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Nesting Baby-Bluebird Cupcakes
Written By: admin on Thursday, April 5th, 2012
When preparing the chocolate buttercream frosting, reserve 1 1/2 cups buttercream and 1 teaspoon melted chocolate.
• Makes 1 dozen
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut (about 5 ounces)
• Vanilla Cupcakes (see Recipe Below)
• Chocolate Buttercream (See Recipe Below)
• Yellow and light-blue food coloring
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating pan once. Set aside to cool.
2. Lightly frost cupcakes with 1 cup chocolate buttercream; set aside. Tint 2 tablespoons reserved buttercream pale yellow; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #349 Ateco leaf tip; set aside. Tint remaining buttercream light blue; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #11 Ateco plain round tip, and pipe three bluebird heads, 3/4 inch in diameter, onto each cupcake. Using leaf tip, pipe yellow beaks. With a toothpick, add melted-chocolate eyes. Form each nest with 2 tablespoons toasted coconut.
Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup milk
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time; scrape down bowl, and beat in vanilla.
3. Add flour mixture and milk alternatively, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
4. Divide batter evenly among liners, about three-quarters full each. Bake until golden and tops spring back to touch, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer pans to wire rack; cool completely.
Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 cup (2 sticks) plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Directions
1. Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Place over a pot of simmering water; whisk until hot and sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer stand, and beat on high speed until cooled, 7 to 10 minutes.
2. Replace whisk with paddle attachment, and set mixer on medium-high speed; add butter, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, until incorporated. Beat in chocolate. If not using immediately, refrigerate buttercream in an airtight container for up to a week. Bring to room temperature, and rebeat or stir vigorously before using.
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Braised French Onion Chicken with Gruyère
Written By: admin on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
INGREDIENTS
| 3 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
| 2 | pounds onions, sliced into thin half-moons |
| Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 4 | garlic cloves, sliced |
| 2 | small sprigs thyme, leaves only |
| 4-inch sprig rosemary | |
| 2 | cups chicken broth, divided |
| 1 | tablespoon balsamic vinegar |
| 2 | tablespoons Dijon mustard |
| 3 | pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs |
| 2 | ounces Gruyère cheese, finely grated or shaved (about 1 cup) |
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Melt the butter in a deep 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted completely and foams up, add the onions. They will fill the pan to the top, at this point. Stir as you add the onions to coat them in the butter. Sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper. Cook the onions for about 40 minutes over low or medium heat, stirring occasionally.
2. When the onions have developed an evenly light beige color throughout, add the garlic, thyme leaves, and whole rosemary sprig, and cook for a few minutes more, stirring frequently. Turn the heat up to high and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently. You want dark, slightly burnt spots to appear on the onions, and for them to develop a rich mahogany color. When the onions get quite dark, add 1 cup of the beef or chicken broth. Add it slowly, stirring and scraping the pan vigorously to scrape up any burnt or stuck-on bits. When the liquid has been added, bring it back up to a simmer and simmer lightly for 5 minutes, or until it is somewhat reduced.
3. Take the onions off the heat and pour them into a 3-quart oven-safe dish with a lid. (If you don’t have a Dutch oven or another oven-safe dish with a lid, you can use a 9×13-inch baking dish. Just cover it tightly with a double layer of foil.)
4. Heat the oven to 325°F.
5. While the onions are cooking, brown the chicken. Heat another 10-inch or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken thighs dry and season lightly with kosher salt and black pepper. When the skillet is hot, add the thighs and brown for about 3 minutes on each side, 6 minutes total. When they’ve developed a golden-brown crust, remove from the pan and set on top of the caramelized onions in the baking dish.
6. Add the remaining 1 cup broth to the pan. Stir vigorously, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Pour this sauce over the chicken and onions, and put the lid on the baking dish. The chicken and onions will look quite saucy; there will be plenty of liquid in the baking dish.
7.(At this point you can refrigerate the dish for up to 48 hours. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before baking, or else add about 5 minutes to the bake time.)
8. Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and turn the heat up to broil. Take the lid off the baking dish, and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the chicken. When the broiler has heated up, return the dish to the oven and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden on top.
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What Do YOU Want to Accomplish in 2012?
Written By: admin on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
It’s that time of year again! Time to reflect on what you accomplished in 2011 and what you hope to accomplish in 2012. If you are like me, you have the best intentions in January on setting new goals for 2012 only to find yourself in June wondering where half the year went. In order to make sure I set my own goals this year and to help you set yours, I thought I would share some of my secrets with you.
First, why should we set goals? The primary reason is to have a clear path on achieving at least one of your dreams. Without a path (or smaller goals), we can become lost or unfocused on what to accomplish and when.
Next, how do we go about it? I like to use the SMART goal acronym which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Resonate (or realistic) and Timely. By taking a goal and making it SMART, you are ensuring that a) you have a specific goal that you want to accomplish; b) you will know what you will have achieved when you reach it; c) it’s a goal you can actually achieve; d) you really WANT to accomplish the goal; and e) you have a due date.
My last secret: choose a buddy who can hold you accountable in reaching your goal. When you know that you have to report to someone on your progress, our human nature is to not let that person down. Try it! It works!
If you would like to explore goal setting with a professional life coach, I am offering a one-session price of $90. In this one session, we will create a set of goals for 2012 which will get your life humming!
I hope to hear from you!
Tammie K. Ross, CPCC
Wellness Coach
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Wellness Coaches: Overcoming Binge Eating & Anxiety
Written By: admin on Saturday, September 10th, 2011
Wellness coaching is one of the fastest growing trends when it comes to emotional well being – and is considered one of the most important trends in the fitness industry today.
Eating disorders have psychological and emotional roots and working with a wellness coach can drastically improve your personal and professional life.
A professional wellness coach will set specific exercise goals to help you move from your current health state and then work closely with you to ensure you achieve those goals. These coaches go beyond personal training to address the whole person – body, mind and soul – for optimum health.
Wellness coaches can help you overcome anxiety and reverse the effects of emotional eating. They help clients overcome binge eating and get off the yo-yo rollercoaster effect of fad diets. Overcoming an eating disorder is nearly impossible to do alone. A trained wellness coach uncovers the fears and anxieties that cause emotional eating and helps to create new ways of responding to deeply-rooted issues.
Binge eating is driven by anxiety. In order to overcome binge eating, wellness coaches focus on the prevalent issue – anxiety. Anxiety not only wastes your time and energy, it also weakens you physically and mentally. You can overcome anxiety by making small changes to your regular lifestyle with the help of a wellness coach.
Wellness coaches are not certified dietitians; however they are knowledgable about nutrition and health issues. They support their clients by working closely with them to ensure their customized program is being followed…so they can ultimately experience the joy of living life to the fullest – with less anxiety and sustainable weight loss.
If you are interested in a free 15-minute consultation, please contact Tammie Ross at lifecoach@tammieross.com. All you have to lose is the weight!
By Tammie Ross, CPCC, Wellness Coach
Posted in Healthy Eating, Wellness | No Comments »
