The Sunday Roast

Category: Recipes

  • Peppermint patties

    Peppermint patties

    These taste just like York peppermint patties and are so addicting,

    Here is another recipe I found that I’ve adjusted over the years. I’ve finally found the easiest way to make these and I’m never going back, and that is with a silicone candy mold. I bought a snowflake themed one at Walmart and the patties looked adorably all things winter.

    Top tips from me:
    1) I would recommend using a baking or candy silicone mold like I did. I found that forming the patties, freezing them and then dipping them in melted chocolate was super messy and quite hard as the patties melted. I would have to continuously stop and refreeze them, but this way was way more efficient.
    2) Candy melts/wafers are the way to go! Don’t bother trying to melt chocolate chips with butter or oil, or any other method. I bought 2 bags of the Ghiradelli ones and I probably still needed more, but that’s likely because I doubled the filling.
    3) If using mold, make sure to cover the entire mold and leave no bubbles or empty spots or it may stick and break while coming out.
    4) And on that note, I definitely recommend dark chocolate.
    5) Add a drop more peppermint extract than the recipe calls for.
    6) Feel free to add some more holiday cheer with sprinkles on top! I opted for none this year since I did the mold, but the snowflake shape was still very cute.

    Time:
    It probably took me about an hour to finish these because I stuck the mold in the freezer in between each step. This will make at least 30 in the about 2″ snowflake mold I made, though I doubled it and made at least 40 plus extra filling.

    Ingredients:
    1/4 cup softened butter — 1/3 cup light corn syrup — 1-2 tsp peppermint extract — 3 cups powdered sugar — 2 cups dark chocolate candy melts 

    Instructions:

    Use an electric mixer to combine butter, corn syrup, extract and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix for about 3 minutes until ingredients create a dough ball.

    IF USING SILICONE MOLD: Melt in 30-second increments candy melts in microwave. Using a barbecue brush, cover the mold just enough for the first layer of chocolate.

    Stick the mold into the freezer until the chocolate is solidified, about 5 minutes.

    Break off about a 2 teaspoon-sized section of the peppermint filling and press into the mold above the chocolate. Make sure to leave about 1 cm of space for the remaining chocolate.

    Brush the remaining chocolate on top and fill in any bubbles. Make sure the filling is covered completely.

    Stick the mold into the freezer once more until everything is solidified.

    Pop the patties out of the mold and crack off any extra chocolate from the bottom. Enjoy!

    IF NOT USING MOLD: Break off the same size of filling and roll into a ball. Flatten into a patty then put on a pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze for about 10-15 minutes.

    – Melt the candy melts in the same way. Take patties out of the freezer and using a fork or dipping tool, dip each in chocolate until fully coated. Transfer back to the pan to cool.

    Top with sprinkles (optional) and enjoy!

  • Dark chocolate peppermint shortbread

    Dark chocolate peppermint shortbread

    Super dark, buttery and melts in your mouth.

    I found this recipe a couple years ago and decided to modify it into something I could make whenever. I am the BIGGEST fan of super rich, bitter dark chocolate, and so this recipe does it for me because it is extremely decadent with bursts of sugar in the chocolate chips. Try it out!

    Top tips from me:
    1) Make sure the butter is room temperature.
    2) Use the darkest cocoa powder you can find! Hershey’s Special Darks works great but Dutch cocoa powder is lovely as well.
    3) Make sure you sift all the dry ingredients.
    4) Cream your butter, cocoa powder and powdered sugar together for at least 30 seconds.
    5) You can bake these cookies several ways and I’ve found every method works just fine: flatten the dough out into about 1/2 inch thickness then either cut squares, use a cookie cutter or take a glass to cut out cookies. Or, freeze the dough in a log and then slice into circles and bake. This time I experimented and put the dough into a silicone gingerbread man mold and they came out super thick and delicious!
    6) You don’t need to add the peppermint, or you can add more than I do, it’s totally up to you!

    Time:
    This recipe takes very little time, unless you are freezing the dough for about an hour. Otherwise, it takes approx. 30 min total. This will make about 18-20 cookies.

    Ingredients:
    1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature — 1/2 cup powdered sugar sifted — 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder, sifted — 2 teaspoons vanilla — 1 teaspoon peppermint extract — 1.5 cups all-purpose flour — 1 cup dark chocolate chips

    Instructions:

    – Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

    – Cream the butter, cocoa powder and sugar together until completely combined and smooth. Add in the vanilla and peppermint extract.

