Veronica's Cornucopia

Butterbeer!

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Veronica

Yes, I know Harry Potter has been seriously waning in popularity since the turn of the century, but it’s time to break out the capes and witch hats again because I think this drink is seriously going to bring on a Harry Potter reprisal!

For those who DARED not to read the fabulous book series that is Harry Potter, let me tell you about this drink called butterbeer. Like our muggle root beer is non-alcoholic, so is this favorite drink among the wizarding world. I don’t recall how J.K. Rowling described the taste in the series, but I did come away with the impression that it was the most wonderful drink in the entire world and I imagined it as sweet and smooth and creamy. I always wanted to try it and apparently I’m not the only one because if you Google “butterbeer recipe” you’re going to come up with a slew of them.

Most recipes assume that the base flavor for butterbeer is butterscotch and I went with that here in this recipe. It is seriously sweet and seriously good. And seriously fattening. Which is why your kids will love you for serving it at their birthday & Halloween parties. Let me tell you in advance though, you’re going to regret it if you don’t at least double the amount of whipped cream. Butterscotch and whipping cream equals whipped cream nirvana. I could have just eaten that alone and been happy.

I’m sending this recipe over to Cheryl from The Southern Cookbook for the BSI (blogger secret ingredient) contest featuring butter this week. I seriously would probably never have made this scandalous drink (I mean, you’re drinking butterscotch syrup with cream soda, for heaven’s sake! Topped with butterscotch whipped cream! Scandalous!) except it was the first thing I thought of in connection to butter. And yes, this drink really does have butter in it. I’m kinda horrified at myself all over again. But it was worth it–it’s so good!

BUTTERBEER
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 cup brown sugar (I used light)
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
2 teaspoons rum extract (optional)
2 liter of cream soda

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 on a candy thermometer. Stir in the salt, vinegar, and cold butter until melted, then stir in 1/4 cup of the whipping cream. Scrape into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and set aside to cool to room temperature. You can place the butterscotch syrup in the fridge to cool it faster, but don’t let it get cold or it will be difficult to mix with the cream soda. Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 tbsp of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixture to beat until it reaches soft peaks.

To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup per glass) add 1/4 cup cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped cream on top.

Recipe source: Spork or Foon

29 Comments

Posted in Condiments & ETC. and tagged butterbeer recipe, butterscotch, cream soda, Harry Potter, Hogsmeade, witch, wizard. Bookmark the permalink.

BSI Roundup & Winner!

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Veronica

Whew! I tell you what, you guys made my job really hard with all the great recipes you sent in! Thank you to all those who participated and made this so much fun! First let’s do the roundup so you can see what I’m talking about, then I’ll announce the winner.

My friend, Cheryl, of The Southern Cookbook submitted her family’s favorite recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Bread, which looks fabulously moist and wonderful. I also love that this recipe uses zucchini, an in-season ingredient that many people have coming out of their ears right now!

Natasha of Natasha’s Kitchen submitted her recipe for Nalesniki, which are Russian Cheese Crepes. I bet you’ve never heard of Nalesniki, have you? Well, now you know! I always enjoy Natasha’s recipes since Ukrainian and Russian cooking are so foreign to me and I’m feeling much more educated (and hungry) since subscribing to her blog!

My friend, Kim, of Foodin New England submitted her Crispy New England Beer Battered Shrimp recipe. Crispy beer battered shrimp? YES PLEASE! And hand over that rice with the white wine oyster mushroom sauce while you’re at it! This chick is very creative in the kitchen and never ceases to amaze me.

Oy, the ugly deliciousness of a casserole! (Don’t worry, it’s my picture so I can say that.) If you’ve ever tried to take a picture of a scoop of casserole on your plate, you know what I’m talking about. It’s nearly impossible to make it look pretty! My buddy, Marina, sent me her recipe for Fiesta Chicken and Cornbread that has flour not only in the creamy kicked-up chicken filling, but in the cornbread topping as well. She doesn’t have a food blog or a picture of her recipe, but after reading through it, I think you’ll see why I had to make it ASAP, which is why there is a picture. Believe me, this casserole is incredible. Seriously–look at the ingredients in the recipe below. There is enough fat in there to make Paula Deen die a happy death. Whipping cream, butter, bacon grease and bacon? It’s enough to make you slap your Grandma!

