Angel Food Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Admittedly I prefer cooking meals to baking any day! My desserts are never pretty. 😐 Regardless, I bit the bullet today and prepared to make something to take to a 4th of July BBQ tomorrow. I thought about cookies, but wasn’t in the mood for something so labor intensive, then came upon a long forgotten boxed angel food cake mix in my cupboard. The “best by” date had admittedly passed, but since the only added ingredient was water, I decided to give it a shot… #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Angel Food Cupcakes

1 Box Betty Crocker Angel Food Cake Mix
1+1/4 Cups Water

Add water to cake mix in metal or glass bowl and mix on low 30 seconds then medium for 1 minute. Divide batter between 24 paper lined cupcake pan holes and put pans into a preheated 375° F oven. Bake for 18 minutes, or until tops are browned and not sticky to the touch. Remove from oven when done baking and cool on wire racks until ready to frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting

12 Ounces Cream Cheese
12 TBLS (3/4 Cup) Room Temperature Butter
1+1/2 tsp Vanilla
4+1/2 Cups Confectioner’s (Powdered) Sugar

Put butter, vanilla, and cream cheese in the bowl of your stand mixer and beat on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar until all is incorporated then turn speed to medium and whip until frosting is light and fluffy.

Frost each of the cupcakes & enjoy! Keep in refrigerator.

Nutrition Information (24 Servings)

236 Calories: 70 Calories (Cupcake) 166 Calories (Frosting)
8.28 g Fat (All from the Frosting)
38 g Carbs: 16 g Carbs (Cupcake) 22 g Carbs (Frosting)
2 g Protein: 1.5 g Protein (Cupcake) .65 g Protein (Frosting)

Low Carb & Gluten Free Brownies

avocadobrownies Although I’m not a daily dessert eater, I do have a wicked love of anything chocolate. These #KetoFriendly brownies satisfy that love without ruining my diet goals. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Keto Avocado Brownies

2 Ripe Avocados
4 Large Eggs
6 TBLS Unsweetened Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Mix
2 tsp Baking soda
2/3 cup Cocoa powder, unsweetened
2/3 cup Xylitol (Sugar Substitute)
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
2 tsp Vanilla extract, pure
1/2 Cup Butter

Preheat oven to 350° and line a 8”-x-8” square pan with parchment paper. In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
Transfer batter to prepared baking pan and smooth top with a spatula.
Bake until brownies are soft but not at all wet to the touch, 40 – 45 minutes. Let cool 25 to 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Salted Lime Sweet Potato Chips

sweetpotatochips I’m a savory snack girl, but don’t want to completely derail my hard earned Keto gains by cheating with a bag of store bought potato chips. What’s a snacker to do? This snacker chooses to spend her carbs on a healthier version of sweet potato chips, without the store bought preservatives and additives. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Salted Lime Sweet Potato Chips

4 Medium Sweet Potatoes (or yams)
1 TBLS Corn Starch
Olive Oil Spray
4 Limes
Freshly Ground Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 425° and place oven safe cooling racks on 2 baking sheets.
Wash sweet potatoes and thinly slice with a very sharp kitchen knife or mandolin.
Place sweet potato slices in a bowl and cover them with warm water and corn starch. Soak for 15-20 minutes.
Remove the potatoes from the water and dry very well with a paper towel.
Lay a single layer of potatoes on each rack and spray each side of the potato slice with olive oil spray.
If you have a small spray bottle, fill it with your lime juice & spritz top side lightly with the lime juice. If you don’t have a spray bottle, drizzle the lime juice lightly over your potatoes.
Lightly salt the tops then bake for 15 – 25 minutes (depending on thickness of slices), flipping the potato slices half way through the baking process. Check the potato chips frequently, it may take less time if your chips are sliced extra thin, to make sure that they don’t burn! Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information (Serving Size 1 oz):

