Baked Key Lime Chicken

Spring-fresh goodness!

My hubby loves key lime pie. A lot. So we always have a bottle of key lime juice in the house. I was glancing at "Nellie & Joe's Recipes from the Keys" (that's the key lime juice we buy) & saw this one for Baked Key Lime Chicken.

It's healthy &, with a couple of tweaks, fast for a weeknight dinner. Here's what I did:

I made the marinade (half of the recipe measurements + a little extra honey) & refrigerated it overnight but didn't marinate the chicken in it. Instead, the next day for dinner (tonight) I took a 1 & 1/2 lb. package of chicken tenders & placed them in a cooking-sprayed baking dish. Then I poured the marinade over them & baked the chicken in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes.

My hubby really liked the chicken! And I served it with artichoke pasta & roasted asparagus (with olive oil/lemon zest & juice & fresh parm) on the side.

*Lishie tip- When you have extra of an ingredient, there's always something different that can be made with it!

Chicken Kabobs & Honey-Mustard Dip

Kabobs! Such an easy indoor or outdoor, healthy dish. I make mine all of the time on the grill pan but of course, as the weather gets nicer & nicer, outdoor grilling is wonderful. All you need is kabob sticks! These are so versatile- get your favorite veggies, ones that will grill nicely, & you can make these with chicken, beef or just veggie. An easy & quick meal!

Can you see the 1 piece of zucchini I slipped in? ;)

Chicken Kabobs

• 2 lbs.boneless, skinless Chicken, cubed
• 1 large Red Pepper, chopped in huge pieces
• 1 large, Onion, hopped in huge pieces
• Handful White, Button Mushrooms
• Cooking Spray
• Skewer Sticks

Alternately place onion/chicken/onion/peppper/mushrooms on the skewer stick (as much as can fit). Spray the grill pan... On Medium-high, grill each side for about 5-7 minutes, making sure the chicken is cooked. (To be safe, I finish the kabobs off in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.)

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce! Mine:

Honey-Mustard Dip

• 1/4 cup Plain Yogurt
• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
• 2 TBSp Honey
• 1 tsp Lemon Zest
• 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
• Freash Dill or Chives, finely chopped
• Salt

Whisk all together, chill before serving.


*Lishie tips- Soak the skewer sticks in water for at least an hour before preparation to prevent them from burning. Also, I place the onion next to the meat for extra taste.

Cous Cous Primavera

Yesterday, April 12th, was "National Grill Cheese Day" & I made some Caprese Panini- Fresh mozzarella, basil & tomato with extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar. YUM! But I wanted something on the side too, so I made a simple yet delish, cous cous primavera:

Grilled, fresh goodness!

Cous Cous Primavera

• Cooking Spray
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, thickly sliced
• 1 Zucchini, sliced into coin shapes, then halved
• 1 cup Water Or Chicken Stock
• 1 cup Cous Cous
• Zest & Juice of 1 Lemon
• Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Using a oil-sprayed grill man on Medium-high heat, grill the zucchini & red pepper slices, about 2-3 minutes on each side.


In a sauce pan, bring the water (or stock) to a boil... turn off heat & add the cous cous. Cover for 5 minutes then fluff cous cous with a fork. Add lemon zest, grilled veggies & lemon juice. Toss lightly & top with grated parmesan cheese. 

Enjoy as a side or on on it's own! YUM.

Red Velvet Brownies Take TWO!

IGNORE what I said here, in this "other" R. V. Brownie post ;)... Please, please, please. Yes, those were "good" but I felt like they were missing something... wasn't sure what so I experimented & came out with these...

OMGoodness, delish! THESE are the Red Velvet Brownies for Eric. Not the other batch. Here's my recipe:

Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown Sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp Vanilla, divided
• 3 TBSp Cocoa Powder
• 2 & 1/2 TBSp Red Food Coloring (Liquid- McCormick's)
• 1 & 1/4 cups AP Flour
• 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 3/4 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
• Cream Cheese Frosting (Recipe Below)
• Red Sprinkles *Optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


With a mixer, cream together the butter & sugars. Add in each egg, one at a time, until combined. Mix in 1 tsp. vanilla.


