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Ocean Pudding Cups

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A fun little treat, dessert , or snack for kids of all ages ! 

This recipe is made with vanilla pudding tinted blue.  My good friend Rosemarie upped the healthy factor an used coconut yogurt to make hers!  I love when my friends get creative in their kitchens! 

The recipe is pretty simple, and only uses a few ingredients. 

One box (4 serving size) Vanilla instant pudding

2 cups milk

Blue food coloring

Graham cracker crumbs 

Life saver gummy rings candy

Teddy Grahams crackers 

4 clear plastic cups

 

Prepare pudding as directed on the package. Once set, add a few drops of blue food coloring and mix until blended.

Layer graham cracker crumbs on bottom of each cup. Add a layer of pudding, then a thin layer of crumbs. Add remaining pudding until each cup has equal amounts. Sprinkle one side of pudding with more crumbs to resemble beach sand.

Take one bear cracker and fit a gummy ring around it, place in blue pudding for a perfect little floating beach visitor!

You can also add swedish fish candies for a fishing/lake themed treat.

Watch me make this recipe on my YouTube channel!

Remember, if you make this recipe , be sure to tag @fromginaskitchen on social media! 

Have a great weekend, foodie friends! 

 

Gina 

“Shark Bait Mocktail”

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This “Mocktail” can easily slip into a cocktail with the addition of a little rum, vodka and “grown-up” blue curacao!

I introduced the cute little sipper last week during a virtual “kids in the kitchen class ” on facebook. You can watch the quick  2 minute video here!

In the video I made one mocktail, but this recipe can be multiplied to serve a school of little fish as well. I used the cocktail recipe from Food Network Magazine as an inspiration. In case you haven’t caught on yet…  I LOVE myself some Food Network. 

“Shark Bait Mocktail” serves one

You will need a few easy to find ingredients. If you don’t want to look for the non-alcoholic blue curacao, simply use blue food coloring . 

Ingredients:

Lemonade

Lemon-Lime seltzer water

Blue Curacao or blue food coloring 

Maraschino cherries

Swedish fish 

 

In a glass or plastic cup , pour equal amounts lemonade and lemon-lime seltzer over ice.   I did about 4 ounces of each to make a roughly 8 ounce serving. Add a few drops of non-alcoholic blue curacao (I ordered mine from Amazon)  or blue food coloring.  Stir until combined. Add a few swedish fish, and a drizzle of the maraschino cherry juice. top with a cherry or two!  Enjoy with fun summer themed paper straw.

Cheers to your weekend plans! 

Make sure to tag @fromginaskitchen on FB or IG if you try this recipe. I hope you do!

Gina

Peach Turnovers

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What a fun conversation we had tonight in the Kitchen with Alesia!  

Alesia shared some history and fun facts about her home state of Missouri. I got to share a fun recipe I found in the cool cookbook she brought me back from her recent visit home.

The recipe for “Peach Turnovers” is a local favorite, and couldn’t be easier to make! I can see (and taste ) why locals love this seasonal fruit dessert.  But seriously, they could. be breakfast too! 

Peach Turnovers (recipe found in “Missouri Back Road Restaurant Recipes”)

3 large peaches

2 (8 ounce cans) crescent rolls

2 sticks butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

6 oz. Mountain Dew

1 pinch ground cinnamon (I used more than a pinch, I sprinkled my cinnamon sugar mixture on all of them)

Preheat oven to 350. Slice peaches and set aside. Unroll crescent dough, separate into 16 triangles. Please one pech slice at base of each and rollup. Arrange in a 9X13 pan as you work. Melt butter, add sugar, vanilla and salt. Pour over turnovers in baking pan. Pour Mountain Dew over turnovers, sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until turnovers are golden brown and liquid is bubbling. 

Enjoy! 

Make sure to visit the Kitchen on  Facebook every Monday at 5 pm as we talk travel and share local recipes. 

And make sure to share pics and tag @fromginaskitchen and @ibooktravelforu if you make this recipe!

Enjoy!

Gina

The “Curly Girls” are back!

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Hello foodie friends!

Besides being a custom baker and Disney travel planner, did you know I’m one half of the wine and food duo “The Curly Girls”?   Many thanks to my partner in wine Adventures in Wine With Ann Marie  and our photographer/videographer Joel Andrews of  Prince William.tv  for all the hard work and effort that went into our first professionally done video segment.

Watch the video here:

Excited to share my latest adventure with my partner in wine, AnnMarie Railing! I hope you enjoy this video, and please make sure to support our sponsors! Huge shout out to Prince William TV for making us look professional ! Manassas Olive Oil Company Selfish MamaKelly HaneklauAnna Sakell TjoumasMake sure you are following The Curly Girls here on FB to keep up with all the latest.Please like and follow our other pages Adventures In Wine With Ann Marie and From Gina's Kitchen

Posted by Gina Michak on Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Looking for more “Curly Girls” content?  Follow us on FB @sipsandswirlscurlygirls

Many thanks to our sponsors: 

Manassas Olive Oil Company 

Selfish Mama

Kelly Haneklau

Anna Tjoumas

Interested in sponsoring future episodes?  Contact me at fromginaskitchen@gmail.com for details.

