Introduction: How to Make Mall Pretzels. <PIC> Have you ever tasted a mall pretzel? If not, you're definitely missing out. If you have, you know how delicious, yet expensive, they can be. Did you know that you probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen it takes to make these bad boys? Well, I decided to take a wham at it, and here's how you can do it too. Step 1: Preparing Yeast. <PIC> Ingredients:
Active Dry Yeast - 4 tsp
White Sugar - 1 tsp & 1/2 cup divided
Flour - 4 cups (the original recipe calls for more, but this worked for me)
Warm Water - 1 1/4 cups
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Vegetable Oil - 1 Tablespoon, plus more for oiling the bowl
Baking Soda - 1/2 cup
Hot Water - 4 cups
Topping of choice (here I used butter and salt, but you can use cinnamon and sugar as well.)
First, you're going to dissolve your yeast and 1 tsp of sugar into a small bowl with the warm water. Let sit for about ten or so minutes, until it's frothy like the picture. While you're waiting for that mixture to froth up, you can mix together half of the flour, the rest of the sugar and the salt. Step 2: Making the Dough. <PIC> Make a well in the center, and place 1 tablespoon of your vegetable oil and your frothy yeast mixture in the center and mix it all up. Add a little more flour until it looks like this. You'll probably end up using four cups.
If you add too much flour, you can always add a little water to make it doughy. Step 3: Kneading the Dough. <PIC> That's some good lookin' dough! Now take it out of the bowl and knead it until it's smooth, which will probably take eight or so minutes. Feel free to add some flour while you're kneading if the dough feels too sticky. Step 4: Let It Double in Size. <PIC> When you're done kneading, lightly oil the bowl and place your dough in it. Make sure oil gets all over the dough. Place some plastic wrap over the bowl and set in a warm place (like in front of a window) for an hour at least. The dough needs to double in size. Step 5: Preheat Oven. After your dough has doubled, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Step 6: Prepare Baking Soda Solution. <PIC> In a large bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the hot water. Set aside. Step 7: Shaping the Pretzels. <PIC> Place your risen dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces (I did six at a time). Roll each piece into a rope. Roll it on the counter or roll it between your palms. Now make your rolled dough into that classic pretzel shape! Step 8: Dipping in Baking Soda Solution. <PIC> Once all the dough is shaped and pretty, dip them into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. If you would like, you can baste the pretzels in butter before baking. The baking soda solution is needed to make the pretzel crust. Skipping this step is not advised.
Bake the pretzels for 8-10 minutes, or until browned. Step 9: Final Touches. <PIC> As soon as they come out of the oven, put more butter and sprinkle some salt on them. Enjoy!


Introduction: How to Put Your Kids' Names in Their Pancakes. <PIC> I was cooking pancakes one morning and was struck with the idea to put their names in them.  I decided to try it and it was a bit easier than I thought, and the kids loved them.  Ok, well, they liked them (I probably thought they were cooler than they did : P ) but I thought it was a cool way to just put in that extra bit of effort to do something unique for them.  Anyway, here is how to do it. Step 1: Write the Letters. <PIC> I used regular pancake batter, but thickening it up a tiny bit would probably be helpful- not too much because you won't be able to get good detail if it is too thick, but if it is particularly thin you won't be able to get finer lines- they will just run everywhere.  The first thing that I did wrong was to make the lettering face right side up, when in fact it needs to be mirrored so that when you flip the pancakes over and it gets reversed the names or initial or whatever you do with them are readable to the eater.  So, pour the name onto your heated griddle mirrored.  Another thing that I did slightly differently as I went on was to let the letters cook a little bit first, a good 30 seconds or a minute before going to the next step.  Step 2: Finishing Up. <PIC>  After the letters have cooked a minute, go ahead and pour batter over and around them so that all the letters of the name are encased.  You could, of course, just cook the letters by themselves, but I figured the name in a pancake was kind of cool.  Then you flip the pancake as normal, but because you will probably end up with an awkward size or shape, it will be more difficult than a regular round pancake.  One I ended up using two spatulas simultaneously to flip, which was a challenge but (to me) was well worth it for the coolness factor. These were made for Caleb, AJ, Alex and Ben.
Have fun and make your kids feel loved in a yummy way to start the day!


Introduction: Spooky Creepy Finger Cookies. <PIC> What a creepy creation perfect for Halloween. Step 1: INGREDIENTS . <PIC>   1 cup butter softened  1 cup confectioner’s sugar  1 teaspoon vanilla extract  2 cups all-purpose flour  1 teaspoon baking powder  1/2 teaspoon salt  1/2 cup pecan   Sprinkle of cinnamon  1 (.75 ounce) tube red decorating gel  1 (.75 ounce) tube black icing  green coloring  toothpick Step 2: DIRECTIONS:. <PIC> Combine the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer; gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt, continually beating; refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets. Remove dough from refrigerator. Scoop 1 heaped of teaspoon into a piece of waxed paper and using the wax paper to roll the dough into a thin finger-shaped cookie. Press one pecan on one end of each cookie that will serve as a long dirty fingernail. Squeeze cookie near the tip and again near the center of each that will serve as knuckles, then using a toothpick make lines at the same points to help give a more finger-like appearance. Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on the knuckles.  On the other variety of finger with blackened nail, replace pecan by squeezing black decorating gel direct on the cookie.For green colored finger, in a small bowl squeeze some green coloring drops and roll the finger shape dough to it. Step 3: . <PIC> Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are slightly golden in color, 20 to 25 minutes.Remove the pecan from the end of each cookie, squeeze a small amount of red decorating gel into the cavity; replace the pecan so this will make the gel to ooze out around the tip of the cookie like a blood. Step 4: . <PIC> So easy but creepy!


Introduction: S'more Brownie Cupcakes. <PIC> I absolutely love brownies and s'mores, so I thought why not combine the two? And I did!  Step 1: Ingredients. <PIC> What you need:For the brownies-
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Graham cracker crumbs
    -or-
Brownie mixToppings:
Graham cracker crumbs
Large marshmellows
Chocolate chips Step 2: Making the Brownies. <PIC> Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
-In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually stir into the egg mixture until well blended. Now add the graham cracker crumbs, stir until blended.
-Spread the batter evenly into cupcake pan.
-Bake for about 20 minutes
-Remove from oven  Step 3: Adding the S'mores. <PIC> IMMEDIATELY AFTER REMOVING FROM OVEN
-Place one large marshmallow on each brownie cupcake
-Place back in oven for 3 minutes
-Remove from oven
-Poke hole (with a fork) in each marshmallow (allowing it to become sticky)
-Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on each cupcake
-Add a few chocolate chips to each Step 4: The Finale!. <PIC> Allow time to cool, about 5 minutes
Then take a fork and gently the cupcake will come out
Voilà! Mangez!
EAT!


Introduction: Hawaiian Lilikoi Butter - the Ultimate Butter You Never Had. . Living in Hawaii I grew up with lilikoi butter as a staple in our home. It was always in the fridge ready to be topped on whatever my heart desired. It was only after moving to the mainland that I realized that most people have no clue what it is. And boy are you all missing out!Lilikoi is more commonly known as passion fruit. This is however nothing like a fruit butter which does not contain any butter at all. Although called Lilikoi butter it is actually a curd made with Passion fruit juice, butter, sugar, and eggs.  Very simple to make and it keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.Once you try it on toast, pancakes, or crepes you will wonder why you never heard of it before! Step 1: Gather You Ingredients. 1/2 Cup passion fruit juice2/3 Cup sugar (Add more to taste)3 Eggs6 Tablespoons Butter You will need a sauce pan and glass bowl for a double boiler. A whisk and a strainer.Here is a great video on how to juice lilikoi.Finding fresh passion fruit isn't very easy to do so frozen pulp or puree is your next best bet. Juice concentrate will also work. This Goya brand can be found in Hispanic markets which is what I used. You might also find different brands that will say Parcha or Maracuja which means passion fruit. I found this on amazon but it is spendy. If you do get your hands on fresh lilikoi, cut them in half and scoop everything into a food processor and pulse for a couple seconds. Pour over a sieve and press down on the seeds the extract as much of the juice as possible. It will take about 5-8 lilikoi for 1/2 cup of juice. Discard the seeds. Step 2: Cooking Directions. Fill your pot with an inch of water, bring to a simmer.First you will pour the eggs, sugar and juice in a glass bowl and whisk until combined. Then cut the butter into cubes and add to the other ingredientsPlace the bowl onto the pot with the simmering water. Stir consistently until the liquid thickens. You will know it's done when the butter coats the back of a spoon. Strain the butter to make sure you get a smooth creamy consistency. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the butter to prevent a skin from forming.Let cool, then refrigerate.*There are other ways to make curds but the double boiler helps prevent the eggs from scrambling. Another option is to place all the ingredients except for the eggs into a sauce pan and heat, then add some of the heated liquid to the eggs to temper them, then pour it all back into the sauce pan and stir until thickened.  Step 3: Lilikoi Butter Uses. Here are some of the amazing ways to use Lilikoi Butter:Spread on toast'Syrup' for pancakes or crepesFrosting on cake top Filling for donutsTartsParfaitsThe options are endless. Lilikoi is a great substitute for lemon recipes. Lilikoi lemon bars, Lilikoi meringue pie, etc. It is such a fun and delicious way to switch things up. Not to mention it also makes the perfect homemade holiday present. Pour in a sanitized mason jar and decorate to your liking. :)


Introduction: Football Bento. <PIC> To celebrate FIFA WORLD CUP 2014 in Brazil, I made this bento for my 14months old daughter. Step 1: Football Shirts Nugget. <PIC> For the nugget, please refer my previous post "Chick Nugget".https://www.instructables.com/id/Chick-nugget/For the yellow shirt, I combined mayonnaise, curry powder and a hint of ketchup. The green details were made of cucumber skin. If not for kids, mustard and mayonnaise may work. For the red shirt, just applied ketchup and made "10" number with thinly cut seaweed paper.The green one was made of mayonnaise and seaweed powder.  Step 2: Football Rice Balls. <PIC> IngredientsCooked Japanese Rice (Sushi Rice)  Black Paper (seaweed paper)  Sour Plum if available Directions1. Put a sheet of cling film on your palm and put some amount of rice. As I made them for a toddler this time, the portion is very small. 2. Put a tiny portion of sour plum and cover it with some rice.3. Close the cling film and make a flat round shape.4. Cut black paper into pieces of pentagon.5. Apply the blackpaper pieces on the surface of a rice ball like football patches.


