Cake to throw in Jessica Seinfeld's face

Our Anniversary is tomorrow(woot!) and so I wanted to make a cake. Can't have eggs 'cause of the babe, so I did a search and found this chocolate zucchini cake recipe, which turns out originally came from this recipe. Here is MY version.

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup light brown sugar(plus more because that's how we roll)
1 tsp vanilla
1(heaping) tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs(or we used egg replacer with milk instead of water)
2 cups flour(1.5 wheat/.5 white)
2ish cups finely shredded zucchini(2 medium sized zucchini)
handful of chocolate chips - you know how much you want, you decide your own

1. Beat sugar, butter and vanilla until creamed. Add in bp, bs(ha ha), salt, and eggs.

2. Beat in flour. The mixture will be fairly dry...that's OK.

3. Add in the zucchini, it'll make the dough much more liquidy. Add chocolate chips.

4. Carmelize some nuts for the top(I did walnuts...just chop some up, throw them in a fry pan with some sugar and saute until the sugar sticks to the nuts)

5. Spoon batter into a greased and floured cake pan. Lightly sprinkle the carmelized nuts on top. Place in the oven at 360 F( I know it was 180C, I think that is 360...right?) for 40-50 min.


I've already tasted some of it, and it is GOOOOOD. This is especially for you, La Yen.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This is one of my mother's old standby recipes. It always tastes good when you're in the mood for faux mexican.

3-4 large chicken breasts 1 teaspoon sugar
1 c. chopped onion 1 teaspoon cumin
3 cloves garlic 1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 Tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon basil
1 16 oz. can tomatoes 12 oz. bag tortilla chips
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce 2 1/2 cup shredded jack cheese
1/4 c. chopped yellow chilies 1/2 - 1 cup sour cream

In a sauce pan, simmer chicken breasts in water to cover 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain, carefully remove skin and bones and shred chicken into bite size pieces. In a sauce pan, saute onions and garlic in butter until tender. In a cassarole dish or crock pot combine the cooked garlic and onions, tomatoes, tomatoe sauce, chopped chilies, sugar, cumin salt, oregano basil and chicken. (If cooking in a crock pot, the chicken doesn't need to be precooked if it will be cooked for several hours). Heat thoroughly (30 min at 375 in oven). This mixture should be somewhat watery at this stage.
Add sour cream, jack cheese and tortilla chips, mix well and cook for another 10 - 15 minutes or until hot.


Changes: I have to change this recipe around because of availability issues and because I like WAY more veggies than my mom does. I usually drop the chicken breasts down to 2, instead of tomato sauce I take another can of canned tomatoes and blend them, and throw those in instead. We can't get yellow chilies, so in goes a few pieces of canned jalapeno(diced). I like to add about half a can of canned corn and a whole bunch of chopped green peppers in(I fry them up with the onions and garlic). Toy with it however you like. My potato lovin', wish-I-could-eat-casserole-all-the-time husband REALLY likes this recipe.

Pulpeta

Let me preface this by saying that there are two strong reasons for cooking Pulpeta: One, there was an entire Cosby Show subplot involving Claire keeping Dr Huxtable from eating Pulpeta because she wanted him to have one leaf of lettuce and a rice cake; Two, it is Cuban, and therefore delicious, just like my husband. Pulpeta is, essentially, a braised and fried meatloaf stuffed with eggs and covered with bacon. Now that I typed that, I realize that I don't need to preface that at all. It should speak for itself. Here is how I make it:

1 pound of ground meat. (You can use a combo of meats, or just stick with what is in your fridge.)
1 T salt
1 T pepper
1 t Mural of Flavor from Penzeys, or just use Italian seasoning and a little extra garlic.
Liberal dump of powdered garlic (not garlic salt.)
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 beaten eggs
2 C Panko or fine bread crumbs
2 hard-boiled eggs
Olive oil
1 (Or more if you are big onion eaters) large onion, thinly sliced
6 bay leaves (If you are cheap with your bay you can reduce this.)
1/2 C water or apple juice
1 C beef stock
Bacon

Mix all of the meat and spices (not the bay leaves) and W sauce together in a big bowl. Use your hands. Add the beaten eggs and enough Panko to make it thick and roll-able.

