baking | The Angel Forever

Category Archives baking

Make and Take Apple Ale Cake

Posted on July 8, 2015 12:27 pm by TheAngelForever

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HouseofBBQ #CollectiveBias This content is intended for readers who are 21 and over.

The summer is here and that means we often get together with family and friends for a BBQ. While everyone is home from school, the focus is away from our usual structure. We take it day by day and you never know when we may make plans to head off to the lake to enjoy the sun and fun.

Typically, I am asked to bring dessert. I love to make sweet treats to share with everyone. While we always bring a watermelon, cherries, and other juicy summer goodies, cake is a nice touch to make it extra special. The kids love cookies, there is something beautiful about cutting into a freshly made cake to share with those you love. In the warm summer months, heat and humidity mean heavy cakes are not the best choice. Recently, I decided to make a twist on a recipe that we enjoy. I wanted to see how apple ale would lighten up or change a beloved autumn favorite for the summer. Not everyone enjoys other fruits in cake, so apple is a nice safe item that most people will enjoy.

I went to our local Price Chopper Supermarket to look at my adult beverage options for this baking project. The in-store solutions center was full of great House of BBQ products.

From this area, I decided to get the Redd’s Green Apple Ale to use in the cake and extras for adults to enjoy. In addition to this, I picked up some of the Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy and for those that would prefer something without alcohol, a Gold Peak Tea. Then I picked up some granny smith apples to pair up with the Green Apple Ale in the cake.

Ingredients you will need:

4 granny smith apples sliced thin
2 cups of sugar, plus 5 tablespoons extra for on the apples
3-5 teaspoons of cinnamon
3 cups of flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
3/4 cup of Redd’s Green Apple Ale
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 eggs

Preheat your oven to 350. Be sure to grease and flour your bundt pan. Valuable lesson from me, really, really, really do this because apparently my nonstick spray was not working properly. Lesson learned and IF your cake sticks don’t panic. You can cut it out and make it into a delicious crumble with whipped cream to make it pretty.

Peel and slice the granny smith apples into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle them with the cinnamon and five tablespoons of sugar. Set this aside while making the dough. Later on you will need to drain any liquid that settles out of the mixture.

Pour all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and pour the remaining wet ingredients into the center. Mix with a large spoon (no need for a mixer) until everything is mixed. The dough will be quite thick.

Spoon approximately a third of the batter into the bottom of the bundt pan. Drain the apples and put a ring of the apples on top of this batter. Then, put another third of the batter on top of the apples. Use more of the apples in a second layer of fruit and top this with the remaining batter.

Please note: If your granny smith apples are huge likes the ones we had, you will not use all of the apples in the cake. We tossed them into baking dish with some rolled oats and pats of butter on top to make a quick apple crisp for the kids.

Bake the cake for about an hour. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the bundt pan. Cool completely before taking cake out.

So how did the Redd’s Green Apple Ale change our apple cake? It made it lighter and a lot more moist. The inside has a different consistency that is much more summery. It smelled amazing before and after baking. Oh and it was delicious to say the least. Certainly a new favorite that we will be making and taking when invited places.

Do you cook or bake with adult beverages? I would love to know how you use them. For more ideas for your grilling needs head to the Price Chopper Pinterest House of BBQ board.

Additional Disclosure: Thanks to the great experience purchasing Redd’s and Leinenkugel at Price Chopper, and the great drinks & fun times shared with friends, I always make sure to get a Redd’s or Leinenkugel at Park View Pub, River Street Pub, and Swifty’s Restaurant & Pub in the Capital Region.

Categories:
baking sponsored post summer

Kid Friendly Hanukkah Holiday Recipes

Posted on December 1, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone

The holiday season usually means that the boys want to share something Hanukkah related with their friends at parties. While I often go into school to read a story and/or play dreidel with the kids, I wanted something new and different this year. The kids and I saw some holiday recipes and baking ideas that we hoped to personalize for The Festival of Lights. To get ready for Hanukkah, the boys and I went to Price Chopper together. We were on a mission to get baking supplies for kid friendly #HolidayAdvantEdge recipes. Thanks to #CollectiveBias we were looking for ingredients to make Marshmallow Dreidels and Hanukkah Cookie Pops.

When we arrived at Price Chopper, we went right to the baking aisle. The boys immediately found the Betty Crocker cookie mix that would be perfect for our project. We also grabbed some marshmallows, icing, powdered sugar, and gel for decorating. That’s where we saw a sign that let us know to head over to the front of the store where there was a Favorites for Baking section with additional items for the holidays. In this area, we found the Crisco Shortening Sticks (alternative to butter), holiday Hugs and Kisses from Hershey, along with winter sprinkles. The only items we had to go back for were pretzel sticks and Hanukkah gelt.

No Bake Marshmallow Dreidels

For years, we have seen photos of people that made Marshmallow Dreidels, but we have never made them. We had planned on making our own glaze, but it did not want to work. Thanks to our oven dying the night before Thanksgiving, I was lucky when Nana and Papa had frosting that we were able to use. This ended up being a great substitution because I can see making these as a snack with kids in a classroom.

