Food!

It's Halloween again so i am off on a rush through the net to find and keep some more fun pics of things i want to make....
please do visit the original pages (most will click through if you right click for properties).
from Blogspot lady: http://cookingwithtanya.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html

There are some really cute ideas out this year-- and some great display ideas too.... i always need to start with inspiration before i get crazy and creative myself!

Mini Halloween Pumpkin Cakes

Servings: Makes 3 (4-inch) pumpkin cakes

Comments:
Serve these little pumpkin cakes for a children's Halloween party or can be served for an adult get-together also. You will be surprised how delicious these mini pumpkin cakes are. The cake batter is made with pumpkin puree, white and dark chocolate, mixed fruit bits and chopped walnuts and other goodies. When ready to serve, cut cakes in half, making enough servings for 6 people.

Ingredients:
Mini Pumpkin Cakes:
1/2 cup (1 stick/4 oz./113g) butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup canned pumpkin or pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup milk
1.5 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1.5 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup dried mixed fruit bits
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick/4 oz./113g) butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Orange food coloring

Garnish:
2 ounces marzipan
Green food coloring
Confectioners' sugar

Instructions:
For the Mini Pumpkin Cakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Coat six mini bundt cake pans with nonstick cooking spray or vegetable shortening.

2. Beat butter and sugar in bowl until light and fluffy, using electric mixer at medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Mix flour and baking soda. Add flour mixture, pumpkin, lemon zest, lemon juice and milk. Using a wooden spoon, stir until ingredients are blended. Do not overmix. Gently fold in chocolate, white chocolate, fruit bits and walnuts. Divide batter among prepared pans.

4. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into each cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack and cool completely. After frosting and decorating the cakes and when ready to serve, place cakes on a platter and slice each in half to make 6 servings.

For the Frosting:

1. Place cream cheese and butter in large bowl. Beat on high speed until smooth. Gradually add half of the confectioners’ sugar, beating on low speed. Add the lemon juice, orange food coloring and remaining confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth.

2. Cut tops off cakes so that they are flat. Using a small spatula, frost the flat sides of each cake and "glue" together to form a pumpkin. Repeat with the remaining cakes. Frost the outsides of the pumpkins with the frosting. Refrigerate the cakes.

3. Knead the marzipan and a bit of green food coloring until color is blended. Sprinkle a bit of confectioners' sugar on work surface. Roll out marzipan to 1/4-inch-thick. Using a sharp knife, cut out leaf and stalks shapes. Let them air dry on a baking sheet for 3 or 4 hours before decorating pumpkin cakes.

Makes 3 (4-inch) pumpkin cakes, 6 servings (if each cake is cut in half).

Click here to view recipe and photo of Mini Halloween Pumpkin Cakes on Diana's Desserts Website

Found another person who collects the pics HERE

this shot i just good-- the batter is ... well, i love this pic...

Great cooking is not about how it tastes ALONE--- the presentation is 50% of what is fun... and i have been hunting a lot more for BETTER presentations.

They need to be *pretty* or *hot* or at least not looking all ,.... sad.














x

http://www.alsadesign.com/sweetcake/image/

The 5 worst cakes in the history of cake.

1: Roadkill crow

This cake would be perfect at a roadkill restaurant or for a halloween party. I especially like the subtle use of blood, it is just enough to know that the bird is not sleeping (well – that and its broken neck).
I’ve had a hard week and it’s affected my taste. Enjoy more sick cakes at your peril…

2: The divorce cake
I have one thing to say: where was this cake when I had my divorce party? I might have added the subtle touch of a knife to the brides intent grip. It’s the groom who gets it and that’s what counts. Nice.

3: Kitty litter cake
WTF?? Seriously this is insane. Kitty litter is something smelly, that you would prefer not to think about when considering a kitten in your life. What occasion do you need this cake for? Kitty birthday? Toilet training celebration? Please advise.

4: Carrie Cake
Beautiful yes? An alternative prom – coming of age cake? See the movie and say no more….

5: Severed handy work…

Happy Halloween!

And yippee today was the day to get one (sugar fix). I have been meaning to post this since this morning but we are having terrible internet connections these days...off/on/off/on...enough to drive you crazy!
These cookies may not look like the ones you will find on the shelves of professional decorators but this is what you get for working with a dinosaur, two knights, a mermaid, a pirate and a zebra...yes, we had a slight chance of costume programming! We took the kids trick or treating on an old golf cart with a trailer attached to the back and they had a great time!