Introduction: Truffled Mashed Potatoes With Wild Mushrooms. <PIC> Truffles are one of the most delicious and intoxicating flavors in existence.  (And I'm talking here about truffles, the relative of mushrooms, not chocolate truffles, which are also wonderful). There is something about trufles that goes beyond taste and smell and seems to cause a full-body sensation of bliss, a truffle high.  If you are looking for a special dish to add to a holiday meal, fancying up your mashed potatoes with a little truffle flavor is an easy crowd pleaser.  Truffles work well on anything like potatoes or pasta that does not have its own strong flavor, and mushrooms are also a natural companion to truffles, perhaps because of their close biological kinship.The problem with truffles is, they're expensive and they're hard to preserve.  The best way to impart truffle flavor to anything is to shave a fresh truffle onto a finished dish, but if you don't have access to fresh truffles, or don't want to spend the money, there are other alternatives.  Italian specialty stores or fancy groceries often sell truffle oil, or truffle salt which has been infused with the flavor of truffles.  Unfortunately, though many of these products contain some truffles, most are also infused with an artificially synthesized compound to boost the truffle flavor, and here's where the debate comes in... because to be honest, it's still really delicious!  When I was shopping for this dish, I decided to buy one of the truffle oils that only contained real truffle essence, not "truffle flavor", and I have to say, it just wasn't as good.  The truffle flavor just wasn't very strong and it hardly seemed worth the money.  I have also tried a few of the artificially enhanced oils and salts, and while these truffle "flavor" products will never quite capture the subtlety of tastes of a fresh truffle, they still create a very enjoyable and unique flavor and scent experience.  I'm not usually one for advocating artificial flavors, but once in a while, I'm happy to indulge in a blissful truffle experience, even a slightly inauthentic one.  Of course, if you can get your hands on fresh truffle, by all means, use that instead. Step 1: A Little About Truffles. <PIC> Truffles, like mushrooms, are the fruiting body of a fungus.  While most mushrooms fruit above ground, providing us with such delicacies as shiitake, portobello and oyster mushrooms, truffles stay just barely subterranean making them harder to find.  Truffles also only grow in very specific environments, the locations of which are often highly guarded by truffle hunters.  The fungus that creates truffles has a symbiotic relationship with the roots of certain trees such as hazel, oak and beech, and it is partially this complex interdependency that makes truffles extremely difficult to cultivate.In order to locate and harvest truffles, human truffle hunters need the help of an animal companion with a better sense of smell.  Female pigs were the first animal to be used for truffle hunting, but they tend to eat the truffles as soon as they find them.  As a result, dogs have replaced pigs as truffle hunters in many places.  Dogs need to be trained to sniff out truffles, but they are easier to control and less ravenous when it comes to truffle eating.One reason truffles are thought to be so intoxicating to humans (as well as truffle hunting pigs), is that they contain a compound with a similar chemical structure to a pheromone found in both pigs and humans.There are many kinds of truffles, but the types most commonly used in cooking are:White Truffles: these are the most expensive and highly prized of the truffles for their strong yet delicate flavor. They are mostly found in Italy and nearby regions.  They fruit in the autumn and often sell for several thousand dollars a pound.Black Truffles: also known as or Black Périgord Truffles, are the second-most expensive type after white truffles. Black truffles grow mostly in France and their harvest season is late autumn and winter.Summer Truffles: also called burgundy truffles, are slightly more common than black truffles and have a earthier and less pungent flavor.  They are found in many places in Europe and can be harvested from summer through autumn.Truffles are fascinating and elusive creatures.  The facts surrounding them are bizarre and fantastical enough that they seem almost to have emerged from the realm of myth... and that is part of the allure of the truffle eating experience.  If you are lucky enough to taste a truffle you feel that you have somehow had a moment of communion with a supernatural world of sensory experience that us usually closed to mere mortals. Step 2: Ingredients. <PIC> Makes 6-8 servingsFor the Potatoes3 lbs yukon gold or red bliss potatoes1/2 cup heavy cream1 1/2 cups grated parmesan1 stick butter (if you are using truffle salt, use unsalted butter)1 teaspoon pepperApproximately 3 Tablespoons truffle oil or 3 teaspoons truffle salt (this will depend on the strength of your truffling ingredient).Salt to taste (if using truffle oil)Fresh shaved black or Burgundy truffles - optionalFor the Mushrooms3 lbs mixed mushrooms - shiitake, crimini, oyster, etc4 garlic cloves3/4 cup chicken broth3/4 cup cup dry white wine1/4 cup half and half6 Tablespoons butterpinch of nutmeg1/2 cup Italian parsley Step 3: Slice and Steam the Potatoes. <PIC> When I'm making mashed potatoes, especially if I'm using red or gold potatoes, I like to keep the skins on.  This is a personal preference, but I don't think the skins actually interfere with the texture of the mash, and they are the part of the potato with the most nutrients.  Wash the potatoes thoroughly, then slice them into 1/4 thick rounds and place them in a steamer over medium high heat. they should take about 10-15 minutes depending on how many potatoes you are using.  Test them periodically with a fork to see if they are soft enough, moving them around a bit in the pan to get an even steam. Step 4: Prep the Mushroom Ingredients. <PIC> While the potatoes are cooking, prep the ingredients for the mushrooms.  If my mushrooms are dirty, I like to clean them with a damp towel rather than washing them, as they tend to absorb a lot of moisture.  When they are clean, slice all your varieties of mushrooms into relatively equal pieces, and peel and mince the 4 garlic cloves. Step 5: Cook the Mushrooms. <PIC> In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the garlic, and cook for about a minute.Add the mushrooms and stir until they are coated with butter.  Cover them and let them cook for about 5 minutes until they release their juices.  Then add the wine, chicken stock and cream, stir and allow to lightly simmer down for about 10 more minutes, until the liquid around the mushrooms begins to thicken and all the wine has cooked off. Step 6: Mash the Potatoes. <PIC> When your potatoes fall apart when touched with a fork, spoon them into a mixing bowl, or if you prefer, you can also use a ricer to mash your potatoes before mixing in the other ingredients.  Add the butter, cream and parmesan and mash with a masher of fork.  I find that depending on the consistency of your potatoes, you may want to add more cream and butter.  This is really something you have to judge for yourself as you are mashing.   Step 7: Truffle. <PIC> When your mashed potatoes have a consistency you are pleased with, and your mushrooms are suitably saucy, it's time to add your truffling to both.  You almost always want to add truffle flavor to a dish at the very end, while it is still hot, but not cooking.  This will preserve the truffle flavor the best, while still allowing the heat to help release the flavor.  If you are using actual black truffles, at this point you should chop them up finely and stir them in.   Truffling really needs to be done to taste, depending on the truffle product you are using.  But a few tablespoons of oil, or several teaspoons of salt will usually do the trick.  Stir in the salt or oil combine it thoroughly with the mushrooms and potatoes.  Be careful not to over-salt if you are using truffle salt.  You should really be able to taste the truffle flavor, if you find yourself sighing with pleasure or grinning with happiness after taking a bite, you'll know you've gotten it right. Step 8: Plate and Serve. <PIC> Now spoon the potatoes into the dish of your choice (I used a martini glass, for fanciness :) and top them with a spoonful of your mushrooms and sauce.  Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.  Now prepare yourself for truffle bliss.


Introduction: Pomegranate Cake Tarts. <PIC> I was skimming through all my dessert cookbooks one day. I desperately needed a good party dessert. I stopped to look at a delicious lemon pound cake, some chocolate chip cookies, and a very good-looking pear pie. I was thinking to myself, “Someone should combine all the best parts of those desserts into one!” so then I wouldn't have to make mini pies, cake, and cookies for all my guests.
After some experiments I discovered the perfect combination. I present you with my very own creation to hit taste buds everywhere: Pomegranate Cake Tarts. These delicious tarts combine all the best parts of cakes, cookies, and pies. The merging of all these classic desserts makes this dessert special. The “filling” of the tart is a moist red-velvet-esque pomegranate cake. The crust of the pie is a classic cookie with little hints of white chocolate (if you choose) . And I have the perfect frosting to go along with this too: White Cream Cheese frosting.
I’m proud to say I created this recipe and I’m glad to share it with all of you so party it up with Pomegranate Cake Tarts.
Don’ they look delicious? Well I love all my photos that I took of my final product this time but I want to know what you guys think. Leave a comment saying which one you like best!Please vote for this instructable in the Sodastream Party Food Contest! Step 1: Ingredients. <PIC>
          Well I know you’re anxious to get started ;) , so here’s what you need to make these yummy tarts:
For the cake:
		1 cup sugar
		3 eggs
		1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
		1 cup of pomegranate juice
		1/4 cup melted butter
		1 teaspoon baking powder
		1 teaspoon vanilla
For the cookie:
		2 cups of all-purpose flour
		1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
		1/4 teaspoon salt
		1/2 cup of butter
		1/2 cup of brown sugar
		1/4 cup of sugar
		1 egg
		1/2 teaspoon vanilla
		5 tablespoons of finely chopped white chocolate
For the cream cheese frosting:
		1 cup of confectioner’s sugar
		1 package (or 8 oz) of softened cream cheese
		1 teaspoon of vanilla Step 2: Creaming the Butter. <PIC> Gather all the ingredients for the cookie part of the dessert. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, add the 1/2 cup of butter (or 1 stick) with the brown and regular sugar. Make sure the butter is softened a bit. You can leave it out at room temperature for about 10 minutes or heat it up for 20 seconds in the microwave. Step 3: Adding the Other Ingredients. <PIC> After the mixture looks like a crumble, add the 2 cups of all-purpose flour, along with the salt and baking powder. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes pr just until the mixture starts clumping up a bit. Add the egg, vanilla, and chocolate to the mixture as well. Step 4: Rolling and Baking. <PIC> Roll out the dough on a floured surface and make sure your rolling pin is floured as well. The dough shouldn’t be too thick (just thick enough to prevent ripping). Use a bowl that has around a 4 inch diameter to cut circles in the dough. Grease a cupcake tin with melted butter. This step is very important; you don’t want those gorgeous cake tarts to stick to the pan! Put each of the circles in its own cupcake spot and even out the sides (like you would do when making mini pies or tarts). Make sure the cookie goes all the way up the sides. Place the cookies in the oven for 10 minutes. Don’t worry if they’re not done because they are going in the oven again after adding the cake mixture. Step 5: Making the Cake. <PIC> Now for the cake part. Gather all the ingredients for the cake (use the measurements for the cake part ). Add all three eggs and the cup of sugar and blend until creamy. Sift your flour and add it to the mixture. Add the vanilla too. Beat until well combined. Step 6: Adding the Juice. <PIC> Add the cup of pomegranate juice to the mixture and beat on high for 30 more seconds. Add the baking powder and the melted butter and mix until well combined. Step 7: Baking the Cake. <PIC> Take the cookies out of the oven after the 1o minutes. If they have risen up use a fork to flatten them out a bit. Pour the cake batter into each of the cookie crusts. It’s okay to overfill the crust a little (as long as you greased the pan well). Put the tarts into the oven for about 5 minutes or just until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake. Let cool. Step 8: Making the Frosting. <PIC> Gather the ingredients for the frosting while waiting for the tarts to cool. Cream the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer until smooth and insert into a plastic bag or piping bag. Step 9: Finish!. <PIC> You’re done! Whew what a journey. :) I had so much fun coming up with this recipe and in the end it paid off! You should have seen my beaming face when I took these cake tarts out of the oven. They are so cute and when you bite into them its a mixture of crunchiness and moistness. I love the contrast of it and the two layers are appealing visibly too! Pomegranate Cake Tarts are the epitome of desserts: A combination of the best desserts that everyone loves definitely did not disappoint. Try making these sometime and with that cream cheese frosting, these are sure to please anyone who has any inkling of a sweet tooth.
Make these at your next party and I'm sure your guests will love it. Perfect finger food!
Enjoy!


