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      Minestrone Soup

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      Minestrone soup is an Italian classic! This version is made with cannellini beans, chicken stock, cabbage, potato, zucchini, carrots, plum tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese.

      Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

      Do you love minestrone?
      This favorite Italian soup is made with fresh seasonal vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes.
      There is no set recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season. It can be vegetarian, contain meat, or contain a meat-based soup base (such as chicken stock).
      Video! How to Make Minestrone Soup

      When it comes to minestrone, improvise!
      So, what you put in your minestrone is really up to you. Don’t like beans? Leave them out. Love pasta? Put some in (we recommend small pasta like ditalini). Minestrone really is all about improvisation.
      But where to start? Here is a hearty base minestrone soup recipe, with plenty of white beans, zucchini, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, celery, and onions. It’s one of our favorite soups to make when the weather turns cool.

      How to Store and Freeze Minestrone
      Minestrone leftovers can be refrigerated for about a week and reheated either in the microwave or over low heat on the stove top.
      The soup also freezes fairly well, though the vegetables tend to be softer after freezing and reheating. Note that pasta does not freeze well, so if you’re planning on adding some, it’s best to freeze the soup without the pasta and then add it after thawing and reheating.

      From the editors of Simply Recipes

      To Add Pasta or Not to Add Pasta?
      This recipe doesn’t call for pasta, but it can make minestrone extra hearty. Use small pasta like ditalini, but macaroni works in a pinch. About one cup of uncooked pasta is a good amount.
      So, when do you add pasta to minestrone? If you want everything to cook in one pot, about 10 minutes into simmering the vegetables in Step 3. You’ll probably need to add 1-2 more cups liquid bit by bit, since the pasta will absorb some.
      For more control over doneness, boil the pasta separately in stock or water, then drain and add to the finished soup.
      As leftovers sit, pasta absorbs broth and gets soft. To keep this from happening, boil it separately, drain, and add the cooked pasta as needed when you serve the soup. It’s best to freeze the soup with no pasta; add it after thawing and reheating.
      What to Serve with Minestrone Soup?
      You can’t go wrong with crusty bread. And a big dollop of pesto floated on each bowl right at serving time is heavenly! If you want more meat, try adding Italian sausages to the soup, or have them on the side.
      Check out our other minestrone recipes

      Updated November 9, 2020 : We spiffed up this post with a new video to help you make the best minestrone ever. No changes to the recipe. Enjoy!

      Minestrone Soup Recipe

      You can use canned beans (use a good quality brand, I recommend S&W or Bush’s) or you can cook dry beans.
      If starting with dry beans, soak about 3/4 cup of dry beans overnight in cold water (or pour boiling water over the beans and soak for 1 hour). Drain. Cover with a couple inches of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour, or until tender enough to eat. Then drain and use in this recipe as directed.

      Ingredients
      1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
      3/4 cup chopped onion
      3/4 cup chopped carrot
      3/4 cup chopped celery
      1 tablespoon minced garlic
      1 bay leaf
      2 sprigs fresh thyme or a teaspoon of dried thyme
      1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
      1 Yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
      2 cups sliced savoy or curly cabbage
      1 zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
      2 medium fresh ripe tomatoes (romas if available), cored, peeled, chopped
      6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian version)
      1 15-ounce can cannellini or great northern white beans, drained (about 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans)
      1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
      Salt
      Freshly ground black pepper
      Parmesan cheese, grated for garnish

      Method

      1 Sauté the vegetables: Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart thick-bottomed pot on medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more.
      Add the bay leaf, thyme, fennel seeds. Add the potato, cabbage, zucchini, and tomatoes. Add the chicken stock.
      3 Simmer the soup: Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and cooked through.
      4 Finish the soup: Add the beans and parsley to the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
      Serve with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.

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      Elise Bauer
      Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family’s recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
      More from Elise LEGGI TUTTO

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      Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Apple Gravy

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      The pork shoulder should be marinated in the rub overnight or up to two days.