In a separate, small bowl, combine the other tsp. vanilla + Cocoa Powder + Food Coloring. Add this to the butter mixture at medium speed until all of the ingredients are combined & the batter is RED.


Separately, sift together the flour, baking powder & salt. Add it to the red mixture until combined.

By hand, with a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into an 8x8" greased & floured pan. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the brownies to cool completely, then frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 6 oz. Cream Cheese
• 1/2 stick Butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 cups Confectioner's Sugar

Combine all of the ingredients together in the mixer until incorporated together & fluffy. 

*Lishie Tips- Add red sprinkles because everything's better with a little sparkle :)... Make sure the butter & eggs are at room temperature... &... Don't forget to mix the chips with a little flour before folding them into the batter...

Pierogi Prep.

Ick- yucky weather- rain & a sinus infection! I was home sick today & wanted  a yummy, quick lunch so I threw together some pierogi. We have a Polish community here in Bayonne & I can get delicious, freshly made pierogi easily (not frozen!)... why make my own? :) But here's the preparation I use:

Pierogi

• 3-4 TBSp Canola Oil
• 1 pat Butter
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 12 pierogi
• S & P
• Sour Cream *Optional topping

Heat the oil on medium heat.  Add the onion & allow to slowly cook/soften... gradually caramelize... Once the onion is translucent & a little golden on the edges, add the butter, then the pierogi. Brown the pierogi on each side (takes about 2 minutes per side). Serve topped with sour cream. 

Perfect lunch!

potato-y goodness!

Red Velvet... Brownies?

Red, Velvety, chocolate + cream cheese goodness!

DO NOT MAKE THESE!
I am NOT kidding... I have a better recipe
MAKE THESE!!!! :) They are even.more.Delish.

Another friend's birthday... & he asked for red velvet. I wanted to make something different since I had just.made.a.red, well "Rainbow" velvet cake so when I saw these Red Velvet Brownies from the blog, "How Sweet it Is" I just had to try them!

They were very good! I'd just caution about the red food coloring. For this recipe, to get the "paste" required of the cocoa powder/vanilla/coloring combo, use LIQUID food coloring & not gel. The recipe is written without specifying at first- so pay attention- the vanilla is DIVIDED.

Naked brownie ;) Before cream cheese frosting (a must!) below:

Mine came out really red, so use less coloring if you want them browner or a richer red... And, of course, the optional chips were a MUST for me!

Cream Cheese Frosting *DeLish

• 1, 8 oz. Pkg. Cream Cheese
• 1/2 stick Butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 lb. Confectioner's Sugar

Combine all of the ingredients together in the mixer until incorporated together & fluffy. 

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.

Frozen Vanilla Yogurt + added bonus- dino sprinkles

I accidentally bought a large tub of organic vanilla yogurt at the supermarket instead of PLAIN. Whoa... I am not use to food things with added flavor & was really taken aback by how sweet it was. So it sat there, sadly, in my fridge, pleading with me to use it. I thought hard... for what? I usually like to add my own vanilla... It's sweet, I should use it for a dessert where it will be the predominant flavor... Hmmmm... AHA!!!!!

Added the colorful dinos for the toddler-
frozen, sweet goodness!

Frozen Vanilla Yogurt

• 32 oz. Vanilla Yogurt (Or 32 oz. Plain Yogurt + 1 TBSp Vanilla Extract)
• 1 Cup 2% Milk



Hmmm- which one's real? ;)

• 1/4 Cup Sugar

Combine the ingredients in a bowl.  Follow your ice cream maker's instructions... Mine are to add the mixture to the turned on machine (bowl having been chilled overnight). Mix for 30 minutes. Then allow to freeze for 3 + hours. 


*Lishie tips- The key for any frozen yogurt or ice cream is in having ALL of the cold ingredients, well, COLD. Take out the yogurt & milk at the last minute before mixing... the colder, the better!

