Seriously Moist Chocolate Cake

This is my go-t0, most favoritest chocolate cake recipe. I found it on the internet eons ago and can't find it again to give credit.

It was my sister's 26th birthday yesterday and mom was having us over for a really nice dinner so naturally I offered to make and bring the cake. I asked my sister what kind of cake she wanted - chocolate. I asked her what kind of icing she wanted - rainbow chip. You got it Sis!

I've never in my life had a slice of chocolate cake as moist as this. I urge you to try this recipe the next time you need a chocolate cake. Seriously, you cannot go wrong.

SERIOUSLY MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE

Source: the vast world wide web

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil (I use canola oil)

2 eggs

1 cup milk (I only ever buy 1%)

1 cup HOT coffee

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cups cocoa powder (I use Penzey's Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder)

2 cups cake flour (when I've substituted all-purpose flour, my cake always sank in the middle)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup sour cream

-----

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Grease and flour your cake pan(s) (2 round, or 1 sheet).

3. Add all dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine.

4. In mixer, add sugar and oil and mix to combine.

5. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated.

6. Slowly add milk, coffee and vanilla extract.

7. Add dry ingredients in increments with mixer on low speed.

8. Add sour cream and stir to combine.

9. Pour into cake pans and transfer to oven.

10. Bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Again - try this recipe the next time you need a chocolate cake - you'll never try another!

Chicken Scampi

Fortunately for me, my mother-in-law is a pretty good cook. I've learned how to make a few dishes of hers and this has always been one of my favorites. Back in the day when the hubs and I were still dating, if we didn't have plans for us to hang out on a day where his mom was planning on making chicken scampi, he would always call me up and say "Mom's making chicken scampi, wanna come over?" It was just one of those dishes for me.

So she taught me how to make it, and it's relatively simple. The most daunting part about it is the chopping of practically an entire head of garlic. And one thing I'd never sacrifice in this dish is the use of fresh garlic. I was almost gonna this time - but just couldn't! I made a stop at the produce stand during my travels that day just to get fresh garlic because I knew I was making it for dinner and didn't have any on hand.

Another thing - if you haven't noticed by now - is that this is a red sauce scampi. People are usually surprised when I mention this dish and the fact that it's made with tomato puree, but it's just normal to me!

CHICKEN SCAMPI

Source: my mother-in-law

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

2 Tbsp butter

1 small onion, diced finely

1 head of garlic, diced finely (I usually use about 9-10 cloves of the head)

1 can tomato puree (you can also add a can of diced tomatoes to add some texture/additional veggies)

long pasta, cooked according to package directions

salt

sugar

-----

1. Melt butter in skillet.

2. Add chicken and cook until browned.

3. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent.

4. Slowly add the tomato puree and stir.

5. Cover and simmer until pasta is done, stirring occasionally.

6. Season with salt and a few pinches of sugar to reduce the acidity (I personally don't think pepper has a place in this dish).

Serve this with a salad and some nice italian bread. I picked up a fresh loaf from Baker Street Bread, sliced it up, buttered one side and sprinkled some garlic salt from Penzey's.

A lightened up Cheesecake Factory meal...

My husband and I like to eat out more than we care to admit. The last time we made it to the Cheesecake Factory he ordered the Louisiana Chicken Pasta. Sure enough, as always, the meal was killer. I thought I'd try to find a copycat recipe to surprise him with, and sure enough, I found one that had great reviews. The only problem - I refused to make a dish so fattening, especially when the nutrition information was flashing in my face. The easiest change I could make was to nix the cream and replace it with low fat evaporated milk on the advice of my friend Dana. I kept everything else pretty much the same.

I was leery of the flavors being the same. The cream sauce was pretty much just red and yellow peppers, and red onion. I thought for sure there had to be some Cajun seasoning in there. I decided to try to trust the recipe and add Cajun seasoning if I felt it wasn't right. I kept sniffing the sauce to see how close it was. From the moment I added the evaporated milk to the peppers and onion, I knew instantly that this copycat recipe had nailed it.

The result: it was SO CLOSE to the real thing. Definitely a recipe we will be making again perhaps when the funds aren't there to hit the restaurant for the real thing.