24 Calories
0 g Fat
4 g Carbs
<1 g Protein

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole

There’s nothing better than finding out one of your favorite guilty pleasures is #KetoFriendly! Thanks to Christina Cherrier at #EatWell101 one of my favorites, chicken jalapeño poppers, is now an easy to make casserole! Winna Winna Chicken Dinner! 😉 #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole

2 lbs (900g) boneless, skinless, chicken breast cooked and shredded (about 3-4 chicken breasts)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
8 oz (225g) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (125ml) heavy cream or milk
1/4 cup (60ml) chicken stock
1/2 pound (125g) jalapeño peppers (about 5-6 peppers)
4 oz (125g) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup crumbled crispy bacon

Preheat your oven to 375˚F (190ºC). Lay shredded cooked chicken in a 13 x 9″ casserole dish. Season with garlic powder, paprika, and pepper.

Whisk together heavy cream, cream cheese, and chicken stock. Spread the mixture evenly over shredded chicken.

Wash the jalapeño peppers and cut the tops off. Remove the seeds and stems if you want it milder, or leave some if you want more spicy. Cut the peppers into strips and lay them on top of the cream cheese. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and hot. Remove from oven 5 minutes before cooking is complete and sprinkle with bacon; then return for the remaining cooking time. Garnish the jalapeño popper chicken casserole with fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Notes:

Serve warm on a bed of cauliflower rice, with a side salad, sautéed spinach, or veggies like broccoli, or Brussels sprouts.
This recipe is naturally gluten free, low carb, and Keto friendly.

Keto Lemon Cheesecake Bars

withberries A light lemony cheesecake dessert on a buttery shortbread-like crust with a sweet-tart lemon layer covered by creamy cheesecake layer. You can enjoy this guilt free because #ItsKeto!

Keto Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Preheat oven to 350° F and lightly butter a 13 x 9 Pyrex baking pan.

Using a pastry blender, forks, or your blender/Vitamix, combine the ingredients for your crust until coarse crumbs form. TIP: I like to use my Vitamix 750 Pro on the 2 setting, after pulsing to start, so that, instead of coarse crumbs, a light, fluffy dough forms.

1+1/2 Cups Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour
1/2 Cup Swerve Confectioners Sugar Substitute
3/4 Cup Cold Unsalted Butter, Cut into Cubes

Press the crumbs into the bottom of the baking dish. Bake until golden brown, 18-21 minutes. Don’t under cook the crust! Remove from the oven and set aside.

Prepare the lemon layer by combining, in your blender:

4 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Granulated Xylitol or Erithritol (Sugar Substitutes)
1+1/2 TBLS Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour
2 TBLS Lemon Zest
1 Cup Lemon Juice

Pour lemon mixture onto the baked crust. Skim off any large bubbles from the surface of the lemon layer.

Prepare the cheesecake layer by combining, in your stand mixer or cleaned blender container:

2 – 8 oz Packages Cream Cheese
1 Cup Granulated Xylitol or Erithritol
2 Large Eggs

BEWARE: If you use Xylitol in this recipe, which I prefer because there’s no aftertaste or cool sensation, Xylitol IS NOT PET SAFE! So, no sharing with your furry babies.

When well combined, pour and spread over the lemon mixture. It’s ok if the lemon layer peeks through, the cheesecake layer rises to the top during baking. Bake until the filling is set about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool pan on a wire rack before putting into the refrigerator to chill. Cut into 24 Bars and top with a couple of fresh berries if desired. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Nutrition Information (24 Servings):

131 Calories (Savings of 125 Calories without real sugars & all purpose flour)
1 g Fat (Savings of 13 g Fat from traditional recipe)
4 g Carbs (Savings of 27 g Carbs from traditional recipe)
3 g Protein

Chicken Bacon Ranch Balls

Appetizers and small plates are the easiest way to stay on target when I’m trying to lose a few pounds or clean up my diet. These chicken, bacon, ranch meatballs are perfect with a small salad and a side of cauliflower mash for an easy weeknight dinner and a great way to snack without guilt at tailgate parties! Low carb, nut free, gluten free, grain free, and, best of all for me, #KetoFriendly!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Balls