      Ingredients
      For the spice rub:
       2 tablespoons packed, fresh thyme leaves, lightly chopped, or 1 tablespoons dried thyme
      2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, lightly chopped
      1 tablespoon fennel seeds, toasted
      2 teaspoons black peppercorns
      2 teaspoons Kosher salt
      4 medium garlic cloves, minced
      Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
      For the pork shoulder roast:
      4 to 5 pounds (1.8 to 2.2 kg) boneless pork shoulder, sinew and excess fat (beyond 1/4 inch) trimmed
      4 medium good cooking apples, such as Fuji or Jonagold
      1 medium yellow onion
      2 tablespoons olive oil
      Salt and pepper, to taste
      1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine (can sub water)
      1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
      Freshly ground black pepper

      Method

      1 Make the spice rub: Put the fennel seeds, peppercorns, thyme and rosemary leaves, garlic and 2 teaspoons salt into a spice grinder or coffee grinder and grind to a paste. (Alternatively, you can pound the mixture with a mortar and pestle.)
      Transfer the mixture into a bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil.
      2 Marinate roast overnight in spice rub: Rub the mixture evenly all over the pork shoulder. If the roast is tied, untie it to rub the inside with the rub mixture as well, then retie it.
      Wrap the roast tightly in plastic wrap to hold the rub against the skin and marinate overnight (or up to two days).

      3 Prep apples and onions: Peel, halve, and core the apples. Cut each apple half into about 4 wedges. Peel the onions. Cut in half from tip to root. Trim the root and tip. Cut each onion half into about 12 thin wedges.
      Put the onions and the apples together in a bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and season with a little salt and pepper.

      4 Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C).
      5 Place roast on bed of apples and onions: Place the apples and onions in the bottom of a roasting pan or Dutch oven with a cover. Place the marinated pork shoulder on top of the apples and onions.

      6 Roast: Roast uncovered for 30 minutes. Turn the oven heat down to 325°F and add the wine. Cover the roasting pan and slow roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the pork shoulder is falling apart tender and pulls apart easily when probed with a fork.

      7 Make sauce: Transfer the pork shoulder to a serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Put the apples and onions into a blender. Add about 1/2 cup water and the mustard and purée.
      Check the texture, and add water until you get the desired thickness for the gravy. Press through a sieve for a silky smooth textured gravy. Check the seasoning and correct to taste.

      8 Serve: Cut the roast into pieces and serve with the apple gravy. Leftovers will keep refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for 3 months.

      Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. Thank you! LEGGI TUTTO

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      Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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      1 Preheat the oven and prep the cake pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour a 9×13-inch cake pan or spray the pan liberally with nonstick baking spray. Set the pan aside.
      2 Sift together the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, use a spatula or whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and salt.
      Fold a piece of parchment or foil in half and set it next to the bowl. Use a measuring cup to scoop the mixture into a sifter and sift the ingredients together 3 to 4 times over the parchment. When finished, transfer the dry ingredients back to the bowl. Aerating the flour this way helps the cake bake up as light as possible. Set the dry ingredients aside.

      3 Combine the eggs and sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, whip together the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and the beater with a rubber spatula and continue mixing until the eggs and sugar become thick and pale yellow, or about 2 1/2 minutes more.
      When properly mixed, the beater should leave ribbons in the egg mixture as it passes through it.

      4 Add the butter and pumpkin: To the bowl with the eggs and sugar, add the melted butter and pumpkin puree. Mix on low speed just until combined and no yellow streaks remain, or 1 minute. Scrape down both the bowl and the beater.

      5 Add the dry ingredients: Add all of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and blend on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the mixer. Using a rubber spatula fold in the rest of the flour until it’s completely mixed in.
      Hand-mixing at the end prevents you from overworking the gluten in the flour, which will produce a tough cake. The batter should be the consistency of pancake batter.
      5 Fill the cake pan: Use the rubber spatula to scrape the cake batter into the prepared cake pan.

      6 Bake the cake: Transfer the cake pan to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the sides of the cake have pulled away slightly from the pan.
      7 Cool the cake: Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool in the pan completely, about 1 hour. If you plan to serve the cake on a platter, let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then turn the cake out of the pan onto a cooling rack, allowing it to cool completely.

      8 Make the Cream Cheese Frosting: In bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a mixing bowl and using an electric beater), add the butter and cream cheese. Beat on low speed for 1 minute.
      Once the cheese and butter are smooth, use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl and paddle, then add 3 cups of powdered sugar and vanilla to the bowl. Beat on low speed for 2-3 minutes, or until smooth. Stop the mixer and scrape down, both, the bowl and the paddle.
      Add the remaining cup of sugar, if desired to thicken, beating for an additional 1-2 minutes or until fluffy and combined.
      The frosting should be thick and hold a peak when the spatula is lifted from it.

