This recipe comes from PattyinCt. Thank you, thank you, and my children thank you as well.
This cake is oh so chocolatey, kinda fudgy and absolutely divine. Paired nicely with some buttercream I had made earlier..(I thought it was too sweet, but this cake toned it down a bit)
You can find the recipe at Patty's.
Here's the first pic of the first cake I have evah baked from scratch. It's not so yellow.
Since I'm a box mix girl, I compared this to Duncan Hines, my fav and the only box mix I'll use. I found it to be a little heavier and slightly less moist. Could be the flour I used, all purpose. Next time I'll try a finer cake flour, hoping to produce a fluffier texture. However, this is a great texture for wedding cake. I think it would freeze well and hold up under the pressure of tiers.
The kids all agreed. This was much better, all around, than the box mix. Now to work on that frosting.
Are you a box mix or scratch cake baker? What's your preference for either?
I was at the library day yesterday..Wednesday is library day here..like you really needed to know that..or maybe I just needed to fill some space in this post. Anyhow..........
I was at the library yesterday and picked up this cute little gem
I haven't had a chance to try this yet, but I will be doing just that in the next few days..
If you try it first please leave a comment and let us know whatcha think..
Butter
For 1/2 pound of butter you will need
Carrot, 1 medium
Homogenized milk, 1/4 cup
Heavy Whipping Cream, 3 cups chilled
Salt, a pinch
Grater; saucepan, 1-pint; jar or container with tight lid, 2 qt; fine strainer; bowl, 2 qt; buttermold or small serving dish
Prepare coloring by grating carrot and heating it with milk in saucepan. Scald all remaining equipment - jar, lid, strainer, bowl, mold and wooden spoon. Rinse and chill with cold water.
Strain warm tinted milk into jar. Add cream from refrigerator and fasten lid. Shake jar a minute; open lid to release gas, and refasten. Continue shaking, alternating with a partner.
In about 15 minutes the contents will form a thick mush. Continue shaking until contents resembles wheat grains floating in milk (the time will vary with the age of the cream, its temperature, and your shaking style).
Pour contents through strainer into bowl. Empty the milk from the bowl into another container. Turn the butter back into the bowl and cover with cold water. Stir well; strain off and discard water. Repeat washings until water is clear.
With the back of a wooden spoon work the liquid out of the butter by stirring and pressing it against the bowl. Dividing the butter and working half at a time makes it easier. When all liquid has been freed and poured off, work in a little salt, then press butter into mold or dish. Rinse with cold water an chill. Serve later with homemade bread, unmolding if necessary.
So why make butter when you can buy it? 'Cause it's neato!
Garlic Cheese Bread
1 Loaf French Bread, cut in half lengthwise
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Italian Garlic Butter*
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To make the Italian Garlic butter:
1 stick of softened butter
4 large garlic cloves
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
In a small bowl place softened butter, using a garlic press (or very finely mince), press garlic into bowl, add oregano and basil. Stir all ingredients until will blended.
Place bread on a cookie sheet, spread butter onto bread. Top with shredded mozzarella. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes. For the last 2 mins broil on high to brown cheese. Keep an eye out so you don't burn the bread! Using a pizza cutter, slice bread and enjoy.
Enjoy with any Italian dish or as a snack with the kids. You can also top with pepperoni for a quick and easy pizza lunch.
Summer Fruit
Well, I don't know if this counts as a "recipe" but it's our favorite thing to do with summer fruit.
Fruit Salad (Yummy Yummy)
1 Seedless Watermelon, cubed
2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and cubed
1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cubed
1/2 lb seedless red grapes, rinsed and cut in half lengthwise
1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced
Mix all ingredients together and chill. You can sprinkle with a tsp of sugar and/or vanilla if you'd like.
Serve over sponge cake or with some homemade whipped cream. No coolwhip, it's all whip and no cream. Homemade is soooooo much better. And cheaper too.
Oh you can also throw it in the blender with some apple juice and you have a smoothie, or (man! the ideas keep coming now!)toss a bit over ice cream.
Versatile and oh so yummy!
I finally tried my mom's nut bread recipe. After I quartered it, the original recipe makes close to 40 loaves, I had 9 loaves. Lot's to share.
I still have some kinks to work out on the technique. My side seams keep splitting(that's what's gonna happen to my pants if I don't get these into someone else's hands soon!). But they are so dern good! Yummy Yummy Yummy.
My good mom! She stayed on the phone with me all day yesterday talking me through this. Thanks much mommy!
See my split sides!!! Argh!!!!!