1 Pound Ground Chicken
12 Slices Thick Cut Bacon
1/4 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 tsp Dried Dill
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Dried Parsley
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper

Preheat oven to 425° F and line baking sheet with foil and baking rack. Lay bacon strips on baking rack in even layer. Bake bacon in oven until crispy, about 15-20 minutes depending on thickness of bacon. Crumble bacon into small pieces. (Dispose of foil from baking sheet or use second baking sheet.) Decrease oven heat to 375 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
To a large mixing bowl, add ground chicken, crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar, egg, and spices. Using hands, mix together until thoroughly combined. Form mixture into equal-sized balls, about 1 1/2 tbsp of mixture per ball, place on prepared baking sheet, and lightly press down to slightly flatten. Bake until golden brown and cooked throughout, 25-30 minutes.
Remove poppers from oven, allow to cool slightly, and serve with low carb ranch dressing drizzled on balls or on the side. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Nutrition Information – Serving 1 Ball (Makes 16 Balls)

116 Calories
9 g Fat
0 g Carbs
9 g Protein

Dessert Wine Pairings

dessertwines

It’s no secret that I love food and wine, but even I have to admit that sometimes the wine you drink with dinner may not be the same wine that you want to keep drinking when it comes time for dessert. #GirlsGoneWine

Generally, it’s not a bad idea to follow the rule: the darker the dessert the darker the wine. If you don’t feel secure with a rule that is so non-specific, there are a few other taste guidelines according to the different dessert types:

Custard and Vanilla
Fruit and Spice
Caramels and Chocolate

Custard and Vanilla

When your dessert is based around the light, mild, buttery flavors found in most custard based desserts you want your wines to have the same basic flavor profiles. So, if you are serving a vanilla custard, pudding, flan, crème brûlée, tart or pie, you’ll want to serve a white wine like a late-harvest Riesling, or a sparkling wine like an Asti Spumanti or demi-sec Champagne. This Vanilla Crème Brûlée from The New York Times is #FastAndEasy and needs only 5 ingredients!

Vanilla Crème Brûlée

2 cups heavy or light cream, or half-and-half
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
5 egg yolks
½ cup sugar, more for topping

Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a saucepan, combine cream, vanilla bean and salt and cook over low heat just until hot. Let sit for a few minutes, then discard vanilla bean. (If using vanilla extract, add it now.)

In a bowl, beat yolks and sugar together until light. Stir about a quarter of the cream into this mixture, then pour sugar-egg mixture into cream and stir. Pour into four 6-ounce ramekins and place ramekins in a baking dish; fill dish with boiling water halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until centers are barely set. Cool completely. Refrigerate for several hours and up to a couple of days.

When ready to serve, top each custard with about a teaspoon of sugar in a thin layer. Place ramekins in a broiler 2 to 3 inches from heat source. Turn on broiler. Cook until sugar melts and browns or even blackens a bit, about 5 minutes. Serve within two hours.

Most crème brûlée recipes need a torch, but this one is simpler & safer: it uses your oven’s broiler to get the crackly top.

**TIP: Make sure the custard sets for several hours in the refrigerator before brûléeing the top so you don’t end up with soupy custard.

Fruit and Spice

When your dessert is fruit based with a spicy profile, like those with apple, pear, pumpkin or cinnamon in them, you’ll want to lean toward white wines that have more character to them. In this case you’ll want to consider Pink or Rosé Champagne, Sauternes, or late-harvest Gewirtztraminer.

Caramels and Chocolates

When your dessert is rich and full of any of the flavors across the chocolate spectrum turtlebrownies1 (except white chocolate) or has the gooey richness of caramel’s toffee goodness, then the wines you’re looking for will be Red. Late-harvest Pinot Noir, Banyuls, Grenache, Australian Shiraz, Port (the classic chocolate pairing), and Grappa all are excellent pairings for these rich dessert choices. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Highland Springs Ranch Lavender Cheesecake

lavenderbanner Every year, for about 5 weeks, at the Highland Springs Ranch in Cherry Valley, California, one of the best smelling, and best tasting, festivals takes place on the largest organic lavender farm in Southern California.