      9 Frost the cake: After the frosting has been made and the cake has cooled completely, use an off-set spatula to spread the frosting over the surface of the cake. Don’t forget the swoops!
      Sprinkle the cake lightly with pumpkin pie spice or grate fresh nutmeg and cinnamon over the surface, if desired.
      Though the cake is best served the same day, leftovers may be kept, covered, overnight at room temperature. After 24 hours, it’s best to store it, covered, in the refrigerator. LEGGI TUTTO

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      5 Weeknight Dinners that Make Delicious Leftovers

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      This meal plan is written in partnership with Perdue. 
      This month, we welcome back Marta Rivera for more of her meal plans. Marta is a trained chef, mom of twins and Army wife, and a Simply Recipes recipe tester and developer!
      The closer to winter we get, the more I’m looking for recipes that will provide warmth (inside and out) and can carry over to the next day’s lunch. I mean, have you ever been upset about going to the fridge and discovering you have leftovers for lunch? Yeah, me either.
      Most of the meals in this week’s plan become great money-savers because they provide leftovers for tomorrow’s midday meal. Well, as long as you have a family that can restrain themselves (unlike mine, we like to eat, so sometimes I have to double the recipe)!
      If you’re not keen on lunchtime leftovers, each recipe in this week’s meal plan freezes spectacularly well to use for future meals. Go ahead, thank your future self for being one step ahead of the game! LEGGI TUTTO

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      Best Sugar Cookies

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      1 Mix the butter with sugar: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, place the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon zest, baking powder, and kosher salt in the bowl. Cream at low speed until the butter starts to become pliable, then increase speed to medium. Mix until a paste forms that sticks to the side of the bowl, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
      Add the cream cheese and beat until incorporated. Repeat with the egg, scraping down the bowl between additions. Don’t worry if the batter looks broken or “curdled” after adding the egg. It will come together with the flour.

      2 Add the flour: Add 1 cup of the flour and mix on low speed until absorbed. Repeat two more times, adding 1 cup of flour each time.

      3 Roll the dough out: Divide the dough in half. Place half the dough on a large piece of parchment paper (do not flour the paper). Press down with the palm of your hands to form a disk. Place another piece of parchment paper over the dough. Begin rolling the dough out gradually with a rolling pin.
      As you roll the dough, flip the parchment papers with the dough sandwiched between them to create an even layer. If you find the paper starts to “wrinkle” just peel back the paper and then lay it back down, smoothing it out with your hands. Continue to roll and flipping the dough, until the dough is 1/4-inch thick.
      Repeat with the second half of the dough.

      4 Chill the dough: Stack the thin sheets of dough, still sandwiched in parchment paper, on top of each other, then place on a baking sheet. Move to the freezer and chill for 15 minutes or until the dough is cool and firm to the touch. Alternatively, let the dough chill in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight.
      5 Prepare the baking sheets and pre-heat the oven: While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
      6 Cut out the cookies: Once the dough has chilled and firmed up, transfer one of the dough sheets to your counter. Gently peel away the top layer of parchment paper.
      Place 1/4 cup all-purpose flour in a shallow bowl or pan. Dip the cookie cutter in the flour, then firmly cut out cookies (plastic cookie cutters may be stickier than metal ones). Repeat, cutting out cookies until you can’t fit any more onto the sheet. Flip the entire sheet over and peel away the “edge scraps” of the dough. Gently move the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, leaving about one inch around each cookie.
      Gather all the scraps together and press to form a disk. Roll the scraps out between the parchment paper (you can reuse the same paper). Move to the refrigerator or freezer and chill as you repeat the process on the second sheet of chilled dough. This will allow the scraps to cool down and firm up.
      Repeat with cutting cookies for the second sheet of dough, then refrigerate the rolled out scraps. Repeat until you’ve used up as much cookie dough as you can. (Note: If you only have one baking sheet, only cut out as many cookies as will fill one baking sheet, then chill the remaining dough until you’re ready for the next batch.)

      7 Bake the cookies: Sprinkle the cookies with colored sugar (if using), then bake for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size, shape, and thickness of the cookie. Watch the cookies starting at 8 minutes. Once the edges of the cookies start to turn brown, that’s when the cookies are done. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack.
      If desired, frost or ice the cookies once they are completely cool.