Go to RecipeZaar here for the recipe (it's pretty long, but easy when you have a hubs who doesn't mind helping you out in the kitchen). Note that my only changes were: (1) to sub lowfat evaporated milk in place of the cream, and (2) I scaled the servings down to 2, and there was plenty of food for 3-4 people. You're sure to enjoy this if you try it!

Sausage Coins & Farfalle

Sometimes I feel like I make the idea of dinner too complicated. I look for "recipes" and sometimes I find one that seems easy enough, uncomplicated, and ends up tasting good. But other times I just don't even want to think about it. That explains the extreme lack of posting lately.

So yesterday I was stressing over what to make for dinners this week, and I recalled a lunch I once had at La Cena Italian Ristorante. It was called Linguini Salsiccia e Broccoli di Rape, also known as Italian sausage sauteed with garlic and olive oil, topped with broccoli rabe and crushed red pepper then tossed with linguini. Of course I ordered it minus the broccoli rabe. I've never had it before and have heard it tastes bitter, so I decided not to even go there.

This dish, in all of its simplicity, was so good that 4 months later I was remembering it out of nowhere and craving it. So I made a stop at the grocery store to grab some things for the next few nights worth of dinners (God willing I cook each night) and set to trying to recreate this dish.

And so, here it is:

SAUSAGE COINS & FARFALLE

Inspired by: La Cena Italian Ristorante

Enough farfalle for 2 servings, cook according to package directions (linguini would of course work just as well)

2 italian sausage links (hot or mild), cut into coins (hint: it helps if the sausage has been in the freezer for an hour or so - and to have a sharp knife)

2 Tbsp olive oil

several generous dashes of crushed red pepper

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

grated parmesan for serving

-----

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add sausage coins and saute until nicely browned on both sides.

3. When the sausage is done browning, shake a healthy dose of crushed red pepper and add garlic. Turn the heat down a little to prevent the garlic from burning. Sautee quickly until fragrant and return to a medium sized bowl.

4. When pasta is done, drain and add pasta to the bowl with the sausage coins. Toss. Add in more crushed red pepper to taste.

5. Serve with parmesan cheese.

(Serves 2)

Cajun Chicken & Rice Stuffed Peppers

Why is it that cooking healthy dinners is so much easier when you're unemployed? I think the answer to the question is obvious. In any event, I'm enjoying my unemployment while I can. One of the first things I did after being laid off was I scoured the internet for some new healthy recipes. One of my go-to websites for such recipes is myrecipes.com. I like to search for Cooking Light recipes.

Well, when I found this recipe I knew I wanted to give it a try when the hubs would be on night work. "Why?" you ask? Well that's because he's Picky Peter and doesn't like peppers. I, for one, love stuffed peppers but just haven't found a recipe I liked that was easy enough. This recipe turned out to be just the ticket.

I made a few modifications based on ingredients I typically have on hand and I couldn't have asked for a more delicious dinner tonight. I highly recommend this dish. I'll definitely be making it again, and again and suggest you try it soon!

CAJUN CHICKEN & RICE STUFFED PEPPERS
Source: adapted from Cooking Light

2 portion sized chicken breasts, or 1 large chicken breast, diced
2 green peppers, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds and membranes discarded
1 1/4 tsp cajun seasoning
2 tsp EVOO, divided
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 cups fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup minute rice
2 pinches of salt

-----

1. Place pepper halves in a shallow dish. Cover with saran wrap and microwave 4-5 minutes. Remove from microwave and drain off liquid.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in skillet. Add chicken and season with cajun seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.

3. Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in skillet. Add onion and garlic. Saute 1 minute.

4. Add chicken broth, rice and salt. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer 15 minutes. (This is a good time to get your dishes done)

5. Return chicken to skillet and continue cooking until rice is done and broth is absorbed, about another 3 minutes.

6. Divide chicken and rice filling and stuff pepper halves equally.

Sausage, Pepper & Onion Sandwiches

One meal I like but tend not to make often is sausage, pepper and onion sandwiches. I don't know why I don't make it more often (honestly, I just don't cook that often anymore). Anyway, I used to make it by just browning the sausage, doing a quick saute of the peppers and onions, adding beef broth, seasoning with salt and pepper, and simmering away until the onions and peppers were cooked to my liking. I always knew it was sort of bland, so one day I was reading the cooking board and realized there were actual recipes people use to make these sandwiches.

