Sunday, September 30, 2012

World's Most Expensive Ice Cream Sundae

We all love Ice Cream Sundaes, but did you know that there is an ice cream sundae that is so expensive?

The Ice Cream sundae that I am talking about is the sundae of Three Twins Ice Cream. It is worth $3, 333.33!
The Sign on Three Twins Ice Cream Shop

What makes it expensive? It is  served with three different syrups made from rare dessert wines namely a 1960s vintage port, a Chateau D'Yquem, and a German Trockenbeernauslese. It also presented to you with a spoon from the 1850s.
Three Twins Ice Cream Sundae
Image source:http://culturecheesemag.com
Well, you can say that the banana split sundae is too much, but 1/3 of the price will be donated to a local land trust. When you get to order one day ahead, a cellist will serenade you will eating. :)

Friday, September 28, 2012

Make your own S'mores!

This is a simple sweet treat made popular by the Girl Scouts during campfires. Well, to tell everyone of you, you don't need to camp out in order to satisfy your s'mores craving.

Image source:http://www.notcot.org/

S'mores can be easily done at home, and I'll show you how.
(Steps and photos from wikihow.com)

Get two graham crackers and place them on a microwaveable plate.

On one graham cracker put a jumbo marshmallow.

On the other graham cracker put two pieces of chocolate from your Hershey's chocolate bar.

Place the "marshmallowed" graham cracker on top of the chocolate graham cracker and GENTLY press them together. Just enough to get them to balance on one another.(If you press them together to hard, the graham crackers will break).

Put your plate in the microwave for first ten seconds and if the marshmallow doesn't look like its about to "blow-up", place it in for five more seconds. (Take it out when the marshmallow looks like it's about to blow up).

Let the marshmallow decrease in size for about five seconds.

Smoosh them together and eat!


See? It is as simple as 1,2,3. You can make it everytime you get bored or hungry. Reward yourself :)

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Chocolate Layer Cake made from Mayo! (With Recipe)

Mayonnaise is popularly known to be used in salads, and used as a condiment alongside ketchup. Who would ever know that this condiment can be used as an ingredient in making a delectable chocolate layer cake?

I know you didn't expect this, I didn't too, but you all should know that this is true. You can just look at how this cake looks good with mayo. I wonder how it tastes like. Hmm.
Chocolate Layer cake made from Mayo
Image souce:www.delish.com

Wait, do you wanna know how to make a cake made from mayo?

Well, I am going to share this recipe from delish.com, which is said to produce a super moist chocolate layer cake, in order for you to try it out in your house :)


Serves: 14 Edit
Yields: Makes one 8-inch four-layer cake (14 servings)

  • box(es) devil's food cake mix, such as Betty Crocker
  • 1/4cup(s) unsweetened cocoa
  • cup(s) mayonnaise, such as Hellmann's or Best Foods
  • large eggs
  • cup(s) water
  • container(s) (16 ounces each) chocolate frosting
  • 1/4cup(s) sour cream
  • teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
  • 1/2cup(s) chopped almonds, toasted
  • cup(s) sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

Directions
  1. Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat two 8-inch cake pans with softened butter. Cut two 8-inch circles out of parchment paper and fit them into the bottom of the cake pans. Lightly coat the paper circles with butter. Lightly flour both pans, shake out excess flour and set aside. Beat the cake mix, cocoa, mayonnaise, eggs, and water in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on low speed. Increase speed to high and beat for 2 more minutes. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean -- about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 20 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and return to the wire racks until completely cool.
  2. Make the filling: Whisk the frosting, sour cream, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of frosting to a medium bowl and stir in the almonds and the toasted coconut. Set aside.
  3. Assemble the cake: Split both layers and brush away any excess crumbs. Place one split layer on a cake plate. Tuck strips of wax paper under the edges of the cake to protect the plate. Spread 1/3 of the filling over the layer. Top with the next layer and spread another 1/3 of the filling over the top. Repeat with the third cake layer and remaining filling and top with the final cake layer. Spread the frosting over the top of cake smoothing out to the edges. Spread the remaining frosting around the sides and serve or store covered for up to 4 days.

