A few weeks ago, we saw an episode of Bobby Flay's throwdown that featured German Chocolate Cake. After seeing that, we had to make the challenger's recipe. Since her chocolate frosting was a secret recipe, I had to find one on the internet. This is the one I decided to use, and it turned out great....except it made a ton. I cut the original recipe in half and had enough frosting to cover the top of my german chocolate cake and 12 cupcakes with a lot left over. I vacuum-sealed the leftovers and stuck it in the freezer. I just pulled it out today to use on the chocolate cupcakes I made. It tasted just as good as when it was fresh, and the texture was still smooth and creamy. My cupcakes were just a chocolate cake mix that I needed to use up (from now on, I hope to bake solely from scratch). After icing the cupcakes, I sprinkled coconut and chopped pecans on top. The below amounts represent a quarter of the original recipe and should be enough to frost 24 cupcakes or a 3-layer cake (I think).
Chocolate Frosting
1/2 c butter, softened
2 1/4 c powdered sugar
1/2 c and 2 T baking cocoa
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c milk, plus a few extra tablespoons, as needed
1) Cream butter in a large mixing bowl.
2) Gradually beat in powdered sugar, cocoa and vanilla.
3) Add milk, gradually, until the consistency is very smooth and spreadable.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Birdie Bread
I make this every few weeks for Morris, our CAG. It's a good way to trick her into eating veggies that she normally wouldn't touch (except to throw out of her bowl). I just use whatever fruits and veggies I have on hand, so each batch is a little different. This week I used kale and broccoli, but I've used carrots, sweet potatoes, zucchini, peas, blueberries and corn. I keep a week's supply in the fridge and freeze the rest in a ziploc bag.
Birdie Bread
1 c oatmeal, processed into a flour
1 c whole wheat flour
3/4 T baking powder
2 eggs, whipped in food processor (shells included)
1 c no-sugar added applesauce
1 jalapeno, chopped
approx. 2 c veggies, chopped
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In an 8x8 pan, mix oatmeal, flour and baking powder.
3) Add eggs and applesauce; mix thoroughly.
4) Mix in jalapeno and veggies.
5) Bake for 25 mins.
Birdie Bread
1 c oatmeal, processed into a flour
1 c whole wheat flour
3/4 T baking powder
2 eggs, whipped in food processor (shells included)
1 c no-sugar added applesauce
1 jalapeno, chopped
approx. 2 c veggies, chopped
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In an 8x8 pan, mix oatmeal, flour and baking powder.
3) Add eggs and applesauce; mix thoroughly.
4) Mix in jalapeno and veggies.
5) Bake for 25 mins.
Jason's (Almost) World Famous Lasagna
Jason made his lasagna today for us to take in our lunches all week. He would normally use ground beef, but because I'm going to be eating it too, he used ground turkey instead. He prepared 2 - 32 oz jars of Mid's sauce, and we had enough left over to freeze for a pasta dinner down the road.
Lasagna
2 jars of high-quality tomato sauce
1 lb ground turkey
2 T garlic, chopped
5 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
salt & pepper
oregano
italian seasoning
garlic powder
2 tsp fresh basil, chopped (opt)
hot sauce (opt)
1 box lasagna noodles
8 oz package of pre-sliced provolone
8 oz package of pre-sliced mozzarella
15 oz ricotta
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2) Warm sauce over low heat; bring to a simmer.
3) Brown ground turkey with garlic, mushrooms, onion and spices, to taste.
4) Drain excess liquid, if necessary.
5) Mix meat and veggies into the sauce.
6) Add basil and a dash of hot sauce.
7) In the meantime, boil 9 lasagna noodles, per the package directions.
8) In a 9x13 pan, spread a thin layer of sauce.
9) Add a layer of 3 noodles.
10) Spread a thin layer of sauce.
11) Layer in half of the provolone, mozzarella and ricotta.
12) Add a layer of 3 noodles.
13) Spread a thin layer of sauce.
14) Layer in the remaining cheeses.
15) Add a layer of 3 noodles.
16) Spread the remaining sauce.
17) Bake for 45 mins - 1 hour, until bubbly.