      8 Store: If frosted, wait until the frosting or icing is completely dry before storing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature between sheets of parchment or wax paper for up to 5 days. LEGGI TUTTO

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      Royal Icing

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      Want to make cookies so pretty they could be in a bakery? Royal icing is your answer! We have a basic recipe, plus lots of tips and instructions for making beautiful decorated sugar cookies for Christmas, birthdays, or other celebrations.

      You know those fancy pants cookies that look like they’ve been decorated by Pinterest fairies? The ones that are impossibly pretty to look at and you (almost) feel guilty about eating them?
      Yeah, those cookies are decorated with royal icing!
      And I’m here to tell you that even YOU can make gorgeous cookies that will impress your family, friends, coworkers, and complete strangers on the Internet. Here’s how to make the best royal icing for decorating your cookies.

      WHAT IS ROYAL ICING?
      Royal icing is a decorative hard white icing made with egg whites, powdered sugar, and some flavoring and coloring. That’s it. It’s super easy to make, but there are some pretty specific things you need to know about making it and using it.
      THE BEST EGG WHITES TO USE
      There are three basic ways to make royal icing:
      Using raw egg whites
      Using egg white powder
      Using meringue powder
      Traditional royal icing used regular raw egg whites as an ingredient, but that’s not recommended nowadays because of the potential for salmonella and other pathogens that might occur in raw eggs.
      But pasteurized raw egg whites are readily available in almost all grocery stores, and that’s the ingredient that I use in this recipe. Just look for a carton of them near where you buy the eggs. The cartons look like a quart or pint of half-and-half, but they’re actually egg whites. These egg whites have been heated to the point of killing off any bacteria, but not enough to have cooked the eggs, and they are safe to use for making royal icing.

      WHAT ABOUT EGG WHITE POWDER OR MERINGUE POWDER?
      Egg white powder and meringue powder can both be found in specialty stores or online. You can substitute the egg whites in this recipe with:
      Egg white powder: Follow the instructions on the package to create the equivalent of three egg whites. Make sure to let the powder fully hydrate by beating it together for five minutes. Proceed with this recipe as written.
      Meringue powder: Meringue powder is actually comprised of powdered egg whites plus sugar and a stabilizer like cornstarch. Combine three tablespoons of meringue powder and five tablespoons of warm water. Beat together for about five minutes to fully hydrate the powder, then proceed with this recipe as written.
      HOW TO MAKE BRILLIANT WHITE ICING
      The base color of royal icing after you make it is white. But this white color might be more of an eggshell beige white than a stark brilliant white. This is because pure vanilla extract is dark brown and will tinge the final icing.
      Normally this isn’t an issue, but if you want to make bright, stark white icing, do the following:
      Use clear vanilla extract, or use a different clear extract for flavoring (like peppermint or lemon).
      Make sure to also use conventional powdered sugar. Organic powdered sugar is often made with evaporated cane sugar, which has impurities left in it, and this results in a slightly beige color. Conventional powdered sugar has been processed in such a way that it is white in color.
      Finally, you can actually buy a professional White or Bright White food coloring. This will help brighten up the icing! The white food coloring is also a great way to make true white buttercream frosting, which is often a slight off-white because of the butter in it.

      HOW TO COLOR ROYAL ICING
      My preferred method to color royal icing is professional grade gel food coloring. It is an intense coloring agent in gel form and doesn’t dilute the icing much. One or two drops is often all you need to get the vivid color.
      Unfortunately most grocery stores don’t carry gel food coloring, but you can find it easily at craft stores like Michael’s as well as online.
      A lot of well stocked grocery stores will carry Betty Crocker gel colorant, which doesn’t thin down the icing as much as liquid food coloring. But the Betty Crocker gel colorant isn’t as intense as the professional grade coloring, so you do need to use more of it. To get the same amount of vivid color that I want, I’ve noticed that I have to use a lot of the Betty Crocker gel, which does thin my icing down a bit. So keep that mind.
      Yes, you can use the regular liquid food coloring in royal icing, but keep in mind that you often need to use a lot of it to get the same intense color. So make sure the icing is thick before adding the coloring, and you may want to test the icing after adding the coloring.
      One thing to note, royal icing frostings tend to darken slightly after they dry. So keep that in mind. The darkening will depend on the type of food coloring you use and what color you use. If this is a concern, you can make the royal icing the day before, and then let it sit overnight in the fridge. The icing color will deepen and give a better sense of what the final product will look like.

