P.M.S. Cake

As promised, here's Ina Garten's FABULOUS chocolate cake recipe. To me, it's the perfect solution to a wicked P.M.S. chocolate craving! That's why I have renamed it "P.M.S. Cake". Believe me, it will make you happy!

Chocolate "P.M.S." Cake


Ingredients:


Butter for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate frosting (recipe below)


Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 350 degree. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low until combined. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, slowly add wet ingredients to the dry. Add hot coffee and mix until combined.

3. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Chocolate Frosting


Ingredients:


6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp instant coffee powder


Directions:


1. Chop the chocolate and place in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. 
3. Turn mixer on low and gradually add confectioners' sugar, scraping down bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy.
4. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake. (For less intense coffee/mocha flavor in the icing, decrease coffee powder to 1 tsp.)




To frost the cake:

1. Place four small rectangular pieces of wax paper along the outsides of the cake stand to keep it from getting messy. Place one layer, flat side up, on cake stand.

2. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting.

3. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up.

4. Spread frosting evenly on the top and sides of cake. Remove wax paper by pulling slowly.

5. DIG IN!!!!!

Tuna Tapas

"Tapas" is the word for a variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They can be either warm or cold. In Spain, dinner is typically served between 9 and 11pm, which leaves a large period of time between work and dinner. It is common for tapas to be served during this time. I could eat tapas as a meal, since I like to eat small bites of different kinds of food in one sitting. One of my favorite restaurants, Viva, is a tapas lounge located in Reading, PA. They have amazing tapas there, in particular the Bacon-Wrapped Mediterranean Dates and the French Baked Brie Puff. Yum! This is a great place to go if you want fabulous tapas and cocktails. (Their main menu has great selections as well!) This recipe, eaten cold, can be served as tapas or as a meal. 

Tuna Shells with Tomato-Caper Relish

Ingredients:

10 pasta shells 

1 lemon (1 tsp zest, 1 Tbsp juice)

2 cans white albacore tuna in water, drained

1/2 c mayo

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1/4 small onion, finely chopped (or substitute onion powder or Tastefully Simple Onion Onion, about 2 tsp)

3 Tbsp caper, drained

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 medium vine-ripened tomatoes

Directions:

1. Cook pasta shells according to package. Set aside to cool.  

2. Combine 1 tsp lemon zest, tuna, mayo, 1 Tbsp. parsley, onion, 1 Tbsp capers, 1/2 tsp pepper. Spoon tuna filling into cooled pasta shells (about 1 heaping Tbsp per shell).

3. For the relish, core and seed the tomatoes, then finely dice. Combine tomatoes, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp parsley, 2 Tbsp capers, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Garnish eat tuna-stuffed shell with about 1 Tbsp of relish. Serve cold.

Alissa's notes: Be sure to drain the tuna very well, so the filling is not watery. Also, cook a few extra pasta shells since a few usually tear during boiling. The capers add saltiness to this dish, so if you choose to omit them, you may want to add extra salt. Here is the website for Viva Good Life Bistro: www.vivagoodlife.com

The Best of Ina

I'm a huge fan of Ina Garten from the show "Barefoot Contessa" on The Food Network channel. I love her show and I really love her cookbooks. Most of the time, I can rely on her show to give me great recipe ideas without all kinds of crazy, hard-to-find ingredients. Her dinner recipes are good, but her dessert recipes are even better! I love chocolate as much as the next girl, but sometimes I get a craving for something lemon. This lemon cake is so dense and rich, almost like a heavy pound cake. You don't even need a mixer to make this!


Lemon Yogurt Cake (recipe by Ina Garten)


Ingredients:


1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 c plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 c sugar, divided
3 large eggs
2 tsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/3 c freshly squeezed lemon juice


For the glaze:


1 c confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into one bowl. In another bowl, whisk together yogurt, 1 c sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester/toothpick placed in the center comes out clean. Meanwhile, combine the 1/3 c lemon juice and remaining 1/3 c sugar in a small bowl.

4. Heat lemon juice and sugar in a small sauce pan over low heat until the sugar dissolves.

5. When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove from pan and place on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon sugar mixture over the cake and allow to soak in. Cool.

6. For the glaze, combine confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and drizzle or pour over cooled cake. (I omitted this step. This cake was sweet enough on it's own.)

So moist, delicious, and half-way gone!

Stay tuned for an AMAZING chocolate cake recipe from Ina coming soon!