FIESTA CHICKEN AND CORNBREAD

½ cup onions, chopped
½ cup butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 (10 oz) can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups chicken broth or stock
3 tablespoons Tabasco Green Pepper sauce (optional)
4 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained
1 (11 oz) can Mexicorn, drained
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
Southwest cornbread (recipe follows)
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

SOUTHWEST CORNBREAD:
1 ½ cup flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup bacon dripping
1 large egg
1 cup yellow kernel corn, drained
10 slices crisp bacon, crumbled
1 (4 oz) can Ortega chopped green chilies
½ cup minced green onions
½ cup grated Monterey Jack Cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Sauté onions in butter until soft. Add flour and blend well. Add soup, whipping cream, broth, and Tabasco green pepper sauce (if using). Cook until thick. Add chicken, tomatoes, corn and chilies.

3. Pour chicken mixture into a large deep 13-inch casserole baking dish. Spoon with Southwest Cornbread batter and spread to edge of casserole covering chicken completely. Sprinkle with cheese

4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. (depending how hungry you are)

5. To make corn bread mix first 6 ingredients and set aside. Beat buttermilk, bacon dripping and egg in small bowl. Stir in dry ingredients only until moistened: DO NOT OVER MIX. Batter will be lumpy. Stir in corn, crumbled bacon, chilies, onions and cheese.

*Serve with sour cream and avocado slices.

Serves 9-12

Veronica’s Note: The filling was way too runny for me so instead of adding more flour, I strained the mixture through a sieve and froze the leftover for another batch. You might need to add more like 1/3-1/2 cup flour to the filling to get it thick enough.

Heather of girlichef submitted this droolworthy recipe for Cherry Almond Bars and says although she’s a cherry freak (so am I!), she was gaga over the crust because it was like a “buttery-addicting shortbread-sandy.” You’re speaking my language, Heather!

Go, Pop, Go! submitted his “Healthy” Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. He says although they’re super-fabulous, they’re not technically healthy since they’re packed with butter and sugar but he added ground flax seeds and oats to make them <air quotes> healthy. LOL! Love that man. If you haven’t checked out his blog, take a minute to do so–I can guarantee you some laughs!

The Taste Space submitted these Walnut, Cranberry and Cinnamon Rugelach Pinwheels. If you’re not familiar with rugelach, they are a traditional Jewish cookie that are usually shaped like crescents and consist of a cream cheese dough with a sweet filling usually made of jelly, nuts & raisins. I love the flavors used here and also love that it wasn’t done in the traditional crescent shape but in a pinwheel form that almost makes it look like little cinnamon rolls!

The Taste Space also sent in this recipe for Thick, Chewy Granola Bars which uses oat flour. I made some granola bars with homemade oat flour several months ago and I have to tell you that they didn’t hold a candle to these beauties.

Faith from An Edible Mosaic rocked my world with these Lavender Shortbread Cookies!! She took some local organic lavender to make lavender sugar, then used the sugar both in the cookies and on top of them. These cookies are just so brilliant that I think I’m turning pink with delight.

Sugar-Free Almond Cornmeal Blueberry Shortcakes from Kim at The Ungourmet. In a new quest to cut sugar from her family’s diet, she came up with these gorgeous shortcakes by using Xylitol for sweetness. Since Xylitol is the ONLY sugar-substitute that my health nut Grandpa approves of (oh, I almost forgot about Stevia–he loves that too!), I have to approve too! One added perk of Xylitol is that it’s good for your teeth, which is why so many chewing gums are now using it for sweetener. Betcha didn’t know that!

Jamaican Coffee Brownies with Pecans from Chaya’s Comfy Cook Blog. Look at that brownie! Doesn’t it look like it’s floating in mid-air? How did she do that?! I don’t know, but I swear it’s about to fly right into my mouth. :) These brownies are gluten-free and made of white rice flour and brown rice flour. Chaya is either one experienced or daring baker to throw these puppies together so successfully because I know gluten-free baking can be a real challenge. But look how amazing they are! As if they weren’t unique enough, being gluten-free and made with rice flours, they also have Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee in them and crystallized ginger. Very cool!

And looky what else Chaya sent me! Five Minute Mug Cake from her other blog, My Sweet and Savory. I have seen the recipe for chocolate mug cake many times but have never seen it done up so pretty, torted with whipped cream filling and chocolate ganache drizzled over the top! This would definitely be the treat to make when you just need a single serving of chocolate cake in a hurry!

Biz of Biggest Diabetic Loser broke out her tart pan to whip up this Sour Cream Apple Tart. What amazes me most about this tart is that it’s got three layers and only eight ingredients! Look at all that’s going on here–crust, apples, custard filling, and crumb topping. Only eight ingredients! This defies the laws of baking!

