Comfort means comfort food too!

It is FINALLY cooling down a little, well a lot!  Today was our first non 90 degree day so with comfort in the air, being able to open the doors and windows and let fresh air come in I decided comfort food was on the menu.  OK well not food exactly.  *laughs*  
It did bring me back to a conversation I had last night with my baby sister.  When I say baby I mean she IS the baby of the family.  I happened to have a pink lemonade cupcake left over and gave it to her.  She mentioned she's cheating on me by having cupcakes made by someone else. *snickers*  She had a cinnamon french toast and bacon cupcake with a maple butter cream frosting.  I don't know if she told me that the cupcake was dry so as not to hurt my feelings or not.  But as I sit here thinking I can do something better.  Then I thought ... what brings hubby comfort.  Seeing as he's the only one working right now, I try to cater to him a little bit more.  So I KNOW I wanted to do something with a "maple frosting" but wasn't sure what to go with it.  So I started looking and found the ABSOLUTE perfect comfort for hubby.  

Carrot Cupcakes with a maple cream cheese frosting!

Hubby LOVES carrot cake!  It's one of those cakes that he will always ask for .... always try to pick up at the store.  It's his comfort cake.  Well at least it always seems to be. *smiles*   So that's the cake to make with the maple frosting.  But not just maple frosting ... but maple cream cheese frosting.  With tweaks of course.  It wouldn't be something I made if it wasn't tweaked.   
Carrot Cupcake Recipe
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg (I only use fresh grated nutmeg.)
1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/4 Teaspoon Allspice
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar (I used light this time.)
1 1/4 Cup Canola Oil
4 Large Room Temperature Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
3 Cups Grated Carrots (About 4 - 5 medium)
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts (Optional)
1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds (Optional - I used dry roasted for a bite of salt with the sweet of the cake.)
1/2 Cup Raisins (Optional)
Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin tin with liners.  Makes 24 regular or 12 - 14 large.
Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice in a medium bowl.
Whisk sugar and oil in large bowl until well blended.
Whisk eggs in 1 at a time until each one is blended.
Ad flour mixture into wet mixture and stir/whisk until blended.
Fold in carrots, nuts, and raisins.
Fill cup 2/3 the way and bake.  For regular 14 - 18 minutes for jumbo/large 20 -28 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool about 5 minutes before removing and placing on baking rack.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8oz Room Temperature Cream Cheese
1 8oz Room Temperature Mascarpone
1 Stick Unsalted, Room Temperature Butter
2 Cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted
1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
Cream cream cheese, mascarpone, and butter until smooth.
Add maple syrup and beat until smooth and blended.
Add sifted powdered sugar and beat until well blended.  If texture is not to your liking you can add additional powdered sugar until your satisfied.
Refrigerate for 15 - 20 minutes until frosting sets up.  If frosting is refrigerated for longer than 20 minutes let frosting loosen up a little until it will be easy to frost with.
I shared these with my family.  I won't expect a good comment from my Dad as I forgot he doesn't like raisins. *giggles*  Mom and younger brother LOVED them.  "Definite keeper!"  Older brother's comment "Primo! And I don't like carrot cake!"  Younger sister ... the one you had the really dry cupcake .... this is good .... REALLY good!  Hubby .... YUM!  And hmmmm ... and oh yeah!  Don't think there are any better words to hear.
Play with the ingredients as much as you want.  If you don't like a lot of cinnamon you can cut it down.  You can use all cream cheese instead of mixing but I always have mascarpone in my fridge and it adds a different taste.  Don't use maple FLAVORED syrup.  It is NOT the same thing. Use all walnuts, don't use raisins.  But whatever you do, try these.  They are yummy, moist, and not overly sweet.  But remember whatever changes you make ... the best ingredient is you .... Enjoy!!!!

Yummy Treat ... it's been a good day!

Sorry it's been a while ... Been busy with organizing things I've done and things I want to get done.  Let's start with dessert because it was so darn good.  It's FINALLY cooling off again so it was the perfect day to bake something for dessert for family dinner.  Lately we've been eating at home, which we TOTALLY enjoy.  But today Mom was making stuffed cabbage and THAT can't be passed up.  So dinner was at the family home.  I made creamy polenta, at Mom's request, but then thought dessert would be good.  So what better to make now that it's cooling off is a summer favorite.  