I kept the plastic yogurt container- a big 'ol 32 ouncer- to repurpose as a frozen yogurt container!

A lighter Fettucine Alfredo

Cheesy goodness!

This is a super yummy recipe that comes together pretty fast on a week night. I compare the prep work & cook time to a stir fry- get everything ready... set... go... cook! And it's done in minutes. I love alfredo but I am not really suppose to eat heavy, creamy sauces, nor is my hubby. When I saw this recipe in Cooking Light Magazine, I had to try it. It is delicious.

I use the same ingredients but this is what I do:

Fettucine Alfredo Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

• 1 TBSp Butter
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 TBSp AP Flour
• 1 & 1/3 cups Skim Milk
• 5 oz. of Shredded Parmesan Cheese- *I buy the the 5 oz. tub of freshly shredded parmesan.
• 2 TBSp Cream Cheese (I use regular)
• *I OMIT the salt! The parm is salty enough for our taste, why add more?
• 8 oz. FRESH packet of Fettucine- 

*I get the Buitoni- It tastes so much better than dry pasta & it's quicker to cook.

• Fresh Parsley, chopped
• Basil (sometimes I will add a chiffonade of basil)

*Lishie tip- Like I said, for weeknight cooking, it's all in the prep!


I get the water started for fettucine.  I get out the pan, & pat the butter into it but I do not turn the heat on... Instead, I line up everything else first. On a cutting board, I chop the parsley on one side. On the other side I ready (unskin) the garlic & place the microplane next to it. Grab my TBSp measure & scoop the flour, place the TBSp itself, with the flour in it on the cutting board as well. Grab my liquid measuring cup & pour the milk for the ready. Open the parmesan container... measure & slice the cream cheese... Open the pasta package... Ready, set... Turn on the stove flame & get ready to WHISK, WHISK, WHISK for 10 minutes... & have dinner in 15! The key is in the continuous whisking!

Oh & when the pasta's done cooking, do not use a colander! I transfer it directly from the water pot to the alfredo saucy pan with a pasta spoon & in this exchange, also bringing a teensy bit of the starchy water with it to the sauce.

This is really versatile too- it can be the main dish or a side... You can add a protein. I love to add grilled chicken.

Brownies

Chocolate, chewy, oowie goodness!

So it's happened. I've turned into her... Felicity Pickles. A character in one of my favorite series- Ellen Byerrum's Crime of Fashion mystery books (see link below)- is named Felicity, the Food Writer, who is always baking & bringing in goodies to her co-workers at the newspaper. Sounds nice, huh? Not when the lead, Lacey Smithsonian, Fashion Writer, doesn't want to consume a bajillion calories. Laugh if you will (I do, while reading the books) but I am just.like.her now...

So make way for brownies... not just any brownies. Classic, rich, gooey, chocolate Ghirardelli ~home-baked~ Brownies.
When brownies were requested at work, I thought, OK, but I love the classic & clean bar cookie. YUM. So maybe I am not Felicity, since my coworkers are asking me to bring them the sweets?

I follow the Ghirardelli Recipe almost exactly except I use Milk Chocolate Ghirardelli chips, not semi-sweet & I use a 9x9" pan... the difference is, the bars come out a little, teensy bit thinner. And just so ya know- I use DARK BROWN SUGAR. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate...


*Lishie tips- Remember to use ONE of those flour tablespoons to coat the chips with before folding them into the batter! Also, how old is your baking powder? Mix one teaspoon powder with 1/3 cup of hot water. If the mixture doesn't foam, the powder is stale and should be replaced. Stale BP= your baked good won't rise.

This is the first book of the series- fashion, mystery... fun, smart & a really GOOD read:
Killer Hair by Ellen Byerrum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Recipe Swap! Chicken Cacciatore

Yummy, Rustic goodness!

This week's theme for the recipe swap was: Chicken. Everybody loves chicken & always want a variety so I was happy! I got Laurie's (LaurMS15) choice of Giada de Laurentiis' Chicken Cacciatore.