S’more Cookies from Dana of Food For Thought. Dana says these are so delicious that her boyfriend requests she make them every time they are invited to a function that requires bringing food, and gets mad at her if she makes anything else! Think chocolate chip cookies with part of the flour replaced with graham cracker crumbs and topped with marshmallows and Hershey’s milk chocolate and you are pretty much in S’mores heeeeeaaaaven.

Yay–another zucchini recipe! We all need these right now, don’t we? These are Zucchini Fritters from Torview. These fritters aren’t your standard–they’re kicked up with ginger garlic paste and coriander leaves (which I believe we call cilantro in America)!

Chicken ‘n Krazy-Kraut from Erin of double E environment . I give you full marks just for the name of this German-inspired chicken dish, Erin! She cooked up some chicken and served it with a mixture of apples, onion, & sauerkraut spiced with brown mustard seeds, dill & caraway. I have never heard of anything like this before so you also get full marks for creativity!

Erin’s also gearing up for fall with this Pumpkin Chestnut Bread. If you couldn’t tell by her first submission, she is very adventurous and creative in the kitchen and she put that to good use here, using homemade chestnut flour, and sweetening the bread solely with maple syrup. Great ideas here, Erin–I love your unique flour choice! In fact, I have to say this is my favorite flour used from all the BSI submissions!

Debbi of Debbi Does Dinner Healthy sent in this recipe for Coconut Macaroons. Classic! Is there anything better than these moist, chewy cookies? If you’ve never made them, check out Debbi’s recipe to see how simple it is (only 6 ingredients) and then do me a favor and make an extra batch to ship to me. :)

And hey, while you’re making the macaroons, could you whip up an extra batch of Lisa’s Chocolatey Drizzle Coconut Cookies for me? Thanks! These come from The Pursuit of Happiness and Lisa won the last round of BSI with the most beautiful meatloaf I’ve ever seen in my life. Don’t believe that a meatloaf can be beautiful? Well, she rolled hers up jelly-roll style with some spinach filling! Now she’s trying to win twice in a row with these coconut cookies. This girl knows the way to my heart–cookies (and bread) are my weakness.

OK, we made it through the roundup!!! Wow is all I can say. Can you see why it was so hard for me to pick a winner? I loved everyone’s recipes, but I first narrowed it down to my top favorites to choose a winner. They are Marina’s Fiesta Chicken and Cornbread because, well, it’s just the most delicious thing I’ve eaten in months, Heather’s Cherry Almond Bars because I love the flavor & texture combination more than I can even tell you, Faith’s Lavender Shortbread Cookies because of the unique addition of lavender and because cookies are my weakness, and Erin’s Pumpkin Chesnut Bread because of the creative use of chestnut flour.

After much deliberating, I finally settled on Faith’s Lavender Shortbread Cookies as my favorite recipe. These things do something to my insides when I look at them. I kinda get a little melty. They are not only completely original and unique, but just so appealing with their dainty femininity. Am I reading too much into these cookies by ascribing them Victorian female attributes? I don’t know, but I do know I love them so CONGRATULATIONS, Faith, your cookies won you more cookies! Or beer bread mix, if you so choose. Send me your preference and address and I’ll get them out to you ASAP.

Once again, thanks to everyone who participated. You made my first time a lot of fun and I just wish I had more money so I could ship prizes to all of you! Cheryl of The Southern Cookbook is hosting next week’s BSI contest so be sure to hit up her blog to see what the secret ingredient is. I’m even more excited about her BSI than mine and I know you guys will come up with some amazing things! Good luck and God bless!

14 Comments

Posted in Announcements & Awards and tagged BSI, contest, Edible Mosaic, Faith, winner. Bookmark the permalink.

Hamburger Salad

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Veronica

There is a local burger joint called Spangles that has a “protein style” option for their burgers, which means they’ll give you the guts of the burger in a styrofoam container, sans bun, with extra veggies. I came to love this when I was on the Atkins diet (which I have long since ditched), and still order their Gourmet Supreme burger “protein style.”

I think this was the original inspiration for the Hamburger Salads I started making at home this summer and eat quite frequently because they’re fast, easy and delicious. Essentially it’s a bed of lettuce topped with all the inner components of a hamburger: burger patty, onion, pickles, tomato, onion, and a drizzle of ketchup and mustard. It doesn’t lay as heavy on my stomach as a big burger and is really nice and refreshing in these hot summer months.