    – Mix in the flour. Don’t over mix!

    – Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the dough out onto a board dusted with cocoa powder.

    – Either form a 10″ inch log or an 8″ pie-crust-like disc then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours.

    – For the log, slice 1/3″ cookies. For the disc, use a cookie cutter or glass to cut cookies. Put dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

    – Bake for 12-15 minutes. Don’t worry if the cookies are still soft as they will firm up while cooling.

    – Cool them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

    Did you make this recipe and have suggestions? Leave a comment!

  • Jumble berry pie

    Jumble berry pie

    This pie is literally perfect. The filling is tart while still bursting with berry flavor, paired with the deliciously sweet, crunchy and buttery crumble. The crust I made was buttery too and added to the overall euphoric experience.

    Top tips from me:
    1) You are welcome to use whatever pie crust recipe you’d prefer to make. I typically do an all-butter crust, but Alli shared with me that she typically does a shortnening-based crust, so I did half butter and half shortnening. It was delicious and easy! Recipe linked below.
    2) Erin and Alli recommend allowing the sugar to cook down in the strawberries before adding the rest of the berries. Also make sure to drain any excess liquid to make sure the filling won’t flow everywhere. 
    3) They only add a cornstarch flurry to make the filling more solid, and not tons of other stuff like gelatin or baking powder. You can truly taste the difference in how fresh their filling is!
    4) You can use frozen berries instead of fresh if you’d like, but the sisters recommend thawing them out a bit in warm water before adding to the pot.
    5) Make sure you combine the liqueur, lemon juice and cornstarch into a slurry before adding to the filling.
    6) Melting your butter to create the crumble makes an even flavor and crunch, versus some other recipes that leave the butter in chunks. Make sure to get a wet sand like consistency! This means you will not use all the dry ingredients you mixed, so either toss the rest or save it for the second pie.
    7) Sprinkling a combination of cornstarch and sugar over the bottom of the crust before adding the filling will ensure that the crust will be buttery and flaky, and not soggy.

    Time:
    With the prep, cooking the filling down and chilling the pie crust, this took me approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes to recreate, plus any time you would need to let the pie cool. Don’t serve it directly out of the oven or the filling will be too liquidy! It serves about 8 people but nobody is judging you if you eat the whole thing.

    Ingredients:
    1 cup strawberries, halved — 1 cup blueberries — 1 cup blackberries — 1 cup raspberries — 1 and 3/4 cups sugar, 1/4 for the filling and the rest for the crumble — 1/2 cup blackberry liqueur — 1/2 cup lemon juice — 1/2 cup cornstarch, half for filling and half for dusting crust — 1 1/2 cup brown sugar — 3 cups flour — 1 tbsp cinnamon

    Instructions:

    FOR THE FILLING:

    – Fill pot with frozen strawberries and sugar. Heat until warm.

    – Using a ladle and strainer, drain excess liquid from pot if necessary.

    – Add remaining berries, heat, stirring occasionally. If necessary drain excess juice.

    – Stir together lemon juice, liqueur, and cornstarch in separate bowl, making a slurry.

    – Once berry mixture starts to bubble, add slurry and mix well.

    – Cook until the filling boils fully for at latest 1 min. stirring well.

    FOR THE CRUMBLE:

    – Mix all dry ingredients together. 

    – Melt 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) 

    – Add 2 1/2 cups of crumb mix in a bowl with melted butter and mix with hand until the mixture resembles wet sand.

    ASSEMBLY:

    – Prepare pie crust bottom shell and crimp edges. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

    – Sprinkle dusting on the bottom of the pie (1/4 cup cornstarch or flour with 1/4 cup sugar).

    – Add cooked berry filling.

    – Sprinkle crumb topping evenly on top of pie.

    – Bake for about 50 min or until pie starts to bubble. If the crumb starts to burn or brown too much, cover the pie completely with aluminum foil.

    – Cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

    Did you make this recipe and have suggestions? Leave a comment!

  • Chicken and vegetable paella

    Chicken and vegetable paella

    Fresh cauliflower, juicy chicken, crispy rice, salt, garlic, tomato — what could be better?

