Canterlot: No Reservations

[Rosewind]

A supportive mother whom uses a show for girls to feed her sons healthy food?! WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!

(but really, that sounds good, I kinda want to try it)

That recipe is from a sixth grader. I think it's really cool that colt-bronies exist. I know we have several around here, but it's just nice to know, especially since I think boys in that age range might be more judgmental toward anything to do with girls.

Anyway...I'm going to bake up some lemon poppy seed muffins! I've got some Holland blue poppy seeds, fresh lemons, and the usual cake suspects (flour, eggs, butter, sugar). Lemon extract, lemon zest, and sour cream will round out the flavor and make it moist and delicious.

[Rosewind]

I just took inventory of my baking supply pantry:

All purpose flour, bread flour, cake flour, whole wheat flour, rye flour, semolina, arrowroot powder, corn meal, corn starch, corn syrup, molasses, agave nectar, wildflower honey, buckwheat honey, white cane sugar, demerara sugar, turbinado sugar, light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, powdered sugar, sugar cubes, absinthe, chambord, grand marnier, rum, apple cider vinegar, white distilled vinegar, food coloring gel, vanilla extract, homemade vanilla extract, lemon extract, evaporated milk, orange extract, almond extract, rootbeer extract, rose water, dried rose petals, dried lavender, marshmallow root, Mexican vanilla beans, Madagascar vanilla beans, candied ginger, dried ginger, powdered ginger, Holland blue poppy seeds, buttermilk powder, baking soda, baking powder, ceylon cinnamon, kojite cinnamon, China cinnamon, cassia cinnamon, allspice, whole nutmeg, mace, clove, rouge cocoa powder, natural cocoa powder, dutched cocoa powder, Rainbow Dash, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate chips, peanut butter, gianduja, speculoo paste, marzipan paste, country canned cherries, pumpkin, dried cherries, shredded coconut, sliced almonds, vegetable shortening, kosher salt, iodized salt, sea salt, zante currants, raisins, golden raisins, crushed pineapple, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried blackberries, lasaffre yeast, lemon curd, dried lemon peel, and apple pie spice.

What should I make?

[SirShadowdeath]

I just took inventory of my baking supply pantry:

All purpose flour, bread flour, cake flour, whole wheat flour, rye flour, semolina, arrowroot powder, corn meal, corn starch, corn syrup, molasses, agave nectar, wildflower honey, buckwheat honey, white cane sugar, demerara sugar, turbinado sugar, light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, powdered sugar, sugar cubes, absinthe, chambord, grand marnier, rum, apple cider vinegar, white distilled vinegar, food coloring gel, vanilla extract, homemade vanilla extract, lemon extract, evaporated milk, orange extract, almond extract, rootbeer extract, rose water, dried rose petals, dried lavender, marshmallow root, Mexican vanilla beans, Madagascar vanilla beans, candied ginger, dried ginger, powdered ginger, Holland blue poppy seeds, buttermilk powder, baking soda, baking powder, ceylon cinnamon, kojite cinnamon, China cinnamon, cassia cinnamon, allspice, whole nutmeg, mace, clove, rouge cocoa powder, natural cocoa powder, dutched cocoa powder, Rainbow Dash, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate chips, peanut butter, gianduja, speculoo paste, marzipan paste, country canned cherries, pumpkin, dried cherries, shredded coconut, sliced almonds, vegetable shortening, kosher salt, iodized salt, sea salt, zante currants, raisins, golden raisins, crushed pineapple, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried blackberries, lasaffre yeast, lemon curd, dried lemon peel, and apple pie spice.

What should I make?

Rainbow Dash

*Demented Smile*

Make Spicy Cinnamon Chocolate cookies. I got a recipe, if ya need it. It's based off of an ancient Mayan one, which is always good.

[Solaria]

Rosie, I'm totally going to make your biscuits this weekend for my friend. It should be a lot of fun.

[Snowshoe]

Food thread? Food thread.

LISTEN UP PONYFOLK. Specifically you folk that really like red meat, and either can't grill worth a darn, don't own a grill, or it's raining/snowing/whatevering outside. Even if you can't cook, this recipe is so darn simple anyone can do it.

You hungry for some steak? Sit your flank down and listen, it's time to get AWESOME up in here. This recipe sustained me through my first year of University, as the dorm kitchen had no oven.

Steak dinner, Sturmmann-style

Ingredients:

- Steak, duh. Cut is totally optional, go for preference. Grilling steaks, being thinner IIRC, are usually best.

- Sea salt and black peppercorns. Most grocery stores actually carry shakers with both already in it.

- 2 tablespoons of butter.

- Beef stock

- One shallot

- Clove of garlic

Acquire a steak. Should be relatively thin if you're only using a pan, but if you've got an oven, you can get a thicker cut.

