If you have never visited Carla’s food blog you need to make a click on over there to see all her wonderful offerings. In addition to all the wonderful videos, she features a dream home kitchen that many a foodie would envy, me included. Carla also highlights “Daily Menus” including holidays, and some are 1400 calories or less, being quite a healthy choice.
About Carla
Carla of ”Ideal Cooking In Carla’s Kitchen”
Carla Meine is currently the creator of the blog Ideal Cooking in Carla’s Kitchen (ICCK) which is a video site about creating tasty recipes for those that are trying to eat healthier. She has over 30 years of experience in managing/owning companies including Godfather’s Pizza, Mrs. Fields, and Sea Galley Restaurants. In her free time she plays tennis, creates new recipes for her blog, and enjoys spending time with her seven children and nine grandchildren.
Join me in welcoming Carla to the CCR blog! She has a great recipe for some light and fluffy strawberry mousse cupcakes that I know you will all enjoy!
The Recipe
Strawberry Mousse Cupcakes
Hello Cajun Chef Ryan readers, it’s really awesome to be a guest blogger for someone I read so frequently. And while I never get nervous experimenting in the kitchen for one of my blog’s, you’ll have to forgive me if this post isn’t up to par, as guest blogging isn’t something I’m used to doing. If you’re not familiar with ICCK (that’s okay I’ll forgive you this time) it’s my blog. I’m always creating new recipes and talking about what I like and didn’t like about the experiments; what pans out and what doesn’t. Today, I went out on a limb with a pretty different dessert and just a basic recipe to upgrade. Though, if the empty cupcake pan at the end of the day was any indication, these Strawberry Mousse Cupcakes were a big hit with my family. The grand kids especially loved them and had no clue that they were sugarless.
There’s a recipe I made for a sugarless angel food cake and it has gotten a thumbs up when I used it in a fruit truffle. I thought now would be a great time to take the recipe and see if I could turn it into a fruit flavored cupcake since I had some Sugar-free strawberry Mousse Mix in the cupboard, I thought it would be a perfect time for it. Strawberry flavored cupcakes with strawberry mousse piped on top and I really liked the results
Angel Food Cake scares a lot of people, so I made a video to show you just how easy it really is. I used a product called Sans Sucre Sugarless Strawberry Mousse Mix for frosting. (If you can’t find that in your grocery store then get the Jell-O Sugarless White Chocolate Pudding and mix it up for the pie directions—using less milk—so it’s really thick) Add some additional strawberry puree to that and blend. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using it to frost your cupcakes.
Strawberry Mousse Cupcakes
Ingredients
1½
Cups
Skim milk
2
Pkgs
Sans Sucre Sugarless Strawberry Mousse Mix
7
Medium
Strawberries, divided (Save 3 of them to garnish the cupcakes)
2
Tbsp
Sugar Free Strawberry Jam
1
Cup
Egg whites (6-7 large eggs)
¾
Tsp
Cream of Tarter
¼
Tsp
Salt
1
Tsp
Vanilla
¾
Cup
Somersweet Baking Blend (you can use sugar or sugar substitute), divided
¾
Cup
Sifted Cake Flour
Procedure Steps
1.
Take skim milk and pour into a bowl. Add Strawberry Mousse Mix. With electric mixer blend on low for about a minute then increase speed to high for 5 minutes. Cover and refrigerate.
2.
Prepare muffin tin with 12 liners. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3.
Puree 4 strawberries with strawberry jam in a blender until smooth. Set aside.
4.
Pour egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer along with cream of tarter, salt and vanilla. Beat until stiff enough to form soft peaks but still moist and glossy. Add 6 Tbsp of sugar or sugar substitute, 2 Tbsp at a time, continuing to beat till egg whites hold stiff peaks (see video below).
5.
While eggs are beating, sift cake flour with remaining 6 Tbsp of sugar or sugar substitute 2 times. When eggs have reached a stiff peak sift a third of the flour mixture into the egg whites and gently fold into them. Repeat 2 more times until you have folded in all the flour mixture. Then gently add the strawberry puree to the mixture and fold it in leaving a swirling affect. Scoop batter into muffin tins leaving a cap on each of them. Even though they rise in the oven they will fall a little upon cooling and this way they will still have a cap on them. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the tops are brown. Let cool completely.
6.