Hamburger Salad
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

grilled hamburger patty, chopped
chopped red onion
dill pickle slices
chopped tomato

your choice of salad greens
ketchup & mustard

Place salad greens on a plate and top with the burger, onion, tomato and pickle. Drizzle salad with ketchup and mustard. To kick it up a notch, add some shredded cheddar cheese for a cheeseburger salad!

Serves 1

Recipe by Veronica Miller

19 Comments

Posted in Burgers & Sandwiches, Lighter Fare, Salads and tagged cheeseburger salad, hamburger salad, recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Unleavened Bread for Communion (Wheat Crackers)

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Veronica

I started making the communion bread for our small Church when I was a fairly new Christian in 2008. Since I love to bake, it was natural for me to volunteer and once I started making it, I refused offers of help until my dear sisters in Christ threw their hands up in defeat and I became the sole communion bread-maker! I didn’t intend for this to happen, but I can’t say that I’m sad about it. As I said, I love to bake, and baking for Christ is the ne plus ultra!

For most of that time I was basically using my favorite pie crust recipe with a little bit of sugar, some extra flour, and I worked it a lot more to reduce the flakiness and mess when each person broke off a piece. This seems to be common among the Churches I have visited–basically using small rounds of baked pie crust as the communion bread for the Lord’s supper.

This year I changed the recipe to omit sugar because I finally came to understand that the Passover bread that Jesus was passing at the table during his last meal would not have contained honey (refer to Leviticus 2:11), so we can draw the conclusion that any type of sweetener was most likely not included. Changing the recipe this small bit made me think about it a little more, and I could not fathom how it came to be over the centuries that the plain unleavened bread that was served at Passover had come to be more of a pie crust with either shortening or butter (I used both) rather than liquid oil. I have not done enough research to know exactly how they made the bread, and perhaps that has been lost to time, but based on Leviticus 7:12 and 2:13, I do know that it contained flour, oil and salt. So I used this very plain recipe to create a satisfying communion bread that makes me feel closer to Jesus when I partake, as I imagine it is similar to what he and his apostles ate during his last meal, and my sensitivity to salt makes me very aware of it and brings to mind Jesus’s blood and sweat and how he suffered for us as he hung on the cross.

<moment of reflective silence>

This bread is actually quite tasty and you could also use it for your homemade crackers. It would be fabulous with creamy dips! I included a bit of whole wheat flour for a more nutty flavor, but it could easily be changed to all white flour if you want white crackers. If you are using this recipe for communion bread and want to get really authentic, I would say using all whole wheat flour, stone ground, would be better but you might need to add some extra water in this case.

This is my submission for the BSI contest. Thank you so much to the early birds who have already submitted their recipes that include flour. I hope to see more of them! Remember, you don’t have to have a blog or picture of your recipe to enter and all submissions are due by Sunday, August 15, 2010, at 5:00 pm CST . I will post a roundup of all the submissions and announce the winner Sunday night. So send your links or recipes to vraklis at yahoo dot com or leave a link in the comment form below. Thanks!

Unleavened Bread (Wheat Crackers)
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil (I like to use olive oil, but vegetable or canola will work)
4-8 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Mix together well, preferably in a food processor, the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, and oil. Add 4 tablespoons water and mix well. Gradually add more water, mixing after each addition, until mixture forms a compact ball. I usually need 7 tablespoons but your climate and humidity may require less or more to get the desired consistency. If it seems too sticky to handle, add more flour. Divide the dough in half.

Sprinkle a work surface with flour, then press and roll one ball of dough to about 1/8th inch thick. I do this on a sheet of parchment the size of my baking pan and have my husband hold the paper while I roll. Try to get it fairly uniform. If the dough is too dry to roll out, return it to the food processor and add a little more water. If necessary to prevent sticking, dust your hands and the rolling-pin with a little more flour.

Put the rolled-out dough on a baking sheet dusted with a little flour (if you’ve used parchment paper, transfer dough and paper to baking sheet) and prick all over with a fork. Bake 10 – 15 minutes, until somewhat brown.

Cool and break into pieces and repeat with the second half of the dough. If making several batches, mix another while the first one bakes. You can re-use the parchment paper several times.

Recipe source: adapted from recipetips.com

32 Comments

Posted in Bread, Snacks & Appetizers and tagged communion bread recipe, simple crackers, unleavened bread. Bookmark the permalink.

BSI Contest–Blogger Secret Ingredient!

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Veronica

Debbi from Debbi Does Dinner Healthy asked me to host this week’s BSI, and I gladly accepted since I’ve enjoyed participating in the past. This is a contest created by one of my favorite bloggers, Biz of Biggest Diabetic Loser. This contest has a new host every week and I’m hosting the 90th week. Every week, the new host picks an ingredient that is affordable and easily accessible and all those that choose to participate send in their recipes that include the ingredient, either by a link to their blog post with the recipe, or by sending it (picture optional) in an email if they don’t have a blog.