Flatten it out into a 10"x4" rectangle. Put the hardboiled eggs in the middle. Shape the meat around it, and mold it into a loaf, making sure the ends are all sealed up. Roll it in more panko.

In a heavy casserole pan pour some oil and heat until fragrant. Brown the loaf on all sides, and take out of pan.

In the same pan, sautee the onions until they are golden. Add the loaf back in, pour the liquids and the bay leaves in. Artfully stick some bacon slices on top of the loaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. (If you are freaking out about meat, use a meat thermometer to make sure it is cooked through. You baby.)

Remove loaf from pan, let sit for a few minutes, then slice into thick slices and serve with the hot sauce. Or serve cold as a sandwich. Either way, while you eat you must discuss how Fidel is ruining the homeland for everyone and how you want to punch those kids who wear Che TShirts in the throat.

Tomato, Bean and Fried Basil Salad

Tomato, Bean and Fried Basil Salad
serves four
from Best Ever Three and Four Ingredient Cookbook

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
11oz cherry tomatoes, halved
14 oz cans mixed beans, drained and rinsed (I used pinto)
5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and ground black pepper

Reserve one third of the basil leaves for garnish, then tear the remainder into pieces. Pour the olive oil into a small pan. Add the torn basil and heat gently for 1 minute, until the basil sizzles and begins to color.

Place the halved cherry tomatoes and beans in a bowl. Pour in the basil oil and add a little salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Toss the ingredients together gently, cover and leave to marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Serve the salad sprinkled with the remaining basil leaves.

Scarlett's Garlic Pasta

Scarlett's Garlic Pasta

Wheat Spaghetti Noodles
Garlic
Red Pepper flakes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Italian Seasoning
Thyme
Olive oil

Boil the pasta in some salt and olive oil, drain, set aside.

In a pan (I prefer a wok) heat 5Tbsp (depending on amount of pasta) of Olive Oil on med-high heat. Quickly add garlic (lots), kosher salt, a sprinkle or two of red pepper flakes, kosher salt and pepper. The garlic will quickly turn golden (careful not to burn it). Add in the pasta.

Stir in a dash or two (however you like it) of Italian seasoning, thyme, more pepper and salt as needed. Heat thoroughly and eat.

Orange, Soy-marinated Chicken

Orange, Soy-marinated Chicken
serves four
from Best Ever Three and Four Ingredient Cookbook

4 skinless, chicken breast fillets (we don't eat much so I only used two)
1 large orange
2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
14 oz medium asparagus spears

Slash each chicken portion diagonly and place them in a single layer in a shallow, ovenproof dish. Halve the orange, squeeze the juice from one half (I like my Braun electric juicer) and mix it with the soy sauce (I ended up doubling the marinade). Pour this over the chicken. Cut th eremaining orange into wedges and place these on the chicken. Cover and leave to marinate for several hours. (I would have done this the night before - but forgot - so mine marinated for about 2 hours)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Turn the chicken over and bake, uncovered for 20 minutes. Turn the chicken over again and bake for a further 15 minutes, or until cooked through. (remember to check it)

Meanwhile, cut off any tough ends from teh asparagus and place in a frying pan. Pour in enough boiling water just to cover and cook gently for 3-4 minutes, until just tender. Drain and arrange on warmed plates, then top with the chicken an dorange wedges. Spoon over the cooking juices. Serve immediately.

We had this with freshly squeezed cara cara orange juice, Scarlett's garlic pasta, and the Tomato, Bean and Fried Basil salad.

Tagliatelle with Vegetable Ribbons

Tagliatelle with Vegetable Ribbons
serves four
from Best Ever Three and Four Ingredient Cookbook

2 large zucchinis
2 large carrots
9oz fresh egg tagliatelle
4 Tbsp garlic flavored olive oil
salt and ground black pepper

With a vegetable peeler cut the zucchini and carrots into long thin ribbons. Bring a large pan of salted water to boil, then add teh zucchini and carrot ribbons. Bring the water back to boil and boil for 30 seconds, then drain and set aside.

I use the same water to boil the pasta. Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Add the vegetable ribbons, garlic flavored olive oil and seasoning and toss over a medium to high heat until the pasta and vegetables are glistening with oil. Serve the pasta immediately.