Laurie says, "Stole this recipe from my mom who adapted Giada's recipe to be her own. It's Chicken Cacciatore." & to serve with bread, a salad or rice or pasta.

The funny thing is, Giada's recipe is very similar to my own (I usually throw in mushrooms & green bell peppers too). I hadn't made it in a while so I was very happy to! Because I was cooking it on a week night & bone-in takes much longer, I used 2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Normally, I'd use chicken pieces, bone in & I'd make it on the weekend or in the crock-pot. I also omitted the capers because they are just too salty for our tastes. And with most recipes, there's some give & take with my health issues. So tomato & wine are both acidic, too much so for me combined... In order to get the a nice taste of both, I went with all of the 3/4 c wine but only a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes with their juice & compensated with an extra cup of chicken broth (total- 1 & 3/4 cups). One last addition- about 2 TBSp of fresh, chopped parsley...

I really do chop the veg very rustic for this, in big pieces. We love our cacciatore served on egg noodles. A delicious, forgotten meal! It is very filling & comforting. And not too bad for a work, weeknight with my changes- It took me in total, an hour from prep to finish. Thank you, Laurie!

*Lishie tip- Add the basil at the very end as cooking usually destroys the flavor.

*Lishie facts- Cacciatore means hunter in Italian- Chicken Cacciatore is a meal prepared hunter-style. 

BTW- I supplied my Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce. YUM!

Roasted Red Pepper & Mozzarella Panini

My hubby prefers his sandwiches with out eggplant, plainer... This is delicious too:

Roasted Red Pepper & Mozzarella Panini

• Italian Sub Rolls or full Italian Bread, sliced into sandwich sizes
• 1 Jar of Roasted, Sweet Red Peppers or 1 Fresh Red Pepper, Roasted
• Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
• Fresh Basil
• Approximately 2-3 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Approximately 2-3 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

Assemblage:
Put it all together- Bread, peppers, mozzarella slices, basil leaves (I leave them whole) & finally the splashes of extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar. 

Close the assembled sandwich & cook it either on a panini maker OR on a grill pan with a weight up on the sandwich (another pan or heavy plate) until the mozzarella is melted. 

Alphabet Pasta Fagoili

My friend Feisty over at Tales from the Mad Men Kitchen recently made my Pasta Fagioli. For my baby shower, my sister had little gift bags of organic alphabet pasta with a recipe card for "Alphabet Pasta Fagioli" to go along with the Book/ABC theme. I loved them. So much so, I kept one in tact:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y & Z... goodness!

Here's what Feisty Christina had to say about the soup:

"Because it was a meatless day, I'm happy I followed the instructions to use a cup of water, but in the future, I will probably use chicken broth instead.  I also will probably use more pasta next time, or maybe a thicker pasta (though if making for kids, definitely go with alphabet!  Even though E is way too young to know the difference *I* think it's super cute!)  I didn't use canned beans, instead using dried garbanzo beans and soaking then cooking them.  To compensate, I used a can and a half of water instead of measuring out a cup.  Finally, I didn't have the recommended styles of diced tomatoes, but think I used one can of regular diced tomatoes, and two cans with basil and onion.

I didn't measure out the spice, but since I was making it for my baby as well as myself, gave it a few shakes.  It's perfect; there's a hint of spice to it, but nothing that would make me say "too much" or even, "that's spicy."  It's got a nice kick that way!"

Thank you so much, Feisty! I use chicken soup too when not going "veggie" & I use navy beans :)
Alphabet Pasta Fagioli 
1T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1c onion, coarsely chopped
14-1/2 ounces diced tomatoes, do not drain
14-1/2 ounces diced tomatoes with basil
14-1/2 ounces diced tomatoes with roasted onion and garlic
15 ounces garbanzo or navy beans, do not drain
1 c water
1/2t dried basil
1/4t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2t sea salt
1/3c Alphabet pasta
2T fresh basil, minced
1/8t freshly ground black pepper

Heat up the oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan until shimmering; add garlic and cook until it "speaks."  Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add and combine the tomatoes and beans, water, seasonings, and bring to a boil covered.  Cook for about 4 minutes, then add the pasta and reduce heat to medium.  Cook pasta uncovered for about 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked as you like.  Just before serving, add fresh basil and pepper.

