Holy Cannolis

My brother has been begging me to make cannolis for awhile, and today I felt up to it (we had also just gotten cannoli molds). Hope you enjoy these!

 With a pastry cutter, mix together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon white sugar, and 2 tablespoons of cold butter cut into VERY small pieces. When the mixture is coarse add 1 egg yolk and 1/2 cup of water. Knead until smooth. Then cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate while making the filling.

 In a medium sized bowl mix together 2 cups ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp allspice. Then, whip 1/4 cup heavy cream until stiff and fold into ricotta mixture. Finally, add a couple handfuls of mini chocolate chips.

 Roll out cannoli dough (I did it with my pasta machine) and cut into 3-4 inch rounds. Wrap around cannoli molds and seal with water. Drop into 1 quart of canola oil at 360 degrees Fahrenheit.

 Fry each cannoli shell for about a minute on each side. Drop onto a paper towel-lined plate. Once the shell is cool, slide it off of the cannoli mold.

 Fill the cannoli with a piping bag with no tip.

Top with mini chocolate chips and dust with powdered sugar. Yum!

Apple Upside-Down Cake with Whipped Greek Yogurt

Today I was home, bored, and up for some experimenting. The pineapple upside-down cake I had once made had been a huge hit in my family. Why not do that again, but with apples this time? Here is my delicious spice cake with an apple topping and honey whipped Greek yogurt. Enjoy!

 First, cream together 1 stick of softened butter and 1 cup of white sugar.

 Add in  1 cup of white, whole wheat, or whole white flour, 3/4 tsp of vanilla, 2 eggs, and 1/2 tsp each of baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. If you want, add in about 1/4 cup of milk.

 Stir until combined.

 Now, for the apples! Peel and thinly slice 4 Granny Smith apples. Add in 2 teaspoons cinnamon, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, and 1/2 cup of white sugar.

 Pile apples into 6-8 heavily greased custard cups, and top with cake batter.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out dry.

Cut around the edge of the cake, and then turn over onto a plate. And....... VOILA!

 To make the whipped Greek yogurt with honey: In a stand mixer (or with your favorite whipping device) whip together 3/4 cup of Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Pile the yogurt onto the cake, and, if you want, garnish with grated lemon zest and some cinnamon. Enjoy!

Waffles of the Gods

These waffles are light and fluffy. They are, as my dad says, "food of the gods".

Separate 2 eggs, putting the yolks in a large bowl. Save the whites for later.

Whisk 2 cups milk and 2 teaspoons vanilla into the yolks. 

      

Whisk in 2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons white sugar, and 2 teaspoons baking powder. I use whole white flour, but you can also use white or whole wheat flour.

Beat the egg whites until foamy.

 Add the egg whites and 4 tablespoons butter into the batter. If you want, you can add a few handfuls of chocolate chips and frozen blueberries.

Cook the batter in a waffle maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Make cinnamon sugar (7 to 1 sugar to cinnamon ratio) and shake onto the waffle. Enjoy!