    This is my new favorite go-to to impress people with my cooking skills. You can easily make this in about 30 minutes but impress people with that deliciously salty and rich flavor with the crunch of the socarrat the rice creates.

    Top tips from me:
    1) Danny says the prep takes the most time here, and I agree, though make sure you set timers and pay close attention when cooking.
    2) Use chicken thighs or legs so there’s enough fat to create flavor! Chicken breast will get too dry.
    3) It’s definitely easier to cook each vegetable one at a time so that you don’t have to carefully pick out the peppers and cauliflower later. So cook the cauliflower first, then peppers, then put and leave in the green beans.
    4) I used my food scale to measure out the rice, but feel free to convert that to cups, just don’t add too much without adding enough stock.
    5) I had to pour a little more stock in later to avoid burning the paella early on, and when I did the cooking class, Danny recommended adding a little bit of water at the time just to ensure the rice has enough liquid to absorb.
    6) Make sure to evenly pour the rice into the pan. You want the broth to completely cover it as it sinks to the bottom.
    7) Pay close attention to the cooking times; if you don’t decrease your heat at the right time, it could burn, like mine did a little bit. That last minute is important to create a crust!

    Time:
    This dish requires a bit of prep with chopping everything up, but once you do that, it will only take about 30 minutes to complete. The amounts provided by Danny are meant to serve one person, though I definitely had some leftovers.

    Ingredients:
    6 oz of chicken thighs and/or leg, cut into 3-4 in. cubes — 2 tbsp salt — 0.5 cup green beans, cut into 1.5 in. pieces — half of a red pepper, cut into 2 in. pieces — 0.6 cup small florets of cauliflower — 1 tbsp sweet paprika — 1 clove garlic, minced — half of a tomato, pureed — 50 ml olive oil — 100 g bomba rice — 0.5 g saffron — 1.5 cups chicken stock 

    Instructions: 

    – Add olive oil one to a frying pan and warm over medium heat until shimmering.

    – Add chicken to the pan (adding salt to taste) and brown the meat on both sides.

    – Add all the vegetables to the pan with the chicken (adding salt to taste). Cook them approx. only 60%, leaving them al dente, then remove the cauliflower and peppers. Leave the green beans in the pan. 

    – Add sofrito (tomato puree, garlic and sweet paprika) to pan, combine and cook for 1 to 2 minutes .

    – Add chicken stock and stir to combine. Increase temperature to high to bring to a boil.

    – Add saffron to broth and boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

    – Add rice to pan and cook on high heat for 10 minutes, then add back the rest of the vegetables evenly throughout the pan.

    – Lower to medium heat and cook your paella for another 8 minutes until the broth is gone.

    – Then, increase the heat again to high and cook for 1 minute. Allow the rice on the bottom to create a socarrat. Scrape some rice back to check that it crisped properly.

    – Enjoy!

    Did you make this recipe and have suggestions? Leave a comment!

  • Miso Yaki Salmon

    Miso Yaki Salmon

    A little bit of salmon, some green onion and some soft rice. Yum.

    My boyfriend was my taste tester again but he said, “the fish was flaky but not too flaky,” “the skin was my favorite,” and “I like the crunch. It’s good to have crunch or else it’s just mush. And it tastes good. Like the flavors are overpowering and it all compliments each other.” Basically, the fish had a sweet note, balanced with the rice and the vinegary cucumbers, which Eric swears by as the best and quickest pickle, while the green onions added a fresh crunch.

    Top tips from me:
    1) Eric says you’ll need a fatty and robust fish, so in order of preference, filet of Spanish mackerel, salmon steak or salmon filet (skin attached for best results). I used salmon filet only because it’s all I could find.
    2) You can find most of the Japanese ingredients at Hana Market on Florida Ave., which is where i bought everything except for the cucumber, since I already had some, and the fresh fish (a fish market or a grocery store work well). As Eric says, “I would die for Hana Market.”
    3) Eric says no Jasmine, Arborio or Basmati rice for this dish since they all have flavor profiles that don’t match. He says: “Basmati has almost an herbal and earthy quality to its flavor profile, which is best served with something that has powerful, mouth-coating flavors like Indian curries, lamb or dishes high in acid. I’ve tried using basmati for Japanese and Taiwanese dishes and I find that flavors clash most of the time.”
    4) Use a bit less soy sauce if you’re using Chinese, according to Eric.
    5) The fish needs to be marinated for at least 4 hours, but I left it overnight. The cucumbers need to pickle for at least 2 hours as well, and Eric says they can be kept for about 2 weeks.
    6) Definitely ensure your pan is well-oiled. I didn’t and my skin stuck to it unfortunately. Also make sure to brush off any excess marinade before setting the fish on the pan. I didn’t properly do this and the sugars in the excess marinade cemented the skin to the pan. 
    7) Don’t worry too much about the precision of the ingredient measurements but pay attention to temperature and how you’re cooking it, according to Eric. Because it is fish, the margin between undercooked and overcooked is small. He recommends letting the fish sit in room temperature for at least 15 minutes before going in the oven. If you have the time and energy, you could get three or four pieces of fish and cook them at different times and tweak your own method every time. 
    8) I used cooking sake instead of regular sake and the flavor was still wonderful!