I bookmarked this recipe and it's been saved in my email ever since November. That's not half as long as I usually save recipes before trying them, so I guess that's an improvement.

This recipe, with a few modifications, was actually really great, not bland in the least! I'm happy to have found this recipe and will definitely be making it again in the future, and probably more often than usual :)

SAUSAGE, PEPPER & ONION SANDWICHES
Source: adapted from Food Network

1 package sweet Italian sausage
1 Tbsp EVOO
1 large sweet onion, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 large green bell pepper, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
3 large garlic cloves, minced
about 1/4 cup chicken broth
about 1/4 cup cooking sherry
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
3 6-inch italian rolls
-----
1. Remove casing from sausage and cut into 3 inch links. Cut links in half and flatten so both sides will cook evenly (I'm weird about making sure my sausage is thoroughly cooked and not pink in the middle and this has been my solution to ensuring that doesn't happen). Cook in skillet until browned on both sides (about 8-10 minutes). Remove sausage from pan and set aside.

2. Add EVOO and onions. Saute about 10 minutes, stirring, until golden.

3. Add tomato paste and cook about 1 minute.

4. Add peppers, chicken broth and sherry. Season with salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes until peppers are softened.

5. Return sausage to pan and cook until peppers are cooked to your liking (I don't like a lot of crunch to my peppers so I tend to cook them longer).

6. Stir in balsamic vinegar and add just a few more splashes of chicken broth to take the edge off of the vinegar.

7. Serve in fresh italian rolls and top with cheese if you like.

Food Blogging Equipment

Well, I finally did it. I went and built myself a light box. Here's hoping that it gets me posting more during the winter! I still have some lighting stuff to figure out, I think one 60 watt bulb isn't enough, but it's better than nothing :) These pics were taken at 10pm.

My newest favorite thing... gourmet loose tea

I went to visit a friend last week and she introduced me to gourmet loose teas. I tried the vanilla and instantly fell in love. It's such a cozy and comforting drink, perfect for a chilly day, a stressful day, even a generally good day. I've taken to having 2 cups a day. I just absolutely love it.

I purchased my new teas from Adagio Teas. With the easy to use teapot with built in tea strainer, it's kinda fun to make myself a cup of tea now. With each purchase of their tea pots, you get to pick a sampler pack of teas. I picked the herbal sampler which included blood orange, chamomile, spearmint and rooibos. I still have no idea what rooibos is, but I've always enjoyed minty teas, have taken to liking chamomile in the last year, and blood orange just sounded fun. It was the obvious sampler for me to pick.

Shipping was cheap, delivery was fast, I couldn't have been more pleased with my purchase from Adagio.

Vanilla, my new favorite tea. It's just amazing, the smell, the taste. Simply the best:

Blood Orange smells incredible right out of the tin. It smells super fruity, and when brewed, produces a delicious tea reminiscent of juice. This tea needs minimal sugar added:

Chamomile is a flower tea, known for its soothing and calming qualities. These buds are almost too cute to brew:

Spearmint - it kinda looks like oregano, but it most definitely is not. It smells exactly like spearmint:

Rooibos, which I know is a red tea, is caffeine free, which is ideal for soothing cups of tea in the evening:

They also sent me a free sample of Aries, one of their zodiac teas, based on my birthday. Described as a blend of irish breakfast and masala chai, it smells freaking amazing and I'm excited to try it:

So if you have a favorite tea flavor or want to experience a new world of teas, go check out their website, and explore their large selection!

White Cupcakes

Yesterday I had a random craving for a really nice cupcake. I remembered coming across Bridget's blog, The Way The Cookie Crumbles, and she did a comparison between 3 recipes for white cake. I was so inspired, not only by her pictures, but because I was able to see the inside of the cupcakes side by side. I'm weird and there are certain types of cupcakes that I like over others, so I thought it was neat to be able to pick which recipe I wanted to try based on what the inside of the cupcake should look like. I chose Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake recipe.