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes with a Cherry Lemonade Frosting
These were SO yummy!  I don't know how many of you have Dads that don't really comment on good something is but when my Dad says it's "Really Good", you know it's a keeper. *winks*
Pink Lemonade Cupcakes Recipe
(Adapted from Half Baked recipe)
2 Sticks unsalted, room temperature butter
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
4 Large, room temperature eggs
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Pink Lemonade Mix (I used Country Time)
1 Cup Milk
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degress.  Line 24 cup muffin tin.  (This recipe made 12 jumbo and 12 mini for me.)
Sift together all purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and lemonade mix.
Cream together butter and sugar.
Add eggs 1 at a time.
Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients and milk, alternating starting and ending with dry ingredients.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 the way full and bake for 15 - 17 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool about 5 minutes and place on cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.


Cherry Pink Lemonade Frosting
1 Stick Unsalted, room temperature butter
3 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
1 Cup Pink Lemonade Mix that has been pulverized (Can use food processor, I use my Magic Bullet.)
12 Maraschino Cherries, pureed
1/2 Maraschino Cherry Juice
Cream butter.
Sift together powered sugar and pulverized pink lemonade mix.  Slowly add dry mixture to butter.
Add lemon zest.
Add cherry puree and cherry juice, whip for about 2 minutes.
Refrigerate for about 15 - 20 minutes before frosting.  If you will be making this ahead of time, make sure to bring frosting to room temperature before frosting.


Try these!  These are TOTALLY delish!  Cherry can definitely be omitted but be prepared as the cupcakes will be tart like drinking a glass of pink lemonade.


So as everyone knows Sunday morning breakfast is an important weekly tradition for hubby and me.  So this week it was simple yet so good.  So good we took left overs to Mom and Dad's.  Remember me asking about Dad telling you how good something is ... that happened to me TWICE today.  And I might add it was more special the first.  Dad is a TOTAL connoisseur of biscuits and gravy and will NOT have any shame in tell you if it STINKS or when in a restaurant sending it back.  I will be the first to admit that I don't like making biscuits.  It probably has something to do with all the good recipes have you rolling them out and I am more of a free spirit and do not like the precision of roll to 1/2 inch thick and cut them in 2 inch diameter.  So not my thing, so can grands biscuits works for us.  We happened across the honey butter ones and have fallen in love with them. *laughs*  So breakfast was biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, and fruit salad of peaches, plums, and blackberries topped with fresh ground cinnamon and sugar.  Coffee and orange juice to wash it all down and it was a wonderful was to start the day.  Good breakfast, good company, and an unexpected compliment!  So remember you are the best ingredient ... Enjoy!!!!

The Craving Weekend

This past weekend was really about what I've been craving.  I usually try and cook according to what I think hubby will like or want but this weekend I planned according to what I have been wanting.  But for now let's start with Sunday breakfast.  I am over 40 and have NEVER had stuffed french toast.  Weird right?  Not so much.  When you come from a family of 5 kids, a set of parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and friends staying over there is always LOTS of food to be made.  So when cooking for so many sometimes you were lucky to get one piece of french toast. *laughs*  Hubby did the cooking but we did the prep together.  When asked what he wanted he didn't know because his thought was "we've had everything".  I think that's how they think.  So he wanted to make cherry pancakes.  We just has decadent waffles last weekend, I'm thinking no.  So I said you haven't made french toast in a while.  That was another thing hubby came into the relationship with.  Being able to cook french toast well, regular french toast.  I changed THAT quick.  I'm all about the flavor.  And flavor we do.  So since he wanted cherries, what to make.  Part my idea, part his, part internet research to figure out how to do it.  French toast stuffed with a Nutella cherry strawberry ricotta mascarpone filling.  We had some of the butter rum syrup left so we decided that would do.  I KNOW it sounds like a lot of flavors but they all work SO well together.

Nutella cherry strawberry stuffed french toast recipe
Loaf of french bread cut into 6 - 7 2 inch pieces
5 Large Eggs
1/4 Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Almond Extract 
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Butter


Filling
1/4 Cup Ricotta
1/4 Mascarpone, room temperature
1/2 Cup Cherries, quartered and pitted
1/2 Cup Strawberries, sliced
1 Tablespoon sugar
Nutella
Combined the ricotta, mascarpone, cherries, strawberries, and sugar in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a flat bowl, big enough to drench your french toast, whisk together eggs, milk. extract, and cinnamon.
Slice bread in 2 inch wide pieces.  CAREFULLY make slits little less end to end about 3/4 the way down.  Do not go through the bread.
Take as much or as little of the nutella and spread on each side of the bread.  
Take about 2 tablespoons of the filled and stuff in pocket.
Heat skillet with a little butter, dip/drench stuffed bread in egg mixture.
Cook on all three sides, bottom counts as a side, until golden brown about 2 - 3 minutes.  Serve with extra of the fresh fruit or top with syrup of your choice.  
We used the left over butter rum syrup (July 22nd, 2012 Busy Day Brunch to Dinner).