Enjoy! And as always, I’d love to hear from you if you made one of the recipes! 

 

Gina 

Brownie ice cream bites (July’s brownie!)

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Happy July, foodie friends! 

Let’s get the patriotic party started with the July brownie from “A Year of Brownies” over at Food Network magazine. 

I used the recipe from the magazine, but made them a little differently. 

I made my brownies a little thicker. and cut them into smaller bites, so that when I made the sandwiches I just scooped about one tablespoon of vanilla ice cream onto each brownie bottom , topped it with another brownie, and sprinkled the sides with patriotic non-pareils.  

Click here for the original recipe.

I made mine in an 8×8 pan, instead of the larger pan they called for.  It made my brownies thicker and denser, so I opted to call my version “brownie bites” rather than full sandwiches. You still get a homemade ice cream treat that takes next to no time to make

I think they will make a nice addition to the July 4th dessert table! They are bite sized, ice cold, and  all dressed up for the fireworks show! 

Let me know if you make this, by tagging @fromginaskitchen in you social media posts! 

Have a wonderful holiday!

Gina

Mid-way through “a year of brownies”!

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Ok foodie friends, where did the time go? We all want 2020 to get on out of here… but June flew by and I almost forgot about my mission to bake a brownie a month  thanks to inspiration from Food Network Magazine!)

I FINALLY got into the kitchen to make this month’s brownie , and boy is it a good one! 

Have you ever made a “skillet brownie’?  I love to make them, because it’s quite the showstopper dessert to impress a crowd, especially if your guests are around to watch you remove that giant cast iron skillet from the oven! 

This is what my “Pecan-Toffee Skillet Brownie ” looked like as soon as it came out of the oven.  The key with this brownie is to be patient, and give it time. First you make the brownie batter on the stove top, and bake it in your skillet. Then, after it’s done, let it cool. While it cools, you make the toffee topping. 

As you drizzle that gooey pecan mixture over the entire brownie, you can’t help but taste-testing a bit of the homemade toffee goodness!  Then… while you wait for the topping to set (about 90 minutes) you can lick the pan! Be careful though, it’s hot, lol! 

Watch me make this recipe on my YouTube channel! 

I can’t take credit for inventing the recipe, so I have to give props to my favorite foodie magazine for coming up with so many new and creative ways to makes brownies. Trust me, you want to see what I’m baking up next month (which is sadly already next week!)

To make this yummy recipe, visit Food Network Magazine’s site here.

I enjoyed my slice today , after it set up overnight:

See you next month, for a star-spangled brownie you’ll want to have around all month long.  

 

Gina

 

 

 

S’mores Cupcakes

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Hello and happy friday, foodie friends! 

Did you catch my FB Live over on PWC Moms? 

I made two summer themed cupcakes!  I’m posting the recipe for the Smores cupcakes here, but you can get the pina colada recipe here.

For the S’mores cupcake you will need :

One dozen chocolate cupcakes, baked using your favorite recipe OR a box mix. During the last 5 mins of baking time, insert a marshmallow into center. Continue to bake until melted.

graham crackers (crushed and broken pieces, you choose, for garnish)

Hershey chocolate bars ( garnish )

For the buttercream frosting:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

4 cups powdered sugar

7oz jar marshmallow fluff

3-4 tablespoons of milk (more for a thinner spreading/piping consistency)

In the bowl of a standing mixer (or large bowl if you are using a hand mixer) cream butter and shortening together.  Slowly add powdered sugar, and milk.  

Beat ingredients until combined and creamy in texture. Add the marshmallow fluff , continue to beat until incorporated and a good spreading consistency. 

You can pipe on with a decorating tip in a piping bag (I used tip 1M) or spread with spatula. You can also scoop on with an ice cream scoop!

Top each with graham cracker pieces/crumbs and one little portion of chocolate bar.

Enjoy this favorite campside treat indoors at your next get together! 

 

Gina

 

 

  

 

Do you like Pina Coladas?

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Hey there, foodie friends! 

Welcome to the first blog post that combines my baking with my travel side gig! 

As you know by now, I’ll be bringing Disney travel planning into the Kitchen!  I’m very excited about that, as anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE Disney.

Although the cupcakes in the picture aren’t Disney themed,  you are going to see me posting pics and recipes of foods that pair well with the travel topic of the week! 