I adapted Dorie's recipe by excluding the lemon zest and using vanilla extract in place of lemon extract (because I really don't like citrus undertones in my cakes) and I followed the directions I found on Bridget's blog to a T. I filled the cupcake tin and popped it into the oven, ensuring that the temperature was correct on my oven thermometer. I set the time for 18 minutes and hoped for the best. You see, the last 3 times I tried to make cupcakes from scratch, they all sank!

I was pleasantly surprised, and ecstatic, when I checked the cupcakes when the timer went off, they were all perfectly puffed up. I stuck my cake tester in, prayed it wouldn't deflate the cupcakes, and it didn't! Then, I took the cupcakes out of the oven, again nervous that the change from oven temp to room temp would cause them to deflate. And after a few minutes I checked on them again - and they were still perfectly risen! A success in itself :)

So then, I set out to make my own chocolate frosting, something I'd never done before. I had a debate with my friend, Dana, who balked when I told her I was just going to buy some Betty Crocker icing. I explained that I didn't want to deal with the hassle of melting chocolate. She politely informed me that Domino sugar has a recipe for chocolate buttercream which she uses, and adds cocoa powder to instead of adding melted chocolate to. I couldn't disappoint her.

So here's what I came up with for the frosting, which, by the way, turned out super awesome:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3 3/4 cups (450 grams) powdered sugar

3-5 Tbsp whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

5-7 Tbsp cocoa powder

Basically I just creamed the butter, sugar, vanilla and 3 Tbsp of milk together. Then I added the cocoa powder 1 Tbsp at a time until I achieved the desired chocolatey flavor. Then I just added another 2 Tbsp of milk to bring the frosting to the right consistency. And then I iced away!

I found the interior of the cupcakes to be really soft and tender, almost reminiscent of an angel food cake, but the edges were a little too chewy for my liking. However, the chocolate frosting was awesome and I don't think I'll be buying Betty Crocker ever again :)

Butter Spritz Cookies

The MUST-HAVE Christmas cookie in our family is butter cookies. My sisters and I grew up with them and they've become a tradition in the family. Thanks, Grandmom, for starting this great tradition!

I used to have the worst trouble with cookie presses. I've thrown at least 2 of them away, and one year got blisters on my hand from trying to make one work. So the last 2 years I've tried the drop and press method, and the roll and cut method. No matter how you do it, these cookies are amazing, and always no-fail. There's something about the almond extract that's just warming to the soul. These cookies melt in your mouth without tasting greasy or too buttery. They're just perfect. So if you're looking for the perfect recipe to use in your cookie press, give this one a try! You won't be disappointed :)

And if you're looking for a nice reliable, easy to use cookie press, go get the Wilton Pro Ultra II. Thanks to Nestie veniceforever for the recommendation!

BUTTER SPRITZ COOKIES

SOURCE: my grandmom

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp almond extract

2 1/3 cups flour

Assorted decorations for cookies

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream butter.

3. Add sugar and beat until light and flulffy.

4. Beat in egg and almond extract.

5. Gradually blended in flour.

6. Fill cookie press and press cookies directly onto ungreased cookie sheet.

7. Decorate cookies with your desired topping - my personal favorite is the colored sugar.

8. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly golden.

9. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

*This recipe yields 7 dozen cookies and is easily doubled for 14 dozen. It sounds like a lot - but I'm making 1 double batch and 1 regular batch this year.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

One of my husband's favorite cookies to eat at Christmastime is chocolate peanut butter chip cookies. I had a problem with recipes I've tried in the past - they just weren't what I like in a cookie. I really only enjoy chewy cookies. So I went on the hunt for a recipe to try and came across this one on allrecipes.com. When I search for recipes there, I always look for recipes with 4-5 stars and a lot of reviews. So far, this method hasn't done me wrong.

I read the reviews for this 5 star cookie and adapted it based on what I read. Basically my only adaptions were using half white and half light brown sugar. I've learned that the brown sugar imparts a certain chewiness to a cookie. I also didn't add the called-for amount of chips, just because I dont love a lot of chips in them, but for appearances sake, after I dropped each ball of dough on the cookie sheet, I pressed in a few peanut butter chips just to make them look prettier. Also, I added a few regular chocolate chips in.