Definitely something to try again.  Thinking maybe just bananas and nuts next time.  Chocolate dipped fruit, what can be better.  You can use regular cream cheese, I just find that mascarpone is less tangy than regular cream cheese.  Use whatever fruit you like.  Skip the nutella.  The possibilities are endless.  Try it this weekend.  Let me know what and how you did.  Us trying to out do that is going to be hard.  Remember the best ingredient is you ... Enjoy!

Cravings ... and change!

Lately I have been craving rice pudding.  The problem:  I want something that tastes like what great grandma made.  I was blessed to have had my great grandmother in my life until I was 25.  She's the one that gave me my love of baking.  Every holiday I would be in the kitchen baking with her.  She would show me how to make whatever sweet we were making.  I treasure those memories, but the problem with memories is that they are not always reliable.  What is also unreliable is great grandma's recipes.  *laughs*  How many of you went looking for that remembered, treasured recipe that you want to make????  Well I did and I happen to have all of her "sweets" recipes as she called them.  And how many of you have pulled out one of those recipes and realized that something's missing?  OK on her recipes she left out MAJOR parts.  I understand the why, because I do the same thing sometimes.  But NOW what can I do.  As I said, the memory is not always reliable.  Unfortunately the recipe I'm looking at only contains ingredients.  And I mean ONLY ingredients.  Instructions I could probably figure out BUT not amounts of each ingredient.  I love you grandma BUT  now off to find a recipe and hope that I can get it or that it is close to great grandma's because THAT is what I'm craving.


Then there is a another small problem.  I want something different.  How is that possible? It just is.  When you taste something, at the base I want it to be grandma's but want it different enough to make it mine.  What is different enough to make it mine?  Cinnamon!!!  I LOVE cinnamon.  I will put it in everything I can put it in.  The result of the old, which is VERY close to great grandmas recipe, and the different which makes it mine is this:  

Cinnamon Chocolate Rice Pudding Recipe
(adapted from Giada De Laurentiis: 
Chocolate Rice Pudding) 
Ingredients
5 Cups Whole Milk
2/3 Cup Arborio Rice
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoons Orange Zest 
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Cup Cinnamon Chocolate Chips



In a heavy, medium saucepan, combine the milk, rice, sugar, orange zest, and vanilla extract. 
Bring the milk to a boil, stirring occasionally. 
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the rice is tender and the mixture thickens, about 35 to 40 minutes. 
Remove the pan from the heat and stir the cocoa powder and the cinnamon chocolate chips and stir until melted. 
Allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.


Spoon the rice pudding into serving bowls. Cover and refrigerate for 2 1/2 to 3 hours and up to 1 day ahead.


I love the taste of almonds and chocolate, so I think the next time I make this I'm going to try using 2 1/2 cups of whole milk and 2 1/2 cups of dark chocolate almond milk.  Will add some richness to the chocolate flavor.  
You can also just take it off the burner, omit the chocolate and you have regular rice pudding.  Take the recipe and make it your own!  Remember the BEST ingredient is YOU! Enjoy!!!!!

Busy Day Brunch to Dinner

I schemed and planned on Friday and Saturday to figure out what to make hubby for breakfast today.  Yes I know that lately it's been a together event but I wanted to treat him to something nice.  So what better way then to combined his favorite and my favorite.  Yes I know that I said I wanted to treat him and he does enjoy what I like so the way I look at it it's still his treat. *winks*  The result was dark chocolate "sneaky" waffles with white chocolate chips, strawberries, and a butter rum syrup.

Throw in some orange juice and coffee and you have a feast fit for a king and a queen. I know you caught the "sneaky" part in the waffle description.  Wondering what it is? Hmm .... 
Chocolate "Sneaky" Waffles
(Adapted from http://thrivinghomeblog.com)

1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Almond Flour
1/2 Cup Cake Flour (or increase All Purpose Flour to 1 Cup)
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Dark Cocoa Powder, sifted
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Coconut Oil, melted (Butter will work)
2 Large Eggs
1 3/4 Cup milk (I used dark chocolate Almond Milk)
1 Teaspoon Almond Extract
1 Cup Zucchini, pureed in food processor (Pureed pumpkin would work here.)
1 Cup White Chocolate Chips


Shift dry ingredients (first seven ingredients) in large bowl. 
In a separate bowl, whisk together brown sugar and melted coconut oil. 
Whisk in beaten egg, milk, and pureed zucchini. 
Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined (do not over mix). 
Stir in chocolate chips. 
Pour about 1/4 cup mix per waffle and cook according to waffle iron instructions.
Can place done waffles in an oven at 200 degrees to keep warm or I just put mine in a bowl covered by a towel.  When you add new hot waffles keeps them all warm.