Some of my Favorite Things

This is like Oprah's favorite things, "Pink Kitchen" style. Everyone has certain items in their kitchen that are their favorites or that they constantly reach for. Here are mine:

1. KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer. Of course my pink KitchenAid mixer is at the top of my list since it's what started this crazy "pink" obsession in the first place. This mixer is my favorite for making cookies or mashed potatoes. ($299.99, Macys.com)

2. Le Creuset 5 1/2 quart French oven and 3 1/2 quart Braiser. I cannot tell you how much I love these. I use them constantly.  The French oven is great for roasting a whole chicken or for soups and chili. The casserole pot can be used the same way as a saute pan. I am always cooking chicken breast or ground beef in that one. These can be purchased at Williams-Sonoma (www.williams-sonoma.com) or the Le Creuset outlet in The Philadelphia Premium outlets in Limerick.  Also, I purchased the stainless steel knob on the yellow one at the outlets. The regular black knobs can only withstand a certain temperature in the oven. I think the yellow color (Citron at Williams-Sonoma) is discontinued, but the Dune shade is still available. (French oven, $240. Braiser, $205. Williams-sonoma.com)

3. Pampered Chef Bamboo Knife Block set. These are the best knives I've ever used! Plus, this set comes with all the knives (except for the pink one in the picture), kitchen shears, and a sharpening tool. ($415, www.pamperedchef.com)

4. Deni 56-Blade Meat Tenderizer. If your chicken always turns out tough (like mine used to) this is a lifesaver! This makes chicken and steaks so tender you could cut them with a butter knife! I purchased mine from QVC, but I think it's currently out of stock. They are also available on Amazon. ($26 amazon.com)

5. Swissmar Peelers, set of 3. These peelers don't look like anything special, but they are! Includes a straight edge peeler, serrated edge peeler, and a julienne peeler. The straight edge is great for potatoes and carrots. The serrated edge can be used on softer items like peaches or tomatoes. I can't wait to use the julienne peeler this summer to make "pasta" out of zucchini, since this one slices into thin strips. Only $15 for the whole set! What a steal! ($15, williams-sonoma.com)

6. Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste. This stuff rocks! It has little vanilla bean flecks in it so it makes homemade vanilla ice cream look gourmet. A little goes a long way. One bottle usually lasts me about 1 year. Has more flavor than vanilla extract so you don't need to use as much. I swear it makes chocolate chip cookies taste better! ($11, Williams-sonoma.com)

7. Tastefully Simple Onion Onion and Garlic Garlic seasoning blend. I love fresh garlic and onion, but sometimes I'm a little lazy and don't feel like chopping onions and messing with stinky garlic. These seasoning blends make your dish taste like you used the real thing. I use these all the time. The Onion Onion is great in meatballs! ($8.99 each, Tastefullysimple.com)

8. Stove-side must haves: Pepper mill, Salt Pig, and Olive oil. I like to have these right beside my stove so I can just grab them while I'm cooking. The pepper mill and salt pig are from HomeGoods. The olive oil dispenser is from Reading China and Glass.

9. Pampered Chef Garlic Press. The BEST garlic press on the market. You don't even have to peel the garlic clove. Just throw the whole thing in and squeeze! The little tool that comes with it is for cleaning and it attaches directly to the inside of the handle so it doesn't get lost. ($16.50 Pamperedchef.com)

10. All-Clad Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons. First of all, I love All-Clad. They make the best products and almost all of their items have a lifetime warranty. These are not only cute (they resemble the full-size stainless steel All-Clad pots), but super durable too. ($50 if you buy them as a set, williams-sonoma.com)

11. Pampered Chef Stoneware. I'm sure everyone gets sick of hearing how much I love this stuff, but it really is amazing! In the picture above, I included a brand new stone, so you can see how much I've used the yucky brown one. Even though it looks gross, this is how you want it to look. The uglier it gets, the better it performs! It creates its own non-stick surface.

(Medium bar pan, $24. Pamperedchef.com)

12. Metrokane Rabbit Wine Tool Kit. If you love wine, you need a rabbit. Opens wine like nobody's business! Simply love it! I love to have a glass of wine while I'm cooking dinner. Turn on a little Michael Buble....heaven! ($49.99, Bedbathandbeyond.com)

Thanks for checking out my favorite things! Speaking of wine, I think I might have a glass!

***Anyone interested in Pampered Chef products, please contact my mom, Sue Greer via email at sgreer48@comcast.net. She'd be happy to discuss the products with you or set a date to host your own Pampered Chef party and earn free products! You can also order directly from her website: http://www.pamperedchef.biz/suegreer

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I have to share my recipe for Irish Potato Candy. These adorable, little treats are so addicting! I received this recipe from a very Irish classmate in elementary school and have been making them ever since. I made a double batch this year and gave a bunch away, otherwise I'd eat them all myself! They resemble little potatoes although they do not contain any potato at all. Enjoy and Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Irish Potato Candy

Ingredients:

2 cups coconut flakes

3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

1/2 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 stick butter, softened

1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Cream together butter and cream cheese with a mixer until smooth.