The hubs ended up loving this recipe, and I did, too - crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. It's definitely going to be added to the yearly Christmas cookie list :)

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHIP COOKIES

Source: adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup salted butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used dutch-processed)

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup peanut butter chips

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, add dry ingredients and whisk together.

3. In stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars.

4. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed sugar mixture in 3 increments and stir until blended in.

6. Stir in peanut butter and chocolate chips.

7. Drop heaping teaspoons onto parchment lined baking sheet.

8. Bake 9-11 minutes or until set.

9. Remove from oven, let sit 1-2 minutes and remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Notes: I found that this recipe baked up nicely right after mixed, and right out of the fridge.

Hope you love it!

Roasted Bacon Chicken

People, if you're gonna roast a chicken, this is the chicken to roast. I saw it first on Elizabeth's Edible Experience. It happened to be a Top Recommended blog on the sidebar in my google reader. A stroll through her blog during one of the most boring days at work (who am I kidding, they're all boring) landed my eyes upon this chicken and I was in awe. I immediately emailed my friend, Dana, and told her, and I quote, "I HAVE TO HAVE THIS!!!!!"

I have to admit, that after making it, my favorite part of this meal was not in fact the chicken (which was, don't get me wrong, the best friggin roasted chicken I've ever made in my life), but it was the gravy! LIQUID GOLD! You can bet your ass that I saved that leftover bacon grease to whip up a similar dinner quicker with boneless breasts on a weeknight. Because although I made this on a Monday, I prefer to make more time consuming dinners on Sundays.

Seriously though, if you love bacon, if you love chicken, if you love gravy, you've gotta make this!

ROASTED BACON CHICKEN

Source: adapted from Williams-Sonoma

2 bone-in chicken breasts

olive oil, as needed

freshly ground pepper

4 slices bacon, cut in half

2 Tbsp finely diced shallot

1 1/2 cup chicken broth, separated

2 tsp all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp cold unsalted butter

-----

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Set a wire rack in a roasting pan.

2. Rinse and dry chicken. Drizzle with olive oil and rub in. Season with fresh ground pepper. Lay strips of bacon over each breast. Transfer breasts to roasting pan.

3. Roast chicken, uncovered, in oven 45-60 minutes or until no longer pink (my breasts took 50 minutes and came out super juicy and completely cooked). If bacon begins to get too dark, cover loosely with foil until chicken is done.

4. Remove chicken to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil.

5. Remove wire rack and drain all but 2 tsp. of bacon grease.

6. Set roasting pan with the reserved bacon grease over medium-high heat. Add diced shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 1-2 minutes).

7. Add about 1/2 cup of chicken broth and whisk in the flour. Add remaining 1 cup of chicken broth and simmer about 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter.

8. Serve over chicken and any other amazing carb that can absorb this liquid gold. Don't let any go to waste!!

Notes: the original recipe calls for 2 whole roasting chickens. Knowing this, I still made the same amount of gravy. I got a total yield of 3/4 cup of gravy after letting it thicken.

Pasta e Fagioli, revisited

I've already made this soup and blogged about it, but back then my picture taking skills weren't all that great, and also the recipe was by weight and I wanted to nail down the ingredients better. So for the first chilly weekend of Fall here I knew I wanted to make it again in my new dutch oven. It was definitely not as much of a chore to make since I wasn't so focused on getting exact weights of the ingredients. This recipe is scaled down to make 4.5 quarts, but I definitely needed my 7 quart pot to cook it in.

PASTA e FAGIOLI (copy cat Olive Garden)

Source: adapted from cdkitchen

a drizzle of olive oil

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1/2 of a small 1 lb. bag of baby carrots, chopped

5 stalks of celery, diced

2 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes

1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (32 oz.) carton + 1 (14.5 oz.) can of beef broth

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 1/4 tsp pepper

2 1/2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped (I used dry)

3/4 tsp tabasco sauce

1 jar (1 lb. 10 oz.) spaghetti sauce (I use Ragu)

1 cup dry small pasta (such as ditalini or elbow macaroni)

salt to taste

-----

1. Brown ground beef in oil. Drain if necessary.

2. Add onion, carrot, celery and diced tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes.

3. Add beans, beef broth, oregano, pepper, parsley, tabasco sauce and spaghetti sauce.

4. Simmer soup on low for about 30-45 minutes until carrots are almost tender.

5. Add pasta to pot and simmer on low for about 15-30 minutes until pasta is just shy of al dente. As the soup cools, the pasta will absorb the broth. You can cook the pasta separate and add it to the soup after the soup has cooled.