Then get yourself some sea salt and black peppercorns. "But Sturmmann", you may ask. "Can't I just use table salt and black pepper?" HECK NO. Get outta here if you think that. Just kidding, stay, I need to educate you. Wash that steak off in cold water, then pat it dry and set it on a plate. Get your peppercorns, crush them if need be, and your salt, and apply liberally over each side of the steak, to taste. Rub that spice mix in good.

"Just salt and pepper, really, Sturmmann?" You bet your flank, and call me Chef. Cooking isn't about being fancy and using the entire spice rack for a spice rub. It's about mixing flavours and using the simplest but best ones to create something awesome.

Now, take a pan and drop some olive oil into that. A generous amount but don't flood the pan. Set it on a burner set to high and wait. You'll want to get the oil literally smoking hot for the next step.

Next step? Toss that bad boy into the pan. Not literally, this is steak, food of the Gods, and you need to treat it with respect. So instead reverently place this delicious slab of red meat onto the oil. And watch your fingers 'cause as soon as it goes down, that oil will start sizzling. Now stand back and breathe deep. Listen to that sizzle, smell that delicious spice rub searing. But don't stand too far back. Grab yourself a fork, tongs, or whatever, and keep watching that steak. Once it browns and develops a nice crust (should be about 6 minutes), flip her over. Wait another six minutes and wipe that drool from your mouth. I know it smells good, but we ain't done yet. Take the steak out and set it on a serving platter. Cover it with tinfoil so that it doesn't get cold.

We ain't done yet, keep that flank in your chair. And don't go reaching for that A1 or HP or whatever steak sauce you prefer. A wise(cracking) cooking teacher once told me that you don't need to get fancy with cooking: just plain, simple, fresh ingredients. Work with the flavours, don't mask them with stuff like a strong steak sauce. Sure, I like a good steak sauce as much as anybody else but we're going simple today, showing off them chef talents to impress your friends/family/significant other/possible significant other/dog. See that pan? With the bits of awesome and fat left behind? Toss 2 tablespoons of butter into the pan, then some beef stock. Cut up the shallot and the garlic really fine, and toss it in the pan too. Sweat them veggies like it's a sauna, then take it off the heat.

Time to get fancy up in here. Do whatever you want for a side dish. Bachelor on a budget or just don't want to take the effort? Minute Rice sells individual cups of rice in two packs. Get the long grain wild rice, it's exquisite. Steam up some veggies too. I particularly like a mix of yellow and green string beans. Set the rice and veggies on the plate all nice and five-star dining like, and then put your steak on the plate. Pour the pan sauce onto the steak, then step back. Smell that? Smells like victory, if victory smelled like a delicious seared steak. Pat yourself on the back, chef. Get a good drink to go with it, then sit down and enjoy.

Okay, but steak is easy. Everyone knows how to make steak. Let's go for something else nice and simple. Something a bit more exotic than steak and rice. Hold on to your hats, we're going in.

Kapusta/Bigos

This recipe comes from a family friend, the greatest cook I personally know. He's Ukrainian, and his Ukrainian food is to DIE FOR. Maybe one day, Sous-Chefs, you'll be as awesome as Chef Sturmmann, and maybe then you, like me, can aspire to be as awesome as this bombastic Ukrainian. Until then? Let us make something traditional, yeah? This is my take on kapusta; with how traditional Eastern European societies can get, there are countless variations. Play with the spices until you find your favourite.

Ingredients:

- Sauerkraut. Lots of sauerkraut. We're talking literally a pound of sauerkraut.

- Polish sausage/kielbasa, exactly as much kraut as you use. A pound of 'kraut, a pound of sausage.

- Paprika

- Black peppercorns

Optional:

- Perogies as a side dish

- Mushrooms

- Onions

- Additional meats, such as ham, pork, or bacon.

Alright. Time to get your Eastern Bloc on. Cut that kielbasa up into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices. Toss a bit of butter in the pan, then start browning them sausage slices. Once browned, you're literally halfway there already.

Drain your pound of sauerkraut, then throw it in the pan. Turn the heat down to low to start simmering, and add a few teaspoons of brine from the 'kraut to keep it moist. Mix in the paprika with the sauerkraut, make sure everything is nice and coated. Don't overdo it though, unless you like spice, because paprika has a kick to it and too much will have you pull a

. No, seriously. Don't do it. Crush the peppercorns and add to taste to the rest of this stuff, then toss a cover on that sucker and let it simmer.

"Chef Sturmmann?" Yes? "Is that really all there is to this?" You bet your blank flank it is. This is a peasant meal from a country that traditionally had nothing. Serve it up with some bread, or if you wanna get real traditional, in a bread bowl.