I have chosen flour for this weeks secret ingredient. Can you believe in 89 weeks of this contest, no one has ever chosen flour? As an avid baker, this is one of the most common ingredients I use, but you can find flour in many savory dishes as well, from breads to breaded meats and as a thickener in gravies and stews. There are no limits to what kind of dish you can create. For this contest, you can even choose what type of flour you want to use, whether it be wheat, rice, sorghum, coconut, etc. This may be a good opportunity for you to try a flour you have never used before!

To enter the contest, send me the link to your blog with the recipe, or send the recipe via email to vraklis at yahoo dot com. Entries are due by Sunday at 5 PM CST. I will review the entries and pick my favorite. The winner will receive an assortment of my homemade cookies. If you’d like something with less sugar, I’ll send my homemade beer bread mix–you choose!

I’m so excited!! Who’s with me?

Here are our previous hosts:

Week 89: Debbi Does Dinner Healthy – Ground Turkey

Week 88: Hema – Onions

Week 87: Quips, Travails & Braised Oxtails – Black Eyed Peas

Week 86: Making Good Choices – Applesauce

Week 85: Non-Dairy Queen – Raspberries

Week 84: Healthy Exposures – Bulgar Wheat

Week 83: Clarity in Creation – Peaches

Week 82: Mo’s Kitchen – Rice

Week 81: Waisting Duxie – Swiss Chard

Week 80: Fuss Free Flavours – Capers

Week 79: Jenn Cuisine – Honey

Week 78: Living Free – Cashews

Week 77: Affairs of Living – Artichokes

Week 76: One Frugal Foodie – Sunflower Seeds

Week 75: Part of the Whole – Beets

Week 74: Dinner at Christina’s – Sour Cream

Week 73: The Chef in My Head – Goat Cheese

Week 72: 5 Star Foodie – Asparagus

Week 71: Eats Well With Others – Carrots

Week 70: Burp and Slurp – Brussel Sprouts

Week 69: Fun Fearless Foodie – Parmesan Cheese

Week: 68: Natalie’s Killer Cuisine – Cocoa Powder

Week 67: Eat, Live, Travel, Write – Lemon Zest

Week 66: Travel Eat Love – Coconut Milk

Week 65: Run Beans Run – Tofu

Week 64: Chicago Marathon Val – Mushrooms

Week 63: Biggest Diabetic Loser – Cheddar Cheese

Week 62: A Fit and Spicy Life – Balsamic Vinegar

Week 61: Peanut Butter Fingers – Nutmeg

Week 60: Jenn Eats Nutritiously Now – Garlic

Week 59: Home Cooked Em – Cinnamon

Week 58: The Balanced Broad – Flax

Week 57: Cookin Fanatic – Blue Cheese

Week 56: Foodie in the City – Ricotta Cheese

Week 55: Savvy Eats – Maple Syrup

Weel 54: Sound Eats – Dried Fruit

Week 53: Mega Nerd Runs – Acorn Squash

Week 52: Healthy Tipping Point – Pancake Mix

Week 51: Live, Laugh Eat – Almond Butter

Week 50: Balance, Joy and Delicias! – Cauliflower

Week 49: Healthy San Diego Living – Chickpeas

Week 48: Thought 4 Food – Yogurt

Week 47: London Foodie in New York – Chocolate

Week 46: Johnstone’s Vin Blanc – Oats

Week 45: Guilty Kitchen – Figs

Week 44: Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet – Peanut Butter

Week 43: The Sophisticated Gourmet – Brown Sugar

Week 42: My Kitchen Addiction – Lime

Week 41: Nutmeg Nanny – Coffee

Week 40: Chaya’s Comfy Cook – Broccoli

Week 39: Healthy Delicious – Plums

Week 38: Zoe – Feta

Week 37: ChezWhat– Potatoes

Week 36: Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice – Blueberries

Week 35: Girlichef -Greens

Week 34: The Ungourmet – Watermelon

Week 33: Bread + Butter – Bell Pepper

Week 32: Burp and Slurp -Corn

Week 31: Say Yes to Salad – Kabocha

Week 31 1/2: Simply Fabulous Now – Cherries

Week 30: Thinspired – Bananas

Week 29: To Be The Whole Package – Almonds

Week 28: Kristas Kravings – Lemon

Week 27: From French Fries To Flax Seeds – Coconut

Week 26: Plentiful Plants – Avocado

Week 25: Training Fuel – Eggs

Week 24: Dinner at Christina’s – Cabbage

Week 23: Hey What’s for Dinner, Mom? – Strawberries

Week 22: One Bite at a Time – Basil

Week 21: Just Sweet Enough – Black Beans

Week 20: What I Ate Yesterday – Kale

Week 19: What’s for Dinner – Orange

Week 18: BranAppetit! –Spinach

Week 17: Tales of Expansion Dates

Week 16: Biggest Diabetic Loser – Zucchini

Week 15: Sweet & Natural –Peppermint

Week 14: bella eats [and runs] – Ginger

Week 13: Coffee Talk – Walnuts

Week 12: For the Love of Oats – Pumpkin

Week 11: Trying to Heal – Sweet Potatoes

Week 10: The Inner Workings of a College Graduate – Eggplant

Week 9: Itzy’s Kitchen – Pears

Week 8: The Fitnessista – Cranberries

Week 7: Tri to Cook – Lentils

Week 6: Rhodey Girl Tests – Polenta

