Sour Cream Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Strawberries are in season!!! YUM. And boy are they gorgeous. I played around with a recipe/thought in my head & came up with this delish-iousness... It is light & perfect to take to a BBQ.

<3 Lishie

Cake:

• 1/2 c (4 ounces) butter
• 1 c (7 ounces) sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 c All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c sour cream 

Cream together the butter, sugar, & eggs. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream, stirring after each addition.

Grease & flour 2, 9" circle cake pans. Spread half the batter in each pan

Bake the coffee in a preheated 350°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Cool it for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan. 

Strawberry Cream Cheese Glaze/Frosting

• 1 package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 c butter, room temperature
• 2 c powdered sugar (1 c less, thinner Glaze/1 c more, thicker Frosting! Your choice!)
• 2 c strawberries, fresh, hulled & diced

Combine all ingredients together until smooth. Refrigerate. Frost the cakes when they are cooled. 

Stroganoff Pockets & a "Mommy" tip!

The stroganoff pockets are yummy but after them, this is pretty much a "mom" post... Sorry everyone if it doesn't pertain to you, just ignore the latter part... Here's a yummy & easy recipe that AGAIN, allows me to proclaim my love for these rolls (& nope, I do not get paid to advertise for P-Bury!!!!)

Stroganoff Pockets
adapted from Pillsbury.com

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 c mushrooms, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• S & P
• 1/4 c beef stock
• 1 c sour cream
• 1 c fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 cans Pillsbury® Crescent Rolls 
• 1 egg white

Saute the onions over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the ground beef & garlic, stirring frequently, until beef is only partially pink; drain oil from meat mixture & return to heat. Stir in the mushrooms, the garlic & the S & P. Add the beef stock & allow to simmer till the stock is nearly gone. Turn off heat & add the sour cream & parsley.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep a baking sheet with spray, set aside. Roll out the crescent dough on a lightly floured surface. Using two "rolls" create rectangles... On one half of the rectangle, dollup meat mixture. Overlap the other half of the rectangle & "secure" together. Do the same with the remaining crescent rolls. Place the pockets on the baking sheet, then brush each with the egg white. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

And the mommy tip?!

Oh it is great (forgive me if you know this already BUT...) while crafting a lightbulb came on in my head.  Rare, but yes, it happens... And I realized that pipe cleaners are the PERFECT thing to use to clean out those persnickety straws from sippy cups!!! AHA! I soaked the sippy cup parts in warm, suddsy water then wet & pipe cleaned. It was wonderful.

They were originally used to clean pipes so... And I love me some pipe cleaner crafts too!

And what was the pipe cleaner craft?! Here's a peep at our Egg Buddies:

I know it is early for Easter crafting but these are so cute. And a great way to repurpose egg cartons. Just make sure you wash the styrofoam beforehand in case of salmonella.

What you need: 

• 2 egg holder pieces
• 1 pipe cleaner per "buddy"
• marker for the face

Use the pipe cleaner to connect both pieces.

Egg Chickadees:

Egg bunny (Just look at his little 'ol tail!):

<3 Lishie

Carmelized Onion Dip

I've always loved the folded over chips & tossed the ones "green-edged". How 'bout you?

OK, so I grew up on onion dip made of: Tub of Sour Cream + 1 Packet of dry powdered onion soup (with or w/o the dried onions depending upon how lazy the host was). Tasty as it was, it's packed with sodium & things I cannot pronounce not to mention the fat. I haven't had chips in a few years but have a hankering for some tonight (there's an open bag of leftover Lay's from Gabriel's 2nd Birthday & I thought hmmm... so yummy with dip... I found this: Caramelized Onion Dip. Delish! So step away from the dry packets & enjoy your splurge & Saturday night! :) Lish

*Lishie tip- I like thinner dip so I pureed the onions.

