Homemade Sprinkles

 Did you know you could make your own sprinkles to go on top of a cake or cupcakes?  You can.  

A while ago, I was watching the GBBO (Great British Bake Off), and one of the tasks they had to do was to make their own sprinkles.  Well, I thought that was cool, but didn't give it much more thought.  Until this week.  

I signed up to bring a cake to be raffled off at our local Bingo night.   I started going there with some Snowbird friends a few weeks ago, and just could not help myself when I found out they love it when people bake a cake and bring it to Bingo, where it is raffled off.   The money raised stays in the community, and baking and donating cakes are among the ways I like to support my local community.     
A few weeks ago, I made this cake and brought it to Bingo night.   It was my Chocolate Cake with Seafoam Frosting.   The lady cutting the cake did an incredible job, BTW.  

 

And then I promptly signed up to bring another cake.    This is my Easter Cake, decorated with my homemade sprinkles.  

This was before I decided to use up as many sprinkles as I could on the cake.   I think it was almost tastefully decorated, but... Why not have some fun?  I stuck the marshmallow peep bunnies in the middle as if they were coming out or going back home after leaving some Cadbury eggs for whoever. 

But I wanted more. So I threw most of the rest of the sprinkles on the cake. I had made lots of sprinkles and decided they needed to be used.

 As you may know, I also like to play in the kitchen.   I've made a few decorated cakes in the past. This was a Bunny cake, I put together at 6 am or so, when I was cooking lunches at the Senior Center. 

 

I also made this Easter Basket cake for the Legion Cake Raffle a few years later.   

As I said at the beginning, before I got totally distracted, I decided to make my own Sprinkles.  Mainly because I really do not like commercial sprinkles, they're made with a lot of weird ingredients I can't even pronounce, much less spell.    

I had made up a bunch of royal icing at Christmas, which I hadn't used, so I froze it.   And decided to take it out of the freezer and start playing.    

What triggered this? Well, a couple of random comments made at the market, from people who absolutely abhorred coconut.  And honestly, I didn't feel like coloring coconut.   I wanted to bake a bundt cake in my new bundt pan and decorate it for Easter.   And somewhere in the dim recesses of my memory, I remembered that GBBO episode, especially when I started looking at decorating ideas online.   I also didn't feel like searching out some sprinkles. As you can see, I had lots of green, so I decided to use it as 'grass' for the eggs.  I also made a seafoam (7-minute frosting) frosting for the cake as well, and placed (sprinkled) my homemade sprinkles on it, along with some purple and blue sprinkles.    Can I just say, this was fun.  Making the sprinkles, that is.   

And here it goes.  How to make sprinkles.  First off, make some royal icing.  You know the kind made with meringue powder that dries hard.  In other words, the same kind you make to decorate Christmas Cookies.  I use the recipe on the Wilton website.   However, it does make a lot of icing/frosting, so... I cut the recipe in half.  Luckily, I have a set of measuring spoons that let me measure out half tablespoons, so that's what I do.  I've also been known to freeze leftover frosting in sealed frosting bags, then just massage the bags to reincorporate everything.   Just saying...

 Divide the frosting into several small dishes and color them with gel colors, mixing well.  And then go have fun.  Pipe them into little rows,

using either a very small piping tip or just cutting the very tip off the frosting bag, let them dry overnight, then break them up and use with abandon.  😉   Have fun, in other words.   I now have lots of leftover sprinkles for future bakes. I'm told you can keep them at room temperature for up to a year, but I like to freeze stuff, or I may just pull out my vacuum sealer, put the little container in there, and seal them in that way.    Decisions, decisions...  At least I don't have to buy sprinkles again, unless I want cute little bears or trees for the Christmas sprinkles.  And honestly, why would you want them when you can make your own sprinkles?  

The cake underneath all the fun was my Thanksgiving cake.    I love using sweet potatoes in cakes and other stuff like my Sweet Potato Tortillas, both of which are gluten-free and delicious.    Just click on the underlined text to go straight to the recipes.  

I had another thought.  You can actually pipe out letters, shapes, etc.  And use those to personalize a cake as well.  
I've got another cake coming up in a couple of weeks, and I'm going to use my newfound 'skill' to make some letters and really personalize the cake.  

Go have some fun...