Sprinkles Cupcakes

For my birthday (back in April) my WC Sis, Lindsey, sent me the cutest birthday package: a Sprinkles cupcake mix kit, rainbow sanding sugars, the cutest little cupcake cake tester, a beautiful dish towel with all of my favorite colors, and some personalized note cards. I'm so lucky to have been paired up with such an awesome Sis who quickly became my friend. What's even greater is that she's only located 1 big city and a train ride away. We've been fortunate enough to be able to meet up in person twice already, and we always have such a great time together, and for these things I am so thankful. It's so easy to form friendships and bonds with people over the internet. There's a certain anonymity that makes it easy to be yourself. But when you're able to carry those friendships over into real life so easily, it's special.



Anywho, back to my amazing and thoughtful birthday gift that I got like 6 months ago. The Sprinkles cupcake kit has been sitting on a shelf since then, just waiting for me to find the right opportunity to whip them up. I attribute the hold-off on not having butter in the house, or not wanting baked goods around. But last night at 11:00 pm I was home, bored and lonely while the hubs was working. I called him up and whined about how bored I was. One thing I tend to do when I'm bored is bake, so he helped me decide to bake up these cupcakes.



They were really simple to make, the baking time was spot on, and they came out of the oven looking like gorgeous golden mounds of awesomeness. I can't tell you when was the last time I made a successful batch of cupcakes. After finally buying an oven thermometer though, I attribute my many many failed attempts to improper oven temperature. I can certainly tell you how disappointing it is to pull out a tray of deflated cupcakes - I could go on for hours on the topic. But I was so happy that I didn't fail these cupcakes.



I decided to use store-bought icing - it's so much cheaper than making your own. And in these tough economic times, that's what I'm aiming for! (Oy vey, I can feel the agida creeping up - moving on!) Also, I just happened to buy some piping supplies for a breast cancer benefit I'm involved in for a friend and decided to test out my skills with these cupcakes since I'd never piped a piping of icing in my life! I have to admit, it was crazy-fun! I'm going to be piping whenever I get the chance! If I could manage having crazy amounts of cake and buttercream around the house, I might actually go take the Wilton cake decorating class - but really, that's the last thing I need.



The verdict: Now, I've never had an actual Sprinkles cupcake so I can't compare to the real life version, but I thought the texture and density of these cupcakes was perfect. I enjoy a fluffy, dense but not chewy cupcake. Seriously, if I could make cupcakes from scratch and achieve this texture I would be baking cupcakes a whole lot more frequently. I found it to be similar to America's Test Kitchen fluffy yellow cake, but not as dry. Like I said - PERFECT. But the taste seemed a little off. It could be because they sat on a shelf in my house for so long, but I did feel that the flavor in these were lacking. Was it so bad that I've decided not to shovel a few more cupcakes down the hatch? Certainly not. The hubs and I will be enjoying the few that are left after a little mishap in my kitchen whilst photographing these gorgeous kaleidoscopical gems. I thought I loved sanding sugars as much as any one person could - but after receiving the rainbow kind, oh my goodness, my love has grown.




Thanks again, SO MUCH for my birthday present Linds!! I'll light a candle in honor of our half-birthdays!

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

I've had this recipe saved for a few months. I originally saw it on Liz's blog, and again on Melissa's blog with a few modifications. Finally I fit it into our weekly menu. Boy am I glad!! This was so good and really simple to make. The most trouble I had was opening the cans of beans with my manual can opener! Don't worry, a new can opener is on my list of must-gets in the near future :) This was really yummy in it's original version, but I can already get a sense of how it would taste with Melissa's modifications - I imagine something akin to Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza, which I love. Also, I think I might try this some time by adding in some hard taco shells to add some crunch to it. I think this is a great recipe that can be modified here and there to give you a great result, however you might change it.

So if you love Mexican (like me and the hubs do), you MUST try this one!