"Graceland" Eggplant Panini

Oozing, cheesy goodness!

Today was Book Club Sunday which means lovely ladies, wonderful conversation & a meetup at the local diner. I ALWAYS seem to get breakfast & the same thing for these days. Curious enough though, when I get diner at other times, I crave what is listed on the menu as the "Graceland" sandwich. I don't know why it's called that as it has nothing to do with peanut butter & bananas grilled (Elvis' purportedly favorite sandwich) at all. It's actually grilled- coated eggplant, roasted red peppers & mozzarella & it comes "drippingly" greasy &  delicious with a side of fries. YUM. So since I get breakfast for book club, I thought why not recreate the Graceland at home, for dinner?

Mine begins with the eggplant: 

Eggplant Panini

• 1 Eggplant
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1/2 cup Bread crumbs
• Approximately 3 TBSp Olive Oil
• Italian Sub Rolls or full Italian Bread, sliced into sandwich sizes
• 1 Jar of Roasted, Sweet Red Peppers or 1 Fresh Red Pepper, Roasted
• Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
• Fresh Basil
• Approximately 2-3 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Approximately 2-3 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

Clean, peel, & slice the eggplant length-wise. Set up a mis en place: Whisked egg in one shallow bowl, Bread Crumbs in another. Heat the 3 TBSp Olive Oil in a saute pan on medium-high heat. Dip the eggplant slice first in the egg then coat the slices with bread crumbs & place in the saute pan. Cook until it is golden, about 2-3 minutes each side. Allow to cool on a paper towel lined plate.
After the eggplant is bread & cooked, assemble the sandwiches... Bread, eggplant, peppers, mozzarella slices, basil leaves (I leave them whole) & finally the splashes of extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar. 
Close the assembled sandwich & cook it either on a panini maker OR on a grill pan with a weight on the sandwich (another pan or heavy plate) until the mozzarella is melted. 


It is DELISH.

Here is the diner's Graceland:

Photo Courtesy of Stacey :)

*Lishie tip- "Panini" simply means "pressed" in the U.S. but in Italy, it means a sandwich customarily made out of a small loaf of bread, pane.


BTW, the month's Book Club read, which I highly recommend, was:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a fascinating story. It's non-fiction & 3/4 of the way through, I got slightly bored with the scientific part (although, written for the layman, me, to understand & it was indeed comprehendible). I wanted more of Deborah than of the actual HeLa cell history but am in awe of what the Lacks family went through. It terrifies me how little we've seemingly come from the '50s too, in many aspects, when Henrietta's cells were taken from her. Makes me wonder what my doctor does with my "bewildering" crohns saga & records.


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April Fool's Part Deux: Rainbow Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

To see "Part Une", go to: April Fool's Rainbow Cake for Perrie.

So this is the REAL birthday cake I made for my sister:

Inside, an "upside-down" rainbow with purple on top:

Come back later for the UNVEIL! :) And HERE IT IS:

Since this is a cocoa/chocolate cake the colors are different, more pastel! The food coloring had to mix & mingle with the brown batter.

Before it was frosted on the takeaway stand:

In the Bundt Pan, how I got the reverse rainbow stripes:

Rainbow Velvet Cake

• 2 Eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 2 cups AP Flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup Shortening
• 1 & 1/2 cups Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp White Vinegar
• Red, Yellow, Green, Blue & Pink Food Coloring*

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. 
Grease & flour a Bundt pan, set aside.


In a small bowl, sift together flour & salt; set aside. 