Tex- Mexican "Lasagna", pre-Cinco de Mayo

This is a simple & fast weeknight dinner. I mean really simple. And really fast. The time is spent in the prep for me... Yesterday, while making my turkey meatloaf, I also baked the chicken. Then I wrapped & refrigerated it to be ready for tonight's meal. And as I also said yesterday, we're cutting more fat out of our diet so I've cut ingredients in it. But this is so versatile, you can add more salsa/spice/sour cream/smother it in cheese... it is really easy. OR you can use only refried beans & make it entirely vegetarian. And you have the ground turkey/beef/chicken option.

I can't believe next week is Cinco de Mayo already! I miss celebrating the holiday in Miami in little Cuba. So I have to bring some festiveness to my home.

Tex-Mex Lasagna

• 8 Flour Tortillas
• 1 lb. cooked, shredded Chicken*
• 1/2 cup Salsa (I use Mild but any will do!)
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream (Lowfat or regular)
• 1 TBSp Cilantro or Parsley
• 1 tsp Chili Powder (OR 1/2 tsp Chili Powder + 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper)
• 1-2 cups shredded Cheese (I use the 2% milk, Mexican Mix)
• 1 can of refried Beans (I use Vegetarian)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a rectangular baking dish with cooking spray. Combine the chicken, salsa, sour cream & herbs in a bowl. Mix together. 


Form the "lasagna"- 
Layer 2 soft tortillas then spread 1/2 the chicken mix on them, then a little cheese. 
Layer 2 more tortillas, then spread refried beans on them, then some more cheese.
Layer 2 more tortillas, the rest of the chicken mixture on them, then more cheese.
Finally layer the last 2 tortillas on top & more cheese.


Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted & the sides of the tortillas have begun to brown. Serve topped with scallions & a dollop of sour cream or salsa. Delish & so very easy. 

*Lishie tip- For the Chicken, I spray a foil-covered baking pan with cooking spray, then using a pastry brush, coat the chicken with a little olive oil, coriander & S & P. Bake @ 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Shred. Or to be easier, get a rotisserie chicken & break it into pieces.

Also, salsa is a GREAT fat free, cholesterol free component to add flavor to a meal!

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake with Chocolate Chips

You put sour cream in my CHOCOLATE?! Yes, yes, I did! And coffee as well! Because...

It's Andrew's birthday! (Which also means I am bringing MORE goodies into work, lol!)

What to make, what to make? He drinks lots of coffee... & likes chocolate... How about Magnolia Bakery's Chocolate Sour Cream Cake with Chocolate Chips? Most New Yorkers know Magnolia, on the corner of Bleeker & 11th Street in Greenwich Village. It's known for their super yummy cupcakes. I love them. They are my favorite treat. And of course, they have other yummy creations, one being the cake. But of course, being me, I did a variation on it especially since I did not have the exact ingredients. So below, is my take.

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake with Chocolate Chips 

adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook by Jennifer Appel & Allysa Torey

Chocolate goodness!

(I did a few things differently)

• 3 Cups + 2 TBSp AP Unbleached Flour
• 1 & 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 3 TBSp unsweetened Cocoa
• 1/2 cup brewed, hot coffee
• 1 cup Boiling Water
• 3/4 cup unsalted Butter, softened
• 2 & 2/3 cup light Brown Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs, room temp.
• 1 & 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 3/4 cup Sour Cream 
• 1/2 cup Milk Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.


Grease & lightly flour a 10" Tube Pan.


In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside.


Combine the hot coffee, boiling water & cocoa in a bowl. Set aside to cool.


Meanwhile, cream the light brown sugar & butter together with the mixer on low, until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, carefully incorporating each egg before the next. Add the Vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture until it's smooth. Add in the sour cream.  Then shut off the mixer & add the chocolate/coffee/liquid carefully in parts, turning the mixer back on/then off in between. Once all is incorporated, shut off the mixer completely & fold in the chips (covered in 1 TBSp of the flour) by hand. Pour the batter into the prepped Tube pan. Bake for 1 hour & 10-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 


Let cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then take out of the pan & cool on a wire rack. Slice & YUM!