Week 5: Eating Bender – Butternut Squash

Week 4: Care to Eat – Apples

Week 3: On a Lobster Placemat – Mushrooms

Week 2: Hangry Pants – Tomatoes

Week 1: sportsnutritionliving – Quinoa

43 Comments

Posted in Announcements & Awards. Bookmark the permalink.

David Lebovitz’s German Chocolate Cake

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Veronica

I recently made it to my first weight-loss milestone of ten pounds (see pics here). Then I made this cake for a friend’s birthday the next day. And ate 1/4 of it. By myself!!! Needless to say, I’m a bit leery of the scale right now but my mouth was certainly happy while I chomped down on it.

This cake is a bit involved, even more so than most scratch cakes because it has four different recipes for one end product, but it is well worth the time and effort. Make it for a special occasion. I wouldn’t, however, recommend making it as a reward for losing weight. Unless you lost the weight so that you could eat this cake. I didn’t, but I think the small relapse was worth it. If you can’t tell by the pictures, it is moist and rich and really, really delicious. (More pics after the recipe.)

German Chocolate Cake
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

For the cake:
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons water
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cup + ¼ cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
3 ounces butter, cut into small pieces
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1 1/3 cups unsweetened coconut, toasted

For the syrup:
1 cup water
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum

For the chocolate icing:
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 ½ ounces unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream

1. Butter two 9-inch cake pans, then line the bottoms with rounds of parchment or wax paper. Preheat the oven to 350°.

2. Melt both chocolates together with the 6 tablespoons of water. Use either a double-boiler or a microwave. Stir until smooth, then set aside until room temperature.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, or by hand, beat the butter and 1 ¼ cup of the sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate, then the egg yolks, one at a time.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

5. Mix in half of the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture, then the buttermilk and the vanilla extract, then the rest of the dry ingredients.

6. In a separate metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft, droopy peaks. Beat in the ¼ cup of sugar until stiff.

7. Fold about one-third of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites just until there’s no trace of egg white visible.

8. Divide the batter into the 2 prepared cake pans, smooth the tops, and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool cake layers completely.

While the cakes are baking and cooling, make the filling, syrup, and icing.

To make the filling:

1. Mix the cream, sugar, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Put the 3 ounces butter, salt, toasted coconut, and pecan pieces in a large bowl.

2. Heat the cream mixture and cook, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the spoon (an instant-read thermometer will read 170°.)

3. Pour the hot custard immediately into the pecan-coconut mixture and stir until the butter is melted. Cool completely to room temperature. (It will thicken.)

To make the syrup:

1. In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water until the sugar has melted. Remove from heat and stir in the dark rum.

To make the icing:

1. Place the 8 ounces of chopped chocolate in a bowl with the corn syrup and 1 ½ ounces of butter.

2. Heat the cream until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand one minute, then stir until smooth. Let sit until room temperature.

To assemble the cake:

Remove the cake layers from the pans and cut both cake layers in half horizontally, using a serrated bread knife.
Set the first cake layer on a cake plate. Brush well with syrup. Spread ¾ cup of the coconut filling over the cake layer, making sure to reach to the edges. Set another cake layer on top.

Repeat, using the syrup to brush each cake layer, then spreading ¾ cup of the coconut filling over each layer, including the top.

Ice the sides with the chocolate icing, then pipe a decorative border of chocolate icing around the top, encircling the coconut topping.