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Tortillas

 This week for Sunday Funday, we're being asked to make something with Tortillas.   Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories is our hostess and asked us to make a recipe using tortillas, either flour or corn, or make our own tortillas.  Well, I had to make my own tortillas.   I've been making various versions of tortillas for years.  

Now, I might be a bit obsessed with gluten-free items lately, well, not really, but so many people I know are eating or attempting to eat gluten-free these days, and I've been playing with a lot of gluten-free recipes.    A few years ago, I even made some Cauliflower Tortillas.  And they were good.  Also gluten-free and keto as well.  Cause why not? 

I made some awesome Sweet Potato Tortillas a couple of years ago, and thought I'd revisit them again; however, this time around, I made them with some gluten-free flour instead of the masa.     

I had a lone sweet potato in the pantry. I kept meaning to eat it, but then the potatoes beside it sprouted. 

And they are now in a pot with some dirt over them, waiting to make more potatoes, whereas the sweet potato has been made into these little bites of yum.  

I had some of my Firehouse Chili in the freezer, and I was going to use it to make part of the filling.    At least that was the plan, until I got home late and ended up eating the chili for dinner.   So I pivoted, I cooked a pot of beans for refried beans,  and used them as a topping along with some shredded lettuce and tomato, and a dollop of sour cream. 

  And life was good.   Well, sorta.   My tortilla press isn't here (it's in storage), so I decided to roll out the tortillas. They're much easier to make in a tortilla press.  However, the very thick batter was not conducive to being rolled out.      I actually pressed them out into a rough tortilla shape and thickness in between two sheets of greased (with non-stick cooking spray) parchment paper after dolloping 1/4 cup of batter onto the paper.  Actually, I used a 1/4 cup cookie scoop for these tortillas, and it was the perfect amount.  I thought. 

   I also have to say I like my original recipe better, but this one works well too.    It's more like a thick batter than dough, and the basic recipe makes up to 18 tortillas, depending on how big you make them. 

I had some adventures along the way, but I persevered and ended up with enough tortillas to either feed a teenage boy for a day or an old woman for a few weeks. 

 I'm the old woman here, just in case you were wondering.   I discovered that I couldn't just swap out masa flour for gluten-free flour without making a lot of adjustments.  I also added in some besan (chickpea) flour because I like it, and the dough was a touch too soft without it.   It was also tricky getting the very 'fluid' tortillas into the pan to quickly dry-fry them.  

I transferred it to the pan using the paper I'd patted out the tortilla in, and then peeled off the paper as the tortilla was cooking and firming up. 

As I said, my tortilla press is in storage, but I managed to figure out how to make the tortillas anyway, and I now have lots in my freezer for future meals.   I had tried to pat them out between some plastic wrap, with a little gluten-free flour, and that was a major flop.  So I pulled out the parchment paper and tried it with that, and discovered that gluten-free flour becomes rather glue-like when moistened. So I tried spraying the paper with some cooking spray, and that was the ticket.    This was an interesting trial.  😉

At least I got a lot of tortillas out of it, for future meals.   

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Tortillas

Yield: 18+ tortillas

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking - Adapted from many recipes

A different take on tortillas. Using Sweet Potatoes as a base, and making it gluten-free to boot. These make a lovely folding-style tortilla.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked and mashed Sweet Potato
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup water + adding more water as needed a tablespoon at a time
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour
• 1/2 cup Besan Flour (Chick pea flour)
• 1-2 teaspoon cumin, add more if desired 1/4 teaspoon at a time
• 1/2 -1 teaspoon salt
• 2 -3 tablespoons finely minced jalapeno

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together until they become a thick, stiff batter.
2. Spray a piece of parchment paper with some cooking spray and dollop a 1/4 cup of batter onto it. Top it with another piece of greased parchment paper and pat the batter out into a round, and the thickness you want.
3. Prepare a pan with some non-stick spray, if needed, on medium-high heat and place the tortilla into the pan, keeping the parchment paper on one side, and as soon as the tortilla starts to cook, lift the parchment paper off. Cook on each side for about 40 seconds on medium-high heat. Set aside while cooking the rest of the tortillas.
4. Serve with either some homemade chili or my fave, some refried beans, and top with lettuce, chopped tomato, olives, and some sour cream. Fold up over the filling and eat.

