Kitchen Crafty

The past two days I have tried a few very interesting recipes I have gathered from other blogs and I thought I would share. The first was a Blueberry Basil Cream Cheese Cupcake from Bakerella I thought they were really good, but .I don't think I let the Cream Cheese soften enough before making the cream cheese filling (resulting in a lumpy mess). Next time I want to add a little more lemon to the recipe. After this creation I starting scouring the web for other blueberry basil creations and came up with some other very interesting ideas:

Drinkers:

Tequila, blueberry and basil, oh my?

For you rum lovers (me), surprise your guest with a twist on a classic.

Here is that lemon I was talking about (scroll to the bottom).

Foodies:

Maybe drinking isn't your thing, but eatin' chicken is!

Dessert:

Take your pick on ice cream, sorbet (just substitute blueberries) or granita

I should note that I have never tried any of these other recipes, but they all look so delightful I just might. This led me to think of other things that would be good. A recent visit to the Highland Bakery had us sampling some tasty Ricotta Pancakes (so moist and delicate) topped with a Blueberry Basil Sauce would be awesome. You will see my second creation gave me this idea of a Blueberry Basil salad dressing!

My second crafty kitchen creation was this peach and mint infused vinegar. This is a labor of love and I recommend if trying this recipe you do a double or even triple size batch. The end result is far less then I expected. Also, invest in a good sieve and cheesecloth. It was well worth the effort in the end and made a delicious, tangy salad dressing (mixed it with olive oil, garlic and dijon). I will definitely be experimenting with more vinegars. These make a really unique host gift paired with a neatly printed recipe card. For some really pretty packaging ideas check out this blog or this pic. Here is a cool bottle available for purchase

Lastly I attempted to make Wasabi Almonds. They were okay, but I think they could use some more wasabi and some other flavors. I think next time I will double the wasabi and add some ginger, onion, garlic and soy sauce. I will report back on the second attempt!