Rainbow Rose Meringue Cookies

Hello friends!  Just me again, making some more wildly delicious and fun stuff!  Ok, well in my opinion it is ALL that!!  Just more like finding excuses to make meringues.  Any excuse will do, I love them!

These are so easy.  Have you heard all those old wives tales about when to make meringues and when not too?  Never on a humid or rainy day?  It might be true, I am just saying, I made mine on a humid rainy day and they turned out perfectly.  I am not saying the old wives are wrong, I am just saying, they were wrong about my superhuman abilities, that's all. 

These will brighten up anyone's day, so make them, and share them with someone who needs some cheer!  Or let's be real, keep them for yourself because you know since they are mostly air, they have no calories.  I mean that is what I heard, so I am just sayin......R

PS.  Don't throw those yolks away kids, use them, for some pastry cream or homemade egg noodles!

3 egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
red, blue and yellow food colors
pastry bag
Wilton 1M tip

In a very CLEAN metal or glass bowl, being to whip your egg whites.  Wipe them until they become foamy.  No peaks yet, just good and foamy.  Add in your granulated sugar and cream of tartar and whip until you have soft peaks.  Add in vanilla and continue to whip your egg whites until stiff peaks are formed. 

In 3 bowls, divide your meringue evenly.  Color on red, one blue and one yellow.  Or, use any colors you like!  Carefully fold in the coloring so you don't lose all the fluffy air in the whites.

Now using a 1m tip and a large pastry bag or Ziploc bag, cut off the corner and insert tip.  Roll the bag clear down and add one spoonful of each color at a time, then move up the cuff and add more.  This will give you more rainbow, and less of one color blob at a time.  Get it?  Yes, I said color "blob". 

Now with your baking sheets lined with either parchment or silicone mates, pipe out a rose shape.  Working in circles from the center out.  I yielded about 16 cookies, but it depends on the size of roses you make and you can do other shapes as well. 

Bake at 195 degrees F for 1 hr. 30 minutes.  Rotate the pans half way through.  When the time is up, turn the oven off and crack the door open.  Let cool to room temperature. 

ENJOY!



 



Adapted from CherryLanesCupcakes

Gross Bloody Bandaids!

Gross, huh?  I know!  I told you I LOVE gross stuff!  I wasn't really kidding.  I am most people's idea of a nightmare dinner guest.  You wouldn't believe the conversations I can have while consuming food!!

These aren't so "OH HALLOWEEN" as they are "OMG HOW GROSS" which to me, is also SO Halloween-y!  I, in fact am delivering some of these sprinkled on a plate of cream puffs for my parents doctors office as a "thank you".    Fun idea, right?  I thought so. 

I, in fact, was trying to think of ways I could add dried up scabs, maybe some pus, oozing infectious discharge or something to these.  My husband was so skeeved out at the simple concept of a bloody band aid he nearly turned green when I made him try one.  They are an easy assembly kind of treat, no baking, and your kids will LOVE the grossness of it all, so get them in the kitchen with you!!

Bloody Band Aids
Graham Crackers (split in half)
Graham Cracker Sticks
1 cup white chocolate melts or chips
1 tsp vegetable oil (to thin melts if needed)
Red gel food coloring
skewer

Melt your white chocolate in a small Ziploc baggie, add in veg oil if you need it thinned out a little bit.  This is a great 2 person job, one person spreads on the white square in the middle, and one adds the blood!  Let harden and bam, easy, fun, and very disturbing Halloween treats!  I promise nobody else is going to be bringing bloody band aids to your Halloween parties!

Enjoy these!  Be disturbed, and possibly even get sick to your stomach at the thought, because all those things mean I was a success!!!

Your "Josie grossy" Chefwannabe

Candy Corn Fudge

Confession.  I don't like candy corn.  I know I can't be the only one.  Now, there are a few "candy corn" flavored (or allegedly flavored) things I love.  Like Candy Corn M&M's.  However, I think they taste more like cotton candy, MAJOR bonus.   I do like the Caramel Apple candy corn, once a year.  (like how I capitalize the first letter of all the names I like?).   Anyway, let me know if you are a candy corn fan or not.   I usually get a stomachache just looking at the bag of them!

This fudge is a major cheat.  It is majorly sweet and it is fairly tasty in small doses.  I mean if you are a sugar fiend, then it is good in huge doses as well.  I love the layered colors like a candy corn.  You know, NOT liking them but still getting to eat a visually comparable Halloween sweet treat.  Did that make ANY sense at all? 

I saw this recipe on YouTube. (about.com).  The truth is, I muffed up the recipe, but it worked out fabulous and I can't imagine their way being near as good.  So let us begin this VERY easy, VERY sugar laden, VERY bad, but oh so good treat!

2 -12ounce bags of white chocolate chips
1 container of vanilla frosting
orange food color
yellow food color
8x8 or 9x9 baking dish lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick spray

In a small bowl add in 1 1/3 cups of white chips, melt 30 seconds at a time in the microwave.  When completely melted, add in 1/3 of the container of icing.  This doesn't need to be precise, just eyeball it!  Mix until combined and add in food coloring.  Yellow first.  Get the yellow you like and spread into the bottom of your baking dish.  Refrigerate about 10 minutes between layers.  Repeat using orange food color and then the last layer using no food color since you want it white.   Let chill in the fridge for about 2 hours before serving.  Use the parchment to remove the entire pan of fudge.  Place on cutting board and cut into small squares. 

This is a very simple treat that everyone will enjoy.  Change these colors up for your favorite team, or any holiday!  Add something to top if you desire, sprinkles, candy corns, the possibilities are endless. 

Your "I will never master real fudge so I continue to make fake fudge" Chefwannabe