TORTILLA AND BLACK BEAN PIE

Source: Everyday Food

4 (10-inch) flour tortillas (I happened to buy 8 inch tortillas which fit perfectly into my springform pan)

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 large onion, diced

1 jalapeno, diced (I used about 1 Tbsp jarred, diced jalepeno)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp cumin

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

12 oz. beer (or 1 1/2 cups water) (USE THE BEER!)

1 package (10 oz.) frozen corn

4 scallions, plus more for garnish (I didn't add mine into the pie because I prefer them fresh, crisp and cold)

2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used a block of colby-jack)

-----

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Using a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan, using the bottom as a guide. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic and cumin and saute until softened, 5-7 minutes.

3. Add beans and beer to skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8-10 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions, and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of springform pan. Layer with 1/4 of the beans (I did 1/3) and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat 3 times, ending with 1 cup of cheese on top.

5. Bake until hot and cheese is melted, about 20-25 minutes (mine was slightly browned at 20 minutes). Unmold pie, sprinkle with scallions. To serve, cut into wedges (serves 5-6).

Apple Pie

Fall is officially upon us! Not just by the calendar, but by the weather as well :) I love fall. I love the crispness in the air, wearing clothes without worrying about if I'm going to be sweating my arse off or not. I just love it.

Seeing as my blog has not been updated as much as I'd like it to be recently, I've been on the hunt for new recipes to try out. I knew that this fall I wanted to try to bake something with apples, and the hubs loves apple pie, so I mentioned it to Ashlee who happened to be updating her blog, literally at that moment, with an apple pie she just made. I always like to use recipes that friends have had success with, so I decided to try hers out!

This was really, really simple. I was scared of making my own pie dough, I've never done it before, but really, it was simple and I look forward to doing it in the future making other pies. The only thing about this pie is that I used granny smith apples, which are known to be more tart than sweet, and you could definitely taste the tartness in the pie. I tried to compensate for their tartness by adding extra sugar, but wasn't able to achieve what I was aiming for. Next time I'll use a naturally sweeter apple.

For the recipe, please visit Ashlee's Blog!

Crispy Yogurt Chicken

I'm a follower of The Pioneer Woman's blog. This is the second recipe of hers that I actually tried. I've heard a lot of rave reviews about this chicken so I knew I would have to give it a shot. I'll regularly make regular fried chicken cutlets, varying it sometimes by adding parmesan cheese or crushed red pepper to the breading. Sometimes we just like it plain with a touch of salt. But I need new recipes for the blog! So this was it. The hubs thought it was a weird concept to dip the chicken into yogurt first, but he actually liked it. And as a healthy alternative it was really enjoyable. I served it with a side salad and this lemon spaghetti and now we're nice and full :)

CRISPY YOGURT CHICKEN
Source: adapted from The Pioneer Woman

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups non-fat plain yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tsp dried parsley
1 1/2 cups plain breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups plain panko breadcrumbs
salt
olive oil spray

-----

1. Line a baking sheet with foil and top with a cooling rack. Preheat ovent o 350 degrees.

2. Trim chicken of all fat and grossness, rinse and pat dry. Cut into pieces to whatever size you like (I cut each breast into about 4 pieces). Season with salt.

3. In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and parsley.

4. In another bowl, mix together both types of breadcrumbs and season with salt.

5. Dip chicken pieces in yogurt, then in breading until thoroughly coated. Transfer to baking sheet.

6. Spray each piece with the olive oil spray.

7. Transfer baking sheet to oven; bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

8. If your chicken is not browned enough, switch on the broiler and broil until golden brown. You can also flip the chicken, spray the other side and broil until golden brown.

Creamed Spinach Gratin

The hubs is home today, his day off - he's been on night work for 2 weeks. I asked him what he wanted for dinner and he wanted chicken cutlets. So I decided to try out a new creamed spinach recipe. This one got 5 stars on myrecipes.com. It's a Cooking Light recipe so that's a bonus. It was really really easy to throw together, and so flavorful! And at only 72 calories per serving, it's definitely being added to the stack of usable recipes for some nice homecooked meals like this one. I also served with some (instant) mashed potatoes and gravy (mixed from a packet, just like Mom used to make). See? I like to keep things simple :)

And if you're not near Jersey - I feel sorry for you. There really is something special about a fresh Jersey tomato - I'm not even a fan of tomatoes, but as soon as you slice one of these babies open, it's like discovering a treasure.