    Time:
    This dish require some prep and overnight soaking, so total it took me about 18 hours total with the overnight marinade and pickles, however, the cooking time is only about 30 minutes, and it’s only that long because of the rice since the fish cooks quickly. This serves about one person, with the 8 oz. of fish.

    Ingredients:
    8 – 16 oz of fish — 1/4 cup miso, white preferred, but red is fine too — 3 tbsp sake — 2 + 1/2 tbsp mirin — 4 tbsp granulated sugar — 1 tbsp of Japanese soy sauce — 1 tbsp of kosher salt — 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar — a cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch ribbons — green onion, chopped — approx. 1 cup (uncooked) Japanese rice

    Instructions:
    – For the marinade, mix these together the following: miso, sake, 2 tbsp of the mirin, 2 tbsp of the granulated sugar and Japanese soy sauce.
    – Place the fish in a zip bag and pour the marinade in, making sure it coats all of the fish. Seal the bag and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
    – Cut your cucumber to approximately 1/4-inch thickness, or use the second or third thinnest setting on a mandoline.
    – In a sealable container, add the following: salt, 2 tbsp of the sugar, 1/2 tbsp of the mirin and vinegar. Mix in the cucumber and massage the pickling liquid into the cucumber. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
    – Grease a sheet pan and preheat the oven to 435 degrees F.
    – Remove the fish from the marinade and brush off any excess. Place the fish on the pan, skin-side down if using a filet.
    – Bake the fish — 10 minutes for either filet, or 13 minutes for the salmon steak.
    – For skin-on filet, take the fish out and turn the broiler on high. Flip the fish so that skin is facing up, and place it under the broiler just to crisp the skin, about 90 seconds.
    – Serve the fish with rice and a side of the quick pickles, then garnish with the green onions. Enjoy!

    Did you make this recipe and have suggestions? Leave a comment!

  • Pupusas

    Pupusas

    Absolutely obsessed with these photos. And the fact that I have leftovers in my fridge.

    The browned crust paired with the melted, creamy cheese was beautifully salty — with the citrus in the cabbage cutting through. Hands down one of my favorite meals.

    Top tips from me:
    1) You are warned: these measurements are guessed based on our cooking session and Maria’s suggestions, but she does not measure when cooking, especially since she knows the recipe so well, so just be weary of consistencies and the photos of what certain steps should look like.
    2) The most important thing, according to Maria, is the consistency of the dough. You need to add 1:1 of the flour and water at first, then gradually add either more flour or more water to achieve a consistency similar to Play-Doh. Don’t let it be too runny or you won’t be able to work with it to form your disks or add the filling in properly.
    3) One 2 lb. bag of mozzarella cheese + one packet of the crema achieves the perfect texture for your filling. Feel free to add more crema if needed for consistency. You can probably find the cream at your local Latin market.
    4) You may need to rinse your hands off after making each pupusa to avoid getting cheese mixture on the dough. 
    5) Use a griddle pan or cast iron skillet to cook the pupusas. Heat the pan for a few minutes before putting your raw dough on there, then make sure they brown just enough to be a little crusty. 

    Time:
    It will likely take only about 40 minutes to make the pupusas with prep time. These rough estimates make about 15 pupusas.