Tips & Techniques:
From the pantry: cake mix, mayonnaise, frosting.
There you have it friends! I hope you can try this out.
The most unexpected ingredients, make the best desserts :)


Sunday, September 23, 2012

Trivias for your Brain and Stomach :D

Image source:http://www.perforce.com
To all dessert lovers, I want to share some stuff with all of you. It is both good for your brain and your stomach.:))

It's nice to know a lot about what you want right? These are trivias about our desserts, in case you didn't know about how they started and came to be our favorite.
 Here it goes:
In 1936 Jell-O came out with a cola flavored Jell-O. It only lasted for one year before being dropped.

In a survey conducted in 1951 of the U.S. armed services, banana cream pie was the favorite dessert. Rice pudding was the least liked.

In countless surveys, Apple Pie has been chosen the favorite dessert in the United States. Apple pie has also been a favorite in England for hundreds of years.

The official state dessert of Massachusetts is Boston cream pie.

A crisp is a deep dish fruit dessert baked with a crumb or struesel topping similar to a cobbler.

The official state dessert of South Dakota is Kuchen.

Marlborough Pie is a Massachusetts specialty. It is an applesauce custard pie, seasoned with nutmeg and sherry. Marlborough pie is frequently served as a Thanksgiving dessert.

A Betty is a baked dessert dating to Colonial America, It is a baked pudding made with layers of spiced sweetened fruit (usually apples) and buttered bread crumbs. Apple Brown Betty is made with brown sugar and sliced apples.

Cherries Jubilee is a dessert created by August Escoffier in honor of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. It consists of cherries flamed tableside with sugar and Kirsch (cherry brandy) spooned over vanilla ice cream.
 Source:http://www.foodreference.com/html/fdesserts.html


Monday, September 17, 2012

Desserts made out of Bacon

We all know that bacon is an excellent breakfast food, but would you believe that it could be a main ingredient for desserts?

I have never heard of desserts made of bacon before until I came across an article in The Huffington Post which features unusual bacon desserts.

It may sound weird, but it looks good. Allow me to share some desserts that can be made with bacon from what I have read.

1. Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookie
The all time favorite choco chip cookie is spiced up with a twist of bacon. 
2. Bacon Hazelnut Buttermilk Cupcakes
Good cupcake for Breakfast. The cupcake is topped with bacon and wafflles. Hurrah!

3.Dulce de Bacon Milkshake
Bacon is added to the sweet homemade Dulce Milkshake.
4.Pig Candy
Bacon bits are caramelized with brown sugar.
5.Maple Bacon Cake Doughnuts
Bacon  is used as a topping for Doughnuts. Unusual right?
6.Salted Caramel and Candied Bacon Ice cream
Salty Caramel Ice cream is best with bacon bits. Their flavors blend well :)
7.Blueberry Bacon Breakfast Cake
Bacon is added to complement the sweet Blueberry cake. 

8.Bacon Bourbon Caramel Popcorn
Bacon bits are added to Caramel Popcorn. Perfect for movies!

9.Buttermilk Bacon Pralines


10.Chocolate Bacon with Nutella Buttercream
The cupcake has Nutella frosting. Yum Yum!

There you have it guys, now you can have nnew things to do with bacon!
For more information on this desserts, you can check out the source: www.huffingtonpost.com :)



Sunday, September 16, 2012

Fun Facts about Chocolate!:)


