Category Archives: Nico in the Kitchen

Feb 17

Donut Making and Cake Baking

One of my birthday presents was donut pans. Two to make tiny ones, and two to make regular sized donuts. I searched for a few recipes on pinterest, so I could give the new pans a try.

I made one batch completely from scratch, and I used a cake mix for the other.

The recipes, cook times, and even oven temperature varied from recipe to recipe. But I figured it was cake, tiny cake, so 350-375 F max, 8-11 mins. I still need to work on the timing, but my first attempt was tasty. The mini donuts were made from a yellow cake mix, and I made around 40 dounts from just one mix. The only problem I ran into was over-filling my tins. You need just a bit over a teaspoon and a half of batter for one donut.

For the chocolate ones, I found a recipe for twelve donuts, and the batter (and icing) was all from scratch. Again the recipe called for a baking time of eight minutes at 375F, I added another 2-3 minutes of cooking time, they just didn’t look ready at eight minutes.

Now for the verdict. The whole family loved them. The kids liked the chocolate ones the best, but my hubby thought that they needed to be a bit lighter and fluffier. I agreed, the batter was a bit too thick, it needs a little adjusting. The powdered sugar minis ended up being James and Agnes’ favorite. They were really light and airy, they didn’t taste anything at all like the store-bought ones.

Some tips, if you are trying these at home. Use less batter, it is really easy to over-fill the molds. Be patient, it took me two hours to fill, and bake all of the donuts. I think we might be investing in some more pans, since everyone really liked them. Make sure they are completely cool before you ice them, or bounce them around in powdered sugar. If they are too warm, they turn into crumbs, still tasty, but crumbs.

Make sure you get one of these before the kiddos do, they were gone in a flash.

Since I was going to be in the kitchen, I made a few cakes too. I made a Chocolate Bundt Cake for my family, and a Red Velvet Cake for my birthday.

Red Velvet cake is my absolute favorite, but my family won’t touch it. It turned out absolutely delicious, so yay, more cake for me!

 

Feb 5

January’s Veggie Meals

Well. I made it through the first month. I’m feeling pretty darn good about my decision to go back to being a vegetarian. The first few weeks were a little tough, but after a bit I settled in, and got used to the changes. I’ve noticed a little bit of savings on the grocery bill, and I’m feeling a bit better too.

I’m also happy to be cooking new dishes. I’m using fresh ingredients, and getting creative with what I have on hand. I’ve been taking a few photos of what’s been going on in the kitchen, veggie style.

I love burritos, and salsa verde!

Sauteed Onions, Sweet Corn, and Monterey Jack cheese. Pretty tasty indeed.

Corn Pudding or Corn Casserole which ever you choose to call it, I am in.

My kids love Pizza Rolls, and so do I. I made one pepperoni batch for the kids, and one veggie batch for me. Add in plenty of Mozzarella Cheese, and whatever veggies you choose. I’ve got Black Olives, Green Olives, Sauteed Onions, and Broccoli in this batch.

Thade requested a few homemade pizzas for his birthday. I made one with Broccoli, Black Olives, Green Olives, and Sliced Roma Tomatoes for me. It was crazy tasty!

Lastly, what my hubby calls “those are NOT tacos”, and I call them Veggie Tacos.

These “tacos” have a filling of Homemade Salsa infused Rice, with Corn, Black Beans, and Tomatoes. I top it off with a little shredded lettuce. The side is sliced Roma Tomatoes with Salsa Verde. I know it sounds strange, but it is filling, and tasty.

Feb 3

January’s Tasty Treats

January truly was a blur. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen cooking, and a lot of time on the couch with migraines. I hope February goes a little bit better, and I get to spend more time cooking than with headaches.

Lately I’ve been baking batches of Cinnamon Rolls to keep in the fridge. I like to send them along for my hubby’s breakfast.

My favorite breakfast Cream of Wheat with Irish Breakfast Tea or some Hazelnut coffee.

However, on migraine days, breakfast, lunch, and dinner look pretty much like this.

A few days later I was feeling better. I baked some over-sized and extra soft Cakerdoodles for the kids.

Towards the end of the month it was Thade’s birthday. I needed to make cupcakes for school, cupcakes for home, and a few birthday cakes too.

The cupcakes were a big hit at school. I sent the extra ones home with Grandma.

Thade also requested a Bread Cake for his birthday.

It turned out pretty well, and he was thrilled with the surprise.

For Kansas Day I signed up for room-mom duties at Agnes’ school.

I made Kansas Krispies treats for the kiddos. We placed a little star on them for our town. I made a few too many, so the leftovers went to Dylan. He was pretty happy about that, Rice Krispies Treats are one of his favorites.

We finished up the month with a birthday party at home for Thade.

The party was so much fun, and the kids were awesome too. Thade had a fantastic birthday, so that makes me extra happy.

Feb 2

February’s Monthly Menu

Hello February! It is crazy just how fast January went by. Well what can I say about February. There are a bunch of birthdays from my side of the family, and it is usually pretty darn cold in KS. I do love the fact that it is the shortest month, and that makes it really easy to meal plan. If you haven’t started meal planning just yet, give February a try.

I’m still sticking to my vegetarian ways, so the menu below is what I’m making for my family. Maybe I’ll post what I made for me at a later date. It is funny I don’t really plan my meals, I just use whatever I have fresh on hand. So here we go, it’s February’s monthly dinner menu.

  • 2/1/2015: Panko Popcorn Chicken and Tater Tots
  • 2/2/2015: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 2/3/2015: Chili, Saltines, and Cornbread
  • 2/4/2014: Chicken Soft Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 2/5/2015: Beef Rice-a-Roni, Hominy, Green Beans, and Wheat Rolls
  • 2/6/2015: Quesadillas, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 2/7/2015: Chili, Saltines, and Cornbread
  • 2/8/2015: Pot Roast with Potatoes, and Dinner Rolls
  • 2/9/2015: Chicken Fajitas, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 2/10/2015: Salmon Bites, Salad, and Breadstick Dinner Rolls
  • 2/11/2015: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 2/12/2015: Grilled Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Corn, and Dinner Rolls
  • 2/13/2015: Panko Popcorn Chicken, Tater Tots, and Corn Casserole
  • 2/14/2015: Bacon, Belgian Waffles with Strawberries and Whipped Cream
  • 2/15/2015; Steak, Green Beans, Baked Potatoes, Homemade Bread, and Peach Bundt Cake
  • 2/16/2015: Chicken Soft Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 2/17/2015: Panko Chicken Sandwiches, Tater Tots, and Corn Casserole
  • 2/18/2015: Beef Fajitas, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 2/19/2015: Panko Popcorn Chicken and Tater Tots
  • 2/20/2015: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 2/21/2015: Bacon, Toast, Muffins, Fresh Fruit, and Scrambled Eggs
  • 2/22/2015: Pot Roast with Potatoes, and Dinner Rolls
  • 2/23/2015: Chicken Soft Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 2/24/2015: Salmon Bites, Salad, and Breadstick Dinner Rolls
  • 2/25/2015: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 2/26/2015:Beef rice-a-roni, Hominy, Green Beans, and Wheat Dinner Rolls
  • 2/27/2015: Quesadillas, Tortilla Chips, and Homemade Salsa
  • 2/28/2015: Pancakes and Bacon

Time to make some shopping lists and get to it. I hope the snow stays away for just a bit more.