86 tip top Recipes

gone are the days where the bride and groom share a slice of a 3, 4, or 5 tier wedding cake. nowadays some people are opting for a more simple cake solution, yet they still want the elegance that a large tiered cake offers. enter on stage the simple yet elegant cupcake., versatile cupcakes are standing along side and, in some cases, replacing larger cakes these days. below are some helpful hints if you want to use cupcakes for the main cake at your wedding., tip #1 : arrangement, how you arrange your cupcakes is as important if not more important than the taste. everyone wants a breathtaking wedding cake at their reception so arranging your cupcakes to give this appearance is very necessary., my personal favorite way of arranging my cupcakes is to stack 4 or 5 boxes on top of each other to form a tree of sorts. i choose boxes that are approximately 4 to 5 inches high. i like 24 inch square boxes then 18 inches square then 12 inches then 6 inches square. this gives me a cupcake ledge of 3 inches when the boxes are stacked., decorate your boxes as you wish. beautiful paper wrapped around the boxes then a ribbon all the way around is a great decorating combination ., your wedding cake cupcakes can then be placed on the ledges and on top of the boxes for a beautiful arrangement for your wedding., arrangement idea for your wedding cupcakes is to place cupcakes underneath raised cake platters. larger cakes or more cupcakes can be placed on top of the platters., how your cupcakes taste and even how many different flavors you offer are both very important to the overall success of your wedding cupcakes. i think 1 of the best reasons to have wedding cupcakes instead of a large wedding cake would be that you can have many different kinds of cakes. not everyone prefers the same type of cake and frosting so having 2 or 3 different types of cake flavors would be ideal., three of my favorite flavors are vanilla , chocolate, and lemon cupcakes. these are a great combination for any special occasion that you may choose to serve cupcakes. you can either serve all of the different flavors in the same cups with the same decoration or you can use different cups and/or different decorations for each cake flavor you choose., skimp on the ingredients for your wedding cupcakes. fresh cupcakes made from your favorite cupcake recipes are always the best choice. boxed cake mixes just won tsp cut i for special occasion cupcakes. the same goes for frosting. make your frosting instead of buying it prepackaged from a grocery store. if you don tsp feel confident making your own, you could always buy some freshly made frosting from a local bakery., presentation is everything when dealing with weddings. you should make sure your cupcakes are just the right size so they are absolutely gorgeous when presented. the entire purpose of serving cupcakes at a wedding is to give your guests a small taste of a wonderful dessert. small is the key word here. you don tsp want cupcakes that are larger than an actual teacup. if they are, then they should be called mini cakes and not cupcakes., also, it would cost you a fortune to bake mini cakes for each of your guests. the right size cupcake will offer just the right amount of cake for each person attending and will also likely save you money., be careful not to err on the side of your cupcakes being too small. if your cupcakes are too small, you may run out of cupcakes before you guests sweet teeth are satisfied. you also run the risk of having too much frosting on a small cupcake which could ruin the overall taste of your wedding cupcakes., i ve found that the perfect size cupcakes are baked in 1/2 cup wells that i fill approximately 1/2 to 2/3 full of cupcake batter. make sure you carefully measure the cupcake batter each time you fill a well. this will make sure that your cupcakes come out of the oven all the same size., i hope that these tips will help you produce the most beautiful wedding cupcakes that anyone has ever seen! good luck

top sirloin steak (about 1 1/2 inches thick), fat trimmed, extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus additional for brushing, garlic cloves, pressed, golden brown sugar, soy sauce, fresh thyme leaves, harissa sauce

sliced almonds, chocolate sandwich cookies with creme filling, all-purpose flour, butter, melted, butter, white sugar, cold water, fresh lemon juice, salt, vanilla extract, almond extract, semi-sweet chocolate, chocolate ice cream, softened