    Ingredients:
    3 cups of Maseca instant corn masa flour — 3 cups of water — 2 lb. bag of mozzarella — 1 16 oz. package Rio Grande crema la bendicion — 1/2 green cabbage, shredded — 1 Roma tomato — 1 bunch of cilantro — 2 limes, juiced — salt to taste

    Instructions:
    – Place your pan on the stove and warm it on medium heat.
    – Combine the corn flour and water in a large-sized bowl and mix with hands. Add water or flour if needed until consistency is correct.
    – Combine cheese and crema in separate medium-sized bowl.
    – Grab a handful of dough that is about the size of your palm, and roll it into a ball. Press your fingers into the middle of the ball and scoop out to the edge. Continue to do so around the ball until it resembles a small disk with enough space to place filling.
    – Place about a tablespoon of the cheese mixture in the center of the dough. Fold up the sides to create a dumpling, then roll it into a ball.
    – Flatten the ball with your palms until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Make sure to smooth over any cracks, ensuring the pupusa is a circle.
    – Cook the pupusas on the pan in batches. Brown each side, creating a bit of a crust.
    – While some pupusas are cooking, shred a half head of cabbage with a knife or whatever method preferred. Cut, chop or dice tomatoes to liking, then add both to a medium-sized bowl.
    – Chop cilantro and add to bowl.
    – Squeeze juice of 2 limes over salad and mix.
    – Serve pupusas with salad and enjoy!

    Did you make this recipe and have any suggestions? Make sure to leave a comment!

  • Sourdough bagels

    Sourdough bagels

    The best combination ever: everything seasoning and creamy cream cheese.

    Anela has created the perfect bagel recipe here. I swear this tastes exactly like a bagel you’d get from a deli in New York. She used her sourdough expertise to develop the beautiful crust and chewy inside.

    This bagel tastes like the real deal, and I say that as a New Yorker. The crust was perfect, with the inside chewy, soft and moist enough. It was the perfect texture, paired with smooth cream cheese and salty everything seasoning.

    Top tips from me:
    1) Your starter needs to be strong! Feed it about 3 hours before you want to mix the dough to make sure its doubled in its size. Try the float test in some water to confirm it’s ready to use.
    2) The kneading is the most important part of this recipe. Set a timer for at least 8 minutes, throw on some music and get to a slow and steady pace of kneading.
    3) Second most important part: the window pane test. Anela demonstrates this on her site, but basically, after kneading, you rip off a small piece and stretch it from the edges. Hold the piece up to the light, and if it stretches without tearing, and you can see light through it, then the dough is set to use with developed gluten.
    4) The dough needs to sit for many hours, between 8 and 10, but Anela says you just need to make sure it has doubled in size.
    5) If you want to incorporate an ingredient into the dough like I did, after the rise is the time to do so. Here is when I mixed my dehydrated and roughly chopped berries into the dough by hand, but you could try cinnamon or chocolate chips.
    6) After letting the bagels set under a damp towel after shaping, it is essential to make sure they are ready to bake. The best way to do that is a float test with cold water. If the bagel floats, it’s ready to bake; if not, it must rest for 25 minute intervals until it floats.
    7) Anela says it’s essential that your water is at a roiling boil when boiling the bagels. Do 30 seconds on each side and use a slotted spoon to flip them.
    8) Put the everything seasoning on immediately after removing the bagel from the water. I bought Trader Joe’s infamous everything but the bagel seasoning, though you can make your’s homemade.
    9) Make sure to move the try to evenly brown the bagels by flipping the tray halfway through baking.

    Time:
    It will take about 12 hours total to make the bagels. The dough rests for 8 to 10 hours, then another 15 minutes and 30 minutes to an hour. This makes 8 bagels.

    Ingredients:
    150 grams sourdough starter at 100% hydration — 235 grams water — 20 grams honey — 500 grams bread flour or high protein flour — 9 grams sea salt — about 1/4 cup everything seasoning

    Find the instructions here on findthemalik.com

    Did you make this recipe and have any suggestions? Make sure to leave a comment!

  • UPDATED: Honey butter chicken sandwich

    UPDATED: Honey butter chicken sandwich

    The honey butter melted into the spicy, crunchy chicken, then the cheddar added a kick of salt ⁠— perfection!

    Bini really knows how to marry flavors to create the perfect union with this recipe. And even though my chicken looks too dark, it’s likely because of the amount of spices I used because I promise that chicken was cooked just right!