During the Annual Lavender Celebration, guests can tour 20 acres of the grounds in hay filled, horse drawn wagons sipping on lavender lemonade or licking creamy lavender ice cream cones. There’s an organic marketplace to buy lavender infused honey, balsamic vinegar, essential oils, fresh lavender bouquets, plants and even lavender-stuffed toys. There’s an oil distilling demonstration and plenty of fun activities for the kids, but, more than anything, it’s the food people come to sample.

Although The Ranch Restaurant closed in 2018, my favorite festival treat is still their Lavender Cheesecake with a crust made from homemade graham crackers. It’s #ToDieFor but it takes some time to prepare (much of which is chilling time), so don’t plan to make this as a last minute treat. Thanks to Betsy Andrews at Eating Well Magazine, I can make this treat at home anytime I want to!

Highland Springs Ranch Lavender Cheesecake

6 TBLS Unsalted Butter, softened
2 TBLS Light Brown Sugar
2 TBLS Granulated Sugar
2 TBLS Honey
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
1+1/4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1+1/2 TBLS Light Olive Oil or Canola Oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Combine butter, brown sugar and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add honey and ¼ teaspoon vanilla; mix until combined. Add flour and ¼ teaspoon salt; mix until combined. Form the dough into quarter-size chunks, about ½-inch thick, on the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and firm around the edges, about 20 minutes.
Transfer the crust pieces on the parchment to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes. Pulse in a food processor until finely ground
Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Mix the crust crumbs with oil in a medium bowl; press into the bottom and about 1½ inches up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake until set, about 8 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

For the filling:

3 – 8 ounce packages reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 TBLS Ground Lavender
1/8 tsp Salt
4 Large Eggs, room temperature
1 TBLS Lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

To prepare filling: Put a tea kettle of water on to boil for the water bath. Combine cream cheese, sugar, lavender and salt in the stand mixer bowl. Beat with the paddle attachment until smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing and scraping the bowl after each addition. Add lemon juice and vanilla; mix until combined.
Tightly wrap the outside of the pan, bottom and sides, with heavy-duty foil. Pour the filling into the crust. Place the springform pan in a roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come 1 inch up the side of the springform pan to create a hot water bath. Carefully transfer the roasting pan to the center of the oven. Bake until the cheesecake is set around the edges but the center still jiggles slightly, 1 to 1¼ hours.
Let the cheesecake cool in the water bath on a wire rack until the water is room temperature, about 1 hour. Remove the pan from the water and remove the foil. Refrigerate, uncovered, until very cold, at least 4 hours.

This cheesecake can be made ahead and kept very cold for 3 days. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Treat Week: Easy Peanut Butter Truffles

My haste to catch up on my #TreatWeek blog posts has me doing #TwoADays, so here’s today’s bonus post: an easy to create peanut butter truffle that lets you bake a quick batch of cookies while the truffle filling is chilling in the refrigerator waiting to be coated.

peanutbuttertruffle

A couple of notes: even a few drops of water can ruin your coating chocolate. If you are accustomed to using a double boiler to melt your chocolate, there are easier methods to avoid the chance of having water seize up your chocolate. While I love, and have gotten more than 20 years’ use out of my Calphalon Professional Anodized Aluminum pots and pans, I have begun slowly replacing them with Le Creuset Cast Iron skillets and Dutch ovens. When doing things like making candy and melting chocolate, as long as I pay attention, I no longer have to use a double boiler because the heat conduction is so much better!

