January 6, 2007

Kettle Corn

I have to confess. I had cupcakes and kettle corn for dinner.

I originally wanted to make caramel corn, but a quick google revealed that all caramel corn recipes require corn syurp (which I don’t have) and over an hour in preparation and baking (which I don’t want to give!).

Kettle corn, on the other hand, only requires popcorn, sugar, salt, and oil. And it’s done when the corn is done popping.

Kettle Corn
Makes one big bowl

1/2 Cup Popcorn Kernels
1/4 Cup Oil (I used canola)
1/4 Cup Sugar
Salt

Heat oil in a large pan with a lid. Add corn, and when you see the kernels are about to pop, add sugar and shake pan. Remove from heat when you’re only hearing a pop every five seconds ago – I’m serious about this! The sugar makes it even easier to scorch than plain popcorn, so take it off the heat already!

Sprinkle on some salt (about 1/2 tsp) and serve.

The cupcakes I made were pretty but standard:

I made them to bribe my landlord to put up my new pot rack. Mission accomplished!

Real food tomorrow. Promise.

January 3, 2007

Hand Dipped Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

I think everyone knows my inspiration here. Oh man. So satisfying.

I baked the vanilla cupcakes right in the cones. They took an extra two minutes to bake, but other than that it was easy. I piped on vanilla vegan buttercream to resemble softserve, then hand-dipped them in some melted chocolate and let them sit in the freezer for a moment to cure.

The result? Stewart complains that I tricked him. They look so much like ice cream, but are most definitely not, making them a most confusing confection. I think the dark chocolate and the sweet frosting nearly recreates the real thing – who cares if they’re hard to eat when they’re so fun to look at!