We had this with Ina Garten's Brussel Sprouts (yum) for dessert we had fresh strawberries with fresh cream (Ina's recipe)

Crab and Cucumber Wraps

Crab and Cucumber Wraps
serves two (but it served two adults and two little girls...and we had leftovers for the next day)
from Best Ever Three and Four Ingredient Cookbook

1/2 a cucumber (I like English cucumbers)
1 medium dressed crab (I used about half of those real crab tubs from Costco)
4 small wheat tortillas (I ended up having enough for 6 tortillas)
8 Tbsp hoisin sauce (I just used as much as I wanted...I love that sauce)
ground black pepper
tabasco (optional - we like)

Cut the cucumber into small even-sized batons.

Lightly toss the crab meat with ground black pepper in a bowl.

Heat the tortillas gently, one at a time, in a heavy frying pan until they begin to color on each side.

Spread a tortilla with about 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce, then sprinkle with cucumber. Add crab meat down the center of each tortilla and roll up. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

We had this with the Avocado Soup.

Avocado Soup

Avocado Soup
serves 4
from Best Ever Three & Four Ingredient Cookbook

2 large ripe avocados
1/2 pint (or 1 1/4 cups) sour cream (I found the soy kind - it was awesome)
4 cups chicken stock
small bunch of fresh cilantro (if you like it - my family doesn't)
ground black pepper
crumbled bacon (from Costco)
shredded cheese (the kids and the hubby like cheese on everything)


Cut the avocados in half, remove the peel and lift out the pits. Chop the flesh coarsely and place it in a food processor with 3-4 Tbsp of the sour cream. Process until smooth.


Heat the chicken stock in a pan. when it is hot, but still below simmering point, stir in the rest of the cream.

Gradually stir the avocado mixture into the hot stock. Heat but do not let the mixture approach boiling point.

Chop the cilantro. Ladle the soup into individual heated bowls and sprinkle each portion with chopped cilantro, bacon, cheese and black pepper. Serve immediately.

We had this with the Crab and Cucumber Wraps.

Darlybird Cupcakes

I am posting Darlybird's cupcakes because I'm always looking for her recipes when I'm craving a cupcake... now I can have them in my online file. ;-)

Below is exactly how it appears on her blog.

CUPCAKE INSTRUCTIONS

i'll give you a quick rundown of the three versions i did. all started with a $1 cake mix . . . and i definitely recommend using a mix since you'll be doing a fair amount of other things, like making fillings, etc. DISCLAIMER: i just reread these instructions and they're a bit frenetic at best. sorry. it's just that they were all a grand experiment. i figured out what i was doing as i did it. so i hope it makes sense.

so, first: Lemon cupcakes with lime curd filling and raspberry frosting

--lemon cake mix....make and bake as instructed

--lime curd: one can sweetened condensed milk with 1/3 c. fresh lime juice. (stir till combined)

--raspberry whipped cream frosting: this recipe is totally approximate, since i was just mixing random ingredients in. so bear with me and my imperfections:

Whipped cream with a bit of almond extract, powdered sugar, a couple TBS of butter, and a bit of cream cheese. mix together. add 1/2 bag of frozen raspberries and blend. let it sit for a bit so the raspberries have time to slightly thaw. then mix more. voila!


Chocolate Whipped Cream Cupcakes

chocolate cake mix -- make as directed

filling=whipped cream with some powdered sugar and almond extract (i had a ton of this left over, so i actually used the leftovers to make the raspberry frosting).

frosting: it's wilton's buttercream recipe. tamra just called me for the recipe and i looked it up online, and i think i have it memorized. dang! that will not be good for the baked good addiction. i've only made it once before, but it is the best buttercream on the planet!

1 c. butter
4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. clear vanilla (i bought this at shepherds.....it just doesn't color the buttercream brown)
2 TBS milk

beat the butter in your pinky pie mixer (so cute!) until it's totally whipped. leave the butter out for a couple of hours or at least microwave it for a second so it's room temp.
add powd sug one cup at a time, vanilla, and milk last. i made a double batch of this and then took half out for the guava cream cheese cupcakes. then i added 3-4 TBS of cocoa powder and some more milk and that is what makes it a chocolate buttercream. super duper easy!