CREAMED SPINACH GRATIN

Source: Cooking Light, November 1997

10 oz. of fresh spinach

cooking spray

2/3 cup chopped onion (I just used a little sprinkle of dehydrated minced onion because I'm pretty sure 2/3 cup of onion would be a bit overwhelming)

1/4 tub-style light cream cheese

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup (1/4 inch thick) sliced tomato

1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp finely grated parmesan cheese (I went a little overboard with the sprinkle)

-----

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Remove large stems from spinach. Tear spinach into 1-inch pieces; place in colander and rinse under cold water. Set aside. (Umm, I totally skipped step 2 entirely, and I didn't notice anything unusual in the final dish)

3. Place a large dutch oven (I used a deep skillet) over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray and add onion. Saute 3 minutes or until softened. (Again, I skipped the onion step because I used dehydrated onion)

4. Add spinach and saute until wilted, about 2 minutes.

5. Add cream cheese, oregano, salt and pepper and cook an additional 1 minute or until the cream cheese is melted.

6. Spray a 1-quart gratin dish with cooking spray and spoon the spinach mixture into it.

7. Lay the tomato slices on top, followed by the breadcrumbs, then the cheese.

8. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.

For the chicken, I just dipped in egg and breaded it with plain panko, seasoned with italian seasoning and cayenne pepper.

Broccoli, Cheese & Rice Casserole

Sigh. I'm trying to eat more vegetables. I've never found vegetables to be exciting. I scoured myrecipes.com to find some appealing recipes and came across this one. It had decent reviews. In the end, I didn't love it, but it was good. I made it tonight as a meal but think it would be more acceptable as a side dish, possibly for a fall dinner party or something. But I don't have dinner parties so I dont think I'll be breaking this recipe out again in the near future. Also, at first, the onion seemed to be a little overwhelming, but I quickly forgot about that. The creaminess lended by the cream of mushroom soup and the cheese was comforting. I think this would be a great recipe to get kids to eat more veggies. But I don't have kids, so I'm just going to keep this recipe in the bottom of my recipe drawer.

BROCCOLI, CHEESE & RICE CASSEROLE

Source: Cooking Light, November 1999

(come to think of it - I bet this recipe would've been a real winner in 1999)

1 cup uncooked instant white rice

1/2 cup chopped onion (I'd consider reducing this to 1/4 cup and chopping smaller than I did)

1/4 cup fat-free milk (I used 1/3 cup of milk based on reviews, and also used 1% milk)

4 ounces light processed cheese, cubed (I used 1/2 regular velveeta and 1/2 low-fat sharp cheddar)

2 (10 oz.) packages of chopped broccoli

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can of reduced sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup

-----

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

3. Mix all ingredients and spoon into casserole dish.

4. Bake for 45 minutes.

Adventures with shrimp... continued

Some of my previous attempts with shrimp didn't turn out so well. Finally, I think I found an easy, no fail, amazing dish! This was seriously SO good. And it being a Cooking Light recipe, it's a win-win! The sauce was simple and perfect. As far as homemade sauce goes, this is now my go-to recipe, whether or not I make shrimp with it. I love spicy food, so an arrabbiata is only fitting. And I've had shrimp arrabbiata from different restaurants and I must say that this tops them all.

I'm going to post the recipe as stated, but if making this dish for 4 servings, I would definitely double the sauce - no ifs, ands or buts about it. I made the sauce as follows and used only a 1/2 pound of shrimp. Also, the beauty of this dish is that you can lessen the amount of oil easily, thus omitting more fat. I served this with Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta.

SHRIMP ARRABBIATA
Source: Cooking Light, March 2006, David Bonom

6 ounces fresh linguine
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup prechopped onion
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

-----

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

3. Sprinkle shrimp with salt; add shrimp to pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until shrimp are done. Transfer shrimp to a bowl.

4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan. Add onion, minced garlic, basil, and crushed red pepper to pan; sauté 1 minute.

5. Add tomato paste and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes or just until sauce begins to thicken.

6. Return shrimp to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.

7. Add parsley to the pan, stirring well to combine. Serve over pasta.