Introduction: Bartending for Beginners: Lemon Drop. <PIC> The Lemon Drop cocktail is considered by many to be the equivalent of hard lemon candy and alcohol form. It has become a base for several other different drinks including jello shots and moonshine. Today I'm going to be showing you how to make the drink that started all these. The lemon drop is a tart drink that is sure to please all the lemon lovers out there Step 1: Supplies. <PIC> To make a lemon drop, you'll need the following supplies.Vodka Lemon juiceTriple secSimple Syrup Drink shakerLemonIce Step 2: Add Ingredients. <PIC> Begin by filling the shaker half full with ice. you then pour one ounce of vodka one ounce of lemon juice and one ounce of triple sec into your shaker. Shake thoroughly until mixed. Step 3: Pour and Add Garnish . <PIC> Because of the small size of this drink some shoes to take it in a chilled shot glass. I however, prefer to make it and serve it in a shooter glass along with a slice of lemon in the drink as a garnish. The lemon gives a little extra color and adds just an extra bit of tart flavor. Use a sharp knife to slice off some lemon peel (with a bit of lemon) and drop it into your drink. Step 4: Enjoy!. <PIC> There you have it this simple drink is quick to make and doesn't require a lot of ingredients. Despite its simplicity is sure to pucker a few faces and get lots of positive feedback. Thanks for reading!


Introduction: Mini Maypole Cakes. <PIC> I created these cakes for May Day, a holiday sandwiched between Easter and Mother's Day and so often overlooked! There's something so nostalgic and whimsical about maypoles and the traditions that surround them and I knew I wanted to make a Maypole cake topper that celebrated them. Mini bundt cakes were the perfect pair for these Maypole toppers, made with striped paper straws and pastel ribbon.  Step 1: Supply List. <PIC> Paper Straw
Ribbon
Scissors
Round candy or jelly bean, glue and a toothpick (Optional, for pole topper)
Mini Bundt Cakes Step 2: Cut Your Ribbons + Straw to Size. <PIC> Using the size of your mini bundt cakes as a guide, cut your straw to the desired height. Then, cut three lengths of ribbon to the desired length. I wanted each finished strand to hang 10" long so I cut three lengths at 20" each. Step 3: Fold and Twist Ribbons. <PIC> Layer your ribbons on top of each other, fold in half and twist slightly. Step 4: Insert Ribbon Into Straw. <PIC> Insert your twisted strands of ribbon into the top of your straw. You may want to add a touch of glue to the inside of the straw to hold them in place if you are not adding a topper. Step 5: Add Topper. <PIC> If you're adding a candy topper, cut a toothpick in half and insert it carefully into the candy. Step 6: Insert Topper Into Straw. <PIC> Insert the toothpick topper into your straw on top of the ribbons and spread the ribbons out evenly. Step 7: Add Maypole to Cake. <PIC> Place your maypole into the center of your bundt cake. If it does not stay steady on its own, use an extra bit of glaze or a marshmallow to hold it in place. Spread out the ribbons and you're finished!


Introduction: Croquembouche Cupcake. <PIC>
          This adorable cupcake is decorated to look like a miniature Croquembouche, the traditional French wedding cake consisting of cream puffs held together with a delicious web of caramel.
To make this cupcake, you'll need:
		1 Standard Size Cupcake
		1 Sugar Cone
		Vanilla Frosting
		Caramel Frosting
		Small round candies or halved jelly beans
		Caramel Squares
Begin by frosting the cupcake with vanilla frosting. Then frost the sugar cone with caramel frosting. Place the sugar cone on top of the cupcake and cover it with the round candies. I used halved jelly beans. Melt the caramel squares in the microwave. Using the tines of a fork, drizzle the caramel around the candy-covered cone. These make great wedding favors.


Introduction: Spicy Gobi Dry. <PIC> Gobi Manchurian is a starter or  side dish from Cauliflower in the Indo Chinese Kitchen.This version of the Gobi Manchurian is a dry a one and serves best as a starter or main course of side dish.This is much likely to be spicy and it is a street version of Gobi Manchurian.you can also serve this Gobi Dry as a snack or you can add it to your rice bowl, it serves best with the fried rice.So let's get the street food started. Step 1: Ingredients. <PIC> CauliflowerChilli powderCorn StarchSaltTurmericGinger Garlic PasteOnionsTomatoesCapsicumSousesVinegarLemon Step 2: Chop the Cauliflower and Clean. <PIC> Chop the Cauliflower and put them in a bowl containing water to wash, chop this Cauliflower into small small pieces and put them in the water bowl and stir in order to get rid of all the dirt in between.Put a spoon of turmeric into the bowl so that it will kill all the bacteria and clean these cauliflower pieces.Now stir it well so that the turmeric gets spread all over and evenly mixes with the water.Now keep the bowl on the stove and heat it so that this will kill any fungi left in the Cauliflower.after this you are ready to get started with the recipe. Step 3: Prepare the Masala. <PIC> To the boiled Cauliflower pieces after taking them out of the water bowl add cornstarch and gram flour.Mix it thoroughly , now add salt,chilli powder and chicken masala and mix it well.The proportions depends upon the amount of Cauliflower.Even if the Cornstarch or gram flour becomes more also it is okay but make sure u add a little amount of salt and 2 to 3 tables spoons of Chicken Masala and stir the mixture well. Step 4: Dip and Deep Fry. <PIC> Add a little amount of water to the mixture so that it becomes a batter.Now keep a bowl on the stove and turn on the flame, add oil to the bowl and wait till the oil gets heated up.test it by sprinkling a little amount of water into the bowl.Add the batter coated cauliflower to the oil after it gets heated.Now deep fry the cauliflowers and keep them aside. Step 5: Pan Work. <PIC> Keep a pan on the stove and add a little amount of oil .Then add Ginger Garlic paste to the pan and roast it.Now add chopped onions , capsicum to this and fry it well.After a minute or two ad vinegar and souses you would like to add to the Gobi and keep stirring. Step 6: Add Deep Fried Gobi and Serve. <PIC> To the veggies that are being fried on the pan add the deep fried Cauliflower.Stir is continuously till everything gets evenly spread.You can add more amount of Tomato Souse if you want it to be a little more tasty. Add few drops of lemon also if you want to bare the spiciness.Serve it into a bowl and enjoy as a side dish or a Snack or Main course to your rice bowl.Thank you:)


Introduction: Hot & Spicy Fish Curry. <PIC> Fish curry is a famous South Indian recipe.It is very spicy and it has rich flavor. The dish is usually rested for some time and then eaten as it helps the fish in absorbing the flavors into it and makes it more juicy and soft.It goes extremely good with rice, dosa and rotis.On healthy side, fishes are rich in iron, calcium; provide good vitamins with less carbohydrate and cholesterol. It makes wonderful addition to any nutritious diet. Traditionally it's cooked in clay or earthen pot which enhances the taste. So if you have earthen pot,please use it. Step 1: Shopping List. <PIC> Fish - 1/2 kg (1 lbs)  * I used Salmon fishTo grind:Coconut  - 1 cup (grated) Onion      - 1 (chopped roughly) Garlic      - 2 pods Red chilli Powder - 2 Tbsp Coriander Powder - 1 TbspTo temperOil   - 1 1/2  Fenugreek - 1 tsp Garlic  - 4 pods (chopped) Ginger  - 1 inch (chopped) Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp Tamarind - Lemon sized Tomato  - 1 (chopped roughly) Green Chilli -  5  Curry Leaves - a sprig Coriander Leaves - 2 Tbsp (chopped roughly) Salt -as requiredPrepare the Ingredients. I always clean fish and rinse it with turmeric and salt which helps to remove microbes and impurities. Step 2: Grinding Paste. <PIC> Heat the Pan and add 1 cup of grated coconut in the pan and fry it.  Add the Onion and Garlic pods, saute untill onion turns transparent and light golden colour.  Switch off the stove Add the Red chilli powder and Coriander powder in it, mix well and let it cools Grind it smoothly using blender/mixture and keep the paste aside. Step 3: Making Gravy . <PIC> Heat oil in pan and add fenugreek.Then add chopped garlic and ginger. Saute for 1 minute. Add turmeric powder and mix well Then add the grinded paste and saute it for 10 minutes Add enough water, salt and add the tamarind and let it boil for 15 - 25 minutes. Step 4: Add Fish and Finish Curry. <PIC> When oil gets separated, add fish pieces into the boiling gravyand let it boil for 5 - 8 minutes. Switch off the flame. Now add the tomato, green chilli, curry leaves and oil. Cover it with lid and let it cool down. Serve after an hour at least. That will help the fish and tomato to cook well. Garnish them with Coriander leaves.Serve with rice.NotesThe fish usually will cook faster so be careful not to break or dissolve them. So after adding fish don't boil them longer.Try to use Sesame oil as it gives great flavors to the fish curry. This curry even tastes better the next day.