Butter Rum Sauce/Syrup Recipe


1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Flour
1/ Teaspoon Salt
1/ Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Teaspoons Rum Flavoring (You can substitute real rum for an adult breakfast, that conversion would be 4 teaspoons.  I would add 1 at a time to your taste.)


In a heavy sauce pan combined brown sugar, flour, and salt.  Whisk ingredients together until flour disappears.
Add water and cook on low heat until smooth and thick.  (I like to check to make sure the flour flavor has cooked out)
Stir in butter and flavoring.  Once butter has melted, use immediately or set aside until cool and store in refrigerator.


Normally we have Sunday dinners at my family home.  But lately between us being busy and them being busy we've taken to eating more at home.  We all have busy lives so when we don't go there Mom gets a much deserved break.  And sometimes my younger brother's home to cook the dinner, so she gets a break. *Laughs*  Someone's got to do it, I'm no there anymore.   So when we decided to eat at home, that is a trial because now what do I make.  I already had an idea from a recipe I found online, and thankfully I went shopping yesterday so I was able to pick up the "main" ingredient.  Again scheming because hubby had no clue I was planning to make it, nor what "it" was.  Always like to get fruits and veggies in where I can.  Tonight we made it together.  I like when hubby helps, especially when he offers.  It's like you always want to show off what you do best.  So when hubby's there, I show off.   Tonight we made chicken strips, a cherry couscous, and toss salad.  The only dish hubby had no hand in was the cherry couscous, though he did find it delicious.  

Chicken strips were made with panko and bread crumbs.  The trick to making tasty anything that you bread at home is to remember to season all of the layers.  Season the flour, season the eggs, season the "breading".  One of the flavors I wanted carried through the meal was the pineapple sage I was using.  I minced about a tablespoon of it up and tossed it in the flour.  Then we used Weber beer can chicken seasoning in the eggs and "breading", about 1 1/2 teaspoons in each.
Then dunk in flour, egg mixture, and shake in "breading". (That was hubby's job.)


Regular toss salad with whatever you like.  Then there is the Cherry Couscous.  Very refreshing and definitely not a heavy side.
Cherry Couscous
(Adapted from  http://amuseinmykitchen.com )


1 cup Israeli Couscous
1 1/4 Cup Boiling Water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Cup Coarsely Chopped Pitted Cherries
1/2 Cup Sliced Green Onion, whites and greens
1 15oz Can Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
5 Spinach Leaves, cut in ribbons
5 Pineapple Sage Leaves, cut in ribbons
1/3 Cup Dry-Roasted Almonds, sliced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Grated Orange Rind
2 Tablespoons Fresh Orange Juice


In a saucepan boil water and salt.
Add Israeli Couscous, reduce heat to simmer, and cover cooking from 8 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a bowl place, cherries, onions, beans, and almonds. 
In a small bowl whisk together oil, orange rind and juice.
Put couscous in with cherry mixture, toss with oil mixture.  Let stand about 15 minutes for the couscous to soak up some of the oil mixture and serve.
You can use any citrus you like in place of orange.  You can use pecan pieces instead of almond slices.  This recipe is very, very versatile.  So change it how you like!  Remember the best ingredient is you.... Enjoy!

What's for lunch and well dessert?!

Dishes loaded in the dishwasher, everything put away and wiped down, coffee set for tomorrow morning ... now it's time to tell you about my day, or better yet what I made.  Have I mentioned I LOVE Italian food.  Being part Italian, growing up around my Godfather and his family (who are Italian) it is a large part of how I cook.  I try to make it not so Italian but there are days it just can't be helped.  Today was that day. I just wanted something yummy.  But what to put with bacon.  Yes I said bacon.  Everything is better with bacon.  I made Chicken ricotta ravioli but not any sauce would do.  I had 1/4 of a pound of thick cut bacon.  Cut it in lardons, which is just to say match stick sized pieces *giggles*, and crisped it up.  Once crisped, I added some bite sized pieces of zucchini, yellow squash, and mushrooms.  Then added some sliced shallots.  Threw in some spinach, once it was wilted down and the ravioli were cooked and drained, tossed the mixture in with the ravioli, hit it with a bit of fresh crated parmesan and VIOLA lunch.  It was so yummy.  Something I would definitely do again.  Then hubby left for work.  I have been dying to bake something, but the heat and humidity have been so bad lately.  Finally a little rain, OK a lot of rain, and a little bit of cool down and my mind is DEMANDING I bake something.   But what to bake.  I want something a little different paired with something I know I'll like.  There is nothing I like more than a good cup of cinnamon coffee in the morning.  Hmmm ... can I make a cupcake with those flavors.  I sure can!!!