We all love Chocolates right? But isn't it weird that we always get to eat them without knowing all about it?We are used to satisfy our cravings with chocolate, and I just wanna share some facts about it which we all don't usually know. I came across the blog, of lindtusa and found this amazing facts:
1. The first recorded “Death by Chocolate” case occurred in the 17th Century in Chiapas, Mexico.  Upper class Spaniards were so addicted to chocolate that they refused to adhere to a church dictated chocolate ban that forbade them from eating or drinking any food during the church services.  As a result, the people of the town refused not only listen to the ban but chose to attend worship services in convents instead.  The Bishop who passed the law was later found dead due to poison being mixed into his daily cup of chocolate.
2. The word “chocolate” comes from the Aztec word, “Xocolatl”, which ironically means “bitter water”.
3. The biggest bar of chocolate ever made was created in 2000 and weighed 5,000 pounds.  Turin is the city in Italy that can be proud of this accomplishment.
4. Americans eat an average of 22 pounds of candy each year, or approximately 2.8 billion pounds annually which is split almost equally between chocolate and candy.  Most Europeans consume far less than this.
5. While the US produces the most chocolate and consume the most pounds every year, the Swiss consume the most per capita,  followed closely by the English.
6. Besides the obvious cheese and ice cream industries, American chocolate manufacturers use about 1.5 billion pounds of milk and consume approximately 3.5 million pounds of whole milk yearly.
7. Chocolate manufacturers currently use 40% of the world’s almonds and 20% of the world’s peanuts.
8. Chocolate is technically responsible for the microwave.  Scientists were experimenting with micro waves in hopes of creating better radar detectors and in the wake of World War II, scientists were testing devices called magnetrons.  A scientist named Percy Spencer entered the lab with a chocolate bar in his pocket and realized it quickly began to melt. Spencer then realized that the magnetron could potentially be used to cook food.  He successfully tried popping corn and then attempted to cook an egg which cooked so quickly, it blew up in his face.
9. Every Russian and American space voyage has included chocolate bars.
10. On the fourth visit of Christopher Columbus to the Americas, he presented cocoa beans to the Spanish Court.  King Ferdinand and Queen Isabelle were not impressed and dismissed the chocolate as bizarre tribal concoctions.
Now, when you eat chocolates, you can be proud of knowing facts about them. This costs you extra bragging rights Share them to your friends, like I did to you. :)
Source: http://blog.lindtusa.com/10-interesting-chocolate-facts

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Wendy's New Kit-kat and Oreo Twisted Frosty!

If you're tired of the usual sundaes from Jollibee or McDonalds, we have to try the new Wendy's Twisted Frosty! 


Wendy's signature Frosty is introduced to the public once again with new flavors to enjoy, such as Kit-Kat and Oreo. It's bigger than the usual McDonald's McFlurry and it's loaded with Kit-Kt and Oreo Bits too. Yum!

It is worth P79.00, but it's good enough if you're really a frosty and a chocolate lover.

The Twisted Frosty is available at all Wendy's branches in the Philippines.
It's only available in two flavors, which means I have the chance to taste both at a cheap price. I'd taste the Kit-Kat Twisted Frosty first, how about you?:) 

If you're not in the Philippines, there's so much Frosty desserts to try in Wendy's too!

You can have the Frosty Parfait and the Frosty Shake! 
3 flavors of the Frosty Parfait
Image source:thefoodbeast.com

 The Frosty Parfait is made with the chocolate and vanilla Frosty wherein you can add your favorite treats in it. It's available in 3 flavors, Oreo, Wild Berry and Caramel Apple.
Wendy's Frosty Shakes
Image source:http://1.bp.blogspot.com

The Frosty Shake is made of fresh flavors added with a special whipped cream on top. It is available in 5 flavors, Wild Berry, Caramel, Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla.


So if you're looking for new twists on your usual dessert, you can try these things out. :)

World's Largest Dessert Party in Omaha!

OMAHA, NEBRASKA- The place where in the world's largest dessert party was held. It was full of 740 people satisfying their cravings for sweet treats.

There were over 3,800 kinds of desserts served in the party which was prepared by the Treat America Food Services.

There were 3 varieties of dessert served in order to set the world record, and in order to set the record, everyone has to consume at least one of them.

Image source:http://www.thenewstribe.com

The available desserts in the party were:
*537 Lemon Meringue Tartlets
*476 Mini Cheesecakes
*420 Cookies
*297 Chocolates
*432 Petit fours
*138 Cream Puffs
*306 Eclairs
*177 Cut fruit kabobs
*72 Banana bars
*416 Turtle brownies

News source:www.guinnessworldrecords.com

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Rainbow Colored Shaved Ice

Shaved Ice is a dessert made from shaving a block of ice. It is also called as Hawaiian Shave Ice and is always mixed up with another ice dessert, snowcone. Shaved Ice and Snow cones are different because snow cones are made from crushed ice. Basically, they differ in terms of ice texture.