    Editor’s note: this recipe is UPDATED based on a conversation with Roaming Rooster’s marketing manager, Jerusalem, who helped me identify an extraneous step I misunderstood from the video. It is now fixed, and is based on the big batch recipe provided to me and my best ability to guess measurements based on previous recipes and my chicken knowledge. I apologize for the error!

    Updated, additional top tips:
    1) My main mistake was adding an extra step, which I interpreted as a step but was really Bini prepping chicken into the marinade, then also showing the video’s host chicken that was already marinated. I adjusted the recipe below accordingly.
    2) Toast your bun with a little bit of butter in the pan, cut side down, to make it crispier. I definitely forgot to do this in my rush to enjoy the melting honey butter.
    3) Add more flour to the breading and pound your chicken thin enough (i.e. definitely about or less than 3/4 inch, unlike me) so that the breading does not darken too much.
    4) The dipping sauce has similar components to the marinade and flour spice-wise, but you can adjust it to your heat preference, meaning add more cayenne for a hotter experience. Roaming Rooster have 5 spice levels! 

    Top tips from me:
    1) Make sure to soften your butter fully before adding the honey.
    2) If you can, use a brioche bun for your sandwich. If that’s not available, a potato or even hamburger roll works just as well, though it won’t be as structurally sound.
    3) The chicken at Roaming Rooster is always free-range, grain-fed and antibiotic-free chicken breast. Some recipes use chicken thighs since they are fattier, but chicken breast will make sure you have chicken in every bite.
    4) Make sure the flour for breading is thoroughly spiced.
    5) According to Roaming Roosters’ owners, the trick is NOT to over-spice the chicken in the buttermilk marinade or the flour. Let the chicken bring out the flavors.
    6) Timing when it comes to cooking the chicken is the most important thing, according to Bini, Michael and Hareg. If the chicken is over-cooked, it will be too dry, and it’s important to not overcrowd the pot. Make sure to use a heat-resistant frying thermometer to make sure your oil is at 300 degrees F, a temperature recommended by the chefs themselves, before dropping each piece of chicken into the pot.
    7) My chicken breasts were too thick and had to cook longer, about 8-10 minutes in the oil, so some were too brown. Either use a meat thermometer to check if they’re done or cut the center to make sure it’s cooked through.
    8) Use 6 to 8 cups of oil, whichever will make your chicken fully submerged.
    9) Another suggested tool to obtain is a METAL slotted spoon, a spider strainer skimmer or, as I did, slotted tongs meant for frying. Be gentle with whatever you use.
    10) I definitely suggest using a dutch oven or another pot that heats evenly to avoid your oil burning the chicken in some spots.

    Time:
    It will likely take 30-40 minutes to complete the sandwich; however, account for at least 8 hours to 24 hours to let the chicken marinate properly in spiced buttermilk. This makes about 4 chicken sandwiches.

    Ingredients:
    **Note, this is based on the video and my own guesses on measurements.**
    2 chicken breasts, each cut in half — 1 cup buttermilk — for marinade: 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp cayenne, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper — 2 sticks of butter, room temperature — 6 tbsp of honey, to taste — for breading: 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp masa powder (fine corn meal), 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper — 6-8 cups of canola or vegetable oil — for sauce: 2/3 cup canola or vegetable oil, 1 tbsp cayenne, 2 tsp each of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder — 4 cheddar cheese slices — 4 buns of your choice

    Instructions: 

    – Pound chicken breasts to about an 3/4 thickness, cut in half vertically to about bun size.

    – Combine 1 cup of buttermilk and the spices for the marinade in a medium bowl. Submerge chicken in the marinade, cover and leave in the fridge for 8-24 hours.

    – Leave butter out to become room temperature. Once warmed, add honey and whisk to combine.

    – Pour oil in dutch oven or pot and heat to 300 degrees F.

    – Make the flour mixture in a large bowl. Dredge the marinated  chicken in the flour mixture, making sure it is completely covered but with excess flour shook off.

    – Prep the dipping sauce and whisk to combine. Feel free to add more cayenne to make spicier.

    – Once the oil is properly heated, drop the chicken into it and let cook for 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove with skimmer, spoon or tongs. It is recommended to make sure the chicken’s temperature is 165 degrees F with a meat thermometer. 

    – Dunk each piece of chicken in the sauce briefly before adding to a cooling rack with a pan underneath to collect any excess sauce.