(It may seem like a lot of chocolate icing, but use it all. Trust me. You won’t be sorry.)

Veronica’s Notes: Since I only have one mixer, I pre-measured everything for the cake before starting, then whipped the egg whites to stiff peaks and scraped them into a separate bowl to wait until I needed them. It worked fine this way, so I’d recommend this method if you only have one mixer. The reason for pre-measuring is to cut down on the amount of time it takes to make the cake batter so the prepared egg whites aren’t sitting there so long they deflate. Also, I’d recommend making both the filling and the icing the night before, or at least 6 hours before you will need them. It takes both about that long to become as thick as you’ll want them to be before you start so save yourself some frustration by either doing it in advance, or in a pinch you can put them both in the fridge and stir every ten minutes until desired consistency. For the syrup, I put mine in a bottle previously designated for water only and squirted it onto each cake layer, which is an easy way to apply it. Otherwise, you can use a pastry brush to dab it on.

Recipe source: David Lebovitz

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Sweet & Salty Salad Wraps (plus Poppyseed Dressing!)

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Veronica

I probably subscribe to more than fifty food blogs but ranking right up there with my favorite, My Kitchen Cafe, is Our Best Bites, and this recipe comes from them. (What are your favorites?) Though I’m still baking, I’m not doing much cooking so I jumped right on this salad wrap when they posted it a few weeks ago. It is everything the title promises and it is delicious. You will love it!

Sweet & Salty Salad Wrap
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

You’ll need:
Baby spinach
Cooked chicken
Craisens
Crumbled bacon
Feta cheese
Poppyseed dressing (recipe follows if you want to make your own)

In a bowl, toss together everything in the amounts you choose and then wrap in a tortilla, pita, or flatbread wrap.

Poppyseed Dressing

1/3 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
A few turns of freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon mustard
1 green onion, ends removed (both the “hairy” end and where the green part starts to get floppy)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

In a blender or food processor, combine vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, and mustard. While the blender is running, add the green onion. Continue running the blender and add the oil in a steady stream and is fully incorporated into the dressing. Pour the dressing into a serving or storage container and whisk in poppy seeds.

Recipe source: Our Best Bites

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Posted in Burgers & Sandwiches, Condiments & ETC. and tagged bacon, chicken, craisens, feta, poppyseed dressing, spinach, wrap. Bookmark the permalink.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Brownies

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Veronica

I threw these together last-minute for a birthday gift with some leftover raspberry puree I’d made for another project and they garnered high praise from the recipients (the birthday girl, her sister, and my husband who nabbed a huge hunk for himself before I packaged them.) I always test my treats to make sure they’re worthy of gifting and oh boy, these were good. I meant to have half a brownie, but of course I had to eat the entire thing after the first bite. I love the tart berry flavor with the sweet dark chocolate. Oh yeah, baby.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Brownies
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 (19.9 oz) Dark Chocolate Brownie mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 egg
1/3 cup water
~OR your favorite dark chocolate brownie recipe
1/2 cup raspberry puree (recipe follows)
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and grease the bottom of a 9×13″ pan with shortening. Mix everything but the raspberry puree about 50 strokes, or until glossy & well-mixed. Pour into prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Pour small puddles of raspberry puree over the top, then run a knife through them from side to side lengthwise and then width-wise a few times to create a marble effect. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted one inch from side of pan comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving. For easier cutting, place pan in refrigerator for a 1/2 hour. These can be frozen for up to six months in an airtight container.

Raspberry Puree
16 oz frozen raspberries
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar

Place berries in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for a minute, stir, and continue heating in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until they are defrosted but not hot. Their juices should be flowing. Place a wire sieve over a bowl and dump the berries into it. Stir them until they have given up about 1/2 cup of juice. Pour the juice into the bowl you used to heat the berries and microwave, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons. Stir the drained berries into the reduced juice along with the lemon juice and sugar. You can process this until smooth or you can just stir it to leave it slightly chunky, which is what I prefer. Store extra covered in fridge–goes great on pancakes. Can be stored 10 days in the refrigerator or 1 year frozen.

Recipe by Veronica Miller

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Posted in Brownies & Bars and tagged brownies, dark chocolate raspberry swirl brownies, easy, mix, raspberry, swirl. Bookmark the permalink.

Easy Sour Cream Chocolate Layer Cake with To-Die-For Chocolate Frosting

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Veronica

“OH my gosh.”

“Ohhhhhh.”

“This is so good!”

“I could just eat the frosting with a spoon.”

“You should go into the cake business.”

“How much would you charge for this cake?”