Shaved Ice
Image source:http://justjennrecipes.com
Snow cones 
Image source:http://www.golocal247.com
This dessert is sweetened with different kinds of flavored syrups ranging from fruit flavors to creative flavors like bubblegum and cotton candy. 
A wide range of different flavored syrup
Image source:http://www.blogcdn.com

It is often served in a conical paper or a paper cup, and you have the freedom to choose what flavors you want in it.

You can put as many syrup as you want but the best way to create a rainbow inspired shaved ice treat is by adding, lime, blueberry, lemon, orange and cherry. It will look like this:

Rainbow Inspired Shaved Ice
Image source:http://www.gourmet.com
Shave ice is served with a straw, and not with a spoon for the flavors are directly on the ice, and not on the bottom of the cup. This dessert is very easy to do as long as you have the machine that creates shaved ice. Just buy different flavors of syrups to use for your shaved ice.
Shaved Ice Machine 
Image source:http://www.aperfectpartyrental.com
Have fun mixing different flavors of syrup on your shaved ice! Oh, by the way, the best way time to enjoy this dessert is when you want to feel cool on a warm day. :)

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Maple Taffy- A taffy made onto the snow!

What is a taffy? A taffy is a chewy candy similar to toffee. It is made by pulling and stretching an amount of boiled sugar mixed with flavorings until they are fluffy.

We are all familiar with this type of candy, but have you ever heard of a maple taffy?

A closer look on the Maple Taffy 
Image source:http://www.ricardocuisine.com
Maple Taffy :)
Image source:http://thumbs.dreamstime.com
Maple Taffy is a dessert in Canada. It is made from boiled maple sap which turns into maple syrup after. It is popular among Canadians for it is a delicious and an easy to do treat.

Maple sap poured onto the snow
Image source:http://www.thegreatcanadiangiftcompany.com
The Maple Sap is poured onto the snow! Who would imagine snow as a tool for dessert? I never did.
Most people find it weird, but this is true. The sap is poured onto the snow and is then lifted with a fork, a popsicle stick or a small wooden stick making it look like your own lollipop.

A stick being rolled to make a maple taffy lollipop :)
Image source:http://blogs.villagevoice.com
Maple Taffy is also known as Sugar on Snow and the great thing about it is that, there is not much effort in making this sweet treat for you, your family and your friends. This is indeed an easy dessert and a fun thing to do too!
A skier enjoying Maple Taffy
Image source:http://www.thegreatcanadiangiftcompany.com
People have found a new thing to do with snow besides the usual snowballs and snowmen this is to make their own maple taffy. You can do this anytime as long as you have snow in your country. :) Too bad we don't have winter here. :\

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Japan's Mochi Ice Cream

Japanese Mochi Ice Cream
Image source:http://farm4.static.flickr.com

Italians have the Gelato, and what do Japanese have? They have their very own Mochi Ice cream!

What is a mochi?

Mochi is made from pounded sticky rice. It is small and and round and is traditionally served during the Japanese New Year.

 However, mochi today is presented in an interesting and a yummy way.



Mochi Ice Cream is served on the market today. It is mochi which contains ice cream on the inside, then dusted off with corn starch.
Preparation for Mochi Ice cream
Image source:http://www.serving-ice-cream.com

What's cute with this ice cream is that the mochi colors match the flavors of the ice cream.
Chocolate and Strawberry flavored Mochi Ice cream
http://makingmarthaproud.files.wordpress.com/

 Nowadays, there are innovations made when it comes to the Mochi Ice cream. Do you know what it is?
Mochilatos
http://4.bp.blogspot.com

Instead of the usual ice cream filling, gelatos are also used as a substitute and it is called "Mochilato". Because it contains gelato, these are creamier that those of the ice cream filled ones, and can be found on places like Southern California.

Anyway, Mochis are colorful. They can be sold individually and in packs of six but it can be expensive too. Like the Italian Gelato, there are also a lot of flavors to choose from when it comes to the Mochi Ice cream.
Some popular flavors are red bean, green tea, vanilla and chocolate.