*Lishie tip- To see if Baking Soda still has it's leavening effectiveness, mix a teaspoon of it in a few tablespoons of white vinegar. It's good if it bubbles up! Also, keep baking soda used for baking sealed TIGHT because it absorbs any scents that come in contact with it.

Chicken & Pierogi Paprikash

So, tonight, I did a little "Hungary meets Poland & they get married". I wanted to make a simplified Chicken Paprikash for a weeknight & I had freshly made (bought) pierogi. YUM. The whole thing took about 30 minutes to come together & it was tasty. Vegetarians, take note- You could actually make JUST the pierogi with this sauce, just omit the chicken steps. It was extremely flavorful & comforting. So good! The picture does NOT do it justice. Just trust me- it was delish!
I used skinless, boneless chicken breasts which allowed it to cook FAST. Here's what I did:

Creamy goodness!

Chicken & Peirogi Paprikash 

• 1 lb. Chicken breasts (Skinless, boneless) *Can use more
• S & P
• 3 TBSp Unsalted Butter
• 2 TBSp Olive Oil
• 2 Large Onions
• 2 TBSp Sweet Paprika (You can use a mixture of hot/smoked/sweet- your choice)
• 12 Pierogi (13 oz package) *I use potato/cheese filled
• 1 Cup Chicken Broth
• 1/2 Cup Sour Cream

Salt & Pepper the uncooked chicken & set aside. Slice the onions.


Heat a large saute pan over Medium-High & melt 2 TBSp of butter. Brown the chicken on both sides, then take out of the pan & place in a dish. Set aside. 


Add the last TBSp butter & 2 TBSp olive oil to the pan. Saute the onions, stirring up the brown bits of chicken till the onions become soft & slightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add in the Paprika & stir till incorporated.


Add in the pierogi & allow them to brown- 2 minutes each side. Pour in the Chicken Broth, carefully stirring the onions & pierogi. Nestle the chicken pieces into the pan, on top of the pierogi/onion mixture. Cover & cook on low, simmering for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.


When the chicken is done, remove it from the pan. Incorporate the sour cream into the pierogi/onion mixture. Then return the chicken to the pan & ladle sauce over it. ENJOY!

This was really delicious & I'll definitely be making it again!

*Lishie tip- Allow the sauce to cool a minute before adding sour cream. If you can, get fresh pierogi from a Polish grocery or make it! The frozen are just not the same.

Strip House Potatoes Romanoff on the side...

Yummy, cheesy, potato-y goodness!

So since I was making French Onion Beef Sandwiches Au Jus, what to make on the side? I saw that Williams-Sonoma posted a recipe for New York City's Strip House Potatoes Romanoff & thought ohhhhh how wonderful! These potatoes are delicious at the steak house... Let's see if I can make them! And they came out pretty, pretty close!!! And I LOVE the method of baking the potatoes, then refrigerating them overnight. I am going to borrow what I learned & use the same technique next time I make my potato pancakes!

Some Changes: 

I made it a little, teeny, tiny bit "healthier"... my changes in parenthesis:

• 3 large russet potatoes, about 2 lb. total, unpeeled and scrubbed  
• 3/4 cup minced shallots  (I used 3 large shallots, which I grated on the small side of the grater)
• 2 1/2 cups grated white cheddar cheese (I used 1 & 1/2 cups)
• 2 tsp. kosher salt 
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground white pepper 
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream (I used LESS than a cup!) 

Strip House Potatoes Romanoff

As a side to complement French Onion Beef Au Jus Sandwiches

Preheat an oven to 425ºF.

Wrap each potato in aluminum foil and pierce several times with a fork. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Remove the foil and let the potatoes cool to room temperature. Place the potatoes on a plate, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the potatoes, including the skins. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle the shallots, 1 3/4 cups of the cheese, the salt and white pepper on top. Using your hands, gently toss the mixture together to combine, then fold in the sour cream in 2 additions.

Transfer the potato mixture to a 1 1/2-quart gratin dish; do not compress. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup cheese on top. Bake until the potatoes are hot and the cheese is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serves 6.

Recipe courtesy of Strip House.