      ARTIFICIAL VS. NATURAL COLORANTS
      Most natural colorants won’t work in baked goods, as the high heat will break down the coloring agents. But this isn’t an issue with royal icing! There are a number of natural based food colorings on the market now. Keep in mind the colors might not be as vivid as the artificial based ones (I find the colors are more pastel). The natural-based colors also tend to fade after a few days, so make sure to serve the cookies right away!
      EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR ROYAL ICING
      There’s no way around the fact that you need some special equipment for decorating cookies. That said, most of the equipment is easy to find online or at a well-stocked grocery store (look in the section where you would find sprinkles and colored sugars). That said, almost all of the equipment is relatively cheap and easy to store!
      Piping Tips: Round piping tips come in a variety of sizes, ranging from #1 on up. The larger the number, the larger the hole. I usually go with a #4 tip for super basic shapes like a circle or a square and a #3 tip for most other shapes. I might opt for a #2 if I’m doing more intricate work, or a #1 if I really want to get detailed.
      Coupler: A coupler is a plastic screw that allows you to change the tips. If you think you’ll be changing tips in the icing process, use a coupler
      Piping Bags: I like to use clear plastic disposable bags, because then I can see the exact color I’m using.

      PIPING VS. FLOODING ROYAL ICING
      There are many ways to decorate royal icing. The two main ways to use it are piping and flooding, both of which are dependent on the thickness of the icing. For piping, you want a thicker icing, and with flooding, you want a thinner icing.
      Piping is exactly what it sounds like: You are piping the icing from a pastry bag onto the cookie into a thin line. This is for “drawing” a decoration or outlining a large area that you will cover with icing. You want a slightly thicker icing for this technique, for more control.
      Flooding is also as descriptive as it sounds. This technique involves filling a piped area with a thinner icing, covering it with a flat color.
      Think of it like a coloring book: First you outline the area that you want the color (with piping), then you color in the area completely (with flooding).
      Since it’s difficult to get the exact same tint of color frosting between two batches, starting with one colored frosting and dividing it in half is recommended.
      There are more advanced techniques on decorating, as well. Check them out HERE.
      TIP: If you are new to royal icing, I highly recommend first baking up and decorating large cookies (instead of smaller cookies or delicately-shaped cookies). The bigger the surface, the less “detail” work that you need to do. You can get a feel for how the icing works on larger surfaces, and you’ll be way more satisfied with the outcome.

      THE BEST CONSISTENCY FOR PIPING ROYAL ICING
      Royal icing piping consistency should be thick enough that it holds its shape when you pipe it out of an icing bag, but not so thick that it doesn’t adhere to the cookie itself or break as you pipe it. I’ve heard different comparisons in terms of consistency, but “toothpaste” is usually what I am aiming for. Don’t worry, it sounds like a narrow window but there’s some leeway with it!
      The recipe below should give you a decent piping consistency for royal icing. When you pull the whisk or beater up from the mixer, as the icing falls to the bowl, you should still be able to see the strings of icing on the surface for a good eight to 10 seconds before it melts back into the pool of icing. If it’s longer than that, you should thin the icing down with a little water (try one teaspoon at a time) and if it’s too thin, sift in one tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time.
      Keep in mind that if you add food coloring to the icing, depending on what type of food coloring, you will be thinning down the icing with it. So thicker is always desired at first.
      Once the icing is at the right thickness, pour half of the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip or a coupler.
      TIP! The easiest way to fill a piping bag is to place it in a pint glass, then invert the top of the bag over the sides of the glass, creating a “cuff”. Then pour the icing in, about 1/3 full, and then pull up the sides of the bag and twist and seal it shut with a twist tie. This prevents the icing from back-flowing and getting all over your hands.
      THE BEST CONSISTENCY FOR FLOODING ROYAL ICING
      Transfer the other half of your colored royal icing into in a bowl. Thin the icing in the bowl down to flooding consistency. Here’s how:
      Add some water to the icing, a teaspoon at a time, until you get a consistency of glue, something that slowly flows.
      Spoon some icing up and then allow it to drizzle down onto the icing in the bowl. The drizzle should stay on top and then melt back into the surface after two or three seconds. If it immediately disappears, your icing is too thin.