Know what the absolute beauty of kapusta is? "The smell you'll be giving off after eating a pound of sauerkraut?" No, but that is definitely up there. The beauty is that this dish is so modular it ain't even funny. Serve it with browned perogies, or some mustard for the kielbasa, or add cooked bacon and sauteed onions and mushrooms (sauteed in the bacon fat of course). This recipe is the easiest version: Wikipedia has a similar one that involves browning all the meat except the sausage, and after the brief stint on medium, adding the kielbasa and simmering for another 2 hours, but we're hungry. So plate that kapusta and sit down. Enjoy it with your best Polish/Ukrainian accent. For total immersion experience, wear old clothes and eat with just a candle lighting the room while listening to Pravda (I'm just joking around. Ukraine's a cool place).

Right! Now get to work, Sous-Chefs. Chef Sturmmann has some work to do. On the next episode of "Cooking with the Canuck", we'll do fresh, home made egg pasta with our own custom tomato sauce, just like grandma used to make, if you call your grandma "Nona" and she comes from Italy.

[Duchess]

Tablet

This is a fine dessert from bonny Scotland; this recipe makes a softer, more richly luscious version than the stuff you could get from a souvenir stand or something. Alcoholic versions are encouraged for the cold winter nights in the Highlands .

You will need, for the non-alcoholic version:

1 oz butter (unsalted)

1 cup of condensed milk

1 tablespoon of golden syrup

1 lb of granulated sugar

Combine the butter, milk and golden syrup together in a pan under a gentle heat until the butter has all melted and incorporated into the rest of the mix. Then add in the granulated sugar, stirring all the while.

Then, bring the sticky mix to the boil, then boil briskly for 20-25 minutes, until the mix is at the soft-ball consistency. For those not au courant with this step, that means taking a small spoonful of the syrupy mix and dropping it into a bowl of cold water, then checking the resultant ball until you get the soft consistency roughly similar to fudge.

Try and avoid splashes – this stuff is very hot and sticks like Greek Fire. When at the appropriate consistency, remove from the heat and add half a teaspoon of vanilla essence. Beat the mix with a spoon until it begins to thicken and then quickly pour into a buttered toffee tray, then put in the fridge to cool.

This is quite a tricky recipe to get right, unfortunately – I have been making it for a long time, and I still occasionally mess up – I have been left holding a pan with a long waterfall of tablet half-poured out of it in the past (it can set VERY fast if things go wrong).

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Zabaglione - an Italian light custard drink/dessert.

Perfect when chilled on hot summer's days, with a bowl of raspberries and some melted chocolate. This is a nice, light dessert; useful after a heavy meal.

You will need:

6 egg yolks

6 tablespoons of caster sugar

2 teaspoons finely-grated orange and/or lemon rind

6 tablespoons of Moscato d'Asti (or Marsala, in a pinch)

Whisk together the egg yolks, caster sugar and rinds together until the mixture is all frothy. Add in the Moscato and whisk in thoroughly. Put the mixture over a saucepan of water which is barely simmering, and then whisk further until the mixture thickens and rises.

Pour into long-stemmed glasses and chill, or simply eat/drink right then! You can also dust cinnamon, nutmeg or whatever spice of your choice on the top; if you don't drink, replace the Moscato with a black coffee of some kind.

Simple, easy, tasty

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I have a recipe for toffee pie somewhere too; the only problem is it's one I made a lot of changes to when I was young, so it's full of red arrows, crossings-out and childish chicken-scratch in the margins telling me what to do. When I next make it, I'll weigh out the ingredients properly for once. Saying 'a dash of' or 'a big swig of' or 'a quarter of a scalesful' isn't going to be much use to anyone other than me, I think . It's delicious, though.

[Rosewind]

*Demented Smile*

Make Spicy Cinnamon Chocolate cookies. I got a recipe, if ya need it. It's based off of an ancient Mayan one, which is always good.

Share recipe go! I love spicy cinnamon chocolate anything! It's not like four types of cinnamon isn't enough...

Rosie, I'm totally going to make your biscuits this weekend for my friend. It should be a lot of fun.

I hope you do, they're delicious! Let me know how they turn out.

[SirShadowdeath]

Well, I messed up a bit.

The recipe calls for chile spice/cayenne.

Still want it? It's something my mom sent to me awhile back, and it's awfully good.

[Rosewind]

I have that...it's just not in my baking cabinet! You should see my spice cabinet...lol!

[Starfox64x]

Pure Awesome

Ingredients: Something and bacon

Step one, place something out onto a place.

Step two: Add bacon

Step three, eat and enjoy!

Honestly i dont have any official recipes... at least none i know by heart... i do love making Buckeyes. Those are amazing

Basically you take peanut butter, sugar, and butter and mix until you have a fairly solid substance, ball it up, and coat in chocolate (Usually two block of milk chocolate mixed wiht one block of white chocolate) and freeze before eating. they're awesome

[SirShadowdeath]

Ahem. No idea where my mom got the recipe before she gave it to me, so no perfection promises.