muffin pans, a special metal baking pan , sometimes referred to as a muffin tin, with 6 or 12 cup-shaped depressions. most often this pan is made from aluminum., muffin cups are, standard muffin cup is about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and holds 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter., giant or texas-size muffin cup is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter and holds 5/8 cup batter., muffin cup is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter and holds 1/8 cup or 2 tbsp batter., muffin-top cup is about 4 inches in diameter but are only 1/2 inch deep ., substituting a different size muffin cup, substitute another size muffin cup for original size listed in recipe. if substituting a larger size muffin cup the recipe will yield fewer muffins and if using smaller size muffin cup the recipe will yield more muffins. the bake time will be changed also. bake a larger muffin longer than the original time and smaller muffins a shorter time., tips on baking muffins, grease muffin cups by spraying each cup with no stick cooking spray or using a paper towel dipped in shortening to grease each cup., use paper liners in muffin cups for easy clean-up., if muffin cups are filled more than 3/4 full the muffins will have flat, flying saucer tops. if sufficient room is not allowed for muffins to expand before reaching the top of the cup the muffin will flatten on top., if some muffin cups will remain empty during baking , put 2 to 3 tbsp water in the unused muffin cups to keep the pan from warping., if baked muffins stick to the bottom of the muffin cup, place hot muffin pan on a wet towel for about two minutes., source : land o lakes, all about muffins, are you eating muffins or cupcakes, hot breads are always a hit and muffins are 1 of the easiest to make. they are more quickly and easily made than biscuits and no kneading, rolling or cutting is required. they can be a savory, last minute dinner muffin or a sweet delicious breakfast muffin. made using whole-wheat flour, wheat germ, bran, honey, fruits and nuts they can be very nutritious. but like the healthy granola craze which turned into candy bars, muffins also can quickly turn into cupcakes. eating cupcakes for breakfast is your choice, but don tsp tell yourself you are eating healthy breakfast muffins. a recent magazine article revealed some muffins available in new york delicatessens were claimed to be low fat, but actually contained up to 23 g of fat. that s more fat than two egg mcmuffins., what is the difference between muffins and cupcakes, some say cupcakes have frosting. a basic formula for muffins is 2 cups flour, 2-4 tbsp sugar, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 egg, 1/4 cup oil, shortening or butter, 1 cup milk. when the fat, sugar and egg ratio in a recipe reaches double or more than this, you have reached the cake level., other technical difference between muffins and cupcakes, method of cooking is different for muffins and cupcakes. the muffin method is by far the fastest and easiest. flour, sugar, baking powder and salt (all the dry ingredients) are mixed together. this is where the leavening can be uniformly dispersed into the flour. sugar is mixed with the flour to prevent the flour from lumping when combined with the wet ingredients., making and baking muffins, in a large bowl, oil (or melted butter) and egg are beaten together to form an emulsion to disperse the fat more uniformly. then the milk is stirred in. this much mixing can be done ahead and held. the two are combined just before baking., combine, cut and fold liquid into the dry ingredients. mix only to combine. batter will be lumpy but no pockets of dry ingredients should remain. the general rule is only 12 strokes., bake as soon as it s mixed. when filling cups, do not mix batter between scoops. excessive mixing causes loss of leavening., cake method for making muffins, sometimes muffins are made using the cake method , i.e. cream the fat and sugar, add eggs, add the dry ingredients and milk alternately. this is more time consuming but produces a lighter, more tender, cake-like muffin., perfect muffin, perfect muffin has a thin brown crust , a slightly rounded top with a pebbled appearance and a moist, even interior. there should be no peaks, no tunnels which are usually caused by excessive mixing and too much liquid (muffin batter should not be fluid)., more leavening is not better, just because a recipe is in print does not mean that it is in balance. a guide for leavening 2 cups of flour in a recipe is either 2 1/2 tsp double acting baking powder, or 4 tsp fast acting baking powder, or 1/2 tsp soda plus 1 cup buttermilk (for the acid) and 1 1/4 tsp baking powder. excess baking powder and soda taste bitter., here are a few tips for altering muffin recipes, substitute 2 egg whites for 1 egg in the recipe. if these are stiffly beaten and folded in at the end it will produce a lighter muffin with less fat., use non-fat milk instead of whole milk ., use salad oil in place of butter. in place of the fat in the recipe , use 1-fourth of the oil and replace the other three-fourths with fruit puree such as applesauce. jars of baby food fruits provide a quick choice of purees other than apple. adding non-gluten grain products (bran, germ, oatmeal, corn meal) for part of the flour makes a more tender muffin., create your own taste sensations, begin with the basic formula and change 1/2 cup of the flour to corn meal, bran, wheat germ, rye, oatmeal or leftover cooked cereal. add 1/2 to 1 cup chopped apple, dates, prunes, raisins, apricots, figs, blueberries, cranberries, cheese, nuts., make your favorite muffin mixes by measuring the dry ingredients twice (or more ) into two separate bowls. use 1 and package 1 with the list of wet ingredients to be added when mixing at a later date.