Introduction: Onion Cream Sauce Chicken Recipe. <PIC> Ingredients:500g chicken breast350ml cream5 onions1 bunch spring onionscurry, salt, pepper Step 1: Preparation. <PIC> Cut the onions & sprin onions in small rings and half moons. Cut the chicken in flat pieces and lay them on a oven plate. Add salt, pepper, curry & oil to the onions and mix it. Pour the onions over the chicken and put it in the oven at 180 degrees celsius circulating air for about 20 minutes. Add the spring onions to the cream and sprinkle salt, pepper & curry to it. Step 2: Finish. <PIC> Give the spring onion curry cream mix on the plate and put it back in the oven for another 20 minutes to finish it. Enjoy it with rice, noodle, potatoes or? Look at my other work. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClE2pnTDfDwsbUnawJ7tl6Q


Introduction: Chinese Fried Rice. <PIC> Food craving at 1am of night? Want a quick fix? Try this recipe but make sure you stock up your things before hand.This is a recipe which my Chinese aunt gave to me. This dish is popular in her family. It's full of proteins , carbs and fibre. I hope you like it. Step 1: Ingredients. <PIC> Green onions ( 6 tablespoons, I froze mine)Boiled rice (1cup) ( make sure you boiled them ahead of time e.g a day ago)Cabbage (hand full)One eggCapsicum ( yellow and red I used) 2 tablespoons Chilli flakesSaltBlack pepper Oregano seasoning I used sachets of dominos for chilli flakes and oregano seasoning ( feel free to omit it)  Step 2: Cooking . <PIC> Add the raw egg in the rice and coat them well. Keep your vegetables ready if they are fresh. Now add oil in your vok and make it hot. Add your rice egg mixture and keep tossing. Making sure the rice don't stick together with each other as well as they don't break. It's best to avoid the spatula or any other kitchen utensil in the beginning. Toss the rice in the air above the pan. Use spatula if there are some stubborn lumps. Now once the rice begun to separate, add your salt, chilli flakes, oregano seasoning and toss well. Once each grain of  rice is separate from another and it's no more sticky ( make sure your rice are not mushy or too hard due to over cooking. ) add in your vegetables. Toss and cook but make sure there crispness retained. During this whole cooking,my flame was on high and I manually changed it when it was needed. Plate your rice out in a bowl. Your food for one is ready :D Step 3: Final Thoughts. <PIC> This makes your tummy full and it's pretty quick meal. You can use almost any vegetable you have at home. Or simply use egg rice and spices to make easy fried rice. I hope you enjoyed it.


Introduction: Cheap and Lazy Nute Soup 15 Mins Done. hi all, so one pot cooking at its totally basics. one chop with a knife, no fiddly temperatures. all the nutrition of meat and veg and versatile enough to accommodate everyone's tastes.really cheap, extremely difficult to burn and 15 mins from pan to man ( or woman )to make this as i have you will need  approx amounts as i do not measure exactly:one small onion, halfed and peeled4 mushrooms3 cloves of garlic.1ts pepper corns 1/4 ghost chilli ( for that warming feeling.)1 ts of season all300g  cheap frozen veg ( the small little bits )water to cover your given amount  1 packet of soya mince, aprox 25g dried250 ml milk bacon oil in the bottom of the pan is optional or a pinch of real salt as a substituteso the method : throw onion in the pan with the mushrooms, cheap frozen veg and garlic add boiling water to just cover the veg. add season all, pepper and chilli once near the boil or at the boil add the soya mince,leave at the boil ( as long as it doesn't try to escape the pan all is good)cook/ torture  for 10 mins, occasional stir doesn't harmget out the stick blender and attack the big lumps.add milk and blend to hide your laziness and infuse all those healthy flavors.and pour/ ladle into a eating vessel of choice.pre pair to be amazed!so in my vid i decided originally to add chicken gravy so it would have been a so lazy chicken and vegbut season all did the job lovely.  you can add marmite for a beefy veg soup.cream for cream of veg.jerk seasoning for jerk veg soup.curry powder for you guessed it curry soupbasically any flavor you like.This is very good to make when you have unexpected guests for dinner and need a bulker to a meal or just too lazy / hungry to wait.i hoped you found this slightly amusing and it goes to show that breaking pretty much every rule for cooking can create something not half bad and filling and healthy.thanks                Step 1: .


Introduction: Buttermilk Biscuits. <PIC> This is a recipe is for the classic Biscuit that I made by actually adapting my Raspberry Scones recipe to transform it into a biscuit. You can top these biscuits simply in butter, or also in any fruit jam. One difference you may notice with this recipe and others in general, is that this recipe uses a 2:1 ratio of cream of tartar to baking soda (the two ingredients of baking powder) to achieve the rise in the oven.Enjoy, and be sure to check out my food blog: Michael's Test Kitchen Step 1: Ingredients:. <PIC> 2 1/2 cups flour1 teaspoon baking soda2 teaspoons cream of tartar1/2 teaspoon salt1 cup buttermilk8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen Step 2: Dry Ingredients. <PIC> Preheat oven to 375 (if you want to use convection, preheat to 350). Mix the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl. Step 3: Frozen Butter. <PIC> Shred the frozen butter in a food processor with the shred attachment. Put shredded butter into the dry ingredients bowl, and cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbles. Step 4: Wet Ingredients. <PIC> Pour in the buttermilk and fold it in until thoroughly combined, being careful not to over-mix dough. Step 5: Shape and Bake. <PIC> Place dough onto a floured surface, and roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thick. Cut out biscuits with any round device like a cup, and place the circles of dough on a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven (375 degrees) for 15 minutes or more, until biscuits are golden brown. Step 6: Done!. <PIC>


Introduction: Better Ramen Noodles. <PIC> if you follow the instructions on the package, it tastes too salty, leaving you thirsty, just noddles. but with a little tweaking you can create an amazing meal. Step 1: Out With the Old in the New. <PIC> those little "flavor" packets that look like condoms, throw them out, don't even open them. mom's thanks giving left overs have more flavor. Step 2: Start Boiling Water. <PIC> boil some water. i used a larger pot because im planing on adding more meat, leftovers. Step 3: Add Meat. <PIC> add some ramen, once the ramen is done, add your leftovers, and let them boil( this cooks them) Step 4: Strain and Eat. <PIC> strain your ramen, put the ramen and meat in a dish and enjoy


Introduction: Grilled Rainbow Vegetables. <PIC> After seeing some yummy looking veggie skewers on pinterest, my partner and I knew we needed to make a version of our own.This easy recipe is sure to be a crowd-pleaser at your next barbecue. Step 1: Ingredients. <PIC> For the veggie skewers, you will need:Bell peppers (red, orange and yellow)ZucchiniRed onionCherry tomatoesBeetsYou can substitute in any of your favourite vegetables or whatever you have on hand.For the marinade, you'll need:1 cup oil (we used canola oil)2 cups white vinegar½ cup balsamic vinegar1 ½ tsp cayenne pepper (you can use less if you don't want spicy skewers)3 cloves of garlic2 tbsp paprika1 tbsp basil Step 2: Make the Skewers. <PIC> Wash the vegetables and chop them into nice big chunks. (Peel the beets before cutting them)If you are using wooden skewers, be sure to soak the skewers in water so they won't burn on the grill.Skewer the vegetable pieces following ROY G. BIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), or as close to it as you can, for a rainbow effect. Step 3: Marinade. <PIC> Mince the garlic and mix it with all the marinade ingredients in a dish that will fit your skewers.Leave the vegetable skewers in the marinade for at least 30 minutes. Step 4: Grill and Enjoy!. <PIC> Heat up your barbecue.Grill the skewers, rotating them occasionally.It is tempting to grill the vegetables on high heat, but if you have included beets on your skewers you will want to keep the temperature lower so they will have time to cook properly. (If you don't like crunchy beets, you could precook them)