 

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sidsseapalmcooking on Instagram and hashtag it #Sidsseapalmcooking

Here's what my fellow Sunday Funday bloggers shared:

• Bacon and Egg Breakfast Quesadillas by Food Lust People Love
• Baked Vegetable Chimichanga by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Easy Enchiladas by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Crock Pott Quesabirria by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Gluten Free Sweet Potato Tortillas by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Bake by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Shrimp Tacos with Coleslaw by Making Miracles
• Vegan Samosadillas by Snehas Recipe

All recipes and their respective images are either original or adapted and credited, and are all the sole property of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking, © 2011-2026, with all rights reserved thereof. 

Roasted Radish Tart

It's time for the Baking Bloggers reveal today.   I've made this dish several times now for gatherings.  I also realized that this dish is not only delicious, but also gluten-free and keto-friendly.   This month, the theme is Baking with Spring Vegetables, and I had a great idea.  I was going to use the chive blossoms on my chive plants, and make something really good out of them, and then I realized, they're not a spring vegetable. 

 
Hello, can anyone say 'whoops, senior moment'

Actually, don't.

But I realized that one of the first vegetables you can harvest in the spring is radishes. I've enjoyed many a handful of freshly pulled radishes, washed off quickly and scarfed down almost as quickly.
Those alongside the asparagus and baby beets are some of my favorites.
And as much as I love fresh, raw radishes, they are equally brilliant, cooked.
Yes, cooked!  Well, roasted actually.  

And when you roast them, WOOHOOO!!!!  Although my mouth says, "ERMAGERD!!, give me more."

I used this recipe from Martha Stewart as an inspiration, sorta but then I went totally out of the box.

Radishes ready for roasting- this brings out a natural sweetness and a slight nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with the Gouda Cheese, but if you have another kind of cheese you like, use it.  I like Gouda but Edam works well also. 

If you see some empty space on the pan, it may be because I sampled a few pieces.

I've gotten slightly hooked on Cauliflower crusts lately.  This was spread out in a freestyle manner on parchment paper.  I made a ridge around the edges.

The roasted radishes spread on top of the cooked crust.

After the bake, just before cutting the tart. 

And since I'm the cook, I sampled. 

And realized I needed to try and get some money shots.

And so I played a little. 

As I said, I did sample a couple of slices. I was only going to eat one, but it tasted so good, I had a second before I brought the whole thing to a gathering.    BTW, this is also gluten-free as well as being low carb and keto for those who are following a different eating plan. 

Roasted Radish Tart

Yield: 8-12 Servings as an appetizer

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

prep time: 30 Mcook time: 1 hourtotal time: 1 H & 30 M

This is a fun tart to make as an appetizer, or you could also serve it as a light meal with some crusty bread to accompany it. There are a couple of steps involved but it's actually pretty easy.

ingredients:

Radishes

• 1 lb. Radishes
• 1-2 teaspoons Olive Oil
• salt
• You can also reserve a couple of radishes and slice them thinly to top the tart if desired.

Base

• 1 small head of Cauliflower, riced, cooked, and wrung dry.
• 1 1/2 eggs
• 1/2 cup shredded Gouda Cheese

Filling

• 1 1/2 Eggs- beaten lightly
• 1/2-3/4 cup shredded Gouda Cheese
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves + 1/2 teaspoon for decoration if desired

instructions:

Roasting Radishes

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
2. Toss the cut radishes with the olive oil, and place in a single layer in a rimmed baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt.
3. Bake for 15 minutes, stir and bake an additional 20 minutes or until the radishes are cooked and lightly browned. 
4. Set aside while the base cooks.

Base

1. Rice the Cauliflower, cook until tender - I micro-waved mine for 3 minutes- let cool, then place into a cheesecloth or clean tea towel and wring it dry. You want to expel as much moisture as possible. After it has cooled, mix in the egg and cheese. Spread the mixture out either into a tart pan with a removable bottom or free-style onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes, then check for doneness. It should be firm to the touch and slightly browned on top. If not done, add another 3-5 minutes of cooking time.