Lasagna
2 jars of high-quality tomato sauce
1 lb ground turkey
2 T garlic, chopped
5 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
salt & pepper
italian seasoning
garlic powder
2 tsp fresh basil, chopped (opt)
hot sauce (opt)
1 box lasagna noodles
8 oz package of pre-sliced provolone
8 oz package of pre-sliced mozzarella
15 oz ricotta
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2) Warm sauce over low heat; bring to a simmer.
3) Brown ground turkey with garlic, mushrooms, onion and spices, to taste.
4) Drain excess liquid, if necessary.
5) Mix meat and veggies into the sauce.
6)
8) In a 9x13 pan, spread a thin layer of sauce.
9) Add a layer of 3 noodles.
10) Spread a thin layer of sauce.
11) Layer in half of the provolone, mozzarella and ricotta.
12) Add a layer of 3 noodles.
13) Spread a thin layer of sauce.
14) Layer in the remaining cheeses.
15) Add a layer of 3 noodles.
16) Spread the remaining sauce.
17) Bake for 45 mins - 1 hour, until bubbly.
Baked Oatmeal
We make this recipe all. the. time. J likes to eat his breakfast at work, and since this reheats well, it fits the bill. The first time I made this I followed the recipe to a tee. It was very good but a bit too sweet for my tastes. I've reduced the brown sugar and usually just add a handful of the various mix-ins. I've also experimented with different proportions of milk/applesauce, depending on what I had on hand. It's always turned out fine. I even supplemented with water one time.
Baked Oatmeal
2 c rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 c brown sugar
1 1/2 c milk
1/2 c applesauce
1 egg, beaten
walnuts, raisins, dried cranberries, etc.
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Combine oats, baking powder and brown sugar in a baking dish (roughly 8x8).
3) Stir in a handful of each of the mix-ins.
4) Add the milk, applesauce and egg; mix well.
5) Bake for 25 mins or until golden brown.
Baked Oatmeal
2 c rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 c brown sugar
1 1/2 c milk
1/2 c applesauce
1 egg, beaten
walnuts, raisins, dried cranberries, etc.
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Combine oats, baking powder and brown sugar in a baking dish (roughly 8x8).
3) Stir in a handful of each of the mix-ins.
4) Add the milk, applesauce and egg; mix well.
5) Bake for 25 mins or until golden brown.
Hush Puppies
J has been dying to make hush puppies, so we gave it a shot last night. They went great with our roast chicken, gravy and mashed potatoes :-) We used a Rachael Ray recipe I found in a magazine. They are very corny and quite light, almost cake-like in the middle; not as dense and heavy as some hush puppies I've eaten.
Hush Puppies
1 1/2 c yellow cornmeal
1/2 c flour
3 T sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c canned creamed corn
1/3 c milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
black pepper
cayenne pepper
vegetable oil, for frying
1) Mix together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2) Add creamed corn, milk, egg and onion; stir until combined.
3) Fill a medium-sized pot with at least 2 inches of oil; heat to 350 degrees.
4) Use a cookie scoop to drop small balls of batter into the oil.
5) Fry each batch until browned, turning occasionally, for about 5 mins.
6) Drain on paper towels.
Hush Puppies
1 1/2 c yellow cornmeal
1/2 c flour
3 T sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c canned creamed corn
1/3 c milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
black pepper
cayenne pepper
vegetable oil, for frying
1) Mix together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2) Add creamed corn, milk, egg and onion; stir until combined.
3) Fill a medium-sized pot with at least 2 inches of oil; heat to 350 degrees.
4) Use a cookie scoop to drop small balls of batter into the oil.
5) Fry each batch until browned, turning occasionally, for about 5 mins.
6) Drain on paper towels.
Roast Chicken
Last night was my first attempt at making a whole chicken, and I'm pleased to say it turned out great. I read a bunch of recipes over at All Recipes and took those ideas and made my own. I put some carrots in with the chicken with about 45 mins remaining. They were a bit dry and a little too al-dente. I'll have to figure something else out for next time.
Roast Chicken
1 whole chicken, approx. 3-4 lbs
1 small onion
1 stalk celery
salt
pepper
garlic powder
butter
olive oil
string or wire
1 c chicken broth
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Rinse chicken and liberally season inside and out.
3) Quarter onion and celery stalk; stuff inside the cavity.
4) Place 2-3 T butter inside the cavity.