Introduction: Pumpkin Pie Baked in a Pumpkin . <PIC> If you are looking for a recipe to wow your party guest, then you have come to the right place. I recently baked a cake inside a pumpkin and was surprised at how good it tasted; so I decided to try this technique to bake a pumpkin pie inside a pumpkin shell. After a little bit of thought and some experimentation this is what I came up with. I hope you like it as much as we did. Let's bake a pie inside a pumpkin~ Step 1: Ingredients and Utensils . <PIC> Ingredients: Pie Filling:1 15 oz can pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie filling) I followed the recipe on the can for pumpkin pie and added 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup instead of sugar and heavy cream instead of the evaporated milk.1 Small 7 inch whole pumpkin to bake the pie in. You can use a mini pumpkin.1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon ground ginger1/4 teaspoon ground cloves1 Can of evaporated milk ( I used heavy cream)1/4 Cup of sugar or I used pure Maple syrup and added a couple of tablespoons sugar2 eggs1 9 inch pie shell or make your own or use my recipeCanned whipped cream if desired for the toppingPie Shell:I used my own recipe but you can use a single or double store bought pie shell and use a little sugar and a whipped egg white to coat the dough.  I used a large can of pumpkin because I was creating this project without instructions and needed extra just in case.The recipe is for a smaller can though. I baked a mini meatloaf in the mini pumpkin.3/4 cup all purpose flour3/4 cup cake flour1 teaspoon powder sugar1/2 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon baking powder 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter4 Tablespoons Crisco shortening1 egg yolk 1 Egg white slightly whipped and some sugar for coating the pastry2 teaspoons white vinegar1/4 to 1/2 Cup Real cream or cold waterUtensils:Measuring cups, spoons, bowls, spoons, cookie sheet, pastry mat, cutting board, knife, Stand mixer or mix by hand, or Food processor.  Step 2: Prep Work for the Pumpkin. <PIC> Method:Thoroughly wash the pumpkinDry with a towelCut the top off as shownRemove guts, saving the seedsWash the seeds in a colanderPlace them on a clean dish towel or paper towel to drySprinkle the seeds loosely on a plate to dry and save them to make roasted pumpkin seeds yum. Step 3: Make Pie Filling. <PIC> Pie Filling:1 15 oz can pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie filling) I followed the cans recipe for pumpkin pie and added 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup and added a small amount of sugar, and used heavy cream instead of the evaporated milk. I also cooked the filling on the stove top to reduce the baking time because there is so much moisture in the pumpkin shell.1 Small 7 inch whole pumpkin for the pie filling1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon ground ginger1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 Can of evaporated milk ( I used real cream) 1/4 Cup of sugar or I used pure Maple syrup and added a couple of tablespoons sugar2 eggs Canned whipped cream if desired for the toppingMix all ingredients together using a stand mixer, or mix by hand.Cook this mixture on the top of the stove until it changes color. It will be cooked again inside the pumpkin. The purpose of doing this is to reduce the baking time.  Step 4: Crust. <PIC> I have been experimenting with pie crust ingredients. This is the recipe my husband and I liked the best so far. I usually use all butter for my pie dough but decided to try half butter and half shortening, cream instead of water, cake flour instead of all purpose flour, powdered sugar instead of regular,and I  added an egg yolk, and some vinegar.You might consider using lady's fingers for the crust. I made reference to this in Sunshiine's final thoughts. Pie Crust is for a 9 inch pie crust if I recall. I had a small amount left over and used it for experimenting.3/4 cup all purpose flour3/4 cup cake flour 1 teaspoon powder sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon baking powder 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter 4 Tablespoons Crisco shortening 1 egg yolk and  (1 Egg white slightly whipped will be used later) 2 teaspoons white vinegar 1/4 Cup or more Real cream or cold waterMethod:               Add flour sugar, salt, and baking powder to the food processor and pulse to mix.               Add half of the very cold butter and shortening to the processor and pulse to form a sandy mixture.               Add the rest of the shortening and butter and pulse again leaving a few pea size chunks.               Remove the dough mixture and put into a mixing bowl.               Pour egg yolk on top of dough.               Add vinegar and milk into a small bowl and mix well.Slowly add this mixture to the butter/flour mixture and egg yolk and incorporate until you have the right consistency for pie dough. Add more flour or more cream to the mixture if needed to make the dough workable.              Roll the dough as shown in the next step.  Step 5: Roll the Dough. <PIC> Method:Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper if you have it.Find a clean round object like a plate or bowl that is slightly smaller than the hole in the top of the pumpkin to make a pattern for the pie dough.Roll out the pie dough on a floured surface.Place the pattern over the dough and cut out 4-5 round circles of pie.Make a design on one of the circles for the top of the pumpkin.Whisk the egg white until it is kind of watery.Place the circles on the cookie sheet and coat the top with the egg white mixture. This method will help keep the crust from absorbing the moisture from the pumpkin by coating the circles.Sprinkle a little sugar over the dough circles.Bake in the oven for about 3-5 minutes or until the top is a little dry. Watch closely and do not allow them to brown too much around the edges. Turn the circles over and repeat the egg white/sugar method and cook for a few more minutes.Remove the pie circles from the oven and allow them to cool. Step 6: Filling the Pumpkin. <PIC> Method: The first two pictures were experiments and had a cake like texture. We preferred the last pie with less crust and the filling was not quite as dry as the smaller pies. We did like the smaller crust better as far as the texture. I made some minor adjustments to steps 5 and 6 to combine the things we liked about the different pies.Poke holes in one of the dough circles using a fork to ventilate.Place this circle in the bottom of the pumpkin shell and pour a small amount of the pumpkin puree over the round pie dough using enough that will allow the flavor of the pumpkin to be more noticeable than the crust. Add another layer of pie crust. To create the swirls in the crust; layer the pie circles in the pumpkin at an angle buy pushing down on one edge of the pie crust until the filling on one end begins to cover the crust.Pour a little pumpkin puree over the top of the dough like I mentioned before.Repeat this process leaving enough room at the top of the pumpkin so the filling does not boil over and there is still room for the last pie circle which will be added to the top of the pumpkin after the pie is done. This will prevent the last layer of crust from over browning.Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes.View the pie through the oven door (with the light on) to check for doneness. When the center of the pie filling is pierced with a knife and comes out with a little filling on it and the pie skin just begins to turn into a darker color it is almost done. Watch the baking process closely and if I recall it took about 20-30 minutes for the pie to bake. Cook the pie long enough for the raw pumpkin inside the pumpkin skin to cook. You may pierce it with a fork to check for done-ness. When the pie is done carefully place the last layer of pie crust over the top of the pie. Step 7: Cool the Pie. <PIC> Allow the pie to cool for about 4 hours before serving.  Step 8: Sunshiine's Final Thoughts. <PIC> This pie is very tasty even though the texture is different than a traditional pumpkin pie. The first picture of the pumpkin with the swirls was my first attempt to baking a pie inside a pumpkin. The crust was not quite flaky enough because I did not add an egg wash when I baked the crust. The second picture I did. The crust was much nicer but I had too many layers which made the crust more noticeable than the pumpkin filling. I made another version of this pumpkin pie made with lady's fingers in a tiramisu and caramel pumpkin pie and it tasted very good. I changed the way I made it by baking the pumpkin in the oven with no filling and pre-cooked the pumpkin filling and then filled the pumpkin shell, alternating the pumpkin filling, and the lady's fingers. We really liked the flavor and texture of the tiramisu with the caramel and the lady's fingers worked great, but I am not sure it would be considered a pumpkin pie. I tried to purchase more pumpkins to try different versions but in my small town pumpkins are only available during Halloween. I wanted to try turkey dressing in a pumpkin and see what I could create. I guess I will try next year. If you decided to make this pie, I am sure you will be happy with the recipe by brushing the crust with an egg wash and pre-baking the crust using fewer layers or for an easier approach you can use lady's fingers instead of pie crust and bake everything together like I did the first time. I would still use the middle range size of pumpkin because I can't promise the large ones will work. Baking the pumpkin puree inside a pumpkin is a great way to make a side dish and a dessert at the same time and is a pretty way to show off a pumpkin pie. The idea is to cut the pie into servings and remove the skin with the flesh that was left inside the pumpkin (before baking) and use it for the side dish. The swirls add character to the dessert. I hope you try this for the holidays. We loved it.Thanks for stopping by and may your holidays be safe and happy~          sunshiine~


Introduction: Damson Tart (Zwetschgendatschi). <PIC> This is a easy to make and much loved family recipe.
I will first give you introductions for a yeast dough but you could also use shortcrust. Step 1: Ingredients. <PIC> Dough
- 250 g Flour  + some extra                                                  2 cups flour + some extra
- 1 Egg                                                                                1 Egg
- 2 Tbs Sugar                                                                          2 Tbs Sugar
- Salt                                                                                Salt
- Yeast (fresh or dried, your choice)                                   Yeast
- 125 ml Milk                                                                           1/2 cup Milk
- 60 g Butter (about...)                                                           1/4 cup Butter
This amount will be enough for one baking trayDamsons
- 1 Kg Damsons    (up to 1,5 Kg)                                         2,2 pounds Damsons (up to 2,8 pounds)
- Breadcrumbs
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
Also you will need:
- 1 large mixing bowl
- a clean surface where you can knead the dough
- a clean cloth or tea towel to cover the dough
- 1 smaller pot to heat milk in
- 1 larger pot for your pitted Damsons
- rolling pin
- 1 baking tray Step 2: The Dough. <PIC> - heat  Milk and Butter until the Butter is molten.
- incorporate Egg, Sugar and Salt.
- mix together Flour and Yeast ( or do what ever is stated on your Yeast packet)
- when your Milk/Butter/Sugar/Egg/Salt mixture has cooled to lukewarm mix it with the Flour/Yeast mixture
  stir all the time while slowly pouring the liquid in.
- Take the dough out on a floured board, flour you hands and knead it. If the dough is very wet add some more flour. If it is to dry you can    try to carefully get some  water  in by kneading it with wet hands.
- go on kneading until the dough is not sticky anymore and until it feels like a kind of soft velvet
- put the dough back in the bowl, cover and set aside for about an hour. Step 3: Preparing the Damsons. <PIC> - Wash and pit your Damsons
- halve them and cut every half in the middle without fully separating the quarters
- sprinkle with some sugar Step 4: Bring Everything Together. <PIC>
	- Preheat your oven ( 180°C / ~350°F)
	- put some baking paper on your tray
	- put your dough on a lightly floured surface and knock it down once
	- get your rolling pin, flour it and start rolling out the dough. This might be a bit difficult as the dough will probably be quite elastic but in   the end you will succeed :) Transfer the rolled dough to your baking tray and bring it to the right size by dragging it to the corners.
	- punch it a few times with a fork
	- sprinkle the dough generously with breadcrumbs
	- take your prepared Damsons and lay them out an the dough skin facing the dough. Do so as if you would lay out tiles on a roof. So that the second row covers a part of the first.
	- sprinkle some more breadcrumbs (you could also take some almond slivers) on top
	- put in oven for 3/4 hour
	- when finished take out and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon to taste
	- serve lukewarm or cold / with or without cream ;) Step 5: Enjoy. <PIC>


Introduction: Icecold Bottles!. <PIC> This is not a build, it hardly even qualifies as a recipe, but it's a great tip I use intensevily during the summer. Actually my father in law just mentioned it one day, so it might not be a revolutionary new idea, but a great idea none the less.Note: In the summer heat, they do get quite wet on the outside, so please consider using a coaster if put on furniture.ATTENTION!Some claim that freezing water in plasticbottles, releases dioxin, and is therefore toxic.Just as many claim it to be a hoax, or an urban myth.Including this guy, witch to me looks pretty credible.http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/articles/halden_dioxins.htmlPlease search the internet for info, and make up your own mind about this matter. Step 1: Recycle.. <PIC> Recycle your singleuse waterbottles, they're perfect for this. The more bottles you have, the longer it will be, before you have to 'reload' them.
Clean and rinse, proceed to Step 2. Step 2: Just Add Water.... <PIC> Now fill each one 1/3 - 1/2 with tap water.
The more water you add, the longer the cooling obviously will last.
Of course you will have less room for liquid water, but if you're near a tap, you just refill when empty, and wait a moment for it to cool. Step 3: Freeze.... <PIC> Put the bottles in your freezer, lieing down. This will get you the fastest cooling.
I guess if you freeze them standing, you will get slower cooling, but maybe over a longer period of time. I didn't test it. Step 4: When Cooling's Needed.. <PIC> Grab a frozen bottle from the freezer, maybe add a little flavor, and then fill up with tab water.
Wait a few minutes.....cold drink ready. Step 5: Get Some Work Done.. <PIC> Chopping through one foot of recycled concrete gravel, compressed by a 500 kg vibrator, does make one need a cool drink on a hot sunny day. (making flowerbeds, btw)