Happy Easter Ya'll!
I managed to save $20.00 at the commissary today!!! Turning what would have been a $270 bill into a $250 bill!! Plus, I saved big on the tip for the baggers as I employed my two boys to do the job! Hooray! I am exhausted but so dern happy I had to blog about it!
I even managed to hold off the commissary shopping until we were down to bare bones. No milk for 4 days! No bread for a week! We were being extremely creative in the kitchen this week. I finally broke down today when the kids balked at buckwheat pancakes. (They were a little dry, but a friend had given us the box and there was no cereal and no milk..even so, I won't be buying that one anytime soon)
I am going to start doing the coupon thing in earnest. Although the commissary does not double coupons, I am happy to save as much as possible. I'd love to be able to get stuff for free, but I don't have time to go around to all the neighborhood shops and score the deals. I'll save where I can at the commissary!
Anyhow, long blog post for really just a big ol' slap happy hoorah! I saved a bunch of money on my groceries!
All I have to say is:
Mmmmm.Mmmmmm.Mmmmmmm! Chocolate Mint Delights.
Mmmmm.Mmmmmm.Mmmmmmm! Chocolate Mint Delights.
I've figured out how to save 2.00 a box on Thin Mints. Hallelujah!
Thanks Sarah-Kala. These are now my absolute FAVORITE cookies evah!
Okay, this is not my recipe. Even though I will own every pound of it later, I swiped it from the grocery store Jello shelf. :)
Triple-Layer Pumpkin Spice Pie
The stuff you need:
2 cups cold milk
2 pkg. Jello Pumpkin Spice Flavor Instant pudding
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 8 oz tub Cool Whip
1 Graham Cracker crust
Step 1
Mix the jello and cinnamon together in a bowl and...]
add the milk.
Whisk until well blended.
Step 2:
Pour about 3/4 into the pie crust.
Fold in 1 1/2 cup coolwhip topping, into remaining pudding mix.
Spread the mixture onto the pie.
(Now here's where my pictures just didn't come out. The flash kept making the topping glare out the picture. Without the flash I couldn't get a clear pic. I am such a bad photographer!)
Top the pie with one more layer of cool whip topping and refrigerate for one hour.
This is delicious! You can top with glazed pecans if you like.
Just pour some pecans into a medium saucepan on med-low heat..add a tablespoon of honey and cook until carmelized. Stir Frequently! Pour out onto a piece of wax paper and separate any clumps. Sprinkle on top of pie just before serving!
This is a winner!
Mr. Pinch makes Deviled Eggs. Her favorite.
mmmmmm..yumm
They were gone in a flash!
The guys over at Men's Health have written an interesting article on bottled water. Is it better outta the tap?
One correction fellows, Dave and Matt say tap water is free..I got news for ya..I get a bill for mine every three months.
But..it is still cheaper than having some gurus at Coke or Pepsi bottle it for me. Why pay twice?
Check it out..The Truth About Bottled Water.
** UPDATE ** I rinsed, peeled and chopped up this little guy for my salad the other day. Daikon is not bad. I wouldn't eat it all by itself. But I wouldn't eat a radish by itself either. It does taste like a radish without the pepperyness (is that a real word? probably not). It does have a very subtle sweetness at the end. I tried it raw. I am guessing that the sweetness will come out more if you give it a little heat in a stir fry. It will definitely add some crunch to your stir fry. I give it a 5 on a scale of 1 -10. 10 being the best vegetable I've ever tasted. (I haven' t found that one yet)I thought this description was particularly funny:
The word Daikon actually comes from two Japanese words: dai (meaning large) and kon (meaning root). 2 cups of coffee, 8 am and I am looking up Daikon on the computer. Get a life will ya!
Anyhow, I found out how to work with this baby.
First, here's what it looks like so you can recognize it at the produce line up.
Now, here's some ways to use this little gem:
Source: What's Cooking America
This is an extremely versatile vegetable that can be eaten raw in salads or cut into strips or chips for relish trays. It also can be stir-fried, grilled, baked, boiled or broiled. Use the daikon as you would a radish. It may be served raw in salads or grated for use as a condiment (if you don't have a Japanese-style grater, use a cheese grater and grate just before serving), pickled, or simmered in a soup. They are also preserved by salting as in making sauerkraut. Daikon also is used in soups and simmered dishes. To prepare, peel skin as you would a carrot and cut for whatever style your recipe idea calls for. Not only is the root eaten, but the leaves also are rich in vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium, and iron, so they are worth using instead of discarding.