“My brother came over for cards after you left and we hid the leftover cake because it is our precious and no one is allowed to have it but US!”

It’s comments like these that I live for and one of the main reasons I love baking so much. I know when someone eats a cake that I made, for that instant at least, they will be happy. And their enjoyment is coming from something I provided. That makes me feel good.

I came up with this cake at the last-minute to supply our family reunion planning committee with a dessert after lunch for our meeting last Saturday. All the comments above were made after they dug in, except for the last which my cousin’s wife emailed me that evening and made me laugh out loud.

I have to say, and I know this sounds egotistical since I made it, but this is a really incredible cake. The cake by itself is perfectly moist and chocolatey, and my favorite chocolate cake to date, but really, like another cousin’s boyfriend said, “I could just eat the frosting with a spoon.” Really. Incredible.

If you want to use this frosting on a cake that is from-scratch, I suggest using this Dark Chocolate Sour Cream Cake recipe because it is very similar to my cake mix recipe and the frosting would probably be perfect with it. If it isn’t, you could always just eat it the frosting by itself. It’s really all you need. :)

Sour Cream Chocolate Layer Cake
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 (18.25 oz) devils food cake mix with pudding in the mix
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted*
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1 lb (4 cups) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
milk as needed

Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8″ or 9″ pans and set aside. Place all cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat on low until combined, then on medium speed for two minutes, scraping bowl often. Divide batter between prepared pans and bake according to package directions, about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean. Place on cooling racks for ten minutes, then turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Once they are cool, level the cakes, if necessary, to make for nicer stacking. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting.

Frosting: In a mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together until creamy. Stir in cocoa. Add sugar, 1 c at a time, mixing well. Beat in vanilla and if necessary, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition, until you reach desired consistency. Frost cooled cake or store, covered, in refrigerator up to one week. Bring to room temperature and stir before using.

*Notes: you can purchase Dutch-process cocoa powder online or in specialty stores (I get mine from my local cake supply store), or you can use Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder, which is now widely available. In a pinch, you can use regular cocoa powder but the color will not be as dark, nor the flavor quite so chocolatey. Although I usually sift cocoa powder before using it in recipes since it tends to lump, I didn’t do it for either the cake or the frosting, so you may be able to get away with skipping that step as well.

Recipe by Veronica Miller

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Posted in Cake & Frosting and tagged cake mix, chocolate layer cake recipe, cream cheese chocolate frosting, easy, sour cream chocolate cake. Bookmark the permalink.

Oreo Cookie (or Cookies ‘n Cream) Cake

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Veronica

I have several cake & frosting recipes to share because I make a new one practically every week, so today and tomorrow I am going to post two favorites, one old and one new and I’ll try to post the others once a week so you don’t get sick of all the cakes.

This recipe was passed onto me from my Foodie Mama, Marina, last year and it quickly became my all-time favorite cake mix cake. It always gets rave reviews, perhaps mine being the loudest. :) I don’t even like Oreos (yes, I’m weird. I know.), but I love this cake. The frosting. Oh, the frosting. It is like….heaven. It’s really all I need. I could just eat the bowl of frosting and skip the cake, but the cake does provide a good excuse for eating it.

And while I know it doesn’t seem that appealing to be baking in 100+ temperatures (if you’re enjoying temps below 90, can I come move in with you for a few months???), this cake is served cold so it’s really nice to enjoy during these warmer months. Or cooler months. Or frigid. Really, it doesn’t matter. You can (and will) enjoy it any time. I was just trying to give you another reason to make it.

Make it now.

Seriously.

Marina’s OREO COOKIE CAKE
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

Cake
1 Box white cake mix
Eggs, water and oil as called for on the box
~OR your favorite white cake recipe
15 Oreos, crushed

Frosting
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (16 oz) box powdered sugar
1 (8 oz) container Cool whip, room temperature
15 Oreos, crushed
¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract

Cake: Grease and flour two or three 8″ pans (Marina uses three, I use two because I don’t have three). Prepare cake according to package directions (or recipe directions), stirring in the crushed Oreos to the batter before dividing between prepared pans. Bake as directed on box or in recipe, but start checking 5 (or more) minutes early if you choose to do three layers as they will bake faster. Remove cake layers from oven and allow to cool completely on cooling rack.

Frosting: In mixer, cream the cream cheese and sugar. Add vanilla, mix well, and stir in Cool whip (do not beat it in or your frosting will turn out runny). Mix well. Fold in crushed Oreos until well blended & frost cooled cake. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve and refrigerate any leftovers.