ChiggerBytes » Tips

Surprise Use for Cream Cheese Frosting

itbedeb — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:54:29 +0000

I was going to take my favorite apple dip to work for a special occasion. It is so simple to make, that I waited until the last minute to put it together. Guess what? No brown sugar in the house! I can’t believe I let myself run out of something that is such an important staple in my kitchen.

Well, I started thinking about what I could use instead of brown sugar. Then I remembered I had some cream cheese frosting left over from the spice cupcakes I had made the day before. So, here’s what I did:

I creamed together 8 oz. cream cheese, 2 Tbsp. butter, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Then I added 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat the mixture until smooth. Then, I added the leftover cream cheese frosting. I put it in a bowl and surrounded it with slices of green apples, red apples, and pears.

Everyone loved it at work, and never guessed it was a re-use of cake frosting!

- Deb

Pumpkin Pie Spice

itbedeb — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 01:04:49 +0000

Don't have pumpkin pie spice, but the recipe is calling for it? Make your own using this recipe. Continue reading →

Measuring Cup Tip

itbedeb — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 17:42:50 +0000

Line a measuring cup with a plastic sandwich bag or plastic wrap to keep it clean between uses if you know you will be using it for multiple ingredients.

Tip for Gluten-free Turkey

itbedeb — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:59:28 +0000

Most frozen turkeys have gluten in them (in the preservative). If you have an intolerance to gluten (Celiac Disease), be sure to check the label on your turkey. Your best bet would be to buy a fresh turkey.

Also keep in mind that if you stuff the turkey with bread stuffing, the gluten from the bread will get into the turkey. To be gluten free, try a rice or cornbread (gluten free) stuffing.

Grated Chocolate

itbedeb — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:59:46 +0000

Grated chocolate is a wonderful garnish for many desserts. Sprinkled on top, it can make the simplest plain dessert look elegant. Simply use the largest hole on a cheese grater to grate Hershey’s chocolate bars. Chocolate in the form of … Continue reading →

Alcohol/Liqueur Substitutes In Recipes

itbedeb — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:55:53 +0000

If a recipe calls for alcohol or liqueur as an ingredient, but you prefer to use something non-alcoholic, a general rule of thumb is to substitute the same amount (volume) of another liquid in the recipe as originally called for with alcohol.

Chicken broth or apple juice is a good substitute for wine, but it really depends on the recipe. If the recipe calls for orange liqueur, you can substitute orange juice, etc. You can use flavored extracts mixed with water to make enough liquid called for (1/2 tsp. orange extract plus 5 1/2 tsp. water, for example).

Use your imagination and experiment.

Tip for Baking Brownies

itbedeb — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:33:27 +0000

To make it easier to remove the brownies from the pan, line the baking pan with foil; spray the foil with non-stick spray, then pour in the batter. After baking the brownies, let them cool in the pan, then simply pull them out of the pan by the foil. Move them to the cutting board to cut into squares, or, you can finish wrapping them in the foil and put in the freezer or later use. Clean up is much easier, too, since the foil prevents the pan from getting messy.