2. Beat in vanilla extract. Add in confectioner's sugar in small batches until incorporated. Mix or stir in coconut flakes.

3. Refrigerate coconut mixture for about 2-3 hrs or until firm. Roll into balls/potato shapes and refrigerate for an additional 1-2 hours.

4. Place 1 Tbsp cinnamon in a large ziploc bag. Place all "potatoes" into the bag and gently shake/tip bag  until all potatoes are coated with cinnamon. Add more cinnamon if desired.

Adorable little "Irish Potatoes"

OMG

Is there anything better than the combination of chocolate and peanut butter? How about if you put it on top of a rice crispy treat? In the words of my friend Lisa (pictured below), "these bars are like heaven", followed by her saying "oh my God, oh my God" repeatedly! When I saw these bars on one of my favorite baking blogs (www.browneyedbaker.com) I thought they looked delicious, but not until I tasted them did I know how absolutely fabulous they really are! This recipe is a MUST TRY!

Peanut Butter Cup Rice Crispy Treats

Ingredients:

6 cups Rice Krispies
1 bag (10.5-oz) miniature marshmallows
¼ cup (2 ounces) butter
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 bag (12-oz) miniature peanut butter cups (about 40), quartered
1 cup milk chocolate chips (or 6 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped)

Directions:

1. Butter a 9×13-inch pan and set aside.

2. Measure the cereal into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Melt the marshmallows and butter together in a medium saucepan over medium heat (or in the microwave for about 3 minutes, but keep watch so the marshmallows don’t puff over the sides of the bowl!). Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the cereal and mix well so the cereal is coated. Pour into the prepared pan and use a buttered spatula to press evenly into pan.

3. In the microwave, melt the peanut butter until thin, about 1 minute. Gently stir in the quartered peanut butter cups and then pour over the treats. Using the back of a spoon, gently spread the peanut butter mixture evenly across the top.

4. Again in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips. Using a spoon, drizzle the melted chocolate across the top. Place the pan in the refrigerator to set before cutting and serving. Store in an airtight container.

                                               Lisa enjoying her "heavenly" treat!

Feeling Spicy

I know spicy food isn't for everyone, but I love it! My two favorite Mexican restaurants in the area are Fiesta Ole in Emmaus, and Los Aztecas in Pottstown. Fiesta Ole has amazing margaritas and Los Aztecas is B.Y.O.B. But if you can't make it out, here's a great recipe for your next "Mexican night" at home!

Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Skillet


Ingredients:


2 tsp olive oil, divided


1 cup frozen corn (thawed)


2 cups cooked rice or quinoa


2 tsp-1 tbsp homemade mexican seasoning mix, depending on how spicy/flavorful you want it to be (see recipe below)


16 oz container chunky salsa


1/3 cup water


3 boneless chicken breasts


1 cup shredded mexican cheese blend


Sour cream

Directions:


1. Add 1 tsp of olive oil to skillet and heat over medium-high until shimmering. Add corn to skillet in a single layer. Cook without stirring for 5 minutes or until caramelized on one side. Remove corn from skillet. Set aside.
2. As corn cooks, pound out chicken with a meat tenderizer and then cut into 1 inch pieces. Combine chicken pieces and mexican seasoning in a bowl until coated. Add 1 tsp olive oil to skillet and cook chicken over medium-high heat until center is no longer pink.
3. Add entire jar of salsa and 1/3 cup water to the skillet. Stir until mixture is heated through. Add corn and cooked rice. Top with shredded mexican cheese blend and allow to melt.
4. Top with a dollop of sour cream just before serving.


Homemade Mexican Seasoning Mix (aka Taco seasoning mix)


Simply mix together:

4 tablespoons chili powder 
2 tablespoons onion powder 
2 tablespoons garlic powder 
1 tablespoon natural brown sugar 
2 tablespoons ground cumin 
4 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste 
4 teaspoons paprika 
4 teaspoons dried oregano 
1 to 3 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

This makes 3/4 cup of seasoning mix that can be stored in an airtight container until ready to use! I got this recipe from the Whole Foods website and haven't bought taco seasoning from the store ever since! Most taco seasonings are packed with MSG, so this is a safe and healthy alternative. 

Alissa's notes: When you cook the rice/quinoa for this recipe, I recommend using chicken broth instead of water. This gives the rice more flavor and it blends nicely with the rest of the flavors in this dish. I decided to serve the chicken over the rice instead of stirring the rice in. Either way, this is so delicious!