Introduction: Easy Build Wine Spike. <PIC> Summer is for catching up with friends, old and new, over some home cooked food and good wine . . . .I don't know about you but as the hours pass and numbers dwindle I always end up settled down in some comfy garden chair chatting. At the end of my first glass of vino I then go in search of more vino and a wine spike.The wine spike is a "holder" that I dreamt up one afternoon when I realised that I had poured far too much wine into the lawn. It can hold a glass of wine securely along the bottle of wine (my favourite) or just glasses or wine.  Step 1: Materials. <PIC> I love projects that are simple so this one especially strikes a cord. The only thing you need is a board that is approximately 1000mm long by 100mm wide. Thickness is whatever you have, be it 10mm or 25mm, all will work.Ultimately you need to have 3 pieces of wood approximately the following lengths, the same width and ideally the same thickness but it not this is not the end of the world :-)Upright approximately 400mm longBottom support approximately 150mm longTop support approximately 200mm long Step 2: Wine Bottle Holder. <PIC> As part of the research into this project I did intensive testing of wine bottles and their contents. The benefit was that when I came to cutting the hole to retain the wine bottle I was fully aware of size variations and knew that a 90mm diameter hole would be good for most bottles.So I loaded an appropriately sized cutter into my pillar drill, clamped the wood securely to the stand and started to cut the hole. Hole cutters have a central drill bit that helps align the cutter and this means that when you have drilled down 3/4 of the distance you can flip the wood over and complete the cut. The benefit of this is that you reduce the amount of splintering or breakout that occurs on the surface. Step 3: Cutting the Joints. <PIC> The wood I have used for this build is a 1 metre piece of oak board left over from another project. The benefit of this is that the width and thickness are going to be consistent along the whole board.This means that it is an ideal project to use half lap joints on. A half lap joint is one where you remove half the material each of the two pieces of wood that you wish to cross over.So the starting point is to get the width of the wood, halve it and add a little bit back on  :-)  So for my project the width of the wood was 98mm. Half of that is 49mm and I added an extra 2mm back on to ensure that when the join comes together the edges of the wood are nice and flush with each other. I will be cutting out 51mm of material in each half of the joint.To cut the joints by hand you would mark out where you want it on the wood and use a tenon saw to remove the bulk of the material before cleaning and final sizing with a sharp chisel.I am fortunate enough to have a table saw so I will be using this to make the joints because it is nice and quick. The table saw method involved adjusting the height of the blade so that is protrudes 51mm. With the mitre gauge set to cut 90 degrees to the blade, the wood is run over the blade, returned to its original position and moved along so that the next pass removes the next bit of wood. I repeat this until all but a very small slither of wood remains to be removed. I can then test to see if the wood slides over the other piece and know how much I need to remove to make a nice snug fit.Two halving joints are required on the upright and one each in the middle of the remaining two pieces. Step 4: Wine Glass Holder. <PIC> The top of the wine spike at this point has the large hole for the wine bottle and the housing joint.By replacing the wooden disc cut out previously you can work out the distance from the centre of the hole to the side of the joint. This is the distance from the other side of the joint where you will create the wine glass holder hole.So the hole cutter is replaced by a forstner bit in the pillar drill and the hole is started to be drilled out. Before you go all the way though you need to take a perpendicular line from the centre point to the side of the wood. This is where you will be making a break in the wood that the wine glass stem will pass through.When the hole is finally cut all the way through, I took the wood and run it through the table saw a couple more time to create the break. Step 5: Finishing Touches. <PIC> Just a couple of small finishing touches needed now; all pieces were given a light sanding and the bottom of the upright was trimmed to create a spike that will go into the ground. A bit of oil wiped over the wood and it is complete.Slot the 3 pieces together, stick it in your lawn and you are ready to go . . . . Variations of this would be :make it as a double wine glass holder with no bottle make it single sidedround over all the edges


Introduction: Cheese Curds. <PIC> Gotta have fried cheese curds when the Packers are in the Super Bowl. Fresh cheese curds can not be found in Denver. We decided to make our own!
Steelers fans, here's one for you: Devonshire Sammies.Ingredients
1 Pint Skim Milk
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1/8 Cup Lemon Juice
salt Step 1: Heat. <PIC>
		Combine the milk and cream,
		Heat in a saucepan over medium heat until it is about to boil, around 190 F. Step 2: Curdle. <PIC>
		Remove the saucepan from heat.
		Allow milk to cool slightly, about two minutes.
		Add the lemon juice to the milk, gently stir to mix. Step 3: Separate. <PIC>
		Allow the milk mixture to cool to room temperature, this will take an hour or two.
		Line a fine mesh sieve with cheese cloth.
		Pour the milk through the cheese cloth catching the cheese curds.
		Allow liquid to drain.
		Salt to taste
		Form a ball. wrapping cheese cloth around the curd. Gently squeeze out liquid. Step 4: Press and Firm. <PIC>
		Place the cheese cloth wrapped curd in between two plates.
		Set a heavy can on top of the upper place.
		Refrigerate until cheese curd is firm, occasionally dumping drained liquid. This step will take 3-5 hours. Step 5: Cut and Prepare. <PIC>
		Remove the curd from the cheese cloth.
		Cut your fresh cheese curds into the desired sizes.
		Prepare. Cheese curds are used in different ways:

				Battered and Fried
				Poutine
				Crumbed on Salads
				Enjoyed plain
				etc...
		To batter and fry as pictured on the first page:

				Mix equal parts chicken broth (or beer) and flour.
				Dip curds in batter and fry between 400 and 450 F. Be sure to use an oil with a high smoke point, such as refined peanut oil.
				When curds float, remove and cool on a paper towel lined plate.


Introduction: Cheddar Beer Soup. <PIC> Super yummy beer and cheese soup that won't win any health awards, but it is perfect for game night. Step 1: Sauteing the Veggies. <PIC> 1/2 cup butter
3 celery ribs
1 medium onion
1/4 cup plus 3 TB flour
8 ounces extra sharp cheddar
4 ounces monterey jack cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
5 cups stock (chicken or veggie)
12 oz beer (hefeweizen or blonde style)
salt and pepper to taste
green onion (optional for garnish)
large soup pot
immersion blender (if you prefer smooth soup)
1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium low heat.2. Chop up the celery and onion and add to the butter. If you aren't blending your soup, you will probably want to chop the veggies finer than I did in the photo.3. Cook the mixture over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Step 2: To Blend or Not to Blend?. <PIC> 1. I prefer most of my soups to be smooth, so I used an immersion blender to puree my veggies. This is of course optional.2. Slowly add the flour to the veggie mixture and stir until there are no lumps. Cook for at least 5 minutes.3. While the flour/veggie base is cooking, heat up your stock and beer in another pot. Step 3: Adding the Beer!. <PIC> Slowly add some of the warm stock-beer mixture into the flour-veggie mixture and whisk until smooth. Add in the remaining stock, cream and cheese. Allow the soup to simmer 10-20 minutes. Step 4: Enjoy!. <PIC> You can serve the soup with more cheese and green onion to garnish or just plain. This soup pairs well with crusty bread or even as a dip for french fries!


Introduction: Cute Little Mice -with Vegan Option!!-. <PIC> This cute little mice are the perfect surprise for kids' party or halloween party! The recipe needs only 2 basic ingredients and you can easily ''veganize'' it....!!!!If you want to make the non-vegan recipe you need for about 20 mice:300gr cocoa biscuits  100gr cream cheese (like Philadelphia)  1 tbsp. of jam of your choice if needed  1 or 2 tube of Smarties (it depends on the colour pairs) Sugared silver confetti for eyes and noses Some pieces of liquorice candies for tailsIf you wish to make the vegan version you need just to replace all the above ingredients with suitable for vegans (no diary, no eggs)300gr of suitable for vegans cocoa biscuits  100gr silken soft tofu (If I can advice, this is really good for this recipe http://eu.iherb.com/Mori-Nu-Silken-Tofu-Soft-12-oz...1 tbsp. of jam of your choice if needed  About 20 pairs of coloured sugared peanuts wich don't contain milk chocolate (like those that are used in wedding favours) Sugared silver confetti for eyes and nosesSome pieces of liquorice candies for tails (make sure they don't contain gelatin bacause it isn't vegan) Step 1: Smash 'em All..!!. <PIC> Smash the cookies: use a food processor or a roller pin to make a fine cookie powderAdd the cream cheese or tofu and mix very well to make a soft and easily workable doughIf the dough makes crackes, add the jam to help the dough to stick togetherMake some egg like little balls Step 2: Make Eyes, Noses and Tails. <PIC> Add 3 edible sugar confetti for the eyes and the noseStick a little piece of liquorice candy for tailHelp yourself with a knife to make holes for the earsYour beautiful creation is done!! Not only kids but also adults will go crazy for this cute little creatures!Success at your party guaranteed...!! ^_^


Introduction: Chocolate Powerberries. <PIC>
          I recently tried Trader Joe's dark chocolate Powerberries- a blend of superfruits encased in dark chocolate. The ingredients were listed, so I decided to try my hand. Though not quite as store-able or visually appealing as the original, I think you'll find this copycat recipe captures the essence and flavor!Ingredients:Blueberry concentrate*
Pomegranate concentrate*
Cranberry concentrate*
Acai concentrate*
Gelatine
Dark chocolate
*As you can see in my ingredients picture, I used various methods for obtaining concentrate. Where I had access to fresh fruit, I made fruit concentrate (here's how). When there was pure, 100% juice available, I used the same instructable (the freezing method). The acai, I could only find in blended juices. However, Whole Foods sells a freeze-dried powder which I used instead.
		Mix juice. The proportions I used: 1/4 cup each blueberry, pomegranate, and cranberry concentrates; 1 tablespoon acai.
		Make gummies according to my gummies Instructable. Pour them as small as possible into molds, or pour thinly into a rectangular pan and cut them apart into little chunks. Probably the chunk method works best- the ones I put in molds came out thin and wide, which made them difficult to embed in chocolates. Don't coat them in sugar or corn starch after removing them from molds.
		Heat dark chocolate in a double boiler. (About one bar of chocolate should cover enough candies to fill a Ziploc bag.)
		When chocolate is sufficiently melted, pour it into lightly greased molds(I recommend a mold for break-apart hard candy, the hexagonal mold shown) . Do not fill the molds completely! Do a little at a time (on my mold, a couple of rows at once), then press a chunk of powerberry gummy into the middle. Use your finger to pat some of the chocolate over the top to cover it. (This will be messy.)
		Cool in the refrigerator for a short while, until chocolate is firm.
		Carefully remove from molds. Eat! Or store in refrigerator.
They aren't quite as pretty as the Trader Joe's version, but they're definitely delicious, and ..arguably healthy? We'll settle for: you know exactly what goes in them, so make your own nutrition facts.
Enjoy! Eat responsibly.I also made some dark chocolate "Power Stars" with a lot more gummy to chocolate! They're in the last picture.