A Japanese secret to cooking daikon is to use water in which rice has been washed or a bit of rice bran added (this keeps the daikon white and eliminates bitterness and sharpness}.
For Chips, Relish Tray Sticks or Stir Fries - Simply peel Daikon with a peeler and cut crossways for thin chips. Dip thin chips in ice water and they will crisp and curl for a Daikon chip platter with your favorite sour cream or yogurt dip. Cut into julienne strips for relish trays, salads or stir-frys.
Nutrition Information - Daikon is very low in calories. A 3 ounce serving contains only 18 calories and provides 34 percent of the RDA for vitamin C. Rich in vitamin C, daikon contains active enzymes that aid digestion, particularly of starchy foods. Select those that feel heavy and have lustrous skin and fresh leaves.
I will be trying mine today. I'll post back here to let you know how it goes. If you have an interesting veggie to share please drop a line in my combox.
on Atkins that is. I am starting the induction phase tomorrow. But I had to share this with you..I found these little pieces of temptation at Rite Aid.
Yum Yum Yummy. Just don't look at the bottom left hand corner. (I knew you'd look, 210 calories! Yikes!) I love the yellow guy falling from the palm in the back. Great cover.
If you can find these, try them. Just a hint of coconut flavor over solid milk chocolate. They are about the same size of peanut M&M's but solid chocolate.
My most highly favored kitchen implement, my OXO Salad Spinner (yes it is that good and so qualifies for Capital Letters) has stopped spinning. My daughter had dish duty..she (no doubt) lovingly and oh so tenderly hand washed the top spinning portion and placed it on the counter to dry.
Then my middle son picked it up and wah lah! It came apart in his hands! He swears he did nothing to it! He swears that it just fell apart! Something is amiss here. Either the tender loving washing was not so tender and loving or the pick up was bad.
Either way, my OXO spun it's last salad this evening. Ooooh it was sooooo good! I even grilled chicken to put on top. Yum Yum Yummy. Fortunately I have a 20% Bed Bath & Beyond coupon and can replace this irreplacable kitchen implement. It is,after my Kitchen Aid mixer, my favorite tool and after my Pampered Chef chef's knife and bowl scrapers, the most used item in my kitchen.
Farewell my OXO Salad Spinner. You have served this family well.
Got home late. Kids hungry. Husband hungrier. Scouts in 1.5 hours. No meat defrosted! Ach!
Freezer:
1.5 lb thin cut sirloin
Frozen yellow sweet corn
Fridge:
Green Pepper
Red Pepper
Orange Pepper
Green Onion
(rinse and slice all veggies)
Pantry:
CalRose White Rice
2 pkgs beef & herb gravy
Janes Mixed Up Salt
Put sirloin in microwave for about 3 minutes to defrost
Make the Rice:
Pour 3.5 cups water, a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp vegetable oil in pot. Bring to a rolling boil. Add 2 cups rice. Stir twice. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to "low" cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stirring once when almost all of the water is dissolved.
Heat a skillet on high.
Remove meat from microwave and slice into .5 inch strips. Sprinkle well with Mixed up salt.
When skillet is hot, add 2 tbsp (or so) vegetable oil.
Add meat and sear all over. Remove to a side plate.
In the same skillet, add peppers and sear. Lower heat to medium, add 2 cups of water and 2 pkgs of gravy mix. De-glaze pan. Taste sauce. Add salt, pepper and whatever spices you like at this time.
Add meat to pan and 1/2 cup water, lower heat to just between low and medium. Cover and simmer until meat is tender, about 30 minutes. Keep checking for flavor and doctor it as you see fit. If the sauce get's too thick just add a bit of water. The sauce should "cling" to the spoon when you stir it.
Yum Yum Yummy my friends. And so so so easy.
Oh yeah, throw the frozen corn in a microwave safe dish, Cover in plastic wrap and nuke for 5 minutes with a pat of butter and some mixed up salt.
Kids ate it all!
Just a tip: Use more red and orange pepper. They are sweeter than the green pepper.
This weekend is the Latino Fest here on post. Lots of carny rides, song and dance, and great Latino food. Of course there is always the ever present carny fav...Funnel Cake.
We love..I mean LOVE funnel cake. But at $5 a piece we usually just get 1 and everyone gets a piece. Well, today we said the heck with it and made our own. I don't have pics because well, frankly I forgot to take them and we ate the darn things before I even thought of taking pics. Sorry. ;(
But here's the recipe. If you don't have a funnel, just use a ziploc bag and cut the corner..careful..it's messy..but oh ...so...good! Your kids will love you for making this and if you let them join in they'll have tons of fun making goofy designs with the dough.