What’s the travel topic of the week you ask?  Well, you’ll have to watch me and Alesia House of “I Book Travel For U ” every Monday was we talk about vacations, popular travel destinations, and all the latest on the travel industry! Of course you’ll get your weekly dose of Disney as well! 

This week we had a very special guest on our FB Live, Nicole Ratner of “Cruising with The Family”.  Nicole shared her many years of cruising experience with us, and introduced us to her most recently published book “Choose to Cruise”.

To watch the replay, click here.

We all know cruises are famous for their food, so a  tropical treat was in order.  Since I wouldn’t dream of drinking alone, I opted for a “Pina Colada Cupcake”, instead of the traditional beverage.  But next time… all bets are off when we can chat together. 

Inspired by tropical vacations to sunny destinations and warm beaches, this cupcake has all the flavors of an island: coconut, pineapple and RUM! 

 

Pina Colada Cupcakes

I’ve made this pretty easy… bake up a batch of your favorite cupcakes, and top with this smooth, creamy, taste-of-the-tropics buttercream frosting.  Sprinkle with shredded coconut and add a fancy umbrella pick and get ready to take a tropical trip right from your kitchen table (or patio!)

Pina Colada frosting: (makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes)

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

3-4 tablespoons pineapple juice

1 tsp. coconut extract

1 tsp. rum extract ( you can use your favorite rum, too. I’m keeping this family friendly) 

shredded coconut, maraschino cherries and paper umbrellas for garnish

In large bowl of standing mixer (or large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer) whip the butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, and continue mixing. Add pineapple juice until spreading consistency is reached. Add extracts and whip a minute or two more to incorporate flavors. 

Using a piping bag and 1M decorating tip, frost cupcakes using a swirling motion. Sprinkle with shredded coconut , top with cherry and umbrella topper.  Cheers to summer! 

BONUS recipe! 

Pineapple Dole Whip inspired by our conversation about Hawaii a few weeks ago.   Of course I can get my Disney fix there too, at the Aulani Resort on the island of Oahu.  I also had the chance to enjoy one of these handmade treats at the Dole Pineapple Plantation on my trip there last summer. 

When I can’t get to Disney OR Hawaii, I just bring the flavors home to ME! 

Ingredients to make 4 servings of homemade Pineapple Dole Whip :

2 cups frozen pineapple

1 cup vanilla ice cream

1/2 cup pineapple juice

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Serve in ice cream bowls or cones for a cool treat! 

Psst.. for an adult version, add a little rum and call it a cocktail! 

 

Let me know if you make either of these treats, and don’t forget to post to social media and tag @fromginaskitchen AND @ibooktravelforyou!

Thanks for visiting, and come back again soon! 

Gina

 

 

Thursday Farmers Market!

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Good news, foodie friends! 

The City of Manassas Farmers Market is back next Thursday, June 4 with in person shopping (and a few new rules)!

The Kitchen will be on site and ready to go with with new sugar cookie and brownie mixes, as well as the very popular all butter pound cake (perfect with your fresh berries!)

Market Rules and times: (per the City of Manassas)

8am – 1pm, Harris Pavillion

Vendors are 10 feet apart,  so the Kitchen (and other vendors) may not be in the same spot as you are used to .

You will need to wear a mask (Vendors are required to as well) 

No touching of products

Vendors will gather what product you are interested in and bag it for you.

Please maintain distancing

ENJOY the Market & Welcome Back!

PRE ORDERING IS STILL AVAILABLE

As always, you can place an custom order via email fromginaskitchen@gmail.com and pick up at the market. 

As of right now, I won’t be a weekly vendor at the market. I’m what they consider a “drop in”, so make sure to follow along on social media or subscribe to my email list to get notifications of when I will be “dropping by” the market (and to find out what I’ll be offering!) 

Thank you for your continued support of my baking business! 

 

Gina

 

 

 

Tip Tuesday in the Kitchen

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It’s “Tip Tuesday” here in the kitchen, and I’ve got a quick tip that saved me a few times during this quarantine. 

Yeast is a hot commodity in my area of Virginia these past few weeks. 

Are we ALL baking our own sandwich bread all of a sudden? I don’t know about you, but when I can’t find something (ingredient wise) that’s when I go to the “googles” for substitutes. 

I could write an entire blog post about ingredient substitutions, (and I just might ), but today I’ll leave it at this wonder called “DIY Self Rising Flour”

You probably have the ingredients on hand right now in your pantry. It’s three basic baking ingredients, that when combined, can be used instead of yeast in some recipes. You won’t get the same softness as with a yeast dough and it’s multiple risings… but your recipes will still be soft and have great texture to them. So if you can’t find yeast in these crazy Covid-19 times, run to your pantry to make this easy substitute!

DIY Self Rising Flour

1 cup of all-purpose flour

 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine salt.

There you have it, my first ingredient substitution blog post!  I hope to do more in the future. 

If you try it, tell me what you think.

Gina