Cut Out Sugar Cookies, adapted from allrecipe site:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Refrigerate dough, roll out and cut as desired
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Royal Icing, from Joy of Baking site
4 cups (440 grams) confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons (30 grams) meringue powder
1/2 teaspoon extract (vanilla, lemon, almond)
1/2 - 3/4 cup (120 - 180 ml) warm water

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder until combined. Add the water and beat on medium to high speed until very glossy and stiff peaks form (5 to 7 minutes). If necessary, to get the right consistency, add more powdered sugar or water. To cover or 'flood' the entire surface of the cookie with icing, the proper consistency is when you lift the beater, the ribbon of icing that falls back into the bowl remains on the surface of the icing for a few seconds before disappearing.
The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.
Makes about 3 cups

Sometimes it's good to just bake with the kids and be one again!

Posted by Tartelette

2 batches decorating icing
1 batch sugar cookies, cut out using 3 1/3-inch round or octagonal cookie cutter, baked according to directions in recipe, and cooled completely
Black food coloring, preferably liquid

Special equipment: 3 pastry bags fitted with couplers, 2 #3-size (medium, round) decorating tips, 1 #1-size (small, round) decorating tip, small offset spatula, toothpicks

Make thin icing: In large bowl, stir together 1 batch icing and 2 tablespoons water. Fit 1 pastry bag with #3-size tip and fill with thin icing.

Color thicker icing: Divide second batch icing between 2 medium bowls. To icing in 1 bowl, gradually mix in black food coloring until icing is black. Fit second pastry bag with second #3-size tip and fill with black icing.

Fit third pastry bag with #1-size tip and fill with remaining (thicker) white icing.

Pipe border: Using pastry bag with #1 tip and thicker white icing, pipe around outer edge of 1 cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and let set 2 minutes.

"Flood" to fill center: Using pastry bag with #3 tip and thinner white icing, squirt pool of icing into center of 1 cookie, then spread to edge with small offset spatula. Repeat with second cookie, giving first time to set.

Pipe circles: Returning to first cookie, using pastry bag with black icing, pipe concentric circles over white icing, beginning in center and ending almost at edge. Repeat with second cookie, giving first time to set.

Form spiderweb pattern: Returning to first cookie, position tip of toothpick in center and drag through icing out to edge. Wipe tip and repeat 7 more times to make 8 evenly spaced, radiating lines like spokes of wheel.

Next, position tip at edge, halfway between 2 lines, and drag inward to center to create another line. Wipe tip and repeat 7 more times to make 8 more lines between first 8.

Repeat process with second iced cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies, working in batches of 2 to allow icing to partially set, but not harden, between steps. Let cookies dry, uncovered, at room temperature 10 hours or overnight. (Once dry, cookies will keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in airtight container at room temperature 1 week.)

A little bit of presentation turns "pigs in a blanket" into oozy mummy dogs! This is super simple and even healthy if you follow these suggestions. Normally this meal is plenty creepy on its own since hot dogs are made from scrap pieces of various species of dead animals. Eeeew. Just grab yourself a pack of veggie dogs (I prefer Tofu Pups and Smart Dogs), some biscuit dough, and a batch of Green Goo and you’ve got yourself some yummy mummies.

tep 1: Make the Green Goo sauce. I have already posted the recipe (called “Vegan Cheese Sauce”) on the Post Punk Kitchen website, so just head on over there for the instructions. Also, if you’re feeling gourmet, you can make a swankier version called Vegan Colby Cheese Dip which is AMAZING. After it’s done cooking, put in a few drops of natural green food coloring or add a teeny bit of pureed greens like spinach before cooking (you won’t notice the flavor at all).

Step 2: Make your biscuit mummy wrapping. Either pop open a pre-made can (but really, check out those ingredients. Scary!) or make your own from scratch. I used a pre-made can for this demonstration and the flavor seriously lacked because of it. On Halloween night I will be using this recipe. Why not give it try with me?

Step 3: Put it all together! I tried making slices in some of my veggie dogs to give the cheese plenty of room to goo around (see picture), but it didn’t seem to make any difference compared to the veggie dogs that didn’t have slices in them. So lay out your biscuit dough (a little bit goes a long way), lay down the dog, put a glob of Green Goo along the length of the dog, and wrap the whole thing up. Although it’s easier to just roll them up triangle style, it looked infinitely better when I meticulously wrapped the dough around several times to look like real mummy wrappings. Pull the dough until it’s thin and wrap, wrap, wrap. Make sure to leave room for the “face” to show so you can do a little decorating. I made slits for mouths and tiny holes for eyes filled with yellow mustard seeds. Pimento pieces for super creepy red eyes, or black mustard seeds would probably make excellent substitutes.