      HOW TO PIPE ROYAL ICING
      If you’ve never used royal icing before, practices makes perfect! I always pipe a little bit of icing onto a piece of parchment paper and do swirls and lines to make sure I get the feel of the icing, the pressure I need to pipe, and to get the movements down again.
      You’ll find that if you work slightly above the surface and think of the icing as a “string” that is falling from the piping bag, you have less shakes and the icing will look more organic. The closer you are to the surface, the more control you have, but also the more wobbles will show up! As you get more experienced, you’ll find yourself naturally moving up and down for more or less control and flow.
      Pipe the design you want on the paper, or just jump ahead and pipe it on the cookie itself!
      HOW TO FLOOD WITH ROYAL ICING
      Start by pipping the outline of the area that you want to fill, or “flood,” with icing. This outline acts as a barrier or wall to the icing. Then fill in the area with the thinner flooding icing.
      A lot of folks use squeeze tubes and bottles for flooding the icing, but I tend to throw caution to the wind and just spoon my icing up! Yep, I carefully spoon some icing into that area, then use the spoon tip to push the icing around carefully. Once most of the area is done, I’ll use a toothpick and push and pull the icing to fill the corners.
      But if you are more particular or are looking to fill in detailed areas, I definitely recommend a squeeze bottle.

      BASIC DECORATING IDEAS
      There are tons of royal icing techniques you can explore, but even with simple piping and flooding, you can do a whole range of decorations. Here are a few ideas:
      Outline intricate designs and patterns with piping.
      Flood whole areas of the cookie, then add sprinkles or small candies on top.
      Flood whole areas of the cookie, let it dry, then draw on them with food coloring markers, available at craft shops.
      Outline patterns and fill in part of the pattern with flooding. Think checkerboards or argyle patterns.
      LOOKING FOR MORE IDEAS? 6 Ways to Decorate Cookies with Royal Icing
      CAN YOU STORE ROYAL ICING?
      Royal icing immediately starts to dry and get crusty when exposed to air. The thicker the icing, the faster it dries! I immediately cover any bowl with plastic wrap or place the icing in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out.
      Royal icing will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks, so you can make the royal icing ahead of time! Just keep all royal icing in airtight containers. If you have royal icing already in a piping bag, just place the bag in a zip-top freezer bag. Some folks even place a toothpick in the piping tip before placing it in the zip-top bag to try and seal the icing more.

      HOW TO STORE DECORATED COOKIES
      Cookies decorated with royal icing need to dry completely before being stored. I like to allot at least a two hour period for drying. It also helps to have a gentle fan blowing over the cookies to make sure the icing is completely hard. But you can also leave the cookies out overnight on the countertop or kitchen table to make sure they are completely dry.
      Once dry, place them in an airtight container with a piece of parchment or wax paper between layers. They should keep at room temperature for up to five days.
      I don’t recommend freezing cookies with royal icing. The colors tend to bleed into the cookie when they thaw out because of condensation.
      TRY ROYAL ICING ON THESE COOKIES! LEGGI TUTTO

    • in Recipes

      6 Ways to Decorate Cookies with Royal Icing

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      Ready to take your cookies to the next level with royal icing? Go beyond basic piping and flooding, and explore these advanced techniques for making bakery-worthy decorated cookies. Try flocking, layering, adding candies, and more!

      Once you start decorating cookies with royal icing, it gets super addictive! And I’m not just talking eating all those pretty cookies. You can do a ton of decorating using just the technique of piping and flooding, but here are a few more techniques that you can use to create beautiful and unique cookies.
      WHAT IS ROYAL ICING?
      Royal icing is a decorative hard white icing made with egg whites, powdered sugar, and some flavoring and coloring used to decorate cookies.
      If you’ve never worked with royal icing before, check out our recipe for step-by-step instructions on how to make it as well as basic piping and flooding techniques:

      PIPING
      Piping is a basic technique used in conjunction with flooding, but you can also create intricate outlines and patterns just using the piping technique. Pick a smaller round tip (#1 or #2) if you want to do detailed work. Or work with a basic #3 tip if you are looking to do more organic shapes.
      Consider making patterns as well as outlines and drawings using piping. Checkerboards, concentric circles or shapes, or even just simple “drawings” on a cookie have an elegance all their own.