Filling

1. Whisk together the egg, cream, cheese, and thyme leaves.

Assembly

1. Keep the oven on at 425 degrees
2. After cooking the base, remove it from the oven.  Spread the radishes evenly on top of the cauliflower crust.  Pour the egg custard filling on top and spread it out evenly.  You can also add some thinly sliced Radish on top if desired.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the filling is just set.   Sprinkle with the reserved thyme leaves.
3. Slice into small pieces for serving as an appetizer or larger pieces for a meal.  This goes very nicely with some crusty bread as well. 

Created using The Recipes Generator

Baking Bloggers

Baking with Spring Vegetables

• Baked Mixed Veg Pasta by Sneha's Recipe
• Baked Romaine Lettuce Chips by Our Good Life
• Chicken and Asparagus Pasta Bake by Palatable Pastime
• Rhabarberkuchen - German Rhubarb Cake by Pandemonium Noshery
• Roasted Asparagus with Shaved Fennel by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Roasted Radish Tart by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Roasted Spring Vegetable Farro Salad by Caroline's Cooking
• Roasted Veggie Cobb Salad by Cookaholic Wife
• Spring Vegetable Gratin by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sweet Onion Galette with Parmesan and Mascarpone by Karen's Kitchen Stories

All recipes and their respective images are either original or adapted and credited, and are all the sole property of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking, © 2011-2026, with all rights reserved thereof. 

Maple Pecan Glaze

 I've been meaning to share a recipe for the most delicious scones for a while now. But hadn't gotten around to it yet.   And then I saw this week's Sunday Funday theme, and a light turned on.  OK, so it was stadium lighting, totally eye-blinding bright.   The theme is Maple Syrup this week, and ummmm, Hello, I've been making this Maple Pecan Glaze

for my scones 

for a while now, and I will share the scone recipe with you another day.   Today, though,  is all about the Maple Pecan Glaze.    

BTW, you are not limited to using this on Scones, I've dribbled it on French Toast for an extra little something,

and can I just say it was a bit of enlightenment?  TMI, ok, just make this and judge for yourself.    

And I bet you could even add a dram ( 1/8th of a fluid ounce) or three of bourbon to the glaze and pour it over some Bread Pudding.   I'd try it, but I've still got a sugar buzz going from the glaze. 

A word of caution, when adding the confectioner's sugar, it might be a good idea to sift it first, cause it's a pain to whisk out the clumps.  

I added the pecans at the end.  And ended up with a lovely maple glaze, ready to use.   Although this one is going in the fridge for my French toast in the morning...  It did crystallize a bit, but I'll just zap it a few seconds before I use it. 

Take a look at what the other Sunday Funday bloggers are sharing.  

• French Toast by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Karawya with a Maple Syrup Drizzle by Culinary Cam
• Keto Baked Chicken Legs In Buffalo Sauce by Sneha's Recipe
• Maple Bacon Candied Walnuts by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Maple Bourbon Smashby A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Maple Dijon Bacon Green Beans by Making Miracles
• Maple Mousseby A Messy Kitchen
• Maple Pecan Glaze for Scones by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Maple Thyme Hasselback Yams by Food Lust People Love

And now for the recipe reveal.  

Maple Pecan Glaze

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking - Adapted from many recipes

This is a fantastic glaze for Scones, over some Bread Pudding, or as a totally indulgent topping for French toast.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
• 2 tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 3/4 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla if desired
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Melt the butter, add the brown sugar and maple syrup, and let cook together for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, until the Brown sugar has dissolved.
2. Whisk in the confectioner's sugar, and continue to cook over low heat. This will thicken quite a bit. Add the vanilla before adding the cream.
3. Add the heavy cream and whisk through. Continue to let it cook, and add the pecans at the end.
4. Pour over the baked scones. This will thicken upon standing.

Estimate only

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All recipes and their respective images are either original or adapted and credited, and are all the sole property of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking, © 2011-2026, with all rights reserved thereof. 

Pierogi

 

I posted this originally a few years ago.  I'm now updating the post, cause I can and also because I've got a lot of pierogi in the freezer.  

A few years back (20 + years ago) , we were living full-time in an RV,  a fifth wheel to be exact.   We were staying in a campground and had made quite a few friends there.  

One of those friends was of Slavic descent, and one day she offered to show us how to make pierogi, but we needed room to do it in.  So I offered her my kitchen to play in. 

I don't remember how many of us there were that day, but I think we had 4 or 5 women in there, in rapt attention as Marge made the dough.   

