

It is finally starting to get warm this spring and it is time to think of lighter meals and refreshing snacks and drinks. Smoothies and shakes are a favorite at our house during this time of the year. They can serve as a healthy snack, a nutritious breakfast, or an indulgent dessert. And there are so many different kinds of smoothies or shakes you can make!

This month's 5 Star Makeover Challenge is to create a SMOOTHIE OR a SHAKE with a twist. There are many different names for such blended chilled drinks, and they can include frappes, malts, floats, lassi, batidas, and others. You can make any kind of blended chilled drink in this category, including alcoholic or coffee drinks. You can incorporate many different kinds of ingredients in various combinations to create interesting flavors, sweet or savory, inspired by any number of cuisines of the world.

The Guilt-Free Chocolate Milkshake and the Strawberry Oat Basil Smoothie with a Duo of Foams that I have previously posted about are good examples of potential entries for this 5 Star Makeover. I am also going to be posting about our new favorite smoothie a little later this month.

For this makeover, I will select a winner and the winner will receive a special prize - HealthMaster blender!

The Living Well with Montel HealthMaster™ performs the functions of more than 20 supplementary kitchen appliances. It processes both wet and dry ingredients, blending recipes for energy drinks and smoothies, ice cream, homemade soups and natural nut butters—even chewy granola bars. The HealthMaster’s design enables effortless food preparation without compromising efficiencies. The machine can perform numerous processing functions while working with one large batch. It features a 1100-watt, dual horsepower motor with a 100-year warranty and commercial-grade culinary angled stainless steel blades that emulsify at over 3000 RPM. Such blending reduces graininess and results in mixtures that don't chunk or separate for extended periods of time.

To participate, please post about your creation mentioning "5 Star Makeover" and linking to this post or you can copy and paste this code to insert the new 5 Star Makeover logo as follows:

<a href="http://www.fivestarfoodie.com/2010/05/5-star-makeover-announcement-smoothies.html"><img src="http://5starfoodie.com/images/makeover0510.jpg" width="110"></a>

Then, send me an email at natasha@5starfoodie.com or leave a comment here with a link to your blog post. Please send your entries by Sunday, June 6. The round-up will be posted on Monday, June 7.

The chances are you have probably already made a creative shake or a smoothie. If you already posted about it, just leave a comment with a link to your post right now!

Cuisinart 8 Bottle Private Reserve Wine Cellar Review Coming Soon

For those who read my blog often know that we like to drink fine wines to pair with many of our dinners. Since we live in a humid climate in Virginia, it is important to keep wine at a cool controlled temperature. Therefore, a good wine refrigerator is essential to have at our home, especially in late spring and summer.

Many different wine coolers and refrigerators can be found at CSN Stores, online sites that offer an excellent selection of items, such as cribs, cookware, and all kinds of kitchen equipment. I will be getting a new Cuisinart 8 Bottle Private Reserve Wine Cellar to review very soon. Please, stay tuned!

Family Bites: Veal Stew with Sockarooni Sauce and Hot Buttered Noodles

This delicious stew is perfectly comforting on a chilly night. This dish features Newman's Own Sockarooni Sauce which include tomatoes, and green and red peppers.

Ingredients: (4-6 servings)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds veal stew meat, 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoon flour
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 cup carrots, sliced
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup Newman’s Own Sockarooni Pasta Sauce
1.5 cup chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Salt, pepper to taste

12 ounces homemade or purchased flat egg noodles, cooked, tossed with 4 tablespoons of butter
Chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large stew pan. In a bowl, mix veal with flour. Place the veal in a stew pan and cook, stirring frequently until starts to brown. Put the veal back in the bowl and set aside.

To the stew pan, add another tablespoon of oil. Add onions, mushrooms, and carrots, and sauté until the onions are translucent. Return the veal to the pan and mix well.