Ingredients:

Large Marshmallows
Hershey Hugs or Kisses
Frosting (food coloring optional)
Pretzel Sticks
Sprinkles or Colored Sugar Crystals

We set up bowls with all of the ingredients so the kids could just grab what they needed. Knives to spread the frosting was the only additional item that was needed. First, we took a marshmallow and put a pretzel stick about 2/3 of the way into it. Once this was secure, it was time to frost the outside of the marshmallow. We selected blue, but any color would work, including regular chocolate or vanilla frosting. Once a thin layer was all the way around the marshmallow, a slightly larger amount was placed onto the bottom. This acted as the glue that held the Hug or Kiss into place. The last step was to put some sprinkles or colored sugar on the outside to make it more colorful.

Hanukkah Cookie Pops

Cake pops are still really popular, but they are more time consuming and not as kid friendly. We decided to make cookie pops for Hanukkah that the kids would decorate for themselves. If I was taking these to a party, I would make the cookie pops ahead of time and pack them to bring with supplies for the kids to finish making at the event.

Ingredients:

Betty Crocker Cookie Mix
Cookie Icing
Egg
Water
Crisco Shortening Sticks (Butter Flavored)
Crafting sticks (soaked in water for 20-30 minutes)
Sprinkles, Hanukkah gelt, and other decorations
Parchment Paper

We followed instructions on the package of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix. Since we were using Crisco instead of butter, we read how to substitute that on the side of the Crisco box. For the half cup of butter, we used half of a Crisco stick and a tablespoon of water. This was mixed with the egg really easily to form the dough. JSL then helped me to make tablespoon sized balls of dough while our crafting sticks soaked in water.

When it was time to put the sticks into the dough balls, it helps to flatten them ahead of time with a water glass. Then you place the wooden pop stick at least half way into the raw cookie dough. It is crucial to keep these spread out on your cookie sheet with parchment paper.

The cookie pops baked at 375 for 8-10 minutes. They should just get a little brown on the edges and need to set. Once the cookies were baked and had cooled, it was time for the kids to decorate. They used the cookie icing and then put sprinkles, gel, and Hanukkah gelt on them to make them festive.

What are some of your favorite holiday recipes to make with your kids? Be sure to let me know and leave links to your posts to share in the comments below.

Disclosure: I am a member of Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client. I am a frequent Price Chopper customer and have written about them on my blog in the past.

Categories:
baking food glorious food holidays sponsored post

Sweet Summer Treats and Savings

Posted on June 16, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser.

Summer is here and families all around will be hosting barbecues, picnics, and grilling for their guests. Most years, my extended family has a large gathering at the lake. Since they take care of all of the kosher meats for grilling, we often bring sweet treats to share. The best part of baking is that my kids can get involved and help. When we head to our local Price Chopper, I make sure to check the ads and coupons that they offer for additional savings. This time of year, Price Chopper is filled with the House of BBQ items. You can get recipe suggestions to help with your party planning. While walking around the seasonal section, produce, and dessert aisle with Betty Crocker Brownies, I came up with two fun ideas for parties at home or on the go.

Nothing says summer fun like a soft serve ice cream cone. Of course, ice cream melts and is not always practical when at a celebration. We decided to try a new twist on an old favorite. Kids of all ages love cupcake cones. Rather than fill the cones with cake, my youngest begged to try the Betty Crocker Supreme Triple Chunk mix. We grabbed that and a few others items for our recipe.

Faux Soft Serve Brownie Ice Cream Cones

I followed the directions on the brownie mix which called for an egg, vegetable oil, and water that were not pictured. While my oven preheated to 350, I placed the 12 ice cream cones into a cupcake tray. Then, I filled each of the cones with approximately 2 tablespoons of batter. This fills the cones to the main line inside. These baked for 20-25 minutes until they were clean to a toothpick (if you use the triple chunk just remember there are lots of gooey chip spots). There will be extra brownie batter left. You can make additional cones or use it for the other dessert that I made below.

Once the cones were cooled, it was time to transform them into soft serve ice cream cones. The new Betty Crocker Whipped Butter Cream Frosting was an amazing shopping find. When this frosting is piped onto the top of the brownie cone, it looked just like soft serve vanilla ice cream. Top with sprinkles that match the occasion, and you are all set.

Dessert Kabob with Brownie Dip

Summer time means indulging in a bounty of fresh fruit produce. I still have memories of going to Price Chopper one summer and picking five pounds of cherries with my cousin who was in from California. We then sat outside devouring them while seeing how far we could spit the pits. These days, I still smile when picking up cherries, so I had to get them to garnish my summer plates. Fruit kabobs are a refreshing treat and kids just love anything on a stick. I grabbed strawberries and green grapes. I also bought some kosher marshmallows and Price Chopper lite whipped topping.

With the remaining brownie batter from the Faux Soft Serve Brownie Ice Cream Cones, I made a dozen mini brownies. I spooned one tablespoon into each of the mini-muffin trays. These bakes for about 17 minutes at 350. Once my whipped topping was thawed, it was time to make the Brownie Dip. The small container of Price Chopper whipped topping has about three cups in it. I then mixed in one cup of the Better Crocker Supreme Peanut Butter mix. The peanut butter chips add a fun surprise to the dip. You could also add in mini chocolate chips or sprinkles.