      FLOODING
      Flooding means covering larger areas of a cookie with icing. Start by piping an outline with icing, then flood the area with a thinner icing. The outline serves as a barrier to hold in the “flooded” area.
      You can pipe and flood in the same color to create a solid color area, or you can use different colors. Do this if you want to create a watercolor bleeding effect from the edge of the area to the center.
      Also consider piping a pattern (like checkerboard or diamonds) on to a cookie, then use the flooding icing to fill in every other square to make a more graphic look. You can also draw a picture and use flooding to fill in the spaces.

      BLEEDING
      Bleeding is when you add an additional colored icing on top of a still-wet flooded area. Instead of having a crisp sharp line, your colors will bleed into each other and look more organic.
      You can use bleeding to create some beautiful effects. Pipe and flood an area with one color, then immediately pipe another color over that area:
      If you pipe a line of color, you can then use a toothpick to drag the color back and forth to create a chevron pattern.
      If you pipe dots onto the wet flood area, you can use a toothpick to draw “hearts” by dragging the toothpick through the icing dot in one direction.
      Pipe different colors right next to each other to get a dramatic watercolor, marbled, or swirled effect. Draw lines back and forth by dragging a toothpick through the icing to move the colors around.

      FLOCKING
      Flocking involves sprinkling sparkling or sanding sugar over the piped icing or flooded areas. The icing acts like “glue” and the sugar sticks to it. This results in a sparkling line or pattern.
      Just place the cookie on a shallow baking pan or plate with a rim. Pipe the pattern that you want on the cookie, then immediately sprinkle the cookie all over with the sugar. Let the icing set for about a minute or two before picking up the cookie and shaking any loose sugar back into the pan or plate.
      You can also flock flooded areas by shaking sparkling sugar over the top of a flooded area. If the flood icing is very thin, let the cookie sit with the sugar on top to dry a bit before picking it up and shaking off the loose sugar. Usually this only takes five to 10 minutes or so, but it depends on the thickness of your icing and humidity in your kitchen. Test it first by lifting up the cookie and tilting it. If you see the icing start to move, set it back down quickly and let it dry longer.
      I recommend getting sparkling sugar, which has larger crystals and creates a more dramatic look. It comes in a variety of colors. Look for it in the baking aisle of your grocery store, at a craft stores, or online. But you can also use regular granulated sugar.
      A variant of flocking is to sprinkle non-pareils, sprinkles, or jimmies over the piped icing and then shake the sprinkles off. You can create fun and whimsical looks with rainbow sprinkles!
      You can pour the leftover sugar back into the sugar container and reuse it. A funnel comes in handy if you have a small container of sugar and want to pour the leftovers back into it.

      ADDING CANDIES, PEARL BALLS, AND DRAGÉES
      You can also use the icing as a “glue” to attach candies, pearl balls, and dragées, which are silver candy balls. Just add a dot of icing to the cookie, and then place the candy. You might want to use tweezers if the dragée or candy is very small or especially delicate. Or just sprinkle them over a flooded area while it’s still wet.
      Here are a few suggestions for other edible items to add to your royal icing decorated cookie:
      Edible flowers, candied or fresh (if fresh, eat the cookie within 24 hours)
      Small candies like mini M&Ms, cinnamon red hots, or Nerds
      Silver dragées or colored candied pearls
      Non pareils, sprinkles, or jimmies
      Swedish pearl sugar
      If you start looking online and at craft or party supply shops, you’ll find that sprinkles, jimmies, non-pareils, and colored sugars come in all sizes and shapes. You’ll find everything from stars to large balls to snowflake shapes to confetti sprinkles all in a myriad of shapes and colors.
      LAYERING
      You can combine all the techniques above as well as layer the techniques! Just allow the royal icing to completely dry between layers. I usually allot at least two hours under a gentle fan to make sure the first layer is dry before piping and adding an additional layer.
      You can also just let the cookies dry and set overnight before adding more decorations to them.
      One of my favorite combinations is to flood a cookie shape completely with one color, then let it dry and add a flocked, piped decoration in a contrasting color on top. The sparkling sugar with the piping on the contrasting color background really pops, and the piping of the frosting gives the flock a dimension.