Take mousse from refrigerator (prepared in step 1) and place in a pastry bag with star tip (or your favorite frosting tip) and pipe mousse on the top of each cupcake. Slice the remaining three strawberries into 4 pieces each and place one on the top of each cupcake. Place back into refrigerator until ready to serve.
This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.
Each one has 90 calories, 2 fat grams, 13 carbs and 4 grams of protein.
The Video
And here is her specially produced video just for this blog post!
Happy viewing!
Thank you so much Carla for sharing with us this wonderful light and healthy dessert treat!
Bakery is always one of those segments in the kitchen repertoire that always gives me that warm fuzzy feeling inside.
Wafts of savory, yeasty, floury, cheesy, and herbed breads fill my heart and soul with the warmth of life …everlasting!
If bread is the staff of life, I was sold the first day I set eyes on my great grandmother Christofell’s yeast risen rolls sitting under the sill of the kitchen window in her massive kitchen. I was only four or five then, but I still remember the kitchen scene to this day …planted in my minds eye for eternal bliss.
She with her apron on, juggling bowls, pans, whisks, mixers, spoons, a tap here, and a rattle there, meanwhile, the yeast bread resting in a quiet watch over the festivities.
Those yeasty rolls were as tall as skyscrapers lined up on Park Avenue in NYC, and the aroma even before they were baked was like a heaven sent gift from God, these rolls were alive! And all I knew was that I wanted one…now…raw, it didn’t matter!
The Recipe
Vermont Cheddar Rosemary Bread Sticks
Today I am sharing another bread recipe; this one is a twisted stick of cheese and fresh herbed goodness!
These bread sticks are great with soups or salads, and this particular batch were served along with my Acorn Squash Soup, a fantastic accompaniment.
The shredded Vermont cheddar cheese, though it starts out white in color while fresh, when baked in these bread sticks take on an orangey yellowy hue, as you can see in the images displayed.
The fresh from the garden rosemary, always exploding with earthly herbal delight, adds a wonderful touch to these cheese bread sticks. Going out into the yard with my kitchen shears in hand, snipping off several branches of the fine herb, and coming back into the kitchen with essence of rosemary coated hands, it’s like aromatherapy in my own back yard. Sniff the hands, breath in the natural goodness…oh my!
Ingredients
1½
Cups
All-purpose flour, unbleached
½
Cup
Cornmeal
1
Tbsp
Baking powder
½
Tsp
Sea salt
¼
Lb.
Butter, unsalted (1 stick), cold, diced
4
Oz.
Vermont Cheddar cheese, shredded
1½
Tbsp
Rosemary, fresh, chopped
½
Cup
Skim milk, non-fat
1
Tbsp
Honey
Procedure Steps: Preheat oven to 425°F.
1.
Stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt
2.
Place the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, then add the cold cut butter, and process until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal. Turn out the mixture into a large bowl, and then stir in the cheese and rosemary. (NOTE: If you do not have a food processor cut the butter into the dry mixture using two knives in a crosscut fashion.
3.
Combine the milk and honey in a separate bowl, make a well in the dry ingredients, and then pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture, stirring with a large spoon until a soft dough forms. Work quickly and do not over mix.
4.
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about ten strokes.
5.
Using a rolling pin roll out the dough in a rectangle until it is about 1/2-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut out sticks of dough 1/2-inch wide. Twist them into a spiral and space them about 1/2-inch apart on two un-greasedbaking sheet pans. Gather up the scraps, gently form into another rectangle, and cut, and then place on the sheet pans.
6.
Bake the bread sticks in the preheated 425°F oven for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Makes about 20 bread sticks.
TIP: The bread sticks can be prepared, and placed on the sheet pan and covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 4 hours before baking time. When ready to serve, have the pre-heated oven ready and place the sheet pans in the oven about 25 minutes before you are ready serve the soup.
Acorn Squash Soup with Vermont Cheddar Rosemary Bread Sticks
Roasted acorn squash, carrots, onions, leeks, Granny Smith apples, and holiday spices blended with cream and served with Vermont Cheddar Rosemary Bread Sticks. I will submit the bread sticks recipe in a subsequent post.
Stay warm! Enjoy!
Ingredients
3
Each
Acorn squash, halved, seeds removed
1
Tbsp
Olive oil
3
Each
Carrots, chopped
1
Each
Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1
Med.
Onion, chopped
1
Med.
Leek, cleaned and chopped
½
Tsp.