Introduction: The Lonely Cookie Mountain. <PIC>
          Have you ever wanted to make a mountain out of cookies?
...perhaps one spiced with cinnamon and chocolate?  and maybe with a chocolate dragon guarding its stolen treasure?
and how about that dragon happens to exude spicy cinnamon scented incense smoke?  Keep reading.  Maybe it wasn't something that you'd thought of... but it doesn't sound like such a bad idea, does it?  It takes a bit of time, but it's not too difficult, I promise.
Your shopping list:
eggs
baker's sugar (superfine white sugar - you can put regular granulated sugar in the blender for a few seconds if you can't find this)
all purpose flour
baking powder
butter
salt
vanilla or tonka bean
almond meal
cocoa powder - extra dark and regular
cinnamon (usually cassia, but labeled cinnamon at stores)
white chocolate
dark chocolate
corn syrup
glycerin (just a drop - but I always keep it around because it's great on my face under any moisturizer)
food coloring in red, yellow, blue, and possibly black (or just mix lots of blue with a bit of red in place of the black)
everclear alcohol, use vodka in a pinch (but everclear is better; the water in vodka might make things soggy)
edible luster powder in gold and pearl/white
If you want to make incense from scratch like I did in this instructable, you will also need makko powder.  If you just want to smolder cinnamon, you'll need a coal (try a tobacco shop) and either a mica plate or a piece of foil bent into a cup shape to hold the cinnamon.  I added some other things to my incense, but they're not absolutely vital.  I listed them in step 5.  You likely won't be able to get a couple of them in town.  Send me a note if you're aching for them, and I can tell you where to order them online.
         Step 1: Mix the Dough. <PIC> You will need:
3/4 C butter (1 1/2 sticks - I use salted)
1 C superfine white sugar (use the baker's sugar or put regular white sugar in the blender)
2 eggs
2 1/2 C unbleached all purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2-4 T cocoa powder and 2 T chocolate chips for the darkest dough
1 T cinnamon for the medium dough, plus 2 T almond meal (optional - for texture)
1 t vanilla extract or a few shavings of tonka bean for the light dough, plus 2 T almond meal (optional)
This is the brainless part if you've ever made cookies before.  Cream butter with sugar.  That means whip them together until they're well incorporated, fluffy, and much lighter in color.  Other ingredients will mix better if the butter and sugar are properly aerated.  Beat in the eggs.  It'll probably look like you've ruined your dough at first; the fluffy butter and sugar will be goopy and curdled looking.  Keep beating it.  Eventually the eggs will emulsify and the mixture will become fluffy again.
Stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder.  I don't bother to "sift them together" first like most recipes cry for.  Screw that, man.  My flour doesn't have lumps.  Does yours?  Didn't think so.  Modern flour mills do wonders for smooth flour.
Anyway...
Separate the dough into three parts.  You'll probably want a couple more bowls for this, unless you feel like spreading raw cookie dough all over your kitchen counters.  Add some cocoa powder to one of the portions of dough.  I like using two kinds of cocoa powder for color; the extra dark stuff would make it look too gray if it were used alone, so I also add the redder/browner regular cocoa powder.
Add some cinnamon to the second portion of dough.  I happened to have two kinds in my cupboard, one roasted, so I added both.  I stirred in some almond meal for good measure.
I need to order more vanilla beans.  I've been almost out for awhile... I used tonka bean for this.  If you're thinking of freaking out because of coumarin content in tonka beans... here.  Read this:  http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2010/11/the-tonka-bean-an-ingredient-so-good-it-has-to-be-illegal/65616/  I shaved a little tonka bean into the light colored dough and added a little almond meal to that one, as well.
Once each portion of dough is mixed evenly, wrap them in plastic and refrigerate for an hour or so.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F before you leave the kitchen. Step 2: Layer and Bake the Dough. <PIC> You could probably just knead the colors together to marble them... I rolled them out flat, stacked one color of dough on top of the next, then kept rolling the whole thing flat.  After I had several thin layers of all the colors of dough in one slab, I sliced them and mashed the slices next to each other in a big flat cookie.
Make sure to mash the dough slices onto a piece of parchment.  You'll want to bake the cookie on parchment so it's easily removable.  Do not use waxed paper or aluminum foil for this.
I baked it for about 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F.  You'll want the edges to be barely golden brown, but the center to not be doughy at all.  The mountain will collapse if the cookie sections aren't completely cooked.  The golden brown edges won't cut very well, though, and might crumble before you can construct the thing.  Ovens differ, so watch your cookie. Step 3: Make a Mountain Template. <PIC> If I knew how to use a 3d mockup program, this would've been a much less clumsy process.  Instead, I found some cardstock and folded and taped until it resembled a sort of polygon mountain.  I made sure the folds were (mostly) straight and the sides of the mountain were (mostly) flat.  I then traced along the edges and cut out each mountain piece.
I used these pieces to trace the cookie shapes so I could construct a cookie mountain with polygons.
Don't try to cut the cookie pieces before you've baked the dough.  Cookie dough puffs when it bakes; the pieces would be misshapen. Just use a good, sharp knife to gently cut around the paper shapes onto the warm, baked cookie.
It's fine to taste the remaining scraps of cookie, but don't eat them all.  They're handy for broken mountain sections, fill in gaps, and add ledges.  You'll also need a little bit to crumble for making the treasure later. Step 4: Assemble Cookie Mountain. <PIC> You will need:
Your cookie pieces
1 handful of chocolate chips... yes, precisely one handful.
Use a sharp knife to bevel the inside edges of your cookie pieces.  They don't have to be a precise angle; just slice off the corners that would otherwise meet and cause large gaps on the outside surface of the mountain.  Beveling the inside edges also allows more contact area of the pieces so they adhere to each other a bit better and make the whole structure more secure.
Save those edges that you slice off, though!  You'll need them in this step.
Melt the chocolate chips in a ziplock bag in the microwave; check it every 20 seconds or so.  Knead the chocolate in the bag to make sure it's all smooth and melted.  Snip the corner of the bag and use it to pipe a thick worm of chocolate along one of the edges of a cookie section.  Did you line up your cookie pieces in order?  Crap... you should do that now.
Okay... now that you have your pieces in order, grab the piece that attaches to the first cookie section with chocolate along one edge.  Press them together carefully; you might want to get a bag of flour or something else that the cookie sections can lean on while you're building the structure.
You might want to set up a couple cookie pieces at a time, balancing them against the bag of flour and the assembled pieces to make sure they're in the right place before adding the chocolate to adhere them.
Once you've assembled a decent section of the mountain, you'll probably notice that the thick chocolate seams are pretty noticeable.  It's okay, man.  Find the thin slices of cookie from beveling the edges.  They'll still work if they crumbled a bit.  Place the slivers of these over the chocolate seams.  The whole thing will look much more balanced now; the seams won't be and shouldn't be completely invisible, but now they'll look like they belong to the whole cookie mountain.
I assembled about half the mountain and went to bed; the thing was very secure when I checked it the next day, and I was able to finish putting it together. Step 5: Make Incense. <PIC> You will need:
makko powder
cinnamon or cassia powder
water
bamboo skewer (optional)
other ingredients I used (which are also optional):
ground cloves
sweet frankincense resin
ground ginger
ambergris tincture made in everclear, aged for two years (okay, I'm guessing you don't have this.  don't worry about it.)
tonka bean
ambrette seeds
I think it wouldn't be as impressive without scented smoke wafting out of the mountain.
I don't trust store bought incense to not contain toxic synthetics... especially the "hand dipped" junk (as if it takes some special artisan skill to dip a blank incense stick into a vat of fragrance oil).  Hand rolled for the win, man.
Of course, if you can't find makko powder, you might decide to skip this part.  It's up to you, but there are alternatives (like setting up a small burner using a bit of foil over a burning coal and adding cinnamon to the foil).  I tried lighting a "cinnamon" (actually cassia) stick.  It didn't burn very well.
You can make either sticks or cones; you'll need bamboo for the sticks.  I just used a bamboo skewer and convinced Josh to slice it into really thin slivers while I was getting into his incense supplies.
Incense making is an art.  This was the first time I'd ever done it.  I'm not typically a precise sort of person, especially when it comes to recipes.  I'm not about to tell you exact amounts.
For this stuff, I used roughly one part spice mixture to three parts makko powder.  The spice mixture was mostly cinnamon or cassia powder.  The other stuff was to add depth and interest.  Here are the scent notes that I made up just now.  Scent is highly subjective, anyway.
Clove - deeply spicy warm, slightly earthy
Ginger - sharp spicy
Ambrette Seeds - adds a heady, vaguely musky, sensual, animal note to the blend, use in moderation or it'll make you think someone nearby needs a shower
Tonka Bean - adds an intense cherry like sweet thick buttery vanilla-esque quality - use in moderation or it'll feel like you've just sucked down 20 syrupy sweet milkshakes in a row
Sweet Frankincense - adds a mysterious (in this blend, anyway) resinous, slightly pine like but brighter than other kinds, sweet citrus note
Ambergris - subtle, like a sweeter hay smell mixed with pleasant antique books, wrapped in the smell of warm clean skin from someone near and naked enough to taste, but before anything has happened yet
Mix the spices with the makko powder.  Add ambergris tincture if you have some and want it.  Add the water a little at a time.  Knead the mixture for a few minutes, then shape into cones or roll into thin logs and roll the logs onto very thin bamboo slivers.
I let these dry on a piece of parchment paper.  They didn't take very long, but I live in a dry climate.  The cones were dry by the next morning; the sticks took a couple hours to fully dry. Step 6: Add Detail to the Mountain. <PIC> There are to parts to this:  the treasure and the dirt/snow on the mountain.
You will need:
white chocolate
dark chocolate
some leftover cookie crumbs
a spray bottle of water
edible luster powder (gold for the treasure, and I also got some white to add to the powdered sugar snow)
food coloring
powdered sugar
everclear or vodka, I guess... but I wouldn't want the water in the vodka to make things soggy
Melt some white chocolate.  Mix it with some cookie crumbs... about 1 T cookie crumbs to 2 T white chocolate.  Spread it out on foil and freeze it to chill it fast.  Crumble it up into little tiny pieces.  Mix a little everclear with food coloring.  Paint the white chocolate cookie crumb bits with the tinted alcohol.  Sprinkle some luster dust on them.  Set the treasure crumbles aside to dry for a bit.
Melt some more white chocolate.  Melt some dark chocolate, too... I'd say about an ounce of each.  You can put them both in the same bowl AFTER they're completely melted and stirred; you don't want to mix them to a smooth consistent color.  Using a butter knife or finger or whatever you have handy, smear a little dark and white chocolate on the side of the mountain.  Scrape it over the sides so some cookie still shows through and the chocolate isn't very thick.  Remember to leave the chocolate somewhat unmixed so there's some shade variation.  Continue to do this over the entire mountain, making sure not to cover all the beautifully marbled cookie you baked.
Spray it with the water.  OH NOEZ THE CHOCOLATE SEIZED!  That's what you want it to do.  Melted chocolate might seem wet, but it doesn't have water in it.  Adding just a little water makes it clump and stiffen.  It'll also force the chocolate to bloom a bit as it dries (meaning the cocoa butter isn't in stable crystal formation and some of it comes to the surface of the chocolate, making it look chalky and dry).  This might look terrible on a candy bar, but it's great for the side of a mountain.
Hopefully your spray bottle had a very fine mist setting so there aren't water droplets all over your mountain now.  Blot them off if there are.  Take a sharp knife and carefully shave some of the excess chocolate from the sides of the mountain here and there, allowing more of the marbled cookie to show through in places.
Some parts of your mountain might still look a bit too glossy.  Dip a soft paintbrush in cocoa powder, and lightly brush these areas to darken and dull them.  Clean your brush and dip it in powdered sugar.  Dust the top of the mountain with powdered sugar to give it a snowy look.  You'll probably have to touch up the powdered sugar later on, but it's good to add a base coat for now.
I used some melted white chocolate to attach the treasure to a small ledge on the mountain.  If you didn't build one, you can make one really quick with a sliver of cookie or a glob of chocolate.  I know, I know, neither the dwarves nor Smaug would've kept the treasure visible on a ledge.  Yes, it's silly... but I couldn't make it work quite right with having a cutaway view of the mountain and a heap of treasure inside.  Deal with it.
Find an xacto blade or other sharp object to poke a hole above the ledge for the dragon head to come through, especially if you want the cinnamon incense smoke to come out of his mouth.
Use the blade to attach the bits of treasure to the white chocolate on the ledge.  Add some luster dust to the treasure to make it look sparkly.  I decided it looked the best to have mostly yellow treasure coated with gold luster powder, and some random pieces of red, blue, green, and purple treasure to look like gems. Step 7: Sculpt Dragon Wings. <PIC> Only do this step if you're feeling drunk and/or masochistic.
Melt two tablespoons of sugar with one tablespoon of corn syrup, one tablespoon of water, and three drops of red food coloring in a pan.  Stir often.  Don't use a candy thermometer for this; it's too small an amount.
Instead, use a skewer to pick up a bit of the sugar and let it fall.  Once it forms a string that hardens after the sugar falls, it's ready.  This isn't as hot as you'd cook sugar for hard candy and lollipops; this is a lazy way to make a clear shape in sugar that doesn't require a heat lamp or specialized training.  It still takes patience and some zaps in the microwave, but because we're leaving the sugar a bit softer, it's a little more forgiving and less... shattering.
Pour the hot sugar onto some nonstick foil or parchment.  Separate two globs to be the wings.  Use a skewer to gently poke them into triangle shapes roughly the shape of wings.  Pick up one of the globs and gently pull the edges apart - do this SLOWLY like the artisans who make dragon beard candy.  If you go fast, the candy will break.
The sugar will harden as it cools.  When this happens, place it on parchment and microwave it for 5 seconds - no more than that.  7 seconds left me with a bubbling pool of red sugar on my parchment.
If the wing breaks, push the pieces together (they might not stick at first) and microwave another 5 seconds, then squish them together more.
I don't know of a solid technique to explain.  I just kept heating the wings, fixing what I messed up, pulling, and pinching until they were roughly the shape I wanted.  I had some little scissors to cut the edges of the wings, but they kept making them shatter.  I tried to keep the sugar thick on the upper part of the wing (which supports the wing and attaches to the dragon back) and pull it thin and clear for the membranes.  I pinched a little hook at the angled joint in the wing support. Step 8: Sculpt and Attach Dragon. <PIC> Chop 1/2 ounce of white chocolate and add a teaspoon of corn syrup.  Melt them together and stir.  Add a drop or two of glycerin if you have it.
I didn't measure and used too much corn syrup, so my dragon was a bit soft.  Don't laugh.
I added some cocoa powder to darken the white chocolate clay before adding red food coloring.  I kept a paper towel handy to blot the excess oil that always seems to ooze from chocolate clay.
I first rolled out a couple worms and attached them to the wings.  This helped make it easier to attach the wings to the mountain.  I rolled two thick snakes for legs.  I cut the ends into three sections for toes, then shaped them slightly (see the pictures) with a clay tool and squished them onto the treasure ledge.
I lined the hole above the treasure with chocolate clay to make a solid foundation for attaching the dragon wings, then shoved them into place.
I then took a chunk of clay, rolled it into an elongated egg shape, and sliced one end to be the dragon mouth.  I shoved the round end of a paintbrush into the mouth and through the clay to make sure the dragon head and neck were a hollow passageway (for the incense smoke to pass through later).  I left the dragon head on the paintbrush while sculpting it.  This was partly because my clay was too soft.
For the record, I'd also like to blame the lame shape of the dragon head (too short, not reptile enough) on the too soft clay.
I put more information on the notes on these photos; look at them if you need help sculpting your dragon head.
I squished the dragon head into place, still using the paintbrush to keep the hollow part open.  I then diluted black food coloring with some everclear and painted the dragon head with it.  I probably should've diluted it a bit more; it had been my intention for the coloring to mainly sink into the deep areas of the dragon's face, emphasizing the sculpture.
I blotted some extra food coloring off with a clean cotton swab.
I then dusted the high parts of the dragon with luster powder.
I checked the mountain for large cracks that might let incense smoke through, since I wanted most of it to come out of the dragon's mouth.  I filled them with chocolate clay, then covered the red clay with melted dark chocolate.  I re-dusted the mountain with cocoa powder on the bottom and powdered sugar on the top, just in the areas that had needed the chocolate clay. Step 9: Burn It!. <PIC> Your incense should be dry by now.
When you're ready to display/serve your lonely mountain, find your specially made cinnamon incense and a lighter.  Make sure your incense sticks aren't too long to fit in the mountain.  If they are, burn them until they're short enough and set the end in a piece of chocolate clay on a plate.
If you made cones, just light one and set it on the plate.  Place the mountain over the lit incense and wait a few seconds.  The spicy scented smoke should come wafting out of Smaug's mouth.
Burning a whole incense cone inside the mountain will lend a smokier flavor to the part of the cookie near the top of the mountain.  That works for some people but not for others.  Either way, it's your call as to what you prefer.  My kids ate cookie from the top and the bottom of the mountain - they didn't seem to have a preference.
If you're reading this, please don't be afraid to try any of this stuff on your own - it's fun.  Some parts might be a pain, but as I said in the introduction, nothing here is particularly difficult.  I promise.  I'd love to see pictures if you make anything using any part of this instructable.  Thanks for reading!


