National Short Bread Day

Short Bread Cookies

Serving: 24 Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Whip butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. 
Stir in the confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and flour. 
Beat on low for one minute, then on high for 3 to 4 minutes. 
Drop cookies by spoonful’s 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Watch that the edges don't brown too much. Cool on wire racks.

National Whipped Cream Day

Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

500ml carton of whipping cream

1tsp of vanilla extract

1 tsp of coconut extract

2 tsp of sugar

Directions:

Cool your cream

Start with cream straight from the fridge: The colder it is, the easier and faster it’ll be to whip. Pour the cream into your bowl.

**Tip: One cup of whipping cream makes about two cups of whipped cream.

Use a whisk to begin whipping the cream

Using a whisk, begin whipping with wide strokes, which will get more air into the cream and help fluff it up it faster. Switch directions every so often.

Add sugar

When the cream starts to thicken, just before soft peaks form, add sugar and continue to whip. A good rule of thumb is 2 tablespoons of sugar for every cup of cream; adjust the sweetness to your own taste.

Continue whipping and watch for soft peaks

Continue beating the mixture until soft peaks form. You can whip until the cream makes stiffer peaks if desired, but be careful: You don’t want to turn the mixture to butter.

Gluten Free Coconut Waffles for 2

Ingredients:

2/3 cup gluten-free flour (trader joe’s gluten free flour)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk, plus some

2/3 eggs

1 1/3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

Directions:

Combine the dry ingredients.

Mix together the 1 1/2 cups milk and eggs; stir in the butter.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Add additional milk until you get a batter a little thicker than pancake batter.

Spread a ladleful or so of batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done, usually 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your iron.

Serve immediately.

Freeze leftovers in a plastic baggie with a sheet of wax paper in between each waffle if you make more then 2.

National Spaghetti Day

Spaghetti Meat Sauce w/ Gluten Free Spaghetti

Ingredients:             
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon crushed bay leaf

Directions:
Place ground beef in a non-stick wok, or large deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly brown. Drain excess fat. Add onion, and cook until soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Season with thyme, basil, rosemary, marjoram and bay leaf. Cover, and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

National Chocolate Covered Cherries Day

Cherry Cheescake Truffles


Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh cherries

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup cream cheese softened

1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips

Preparation:

Cut up fresh cherries, remove pits

Add cherries and sugar to a sauce pan on medium low heat, till it makes a syrup like consistency

Let it cool for about 10 mins and then mix it with the cream cheese and put it in the refrigerator for an hour

After letting it cool take the mix and mold into a ball like form and put it into the freezer for another hour

Melt the chocolate chips in stainless steel bowl above boiling water

Once melted, take the cheesecake balls and cover them in the chocolate fully and once complete put them back into the freezer for about 45 mins and serve

National Cream Puff Day

Elegant and Easy Party Puffs

Ingredients:

1 cup water

½ cup of butter

1 cup sifted flour (for my mom to eat them I used trader joes gluten free flour)

4 eggs

Instructions:
Mix water and butter in large pan and bring to a boil.

Add flour; stirring constantly. Mixture will roll into a ball and leave the side of the pan.

Remove from heat and cool a few minutes (no longer than 5).

Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each egg.

Drop from heaping teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 – 30 minutes. Check at 20 minutes. Puffs will be a light golden brown when done.

Cool. Prepare puffs for filling by flipping over and cutting off a small circle from the bottom.

Refrigerate until serving.

Makes about thirty puffs, depending on size.

Filling:

500ml carton of whipping cream

1tsp of vanilla extract

1 tsp of coconut extract

2 tsp of sugar

Instructions:
Cool your cream
 Start with cream straight from the fridge: The colder it is, the easier and faster it’ll be to whip. Pour the cream into your bowl.



**Tip: One cup of whipping cream makes about two cups of whipped cream.

Use a whisk to begin whipping the cream
 Using a whisk, begin whipping with wide strokes, which will get more air into the cream and help fluff it up it faster. Switch directions every so often.

Add sugar 
When the cream starts to thicken, just before soft peaks form, add sugar and continue to whip. A good rule of thumb is 2 tablespoons of sugar for every cup of cream; adjust the sweetness to your own taste. 



Continue whipping and watch for soft peaks
 Continue beating the mixture until soft peaks form. You can whip until the cream makes stiffer peaks if desired, but be careful: You don’t want to turn the mixture to butter.