I had my Kitchenaid stand mixer out on the counter, and we made use of it. 

I'm not too sure how many potatoes we ended up peeling and cooking, but it was a few, and as I seem to recall, one of the group had to run over to her RV and grab some more potatoes for the filling and the dough.

I made some more pierogi the other day, but only made a small batch this time, but a small batch is still a lot.

Especially when you are the only one who eats pierogi.   But they do freeze, amazingly well.  

I personally love filling them with mashed potatoes, cheese, and onions, but feel free to play with the fillings, adding or deleting any part of them.  

Be aware, though, they do tend to shrink a little after being cut.   I used a new-to-me cutter, and it worked well.  I also used my new pasta machine to roll out the sheets of pierogi dough. I cannot tell you how happy I am with it.  

However you do it, having one of these little presses does make it a little easier.  I would cut them out a little bit larger than the diameter of the press.  They do tend to shrink a little, but they still work.   

I also discovered that you can take them straight out of the freezer and stick them into an air fryer. I used my combo air fryer toaster oven for this.  They came out beautifully.  The edges were lovely and crisp, and tasted so good with some sour cream and butter.  I mean, everything is better with butter, I think. 

Fill them with whatever you like. I've mostly done the classic Ruskie style, which is potatoes and twarog cheese, though I use Colby Jack.    I'm going to experiment a little.  I've never had sauerkraut inside, but I may give that a whirl, and Mushrooms sauteed with a little seasoning is also mentioned.  You can even fill them with some fruit, if you like.  I have lots of shells from my latest foray into Pierogi making, and will utilize them in future endeavors, ok, so they'll be cooking adventures.  

 

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Pierogi

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yield: Makes about 4 doz.

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking - adapted from several recipes

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 10 Mininactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

You can make a quick and hearty meal when you keep a few dozen in the freezer.

Ingredients

Dough

• 3 1/2 cups flour mixture of AP flour and Bread Flour (add more if needed) + more flour for rolling out.
• 1 large potato- cooked and riced
• 3/4-1 cup potato water (from the boiled potatoes)
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt

Filling

• 1 Cup Cooked mashed potatoes, with no added butter or milk
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• 1 small onion, finely chopped and sauteed in 1 teaspoon butter (optional)

Instructions

Dough

1. Cook the potatoes in salted water until done. Drain the potatoes, but keep the potato water. Set aside til cool. Rice up one potato, and place it into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour and 3/4 cups of the cooled, reserved potato water, salt, and the egg. Mix together for a few minutes. If it looks too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, or if it looks too sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough will be sticky. Let mix for a couple of minutes and turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap well to keep from drying out and let rest for a few minutes while you prepare the filling.
2. Take a small portion of the dough and roll it out on a well-floured surface. The dough will be sticky to handle. Keep the remaining dough covered. Cut out circles with a floured glass or cookie cutter, whichever size you like. I used a 3-inch wide cutter. Add a teaspoon of the prepared filling to the center of the circle of dough and fold over to make a pocket, squeezing out the excess air, and making sure that the edges are pressed down firmly to seal. Use a fork here if you like, or if you have a dumpling press, use that. I did. It was easier. Do not overfill. You will probably only use a teaspoon of filling per pierogi. I used a melon baller to dip out the correct amount.
3. When rolling out the dough, you need to get it thin, about 1/8th thick. If you tear it, just moosh it back up and re-roll the dough.
4. When you've used up all the dough or filling, place the filled pierogi in a single layer on a freezer-safe cookie sheet or stiff cutting board and freeze. When frozen, place the pierogi into a plastic bag and put them back into the freezer until ready to use.
5. You can cook some up fresh, or wait til later.
6. When cooking perogies, fresh or frozen. Add to gently simmering water and cook them just until the pierogi float to the top. Serve with some fresh butter and sour cream.
7. You can also brown them in a pan after cooking, and serve with more butter, sauteed onions and of course sour cream or Créme Fräiche.. I like using my own homemade Créme Fräiche. and some homemade butter.

Filling

1. Sauté onions, grate cheddar cheese, and add to the cooled, riced mashed potatoes. Mix well and set aside.

Created using The Recipes Generator

All recipes and their respective images are either original or adapted and credited, and are all the sole property of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking, © 2011-2026, with all rights reserved thereof.