Step 4: Well, just bake them up! The cooking time for the biscuits should be sufficient, but recipes and hot dogs vary, so just keep an eye on them. Proceed to chomp down. Notice the creepy, yet delicious Green Goo that oozes from your mummy and be glad that such a holiday as Halloween exists : )

After having some of the BEST soup at LU*PIN last week during a meeting, i need to have MORE:

Eat me

Candy corn cupcakes from Flickr user Destination:Cupcake!
Yellow cake infused with honey, candy corn flavored buttercream with candy corn and peanut bits.
The COLORS of halloween have changed too:
Create a creepy scene for Halloween! Surround standard cupcakes with haunting wraps and add spooky pix in 2 eerie designs.

Includes 12 cupcake wraps and 24 pix.

Item/Number	Price	Qty
Haunted Manor Cupcake Wraps ’n Pix 415-1712	$3.99	OUT OF STOCK Notify me when available

Williams sonoma has this:
THIS person had WAYYYY too much time on theiir hands:
and this last one is one my boyfriend will love:

Brain cupcakes

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Brain Cupcakes
Originally uploaded by lunara06

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eek!

Yummy goodies

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

From Williams-Sonoma, who have tons of other goodies too.

Flavored with warming spices, this cake makes a lovely edible centerpiece for a Halloween gathering. After baking the two halves of the cake, attach them together with cream cheese frosting. Then let your creativity flow and decorate the cake with leaves and tendrils, or transform it into a spooky or funny jack-o'-lantern.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 10 Tbs. (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
• 2/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• 1/2 cup diced crystallized ginger

For the frosting:

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbs. pumpkin puree (optional)
• Food coloring as desired

Directions:

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 325°F. Generously grease and flour the wells of the great pumpkin cake pan; tap out excess flour.

To make the cake, over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the brown and granulated sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition until just incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the pumpkin puree and beat until incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the walnuts and crystallized ginger until incorporated.

Divide the batter between the wells of the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center of a cake half comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake halves cool upright in the pan for 15 minutes.

Gently tap the pan on a work surface to loosen the cake halves. Invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan. Let the cake halves cool completely before decorating.

Meanwhile, make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the butter and beat until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the confectioners sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Divide the frosting between two small bowls and stir the pumpkin puree into one bowl. Reserve the remaining frosting for decorating.

Using a bread knife, cut 1/4 inch off the flat side of each cake half. Place one cake half, flat side up, on a cake stand or plate and spread the pumpkin frosting on top. Place the other cake half, flat side down, on top. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Add food coloring as desired to the reserved frosting (green for leaves and tendrils, orange for a jack-o'-lantern). To create leaves and tendrils, using a rubber spatula, transfer the green frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a leaf or medium plain tip. Pipe leaves and tendrils on the top of the cake. To create a jack-o-lantern, using a rubber spatula, transfer the orange frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a medium plain tip. Pipe an outline of the face on the cake, then fill in the design. Serves 12.

THIS from Bakerella.

After several days of staring at cereal, I decided to go with Trix.

Trix or Treat Spider Cookies

1 package Betty Crocker Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix
1 can of chocolate ready-made frosting
1 can of vanilla ready-made frosting
24-48 Trix orange and green sweetened corn puffs
Toothpicks
Re-sealable plastic bags

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix ingredients for cookies as directed on the package.
• Use a small ice cream scoop to get similar sized cookies or just use a spoon and vary the amount for different size cookies.
• Place cookie dough on a parchment covered baking sheet.
• Bake for about 7-8 minutes.
• Cool completely on a wire rack.
• Makes about two dozen cookies.

To decorate:

• Spread chocolate frosting on the top of each cookie.
• Fill a re-sealable plastic bag with a couple of heaping spoonfuls of frosting and snip a tiny hole out of the bottom of one corner.
• Pipe on three circles of white frosting for each cookie. Start in the middle with the smallest circle and work your way out.
• Take a toothpick and beginning in the center, drag it lightly through each circle. Repeat all the way around the cookie.
• Take remaining frosting and separate it into two bowls. Tint one frosting with orange icing color and the other with green.
• Fill two re-sealable bags with the orange and green frosting and snip off the corner of each.
• Pipe eight small legs with each color and place a matching orange or green Trix Cereal puff on the top of each pair of legs. Add one or several spiders on each cookie.

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