Topping:

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Actual Cookies:

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon chocolate extract (or more vanilla)

1 2/3 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Preheat oven to 350 F. L

Mix the topping stuff togethor.

In another bowl use a fork to mix together the oil,  sugar, syrup, and milk. Then, Mix in extract.

Sift in remaining ingredients, stirring as they are added. Once all ingredients are added mix some actual dough is made.

Roll dough into small balls. Pat into the sugar topping to flatten into small discs. Transfer to the baking sheet with sugar side up, a couple of inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, they should be a bit spread and crackly on top. Remove from oven and let cool for awhile, and then transfer to a place where they can cool completely.

[Rosewind]

They look good. They look like a nod to a sugar cookie, but with chocolate and spice going on. I'll have to try them!

[Rosewind]

I'm making brioche caramel cinnamon sticky buns this morning! I found some leftover dough in my freezer last night and decided to thaw it out. (Brioche is a bit of a pain to make, and it's a two day process.)

Then I rolled it out and sprinkled it with some butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, rolled it into a log, sliced it into rounds, then put those in the pan with a "goo" of more brown sugar and butter, let them rise for an hour or two, and baked them into a delicious manifestation of a sugar coma! Weeee!

[SirShadowdeath]

I'm making brioche caramel cinnamon sticky buns this morning! I found some leftover dough in my freezer last night and decided to thaw it out. (Brioche is a bit of a pain to make, and it's a two day process.)

Then I rolled it out and sprinkled it with some butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, rolled it into a log, sliced it into rounds, then put those in the pan with a "goo" of more brown sugar and butter, let them rise for an hour or two, and baked them into a delicious manifestation of a sugar coma! Weeee!

Sounds awesome.

[Rosewind]

Just made a recipe for carrot cake cupcakes! They're orange like Scootaloo and very yummy. This one was tricky because the carrots have a specific density. How exactly do you measure out a cup and a half of peeled carrots? Do you grate them into a measuring cup? Neigh! You find out how many ounces a cup of carrot weighs, then multiply that by 50% and add the original ounce weight -- so we get 5.85 ounces of carrots in 1 1/2C. (Or you could grate 1 and a half medium carrots or two small carrots).

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Yield: One Dozen

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a bowl, measure in the following:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup white granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp crystallized ginger, finely minced

1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

In a separate bowl:

1/2 cup PLUS 3 Tbs. vegetable/canola oil

1 1/2 cups (5.85oz by weight) peeled carrots, finely grated

2 eggs

Mix the wet ingredients together, then gently fold them into the dry ingredients.

At this point you can add lightly toasted nuts, such as walnuts, raisins, whatever you like. I used about 1/3 of a cup of dried zante currants.

Divide batter between cupcake liners or greased cupcake cups. Bake for 14-20 minutes, until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. The edges should just be turning slightly brown. Cool.

Wat? You want frosting? Okies!

Whip together:

One 8oz package of cream cheese

1/2 stick butter (4 tbsp), room temperature.

1 cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Thin slightly with milk if too thick, but don't put in too much!

You can stick the frosting in a plastic sandwich baggy, snip off the end, and put neat little dollops on top of the cupcakes! They're so cute!

Enjoy!

[Dessa]

Yay! A show relevant recipe!

[Rosewind]

Another relevant recipe. I couldn't sleep and decided to make these:

Blueberry Muffins (that could make Derpy weep with joy):

Yields one dozen.

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a mixing bowl, mix

4 tbsp (half a stick) butter

3/4 C Sugar

1 tsp vanilla

When the butter and sugar are combined, add

2 eggs, one at a time

3/4 C cream. (sour cream or yogurt will also work)

In a different bowl, combine:

2 1/4 C all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Add the butter/egg/sugar mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine gently. Add:

1 cup of blueberries, fresh or frozen. Gently fold them into the batter.

Scoop them into the cups of a greased muffin pan, sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar, and bake 18-20 mins, until golden brown and muffinalicious.

Remove muffins from the pan right away so they don't steam and become tough. Enjoy!

[Rosewind]

Another one!

ANGIE'S MOM'S BLUBBERY MUFFINS

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cups white sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

about 1/3 cup of milk

1 cup frozen blueberries

combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.

combine oil and egg together in a one cup measuring cup, and fill the rest of the cup with milk

add liquid ingredients to dry

fold together

fold in blueberries

put in muffin tin with the paper cups. fill to the top

sprinkle some white sugar on top of each muffin

bake at 400º for 20-25 minutes

Thanks Angie, it looks like a solid recipe to me!