The result is a cinnamon coffee cupcake recipe with the coffee chocolate almond frosting from Brave the heat for this one!  
With a few minor tweaks of course. 


Cinnamon Coffee Cupcake
1 3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Allspice
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Strong Brewed Coffee
2 Teaspoons Instant Coffee

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tin.  Batter makes 18 regular cupcakes.
Shift flour, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl and set aside.
In large bowl beat sugar and butter until light and smooth.
Add eggs one at a time and beat well.
Beat in vanilla extract.
Alternate adding flour mixture and brewed coffee, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Beat in instant coffee.
Fill cupcakes 2/3 full and bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool completely before frosting.


For the frosting the only change I made was 1/2 less teaspoon of the instant coffee and vanilla extract instead of almond.  When you take a bite of it it's like eating a Cinnamon mocha coffee.  Definitely going to try this by making just a cinnamon cupcake with maybe an apple or peach frosting.  Oh boy!  Can't wait for fall!!!!  Remember the best ingredient is you .... Enjoy!!!! 

Veggies Galore!

Today was definitely something worth registering in the record books.  My husband, who it is almost a requirement to have meat at every meal, ate a meatless meal.  Not one shred of meat was to be had in lunch today.  And he ENJOYED it!  It's up there in temperatures again but you still have to eat.  I know they say Monday is the day for meatless meals but since I don't adhere to those kinds of things I figured why not today.  I knew exactly what I wanted to make because I hadn't made a stir fry in a while, well not since our daughter went back to Tennessee.  So it's been a while.  I have all these veggies, both frozen and fresh, so stir fry it is.  BUT, you knew that was coming right, what sauce to use.  I didn't want the standard teriyaki sauce.  So off I went searching, while hubby sat beside me without a clue.  I found one I thought I'd like to try, but of course some of the ingredients I didn't have.  This of course resulted in what hubby likes to call Melody Tweaks.  

I will call it my Veggie Stir Fry Sauce Recipe, all because well there isn't anything close to meat in it.


1/2 Cup Soy Sauce (I used low sodium or lite)
1/2 Cup of Vegetable Stock
1/3 Cup of Coconut Milk
Juice of 1/2 a Lime
1 Teaspoon of Sesame Oil
3 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon White Pepper (definitely can use black pepper)
2 Tablespoons Peanut Oil
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
1 Tablespoon Minced Ginger
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1/4 Cup Cold Water
In a bowl combined soy sauce, stock, coconut milk, lime juice, sesame oil, brown sugar, and pepper.
In a separate bowl combined cornstarch and water.
In a medium saucepan heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil, once you see the oil start to ripple add the garlic and ginger.  Heat until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
Add soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and cook 1 minute.
Add cornstarch solution to saucepan and stir until the sauce boils and starts to thicken.  You can immediately add to your stir fry or set aside. 


If after you have added it to your stir fry and you find it too thick, you can think it out with a little vegetable stock.  But remember to add a little at a time and let it absorb before adding more.


What to put in a vegetable stir fry ... any veggie you want.  I am a fan of using both sweet and savory vegetable.  Frozen or fresh, even cans once they are drained and rinsed.  I love to add some pasta, usually a veggie pasta but if I don't have any on hand I will use whole grain linguine.  If you will be adding pasta, make sure to cook it first while your fresh veggies are sauteing.  As for the veggies, cook the fresh first, then add the frozen, then the canned.  In this instance I used a mix of frozen stir fry veggies, along with fresh zucchini, yellow squash, fresh carrots, baby spinach, and onions  Add some canned, drained and rinsed baby corn, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots.  At the end toss in 1/3 cup of honey roasted, chopped peanuts for a little added sweetness and crunch and you will have something TOTALLY meatless, yummy, and definitely filling.  

I like to add to the oil before the I add the veggies a clove of garlic and some minced ginger.  It scents and flavors the oil before starting to cook the veggies and brings the main flavors through the meal.  Once you have browned the garlic clove, remove it and toss.  If you want instead of peanuts, I used them because I used peanut oil, you can use sunflower seeds or even toasted sesame seeds.  


I'm hoping it cools down again soon so I can get back to some baking.  Hubby LOVED the chocolate cupcakes with the coffee chocolate almond frosting so now what to do to top that.  In the meantime, remember the best ingredient is you ... Enjoy!