Once this was ready, it was time to construct the Dessert Kabobs. I bought the smaller House of BBQ skewers. Each completed kabob had a marshmallow, two green grapes, a strawberry, and a mini brownie. When everything was ready, I plated them with some of the Brownie Dip and cherries. To make it a bit more festive, I put some sprinkles on top of the dip. The dip is really versatile and would be great with animal crackers or any other fruit that looks great when shopping.

Be sure to check out recipes and ideas from the other bloggers participating in the #PriceChopperBBQ campaign. Lots of recipes for grilling and more for those getting ready for the 4th of July and beyond. You can also head over to the House of BBQ Pinterest Page and follow Price Chopper on Twitter where they share many additional items. If you are on Facebook, be sure to look at their page where additional coupons and money saving offers are often posted.

What is your favorite dessert to make during the summer? I would love to hear your ideas and whether or not you get the kids involved in the process.

Categories:
baking shopping sponsored post summer

Holiday Baking Ideas to Go with Price Chopper #HolidayAdvantEdge

Posted on December 15, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

While many people host parties during the holiday season, we do not usually have any at our house. Many times I am asked to bake something to bring to another location. This busy time of year often means that I am in a rush and need to make something fun, festive, and delicious in a short amount of time. This time around, I wanted to make some fun wintry snowmen themed items. My plan was to bake something for everyone to have and create a snack activity for the kids to do when we arrived. I went to our local Price Chopper and after I scanned my AdvantEdge card, I made my way to the holiday decorations aisle. There was a wide variety of items, but I immediately focused on an adorable snowman tray that I knew would be perfect for transporting some goodies.

From here, I made my way over to the baking aisle. I immediately was impressed with the huge selection of Betty Crocker items to select from. We enjoy baking with these products because they are quick, easy, you can personalize them, and they are kosher. After looking around for quite a while, I decided to make cupcakes and cookies. The Super Moist White Cake mix reminded me of a white snowman made fresh after a storm. Then the Hershey’s Cookies’n’Crème premium frosting reminded me of snow that gets a little dirty after people walk on it. I knew I wanted to top these cupcakes with a snowman and found some fun Peeps in the holiday area to finish these off.

Next, I knew I wanted a snack for kids to be able to get their hands dirty and keep busy. I could bake the cookies, put them on that cute snowman tray and bring items for them to make faces on top. I selected Snickerdoodle cookie mix first. Then I found the Betty Crocker cookie icing to make it look like a frosty friend. After that, I picked up a few more odds and ends like coconut, candy corn, and decorating gel for the faces.

I made the cupcakes ahead of time. Once they were cool, I put them into my cupcake currier for easy transport to our final destination. I piped the Cookies’n’Crème frosting on top and let my son help me sprinkle the cookie crumble on top. Then I learned a lesson, the Peeps would need to be placed on top at the final destination for the second dozen in the bottom tray. Peeps are too big and thick for my giant case.

The Snickerdoodles were baked just before we had to take them to decorate. Once they were cooled, I placed them on the snowman tray that I purchased and set up the decorating items. Candy corn for the nose, gel for the mouth, chocolate chips for eyes, and coconut to make it look more snow like on top of the white icing.

Here are some of the snowmen that everyone made from the first round of fun.

What is your favorite dessert to make and take to a holiday party? I would love to hear your ideas and whether or not you get the kids involved in the process.

Follow Price Chopper Supermarkets Holiday Recipes & Inspirations on Pinterest

For more information on Price Chopper and to find the store nearest you, visit them online at pricechopper.com, On Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Categories:
baking holidays shopping sponsored post

Transporting Never Land Pirates Cupcakes

Posted on May 20, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Making cupcakes is easy to do and I adore decorating them. My problem over the years has always been in doing all of the preparations at home and then transporting the finished cupcakes in one piece to the destination of choice. In the past, I would I often bake the cupcakes at home and then take them to finish off the frosting and such in the location they were going to be displayed in.

This all ended last year when I finally took the advice of a friend and bought a cupcake courier that would transport 36 fully decorated sweet treats on the go. The first time I used it was to transport my son’s Kermit the Frog cupcakes to his family birthday party at the lake.

JSL’s birthday was last week and he wanted me to make pirate cupcakes to bring to his kindergarten classmates. We picked out some Jake and the Never Land Pirate rings to put on top for each of the kids. To make sure I had enough for all of the children, teachers, and other staff members that we may see, 36 would need to make the trek to school. I made the cupcakes the day before and allowed them to cool. I stored them right in the cupcake courier and moved the trays around as I was ready to decorate each dozen. It made for an easy system where I could pipe frosting, add sprinkles, and place a Jake and the Never Land Pirates ring on top.

A short time later, I was able to grab the entire container and place them into the car. I made it to school with minimal cupcake damage (some frosting that was piped slid off a few). The best part was seeing JSL’s face and watching him gobble up the treat with his friends.

I now know that the courier purchase last year was one of the best investments ever. I do not have to worry about making cupcakes and taking them places. I can bake, make them, and go.