Monday, July 25, 2016

Coke Cake "Floats"

 
Coke Cupcake "Floats"

What a great treat to make this time of year when the days are long and hot....something cool and creamy that takes me back to my high school/college days when "Floats" were in and we had time to just hang out at the local Valley Bell Dairy and enjoy friends and summer!!

Cupcakes are always a winner!!! These pretty little gems both look and taste great!!


The amazing thing is they require only two ingredients:

A chocolate cake mix and 12 ounces of Coca Cola!!

I am from WV and when we say Coke it means any dark colored carbonated beverage!!! So if you drink the OTHER product (Pepsi) that is fine to use too. Ok .....so I said it outloud, I know you were thinking it too!! I am not a Coke snob!! You can also use diet if you want to cut some of the sugar!

You can make "mini" floats or regular sized cupcakes. These are the regular size. They are moist and delicious! Everyone wants one....Don't you want one right now???

What makes them so cute is the way they are presented.

Red colored cupcake cups are a must for me. It is the color of the Coke Can!! I used striped red/white or you could use dotted, solid...whatever trips your trigger but I love the red.

Then you pick your topping....I used Buttercream frosting. You can use frosting from a can, homemade frosting,whipped cream though they wouldn't be pretty after the first day when the cream starts to decompose, or you can dust with confectioners sugar.

The final accent is a maraschino cherry with a stem and a matching paper straw cut to fit the cake size!!

Coke "Float" Cupcakes

1 Chocolate Cake Mix

12 ounces of Coke (* Diet is also acceptable)

  • 1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees; line cupcake pans with liners---remember I used red because red is the color associated with Coca Cola but you can do whatever color you choose!!

    2. Combine cake mix and Coke in your mixer and beat on low speed for one minute. Increase speed to medium and beat for two minutes. Transfer to your prepared pans. You can use mini pans or regular size cupcake pans. Bake according to package directions.

    3. Cool cupcakes, in the pans, on a wire rack. Serve plain, dusted with confectioners' sugar or piped with frosting or whipped cream.

    4. Decorate with a beautiful Maraschino cherry that has a stem. Be sure and blot the cherry before placing it on the cupcake so that it is dry and won't run into the icing.

    5. Cut a paper straw to size and place in the topping.

    A perfect, easy, very IMPRESSIVE dessert for your summer picnics or parties. Hope you like it as much as I do!!

Happy Trails,

Mtn Mama

 

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Soyaki Chicken Skewers

 

A quick summer meal is always welcome in my cookbook.

Last night I made my version of something I had seen on a Facebook post that included several versions of skewers for the grill.

After a long day it is all about what I have in the fridg and what is on the pantry shelf.

One of my favorites is Soyaki. This comes from Trader Joe's and I use it on all types of meats.


I had boneless, skinless chicken thighs on hand so I cut the meat into bitsize pieces and covered them with this glorious marinade. It is a complete, one and done sauce.

Then I heated the grill and threaded the marinaded chicken onto skewers. If you want you could add vegetables or pineapple but I was perfectly happy with just the chicken.

I sprinkled the skewers with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

Then we went to the grill. Grill the skewers until the poultry reaches 165 degrees internally. It took about 15 minutes on a medium hot grill.

While the chicken was grilling I sautéed fresh green beans with almonds and steamed couscous in chicken broth.

The results were fantastic.

This is going to be one of my favorite summertime suppers!!


Soyaki Chicken Skewers

Ingredient list:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 bottle Soyaki ( enough to cover the meat)

Sesame Seeds

7 Green onions , white and green, slices on the bias

4 metal or bamboo skewers


1. Cut the chicken into 2 inch pieces and place in a large bowl.

2. Cover the chicken with the Soyaki. Let marinade for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

3. Grill on medium high heat for about 15 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 internal temp

4. Remove and serve with couscous and a green veggie for a complete summertime meal!!

Enjoy!! I am testing pie crust recipes this week so be on the look out for PIE!!!!


Happy Trails,

Mtn Mama