5) Slide 2-3 T butter under the skin of the breast.
6) Tie chicken legs closed
7) Mist the entire bird with olive oil.
8) Bake on a roasting pan for about 1.5 hours or until the chicken is 180 degrees.
9) Baste every 30 mins with chicken broth.
Chicken Gravy
chicken drippings
remaining chicken broth
water
1/4 c flour
salt
pepper
1) Combine chicken broth and water in a small sauce pan to create about 1 c of liquid.
2) Whisk in flour.
3) Whisk in drippings.
4) Heat until thickened.
5) Season with salt and pepper.
6) If the gravy becomes too thick, add more broth or water to thin.
Roast Chicken
1 whole chicken, approx. 3-4 lbs
1 small onion
1 stalk celery
salt
pepper
garlic powder
butter
olive oil
string or wire
1 c chicken broth
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Rinse chicken and liberally season inside and out.
3) Quarter onion and celery stalk; stuff inside the cavity.
4) Place 2-3 T butter inside the cavity.
5) Slide 2-3 T butter under the skin of the breast.
6) Tie chicken legs closed
7) Mist the entire bird with olive oil.
8) Bake on a roasting pan for about 1.5 hours or until the chicken is 180 degrees.
9) Baste every 30 mins with chicken broth.
Chicken Gravy
chicken drippings
remaining chicken broth
water
1/4 c flour
salt
pepper
1) Combine chicken broth and water in a small sauce pan to create about 1 c of liquid.
2) Whisk in flour.
3) Whisk in drippings.
4) Heat until thickened.
5) Season with salt and pepper.
6) If the gravy becomes too thick, add more broth or water to thin.
Crockpot Yogurt
So I made yogurt for the second time today, and I'm sad that it didn't work out. The first time I used a quart of whole, regular (non-organic) milk from Wegmans because I couldn't find organic in that size. This time I used Homestead Creamery milk from Whole Foods. I bought it because it comes in a glass bottle which really appealed to me. Even though the milk is labeled "pasteurized" (vs. "ultra-pasteurized"), I found through subsequent research that they heat their milk to higher than required temperatures (170 deg vs 145 deg). I'm thinking that's why my yogurt didn't turn out this time. It makes me mad because it was a waste of expensive milk. Anyways, I will try again in a few weeks with a different brand.
The first time I made this, I didn't plan properly, and I let the yogurt sit for 12.5 hours (instead of 8). It turned out fine. I saved about 1/4 c from my first batch and froze it to use in my next batch. I read here that freezing does not destroy the cultures.
Here's a way to make yogurt without the crockpot. I think I'll give it a try next time. This crockpot recipe turned out great the first time, but I haven't been able to replicate that success for some reason.
Crockpot Yogurt
1 qt (4 c) milk (not ultra-pasteurized!)
2-3 T plain yogurt with live active cultures
1) Put milk in the crockpot and heat on low for 2.5 hours.
2) Turn crockpot off, wrap the crockpot in a few towels and let sit for 3 hours.
3) Ladle 1-2 scoops of milk from the crockpot into a bowl and whisk in the yogurt.
4) Stir the mixture back into the milk in the crockpot.
5) Wrap the crockpot in towels and let sit for 8 hours.
6) For greek-style yogurt, strain the finished yogurt through cheese cloth.
The first time I made this, I didn't plan properly, and I let the yogurt sit for 12.5 hours (instead of 8). It turned out fine. I saved about 1/4 c from my first batch and froze it to use in my next batch. I read here that freezing does not destroy the cultures.
Here's a way to make yogurt without the crockpot. I think I'll give it a try next time. This crockpot recipe turned out great the first time, but I haven't been able to replicate that success for some reason.
Crockpot Yogurt
1 qt (4 c) milk (not ultra-pasteurized!)
2-3 T plain yogurt with live active cultures
1) Put milk in the crockpot and heat on low for 2.5 hours.
2) Turn crockpot off, wrap the crockpot in a few towels and let sit for 3 hours.
3) Ladle 1-2 scoops of milk from the crockpot into a bowl and whisk in the yogurt.
4) Stir the mixture back into the milk in the crockpot.
5) Wrap the crockpot in towels and let sit for 8 hours.
6) For greek-style yogurt, strain the finished yogurt through cheese cloth.
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