Easy Peanut Butter Truffles

1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Butter
2 Cups Sugar
1 5 oz Can Evaporated Milk
2 Cups Mini Marshmallows
3/4 Cup Creamy Natural (NOT with the oil on top) Peanut Butter
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 – 12 oz Bag Dark or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips ( I prefer Ghirardelli)
2 tsp Crisco Solid Shortening

Butter the inside side of a heavy saucepan. Add sugar, evaporated milk, and the rest of the stick of butter. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture is boiling. Reduce heat to medium; continue at a moderate boil for 12 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat. Stir in marshmallows, peanut butter, and vanilla. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Chill for 30 to 45 minutes.

Scoop into 1-inch balls and place onto wax paper lined baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes. In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate and shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted.

Dip balls, one at a time, into melted chocolate. Set wire rack over the lined baking sheet. Place chocolate covered balls on rack to let chocolate setup. If you want to add crushed peanuts to outer coating, make sure to drop them into the coating while it’s still wet so they stick. You can also use #CandyMelts to add decorative swirls either before or after the coating sets. #ThisGirlLovesToEat

Treat Week: Truffle Tuesday

redwinetruffles

Due to the death of a close friend, this week’s postings got delayed, so, as you can see, Truffle Tuesday turned into Truffle Sunday…

Day 2 of #TreatWeek is one of my favorites: #TruffleTuesday. Or, as my family (& hairdresser) calls it, the day I start making make #BoozeBalls!

The first, and quickest to prepare are my soft centered Red Wine Truffles. These truffles are only as good as the wine you use to make them, so I always use the last glass of whatever great blend I have open. This year that meant that the truffles were made with #2013MountVeederReserve. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. This blend worked beautifully with the dark chocolate and made for a decadent treat! A few important words of advice about these truffles:

Make sure you chill your truffle filling for AT LEAST 3 hours so it’s easy to scoop.
Freeze your scooped portions for at least 30 minutes & try to make them as close to balls as possible. These can’t really be rolled. Mine never look #CandyShopPretty, but they taste good. 😉
If your truffle filling is not holding it’s shape; i.e. it’s too thin, don’t worry, HERE IS THE FIX: Return your truffle filling to your pan. Warm it over low heat so that it is easy to stir but not completely liquified. Turn off burner and stir in unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 TBLS at a time, until your filling reaches desired consistency. You don’t want it too thick, remember it will thicken when it chills in the refrigerator.
Melt your coating chocolate while your scoops are in the freezer so your coating has time to cool a bit.
If you intend to use the candy melts to decorate the outer/hard layer get it prepared in advance.
If you are sprinkling any type of decoration that will stick to the outer coating do it as soon as you coat the individual truffle. The coating hardens very quickly on the cold truffles.
Because of their soft centers, these truffles must be kept refrigerated for best presentation and taste.

Red Wine Truffles

2 – 12 oz bag dark chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli)
3/4 Cup heavy cream
5 TBLS Good Red Wine – Anything with Malbec, Cab Franc, or that’s BIG and BOLD
2 tsp solid Crisco shortening

Heat heavy cream in a saucepan to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from stove and add 1 bag of the chocolate chips and red wine. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir until everything is fully incorporated and smooth. Remove to a smaller bowl, cover and chill for at least 3 hours.

Once the truffle filling has chilled, using a cookie scoop or small spoon, scoop out chocolate and form into truffle balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes

While truffles are in the freezer, in a medium saucepan, combine chocolate and shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted.

Take 6 truffles out of the freezer at a time and pinch them slightly to make sure they form a “truffle like dome” for the top side. If, when you start working with the chilled truffles, they aren’t holding their shape, or seem to be getting runny really fast, STOP! and see the note in RED above. If all is well, continue to the next step.

Working quickly, coat bottom of truffles first and place on a plate lined with waxed paper, then, using a spoon, coat the top of each truffle and decorate with red & gold sprinkles if desired.

They dry/harden on top quickly. Move on to the next 6 and then move the plate to the refrigerator until it’s time to serve. #ThisGirlLovesToEat