Ingredients:
* 3 eggs, beaten
* 2 cups milk
* 4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* oil for deep frying
* sifted confectioners' sugar
Preparation:
Beat eggs with milk. Sift together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder; add to eggs and milk. Beat until very smooth. Heat oil in deep fryer or deep skillet to 370°. Holding the funnel with one finger keeping the opening closed, fill with batter.
Open the end of the funnel and allow batter to run out in a stream into deep hot fat. Move funnel from center, swirling outward in a circular pattern. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer fried funnel cakes to paper towels to drain. Shake sifted confectioners' sugar over drained funnel cakes.
Makes 20 to 30 funnel cakes, depending on size.
You can add cinnamon, fruit topping, chocolate syrup, crushed oreos..whatever you want! It all tastes great on a funnel cake!
Okay..class one done! I set up the "Something is wrong here" kitchen. Hazards and a general mess everywhere. I gave the kids 1 minute to look around and write down all the hazards they could see. We discussed proper kitchen safety and food handling. I have ended up with mostly ages 8-10. Not what I thought I would have but we'll make it work.
Next week we begin cooking. We are going to make breakfast. Eggs and pancakes, maybe some french toast. I am going to work on the menu and ingredient/supply list today.
On another note, I am so excited. My oldest son is having his first guitar lesson as we speak. This wonderful man from church has agreed to take time out and come and teach him a thing or two. It's good for two reasons. One, he's learning guitar, but more importantly, he's learning to interact with another adult on a personal level. This is not easy for him. He's having to think about what he wants out of playing the guitar and ask himself questions like "why do I want to learn this?" It sounds like a no brainer...but he's not used to doing that. He has always just sort of done what we told him to do. Am I making sense? I guess it's hard to explain. I am just thrilled that he has this opportunity.
Plus, Mr. C brought me a Guamanian cookbook to peruse and make some copies of. I can't wait to get to it.
Have a great day and thanks so much for your words of encouragement with this class of mine!
Blessings all around to you!
These are my most favorite chocolate chip cookies. My middle son has taken on the responsibility of making these at least once or twice a month. He's gotten very good at it! My future top chef. The secret to a great chocolate chip cookie is in the chip..we always use Nestle. We are considering a "luxury" chocolate chip bake off in the near future. We will test different high end chocolate chips against Nestle. I'll let you know how that turns out!.
Butter Flavored Crisco Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients
3/4 c Butter flavored Crisco
1 3/4 c All-purpose flour
1 1/4 c Firmly packed brown sugar
1 ts Salt
2 tb Milk
3/4 ts Baking soda
1 tb Vanilla
1 c Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Egg
1 c Pecan pieces
Instructions for Butter Flavored Crisco Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie
Heat oven to 375. Cream butter flavor crisco, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Blend until creamy. Blend in egg. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture, gradually. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop rounded Tablespoonfuls (about 2 measuring tablespoons) of dough 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies (they will look light and moist) DO NOT OVERBAKE or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes. Remove to coo rack. 3 dozecn 3-inch cookies. Note: if nuts are omitted, use 1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
We went to Sam's Club for their Holiday Tasting event. Yum Yum Yum! Here are just a few of the absolutely delish items we tasted.Mini Filet Mignon wrapped in peppercorn bacon Mini Beef Wellington 
Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake
We also tasted: Rack of lamb with rosemary, onion and garlic asparagus in butter, Pork loin with apples, Belgian Chocolate profiteroles, Caramel apple pie, dark chocolate almonds, franks in a blanket, scallops in bacon, baked salmon, shrimp cocktail, cheese and crackers and even more I can't remember. It wouldn't have been complete without a taste of Sparkling apple cider. We had great fun trying out new foods and we left Sam's stuffed and happy.
(We did go back to buy the filet mignon's and wellingtons for Thursday. They are absolutely delicious!)
Today is going to be a fun day! We are on Thanksgiving break! The kids can sleep in! We will have a houseful on Thursday and we are going to take some time to get ready for it today and tomorrow.
I love to get together with family and friends. There will be 18 of us so far. Here's our Menu:Roast Turkey
Glazed Ham
Southern Style Green Beans with Bacon
Whipped Cauliflower
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pecans
Golden Yukon Potatoes
Yeast Rolls
Simple Cranberry Sauce
Homemade Turkey Gravy
Herb Stuffing
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Various Fruit Pies
Brownies
Flan
Cookies
I'd love to share your menus and trade recipes with anyone who's interested.