    – Spread honey butter on the top half of the bun. Place cheddar cheese on the bottom half.

    – Assemble the sandwich and enjoy! Maybe pair it with some pickles or french fries.

    Did you make this recipe and have any suggestions? Make sure to leave a comment!

  • Vanilla buttercream frosting

    Vanilla buttercream frosting

    This sweet frosting is just the perfect amount of sugar to balance the mace in the cake. Plus, the recipe makes the ideal texture of buttercream for frosting a layer cake — a rare feat. 

    This buttercream holds up for any cupcake or cake recipe since it’s the perfect texture and sweetness.

    Top tips from me:
    1) Again, make sure your butter is softened. But, not too soft or the frosting may split with slightly melted butter.
    2) Sift your powdered sugar to keep the frosting smooth and creamy.
    3) I provided the measurements the recipe calls for in the situation of a layer cake, but I had to make even more (about a half batch) to make sure my cake had no blind spots or looked naked, then used the leftovers to pipe the little swirls on top.

    Time:
    It’ll only take a few minutes to blend up the buttercream. Frosting the cake, however, may take a while if you’re not skilled at it (it took me about 30 minutes to bring it to a level I was okay with.)

    Ingredients:
    1/2 cup butter — 4 and 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar — 2 tsp vanilla — 3 tbsp milk

    Instructions:

    – Blend butter and sugar until creamy. Add vanilla and milk and beat until the frosting is smooth.

    Did you make this recipe and have any suggestions? Make sure to leave a comment!

  • Mace cake

    Mace cake

    This is my favorite cake because it’s so moist, buttery and flavorful at the same time. It’s more than just your typical, plain white cake — and the crunchy coconut is the perfect add to the sweet, creamy vanilla buttercream.

    Hear me out: this is the best cake ever. It’s the perfect amount of sugar, it’s moist, it’s go crunchy coconut to balance the frosting and it’s got a strong spice that adds a zing.

    Top tips from me:
    1) Make sure to soften your butter fully before starting your cake batter. You may need to take it out in the morning and bake in the afternoon.
    2) Grease AND flour your cake pans! This will make it easy to pop them out.
    3) Make sure to cream your butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until they are smooth and creamy with no lumps.
    4) Sift all your dry ingredients together — especially the mace — to make sure there are no lumps in the batter and that the mace is spread evenly throughout.
    5) If you’re doing a layer cake, bake the cakes for a shorter amount of time, about 25 minutes, to avoid burning them. Sheet cakes will take about 45 minutes. 
    6) I suck at decorating cakes, but this one’s flavor matters more than its appearance. Put handfuls of coconut around the side so any frosting blemishes are covered up.

    Time:
    To prep the cakes, you’ll likely only need about 20 minutes. The baking time depends on what form your cake is — sheet or two layers or three — but cooling time is about an hour before frosting. This cake will serve many many people!


    Ingredients:
    2/3 cup of softened butter — 1 and 3/4 cups sugar — 2 eggs — 1 tsp vanilla — 2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour — 2 and 1/2 tsp baking powder — 1 tsp salt — 1 ground mace — 1 and 1/4 cups milk — about half a bag of shredded, sweetened coconut

    Instructions: 

    – Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour baking pans: 13 x 9-inch for a sheet cake, or two 9-inch or three 8-inch for a layer cake.

    – In large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Beat 5 minutes on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally.

    – In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and mace. 

    – Mix dry ingredients into wet on low speed, alternating with milk, until fully incorporated.

    – Pour batter into pan(s) then bake 45 minutes if sheet cake, 25-35 minutes if layer cake, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

    – IF MAKING A LAYER CAKE: Cool the cake in the pans for about 7 minutes before flipping out on to a cooling rack. Let the cakes cool for at least 30 minutes before frosting. To frost, make sure bottom layer(s) have even surfaces, then apply and spread a half-inch layer of frosting between each layer. Once layers are stacked, frost top then sides with a similar thickness. If the first layer is a crumb coat, feel free to apply another thin layer. Decorate the top however you’d like with leftover frosting, then lightly pat handfuls of coconut onto the sides of the cake until fully covered.

    – IF MAKING A SHEET CAKE: Cool the cake in the pan for at least 30 minutes. Fully frost the top of the cake, then sprinkle coconut over the top.

    Did you make this recipe and have any suggestions? Make sure to leave a comment!