Ginger, ground
¼
Tsp
Allspice, ground
4
Cups
Chicken or vegetable stock
1
Cup
Heavy Cream
To taste
Salt and white pepper
1
Tbsp
Parsley, chopped
Procedure Steps: Preheat oven 350° F.
1.
On a baking sheet, place the acorn squash, cut side down, and then add a little water and cover with foil, then roast until soft, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool, and then scoop out the squash flesh and set aside.
2.
In a soup pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the carrot, apple, onion, and leek in the olive oil until soft, stirring occasionally, then season with ginger and allspice, and then add the squash and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil while stirring well, and then reduce heat to a simmer over low heat for 20 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3.
Remove the pot from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender. Alternatively, in batches, puree in a blender or food processor until smooth and return to the pot.
4.
Stir in the heavy cream and simmer for another 5 minutes then and keep warm.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings.
To Serve: Remove the soup pot from the heat and ladle the soup into bowls, then garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with the warm bread sticks.
Acorn Squash Soup with Vermont Cheddar Rosemary Bread Sticks
I first met Claudia through Foodbuzz a little over a year or so ago, and she has been a constant inspiration for all things family and Italian. Her blog features the traditions and culture behind her rich Italian heritage and we are fortunate to have Claudia sharing her legacy at What’s Cookin’ Italian Style Cuisine.
It is my pleasure to feature Claudia as she shares with us a part of her extensive Italian family cooking tradition on the CCR blog! Claudia is featuring her Grandma Victoria’s Baked Chicken Mushroom Pomodoro with Penne; this is a surefire Italian family recipe.
Please join me in welcoming Claudia! This is her valued and cherished recipe handed down from her Grandma Victoria!
Claudia of “What’s Cookin’ Italian Style Cuisine”
About Claudia
So let me introduce myself. I’m Claudia aka Pegasuslegend from What’s Cookin’ Italian Style Cuisine. I started my blog a little over a year ago with the passion behind this to someday leave to my two grown son’s and their families. Our traditional values and recipes are near and dear to my heart. I chose this one that was my grandmother Victoria’s, she use to make often. It’s easy to put together. Grandma Victoria passed on 33 years ago at 94; today we still love her affordable delicious meals and have adapted it just a tad. Years ago, they had fresh chickens; I can still remember grandpa chasing them around the cellar. She would pluck the feathers, burn off the remaining ones, then clean it and cut it up for dinner. So, they didn’t use boneless chicken breasts as I use now. This recipe had bone in. The flavors are close to hers and sure to please.
I was honored when Cajun Chef Ryan asked me to guest post! He has so many wonderful creations, delicious recipes but most of all one of the kindness supporters in blogging! Everyone that reads his blog and follows him will see the genuine traditional foods values he has. Mardi Gras is huge and he has fabulous recipes in tribute of that festive occasion! Love the culture behind his blog. A great read, wealth of information and you will have an unbelievable culinary experience.
Here’s my guest post and thank you for reading and hosting my guest post Cajun Chef Ryan!
Boneless chicken breasts, sliced thin into round pieces
2
Medium
Green bell peppers
1
Pint
Fresh Plum, cherry, or grape tomatoes, or one 15 oz canned tomatoes
1
Pound
Mushrooms, sliced
½
Cup
Italian seasoned bread crumbs
½
Tsp ea.
Dried Oregano, thyme, parsley, garlic powder
½
Cup
White wine
3
Tbsp
Olive oil
½
Pound
Penne pasta
1
Gallon
Boiling salted water
½
Cup
Romano cheese, grated
1
Tbsp
Parsley, fresh chopped
To taste
Salt and pepper
Procedure Steps
1.
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a 2 inch deep baking dish, melt 2 tablespoons butter in the oven in the dish, place sliced chicken in melted butter. Add mushrooms, tomatoes, and sliced peppers on top. Sprinkle herbs over the top. Add white wine. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Lightly and evenly drizzle the olive oil over the top, around three tablespoons. Bake on 350 for around 40 minutes.
Chicken Mushroom Pomodoro ready for the oven
2.
In the meantime, boil 1/2 pound penne pasta in salted water.
3.
When pasta is cooked to your preference, drain then add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of Romano cheese and a tablespoon of parsley, salt pepper to taste. Mix well.
4.
Place the pasta on a dish, top with baked chicken and vegetables.
Thank you so much Claudia for sharing with us this wonderful family Italian dish, I know the tradition will continue on at “What’s Cookin’ Italian Style Cuisine"!