      OTHER WAYS TO DECORATE ROYAL ICING COOKIES
      Try any of these other techniques:
      Edible color markers are available at craft shops and are an easy way to decorate cookies. Just pipe and flood a large area with white or light pastel colored icing, let dry completely, then go crazy with the color markers!
      Edible luster dust is also available at craft shops. Luster dust is exactly what is sounds like, edible glitter in dust form. Mix a little bit of vodka (a couple of drops at first) with some luster dust and then paint it onto your cookie in the areas where you want it to sparkle!
      Edible gold or silver leaf is also available if you want an extra special touch! Just wait for the icing to be completely dry before adding any metal leaf to your cookie.
      HOW TO STORE THE FINAL COOKIES
      Once you’re done decorating the cookies, let them dry completely before storing them in an airtight container. Layer them between sheets of parchment or wax paper. Store them at room temperature on your counter or kitchen table for up to five days.
      Have fun, and remember that your imagination is your only limit when it comes to decorating with royal icing!
      TRY DECORATING THESE COOKIES! LEGGI TUTTO

    • in Recipes

      Southern Cornbread

      ha scritto per te

      This classic, savory Southern cornbread is just begging for a bowl of chili or a plate of ribs. Made with all cornmeal, straight buttermilk, and no added sugar (like it should be!) in a cast iron skillet, this cornbread is an easy dinner side dish.

      Anytime you put the words “Southern” in front of a dish, it’s likely to stir up controversy, and cornbread is no exception. It seems like every person I’ve ever known from the South has their favorite way of making homemade cornbread, and every way is different.

      What Makes a Southern Cornbread
      The thing that distinguishes Southern cornbread from, say Yankee cornbread, or any other cornbread one is likely to eat outside of the southern states, is that it is savory, not sweet, and it is made mostly with cornmeal.
      Northern cornbreads tend to be more cake-like, on the sweet side, with a finer crumb due to more flour in the mixture. Southern cornbread is flavored with bacon grease, and cooked in a cast iron skillet, a perfect side for barbecues, or chili. It also tends to be rather crumbly.

      A Cornbread Experiment
      With this cornbread recipe, we experimented both with all cornmeal, and with just three-quarters cornmeal and one-quarter flour. We also experimented with including or leaving out an egg.
      Result: Either way works! Though the version with some of the cornmeal swapped out with flour, and including an egg, holds together better and is a little more tender.

      About this Cornbread Recipe
      If you are new to making southern cornbread, take note of the following:
      Sugar is optional
      Whether to include sugar or not in a southern cornbread recipe is an issue for debate. We’ve included as an option a tablespoon which just intensifies the flavor of the cornmeal; it doesn’t make the cornbread sweet.
      The choice is yours as to whether or not to include it. (See this excellent article from Serious Eats on why traditional southern cornbread does not include sugar.)
      “All cornmeal” versus “cornmeal and flour”
      You can either use all cornmeal or a combination of cornmeal and flour to make this cornbread. If you go the all cornmeal route, note that the result will likely be very, very crumbly. That’s just how the Southern cornbread crumbles. If you would like cornbread with a little more structure, I recommend using a combination of cornmeal and flour.
      Why use bacon drippings and butter
      You’ll notice there are both bacon drippings and butter in this cornbread recipe. The butter adds needed richness to the bread itself, and the bacon drippings help brown the crust, keep it from sticking to the skillet, and add a lovely bacon flavor to the bread.
      Make cornbread in a cast iron skillet
      Finally, the method that works best with using a well-seasoned cast iron skillet is to preheat the skillet with the fat and then add the batter to the hot skillet. This helps brown the crust and with the pan already hot, the cornbread cooks more quickly.
      Need to season your cast iron pan? Check out this guide to seasoning cast iron.
      To our fine readers from our Southern states, how do you like your cornbread? Please let us know in the comments.

      From the editors of Simply Recipes

      Leftover Cornbread
      Cornbread will keep at room temperature for a day or two. After that, it tastes stale.
      Can you freeze cornbread? Yes, for up to two months if you wrap it well, though because it’s very crumbly, it’s best to freeze it only if you plan to use it as crumbs, or in cornbread dressing.
      Speaking of, leftover cornbread is excellent in cornbread stuffing.
      Try These Other Cornbread Recipes, Too!

      Updated November 6, 2020 : Some readers were noticing a metallic flavor in the cornbread, so we tinkered with the amount of baking soda to make sure this recipe was perfect. Updated ingredient amounts are reflected in the recipe.

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      This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy. LEGGI TUTTO