Introduction: Flan. <PIC> Smooth, rich, creamy, and full of vanilla flavor - you can't get much better than flan. Also sometimes called crème caramel, flan is a sinful combination of egg yolks and condensed milk that forms a perfect custard with a light caramel sauce. Step 1: You'll Need. . .. <PIC> Software
		13 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
		13 ounce can evaporated milk
		4 eggs
		1 tablespoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
		1/2 cup sugar
		1/2 cup water
		1 tablespoon light corn syrupHardware
		Medium sauce pan
		Wooden spoon or spatula
		Measuring cups and spoons
		Medium mixing bowl
		Whisk
		Tart or flan pan, or a large ramekin, or 4 smaller ramekins
		Baking dish larger than your flan pan Step 2: Sticky Sweet. <PIC>
		Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in the sauce pot over medium heat
		Allow to bubble and boil until the mixture begins to darken slight around the edges
		Swirl the pan gently to mix
		Carefully add the remaining 1/4 cup of water and stir to combine
		Pour the caramel mixture into the bottom of your flan pan (or ramekins) Step 3: Eggy Goodness. <PIC>
		Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
		Carefully separate 4 eggs by passing the yolk back and forth between the two halves of the shell
		Place the 4 egg yolks in the mixing bowl
		Add vanilla paste, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk
		Stir until well combined
		Pour the mixture carefully into the flan pan or ramekins
		Place the flan pan or ramekins into a baking dish and add water around them
		Bake for 1 hour Step 4: Finishing Touches. <PIC>
		Remove flan from oven and allow to cool slightly
		Refrigerate for at least an hour or up to overnight
		Run a knife around the edge of the flan to loosen it from the pan
		Invert a plate over the top of the flan and flip, shaking gently to release the flan
		Remove the flan pan or ramekin
		Top with sliced strawberries, whipped cream, or caramel sauce
		Enjoy!


Introduction: Mayan Mocha Mocktail. <PIC> Spicy coffee and chocolate isn't as crazy as it sounds. Give it a try! It's the perfect drink for two lovers to share on a cold snowy night. Surprise your sweetie with this treat on Valentine's Day to spice up an otherwise dull romance. But be careful, a little spice goes a long way! This recipe makes enough for two large mugs.  Step 1: Gather Ingredients. <PIC> You will need:
2 cups milk
1/2 cup boiling water
2 TB instant coffee
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 pinch cayenne pepper Step 2: Make Coffee. <PIC> Add 1/2 cup boiling water to 2 TB instant coffee. Let stand a few minutes. Step 3: Add Milk. <PIC> Add milk and coffee together in a medium saucepan. Step 4: Add Cocoa. <PIC> Add your cocoa and stir until somewhat dissolved. It will dissolve better once it heats. Step 5: Add Sugar. <PIC> Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Step 6: Add Spices. <PIC> Add your cinnamon and cayenne. A note on the cayenne- I used a generous pinch which was good for me, but my husband found it to be too spicy. He thinks Tobasco is too spicy! Acknowledge your tolerance and go from there. Taste as you go to make sure you have enough.
Add your cinnamon the same way. Some might find too much to be overpowering, others might like more. I used 1/2 teaspoon and it was pretty strong. You may want more or less. Step 7: Add Vanilla. <PIC> Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Step 8: Heat. <PIC> Heat mocha until very warm but not hot. Nothing tastes worse than burnt chocolate! Step 9: Sip and Enjoy!. <PIC> Garnish, sip and enjoy! Let the Mayan magic warm you and your love bird through the cold winter night!
I garnished mine with some dehydrated cherry bomb peppers we had but you could use whipped cream, chocolate curls, cocoa sprinkled on top, etc.