Pour wine, Sockarooni sauce, and chicken stock over. Bring to boil then bring heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 ½ hours or until the veal is tender. If the veal stew is still not thick enough, bring to boil for just a few minutes, stirring frequently, to reduce to the desired consistency.

Serve over buttered noodles and sprinkle with parsley.

This post is part of the Foodbuzz Family Bites featuring my collection of family-friendly easy-to-make lunches, snacks/salads, and dinners.

Family Bites: Sailor’s Macaroni Alfredo with Roasted Butternut Squash and Rosemary

This pasta is my favorite childhood comfort food. It is called Sailor’s Spaghetti, or “Makaroni po-flotski” (in Russian), because it is so easy and quick to make anywhere, even at sea (if you’ve got chicken), and it was probably originally created by a ship’s cook. This version features an addition of the creamy Alfredo sauce and sweet roasted butternut squash.

Ingredients: (4 servings)

5 cups cooked elbow macaroni
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 ounces ground chicken
2/3 cup onions, minced
1 ½ cup Newman’s Own Alfredo Pasta Sauce
About 4 cups butternut squash, peeled, cut in 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 450°F. In a baking dish, place butternut squash, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for about 15-20 minutes, tossing several times, until squash is tender.

Mix the chicken and onions in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add chicken and onions and sauté, stirring frequently, for a few minutes, until chicken is just cooked through. Mix in Newman’s Own Alfredo Sauce and macaroni and cook until the sauce and macaroni are heated through. Top with or mix in the roasted butternut squash and sprinkle with fresh rosemary.

Note: This dish can be made using chicken leftovers. In this case, grind the cooked chicken, sauté onions first and then add the chicken and cook for just a minute until the chicken is heated through.

This post is part of the Foodbuzz Family Bites featuring my collection of family-friendly easy-to-make lunches, snacks/salads, and dinners.

Family Bites: Veggie-loaded Shepherd's Pie

This hearty Shepherd's Pie is loaded with vegetables that are mixed in with the lamb: onions, garlic, mushrooms, carrots and zucchini as well as Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce that include tomatoes, and green and red peppers. This is one of our favorite comfort dishes.

Ingredients: (4-6 servings)

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/3 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup carrots, shredded
1/4 cup zucchini, shredded

1 pound ground lamb
1/3 cup Newman’s Sockarooni Pasta sauce
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

2 cups mashed potatoes
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and mushrooms and sauté for about four minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the shredded carrots and zucchini and cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer the vegetable mixture to bowl.

Add lamb to same skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat until lamb is no longer pink, stirring frequently. Return the vegetable mixture to the skillet. Add the Sockarooni sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Then, cover and simmer on low heat for 5-7 minutes.

Place the lamb mixture in a glass baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes on top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the cheese crust is golden brown.

This post is part of the Foodbuzz Family Bites featuring my collection of family-friendly easy-to-make lunches, snacks/salads, and dinners.

Family Bites: Honey Mustard Napa Cabbage Chicken Wraps

These wraps are an easy snack or lunch to make with leftover chicken.

Ingredients: (8 wraps)

2 cups cooked chopped (or ground) chicken
1/2 cup onions, minced
2 cups Napa cabbage, shredded
2/3 cups broccoli sprouts
¼ cup carrots, shredded
2/3 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Newman’s Own Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
8 whole wheat 8’’ wraps


Directions:

In a large bowl, combine chicken, onions, Napa cabbage, broccoli sprouts, carrots, cheese, and honey mustard. Mix well. Place some of the chicken-cabbage mixture on each wrap, diving equally, and roll them up. Secure with toothpicks and cut each wrap in half if desired.

This post is part of the Foodbuzz Family Bites featuring my collection of family-friendly easy-to-make lunches, snacks/salads, and dinners.

Family Bites: Salad Greens with Andouille, Shrimp, and Honey Mustard Dressing

This is an excellent meal salad, featuring a flavorful combination of Andouille sausage, shrimp, and Newman's Own Light Honey Mustard Dressing.

