Strawberry Filled Whipped Cream

Strawberries are so pleasant to eat on a hot summer day. They're even enjoyable and prettier to look at when filled with a simple creamy whipped cream. This dessert is very easy to make and can be eaten in one bite.  

Ingredients:

• 10 large fresh strawberries 
• 1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons of granulated white sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract cup 

Directions:

1. To make the whip cream, freeze medium mixing bowl in the freezer for 2-3 minutes. Add heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract into the cold mixing bowl and beat until stiff peaks form.
2. Wash the strawberries and using a sharp knife, cut an "X" into each strawberry without cutting it all the way down. Then spread the "X" apart with your fingertips.
3. Fill the whipping cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Starting at the bottom of the strawberry, pipe the cream into the center of each strawberry with a swirling motion from the bottom to the top of each strawberry.
4. Sprinkle cocoa powder on top of each strawberries if desired.

Mini Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders

Labor Day concludes the end of summer and supermarkets were quickly being emptied of french fries, ground beef and hamburger buns. This recipe accomplished the feat making delicious mini bacon cheeseburger sliders and a side of baked french fries!

Serves 3

Ingredients

• 1 bag of  hamburger buns
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 stick of butter
• 1 pound ground beef
• a single clove of shallot
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• Ketchup, mayonnaise or other condiments
• 2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 head lettuce, torn to fit buns
• 1 package American cheese, 12 ounces, thinly sliced and cut to fit buns
• 2 strips of bacon

Directions

1. Use round shaped cookie cutter to make a total of 6 mini buns. Cut around the edges of the cookie cutter for a more precise circle. Thinly slice the excess of the inner, soft crumb of the bread.
   
2. For oven toasting, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the seseame seeds out on a baking sheet. Bake until the seeds brown and become fragrant. For stovetop toasting, use a wide frying pan. Brush butter over the surface of the hamburger bun; sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Bake for 2-4 minutes to warm buns. 
   
3. In bowl, mix ground beef, salt, pepper, and finely chopped shallot. Shape 1/4 ounce at a time into 1 1/2-inch patties. Broil or grill 1 minute per side.
   
4. Top each beef patty with a slice of cheese and cook on grill until cheese melts, 2 to 3 minutes.
5.  At serving time, place beef patty on buns, layer ketchup, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise and bacon on each bottom half then serve.
   

 

It's National Marshmallow Toasting Day!

In celebration of National Marshmallow Toasting Day, I've put together marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate otherwise known as S'mores! I wanted to reinvent the classic American treats  while delivering the same chocolaty taste everyone grew up loving. 

 

 To make the batter, use a stand mixer to  beat 1 egg, and combine 20 oz of sweet cream butter, 1/4 cup of yogurt, 1 tsp of sugar, 3 chocolate bars (melted), and 2 tbs of unsweetened cocoa. 

To make the crust, you will need to grind about 9 whole graham crackers and 1 tbs of brown sugar in a food processor. Using a blender was inefficient, so I had to manually smash it in a plastic bag and blend the rest.

 

Use 1/2 a stick of melted butter and mold the crumbs with your hands or pulse it in a food processor until it looks like wet sand.

 

Using a mini cupcake pan, spoon one tablespoon of crumb mixture in each cup. Press crumbs with spoon or fingers to form shallow cups. Scoop 1/4 cup of the batter to top the crust then spread the mixture finely over it.

 

Top the smores cup with a couple of mini marshmallows. Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for 4-5 minutes. Allow for them to cool then  run a butter knife around the edges of the crust to loosen them up. 

If you want to have the campfire-charred marshmallows, I used a wooden skewer to slightly torch them for a few minutes. 

Tiny Tostada Tacos

These are some of my favorite Mexican ingredients! I love refried beans and always request it in my burritos. Avocados usually comes with an additional fee when purchasing condiments for your food, but I relish in the fact that it's very rich and creamy, but in a healthy kind of way. As you can tell in my Cilantro Caprese Salad post, I can eat both raw whole or cherry tomatoes on it's own. Fresh tomatoes are naturally good for your overall health and I heard they promote beautiful skin and hair, too (health bonus points!).

 

This was the twitter photo I posted last night!  Were you able to tell what they were?

 

I heated the beans in a small pot over the stove for 5 minutes to make them warm and easy to scoop into the Tostitos.  The chopped avocados and tomatoes were next to go in and you can decide to add in other ingredients like I did. I chose to add some more color so I had American cheese and sour cream for a better salty and sour element, too. You can also substitute refried beans for ground beef if you're not a fan of beans, but I personally enjoyed these knowing that it's pack with everything nutritious!

Cilantro Caprese Salad

This is my very own version of a Caprese Salad. Typically, Caprese salads are made with basil, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil, but I didn't have those ingredients laying around the house. You can finely chop the cilantro or cut the stems and use the leafy green part for garnishing and enhanced flavoring.
Serves 3: Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, Cilantro, Salt & Pepper

The sliced tomatoes should be the bottom layer and the mozzarella cheese would be placed on top of that. You can add any amount of the other ingredients depending on your preference. If you want a balance of all the flavors, just sprinkle a little of salt and pepper and drizzle the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. This was such an easy and refreshing appetizer or side dish for summertime. Buon Appetito!