Other Mochi flavors. :)
Image source:http://catonwine.files.wordpress.com

The Japanese Mochi Ice cream is now popular around the world, some countries that are in to the goodness of the Mochi Ice Creams are the United States, The Philippines and and Hawaii.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Italian Gelato, anyone?

Do you know what is a Gelato?

Gelato is the Italian word for Ice cream, it is derived from the word congelato which means frozen.
It is different from Ice Cream because of its flavor and texture, it is made of milk too instead of cream. It is also more intense in flavor compared to ice cream.

Gelatos are sold in Italy in shops called "gelaterie". A gelaterie can be considered a paradise for gelato lovers because of its magnificent display of flavorful gelato.

A Gelaterie in Italy. 
Image source:http://media.lonelyplanet.com


Gelatos are showcased in tubs inside their shops full of fresh flavors. As you can see, there are a lot of flavors to choose from! Due to the popularity of gelato, Italians and Tourists from all over the world want a scoop of it!

Italian Gelato
Image source:http://www.slrobertson.com

More Italian Gelato, please?:)
Image source:http://www.spaghettijohns.co.uk
When buying a gelato in Italy, you have two choices, it's either you put them in a cone (cono) or in a paper cup (coppa). Some Gelaterie in Italy do not have chairs inside their shop, this is because it is meant to be eaten while strolling around the streets of Italy. Oh, by the way, the prices depend on how many scoops you order.

Oh so, Wonderful cones. 
Image source:http://farm3.static.flickr.com
Gelato on a bowl. Yum!
Image source:http://i-cdn.apartmenttherapy.com

Gelato melts easily, so be sure to eat them fast. :)
With all the tempting flavors you can see, it is indeed worth craving for!





Spanish Churros (with Recipe)

Churros without Chocolate
Image source:http://www.top-tour-of-spain.com
Churros are Spanish doughnuts, they are popular in France, The Philippines, and even in Latin America. They can be thin and knotted and sometimes long and thick plus this treat is best dipped in hot chocolate. Churros are made out of flour, salt and water, and some versions are made out of potato dough.
Churros with Chocolate
Image source:http://thumbs.dreamstime.com
Churros are fried, until they are golden brown. It's ridged surface is due to the shaped of a churrera's pipe. People around the world enjoy this treat because of it's rich and creamy goodness. Plus, the chocolate!
Surprisingly, churros are just made out of flour, water and salt and some versions are made from potato dough!
An unknown churrero :)
Image source:http://www.justabovesunset.com
A churro store on the street of Mexico
Image source:http://www.mexicowoods.com
There are also vendors around the world who sell these treats hot on the streets like in Colombia, Spain, and Venezuela. These vendors are called "churreros". It would be a nice sight to see an actual making of a churro. You would be able to see how he makes your churro. Nothing beats the simplest of everything right?

 By the way, churros are in demand during the morning.  Try it! It's a good treat to start your day!

If you want to try making it, I provided a simple recipe for you from Lisa Sierra. :)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup white flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • oil for frying
  • several Tbsp granulated sugar to sprinkle or honey
Procedure:
Pour vegetable oil, such as canola or corn oil into a large heavy bottomed frying pan. Make sure there is about 2 inches of oil in the pan to cover the churros. There should be enough oil so that they float freely while frying. Set pan aside.
In a medium sauce pan, pour 1 cup water. Add oil, salt, sugar and stir. Bring water to a boil.
While waiting for water to boil, dry the cup used to measure the water and use it to measure flour, since it is necessary to have equal parts flour and water. Pour flour into a medium-sized mixing bowl and add baking powder and stir.
Once water boils, remove saucepan and begin heating oil in frying pan.
Slowly pour boiling water from saucepan into flour mixture - stirring constantly with a fork until it is a smooth dough without lumps.
Note: Dough should not be runny like a batter, but rather a sticky smooth dough.
Immediately spoon dough into a churrera (a large cookie press) or pastry bag.
Carefully squeeze dough into hot oil (350-375F degrees) and fry until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spatula or long-handled fork. Place on a paper towel to drain.
Once drained, cut into manageable lengths. Sprinkle with sugar or drizzle with honey and serve.
It's your choice if you want to serve it with good, melted, hot chocolate. Enjoy!:)