dry red wine, soy sauce, garlic gloves, minced, dry mustard, beef tri-tip roast, honey, water, salt, green onions , root ends trimmed, dark green tops cut off and discarded, three 6-oz packages baby portobello mushrooms, olive oil

flour, salt, pepper, paprika, boneless top sirloin roast, cut into 1 inch cubes (i usually use stew meat that you can buy already cut up in the store), vegetable oil, onions, chopped, beef bouillon cube (i like to use 2, for more flavor ), boiling water, hot cooked rice

beef top sirloin steak (1-1/4 lb), cubed, butter, canola oil, sliced fresh mushrooms, garlic clove, minced, beef broth, white wine vinegar, reduced-sodium soy sauce, dijon mustard, cornstarch, heavy whipping cream, hot cooked noodles, chopped fresh parsley , optional

beef top sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes, butter, vegetable oil, fresh mushrooms, sliced, onion, sliced and separated into rings, garlic clove, minced, cornstarch, heavy whipping cream, beef broth, dry red wine or additional beef broth, dijon mustard, soy sauce, hot cooked noodles or rice

soy sauce, maple syrup, light brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, ground ginger, salt, ground black pepper, canola oil, teriyaki sauce, scallions, sliced, sirloin tip steaks

heads iceberg lettuce (1 per person ), diced roast turkey breast (about 1/2 small breast), sweetened dried cranberries, diced celery, green apple cored (but not peeled) and diced, crumbled blue cheese, candied walnuts, recipe below, crumbled blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, salt, coarse black pepper, fresh lemon juice, walnuts, sugar

beef tip roast, garlic, i use the jarred, diced, divided, garlic juice , from jar, onion, sliced into thin rings, salt and pepper, all over the top

olive oil, divided, celery, chopped, shallot, chopped, whole-wheat country bread, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, poultry seasoning , salt-free (see shopping tip), reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided, chicken thighs, boneless, skinless trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (see tip ), all-purpose flour, divided, fresh ground pepper, salt, mushrooms, quartered (6 oz), dry white wine or 1/3 cup dry sherry

purpletop turnips, peeled , cut in irregular 3/4-inch chunks 1/2 cup frozen green peas, chopped parsley, for garnish, carrots cut in irregular 3/4-inch chunks, lean stewing beef (rump, chuck roast, sirloin tip, top or bottom round), lean bacon, carrots, minced, onion, minced, stalk celery, minced, clarified butter, flour, cayenne, red wine ( chianti or burgundy are good choices), low salt beef bouillon (or other brown stock) (don tsp use bouillon made from cubes), tomato paste, garlic cloves, minced, herbs tied in cheesecloth : 3 to 4 parsley sprigs, 2 bay leaves, 2 tsp thyme, heavy fireproof casserole (10 inches across by 3 inches deep) or deep heavy soup pot, straight sided 4 1/2 inches round (or 1 (9 or 10-inch) tart pans with removable rings, food processor with steel blade., note: for single pie use 2/3 of quantities given ), all-purpose flour, cold butter, vegetable shortening, salt, ice water

canned unsweetended coconut milk, fish sauce nuoc nam or nam pla, palm sugar or placed light brown sugar, fresh lime juice, whole garlic cloves, whole red or green thai chiles stemmed, whole lemongrass stalks , bottom third only, tough outer layers removed, ginger peeled, tri-tip , top sirloin cap steak,or rib eye, fat cam left on

bbq sauce (or open pit), montgomery inn bbq sauce (or any type of sweet bbq sauce), red hot hot sauce, fresh garlic finely chopped, worchestershire sauce, black pepper, red pepper flakes, stew beef or beef tips

boneless sirloin tip roast, stalks celery , cut into 2-inch pieces, salt, pepper, dry mustard, water, red potatoes, peeled and cubed, vegetable oil, onions, quartered, stewed tomatoes, drained

water, unsalted butter, salt, sugar, all-purpose flour, eggs, sugar, water, ice cream of your choice, or lightly sweetened whipped cream, equipment : a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip; 2 cookie sheets, well greased, or 1 lined with parchment paper and 1 greased, or lined with nonstick baking mats; an ice water bath; and a mini ice cream scoop

water, unsalted butter, salt, sugar, all-purpose flour, eggs, sugar, water, ice cream of your choice, or lightly sweetened whipped cream, equipment : a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip; 2 cookie sheets, well greased, or 1 lined with parchment paper and 1 greased, or lined with nonstick baking mats; an ice water bath; and a mini ice cream scoop