Ingredients: (4-6 servings)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 smoked Andouille sausages, cut in small chunks (about 2 1/2 cups before frying)
24 shrimp, peeled and de-veined
Salt to taste
8 ounces mixed greens (seasonal)
2 tablespoons red onion, minced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
4-6 tablespoons Newman's Own Light Honey Mustard Dressing
1 orange, peeled, cleaned, and sliced in small chunks
2 tablespoons sliced roasted almonds
Additional Newman's Own Honey Mustard Dressing to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in a skillet on high heat. Add the sausage and cook for about two or three minutes, stirring frequently, until browned. Add shrimp and sauté for another few minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through.

In a large bowl, combine the greens, onion, parsley, and thyme. Toss with Honey Mustard Dressing. Divide the salad mixture among plates. Top with Andouille sausage, shrimp, and oranges. Sprinkle with almonds and drizzle additional dressing all over the salad.

This post is part of the Foodbuzz Family Bites featuring my collection of family-friendly easy-to-make lunches, snacks/salads, and dinners.

Family Bites: Baby Arugula, Pear, and Prosciutto Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

This elegant salad features a wonderful combination of pear, prosciutto, and Gorgonzola, and Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing. It is very easy to put together and can be served as an appetizer, snack, or a meal salad.

Ingredients: (4 meal portions or 8 appetizer portions)

About 7 cups or 5 ounces baby arugula
1/3 cup Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
1 cup Prosciutto, chopped
1/2 cup dried dates, sliced into rounds
2 pears, peeled, cored, and cut in thin slices
1/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped
1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
1 large flatbread, such as pita or naan

Directions:

Toast the flatbreads in a toaster oven until very crispy, for about 6-7 minutes. Cut into small squares.

In a large bowl toss baby arugula with prosciutto, dates, and balsamic vinaigrette. Arrange the arugula mixture on plates and top with pear slices, diving equally. Sprinkle with hazelnuts and Gorgonzola. Top with a few flatbread croutons per serving (or more if desired).

This post is part of the Foodbuzz Family Bites featuring my collection of family-friendly easy-to-make lunches, snacks/salads, and dinners.

Family Bites: Salmon Alfredo Turnovers

Savory turnovers are always very popular at our house as they are so easy to make with purchased puff pastry and always delicious. We make them with different fillings, such as chicken, seafood, mushroom and onion, or cheese.

The turnovers that I share today are filled with poached salmon, roasted red pepper, and black olives. These scrumptious savory pastries are great with creamy and flavorful Newman's Own Alfredo Sauce.

Ingredients: (8 turnovers)

0.8 pound salmon fillets
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup Newman's Own Alfredo Pasta Sauce
1/4 cup roasted red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup black olives, pitted, chopped
2 green onions, minced
1-2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg
Salt, pepper to taste
Additional Newman's Own Alfredo Sauce

Directions:

Place salmon in a pot and pour chicken stock and wine over it. Simmer gently, covered, for about 10-15 minutes. Peel off the skin and transfer salmon to a large bowl, breaking the fish up gently in chunks. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in the refrigerator to cool (can be made ahead).

Cut each puff pastry sheet into 4 squares. On the half of each square, place 3-4 tablespoons of salmon, about 1 teaspoon of Alfredo sauce, 1 teaspoon of red pepper, 1 teaspoon of black olives, and 1/2 teaspoon of green onions, and a pinch of parsley. Fold over to form a triangle and pinch edges of pastry together firmly to close. Place the pastries onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving enough space between them (you may need to bake four at a time, depending on a size of your baking sheet).



Whisk the egg with a little bit of water. Brush the top of each pastry. Prick the top in several places with a fork so that the steam can escape. Bake at 400°F for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with additional Alfredo sauce.

This post is part of the Foodbuzz Family Bites featuring my collection of family-friendly easy-to-make lunches, snacks/salads, and dinners.