Vanilla cupcakes with guava cream cheese filling and vanilla buttercream

yellow cakemix- m.a.d. (as directed)

guava filling is found in a weird sealed bag at shepherds. i loved it and think it is awesome. it's a little thick to pipe into cupcakes, so i added some cream cheese and milk to kind of tame it down and thin it.

fill cupcakes and then frost with the vanilla buttercream from above recipe.

FILLING CUPCAKES: there is a tip at shepherds that is 1.50 or something and it looks like a long hollow needle. you put the filling in your bag and then stick that tip into the cupcake at least halfway. squeeze filling out into the cupcake to the point that you can see the cupcake expanding, but not bursting. it's super easy and i think it makes them so much fun.

Sunrise Frittata

This recipe is from the December/January 2009 issue of Healthy Cooking Magazine.  My kids even liked it!

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 1/2 cups frozen O'Brien potatoes

1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked lean ham

8 egg whites

4 eggs

1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese, divided

1/3 cup fat-free milk

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 cup julienned roasted sweet red pepper

3/4 cup salsa

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1. In a large ovenproof skillet coated with cooking spray, cook and stir the potatoes in oil over medium heat until tender.  Stir in ham; heat through.

2.  In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites, eggs, 1/4 cup cheese, milk and oregano; add to the pan.  Arrange red pepper strips over egg mixture to resemble the spokes of a wheel.  Cover and cook over low heat for 8-12 minutes or until almost set.

3.  Uncover; broil 6" from the heat for 3-5 minutes or until eggs are set and frittata is golden brown.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese; let stand until melted.  Cut into wedges.

4.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine salsa and cilantro; heat through.  Serve with frittata.

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Sour Cherries

These are my hubby and my favorite cookies...so far. My friend Cheryl bought me Martha Stewart's Cookies cook book for my birthday in July. I have dog-earred it, and been having a ball making cookies. In fact, I made three cookies from the book for part of my Christmas goodie plate. My friend Sylvia wanted the recipe - so here it is!

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Sour Cherries
Makes about 3 dozen

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 firmly packed cups dried sour cherries (9 oz)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture, and beat on low speed until just combined. Do not overbeat. With a wooden spoon, fold in chocolate and cherries. (Dough can be frozen at this point, wrapped well in plastic, up to 1 month; thaw completely before baking.)

4. Form balls of dough, each about 1/4 cup; place balls on prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake until puffed and cracked, 9-11 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Gingersnaps

This is a yummy cookie I added to my Christmas baking a few years back. My husband loves molasses, so I gave them a try. They are soft and delicious cookie we love to make.

Gingersnaps

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
Cinnamon sugar:
1/2 cup sugar mixed with
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.
2. Combine flour, spices, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. In a large bowl,beat butter with sugar and egg at medium speed 2 minutes, until fluffy. Add molasses; beat 1 minute. Slowly add flour mixture; beat to combine.
3. Using a rounded teaspoon for each cookie, roll dough into balls, then roll each in cinnamon sugar and place on baking sheets.
4. Bake 10 minutes, or until cookies are golden and crisp. Cool 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.

Peppercini Roast

My friend Sally always passes me great recipes. This one is a favorite.

Pepperocini Roast

Chuck Roast
2 bottles Pepperocinis with juice


Wash the roast, place it fat-side up in a slow cooker. Pour the pepperocinis and juice over the roast.

Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-5 hours.

Make sandwiches with Havarti cheese... or eat over pasta, rice...

Corn Chili

My friend Erin made this chili for our ward Trunk-or-Treat. I love chili...and her recipe is mmmm YUM.

Corn Chili

1 lb ground beef (or mix beef and turkey or left over roast)
2 tsp chicken base
1 can diced tomatos
1 can tomato sauce
garlic
1 onion
2 cans green chiles
3/4 tsp cumin
oregano
thyme
salt
pepper
lots of chili powder
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn
1 green bell pepper
1 Tbsp sugar
corn starch to thicken

Saute veggies
cook meat
Mix it all in a large pot, bring to boil and simmer for 2 hours.

I also added a can of sliced olives and worchestire sauce.

We love eating chili over rice with cheese and/or corn chips. My hubby and I also love Chili dogs.... mmmm.