In the mixer, beat the shortening for about a minute till fluffy. Add sugar & vanilla to the shortening- beat until mixed in. Add one egg at a time, fully mixing each into the shortening before adding the next, about a minute each. Beat in cocoa until incorporated. Alternately add in flour mixture then buttermilk... Stir together baking soda & vinegar (FUN part!) & add into the batter completely. 


Scoop into 5 batter bowls: one for PURPLE (combine pink/yellow/red & blue), one for BLUE, one for GREEN, one for YELLOW &  one for RED.  See picture above for stripe pattern & add them one at a time into the bundt pan like the picture.


Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.


Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1, 8 oz. Pkg. Cream Cheese
• 1/2 stick Butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 lb. Confectioner's Sugar

Combine all of the ingredients together in the mixer until incorporated together & fluffy. 


Top with Rainbow Sprinkles!!!

• 
  

Happy Un-Birthday, today, Perrie!!!

Perrie in Wonderland :)

Meatless Eggplant Balls

It's Lenten Friday again folks & I am constantly trying to think of "meaty", meatless ideas that do not necessarily involve fish or tofu. I got the idea of making stuffed shells with roasted eggplant (will make it in the near future) but then happened upon this idea of Sauteed Eggplant "Meatballs". My recipe is loosely based on it. Funny thing? I didn't use any OLIVE OIL at all! HA!

And these were so flavorful & delicious that I felt a heavy red sauce wasn't needed. HA!

Balls of veggie goodness!

Meatless Eggplant Balls

• 1 Large Eggplant
• 1/2 cup Italian Breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 3 TBSp shredded Mozzarella, approximately
• 1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced
• S & P

Roast the eggplant either on your gas burner flame until the outside skin becomes blackened ~OR~ in a hot oven (400 degrees) for 1 hour. Allow it to cool then cut it and scoop out the pulp. Mix the eggplant pulp, breadcrumbs, both cheeses, parsley, egg, garlic & S &P together in a bowl, gently. Place the mixture, covered, in the refrigerator for an hour to get it to "stick" together. 

After chilled,  form the eggplant mix into rounded "meatball" shapes. It depends on your eggplant/stuffing but my yielded 8.  Place the eggplant balls on a parchment-lined or cooking-sprayed baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until slightly browned.

I served them over buttered noodles with freshly grated parmesan cheese. YUM.

These are so yummy they can be served as appetizers. The ideas to use them are endless- same as regular meatballs! Subs, in sauce, etc.

April Fool's! Rainbow Cake for Perrie's Birthday

When my sister was visiting last month, she spied my March issue of Parenting Magazine on the coffee table & started leafing through it. She honed in on the Somewhere Over the Rainbow Cupcakes design  & said, "I want you to make this for me for my birthday!" But I wanted to make it even better. I wanted it flavorful. No box mix for her, well, no box mix ever comes out of my kitchen. So I decided to make a "Rainbow" Velvet Cake for Perrie- That meant cocoa cake with cream cheese frosting. YUM.  I will create another post with that recipe (promise)- But for tonight- I created a tester cake out of my win-win Yellow Cake recipe (PS- I used skim milk to make the batter more "pourable" & manageable), with vanilla, whipped cream clouds & RAINBOW SPRINKLES!!! Yum.

Colorful Goodness!!!

And? I wanted her to have an actual rainbow on her birthday via a Rainbow Bundt Cake... Cut into the cake- & SURPRISE! April Fool baby that she is, I thought this was a perfect idea.  The slices would each look like rainbows. Add the fluffy, white frosting... Cloud 9!

Rainbow of vanilla flavor ;)
Red, Yellow, Green, Blue & Purple!
AND you can see why I tested- now I know how to place the colors for the real cake :)

 The perfect cake for Perrie to celebrate:

"""THE 10th ANNIVERSARY OF [her] 24th BIRTHDAY!""" 

Yep, that is the theme to her Foolish party ;) Love, love, love it. 

Cake, after un-bundt-panned

Here we are as kids- me, 8?, She, 4?

Happy birthday to the best sister ever.

Almost, the End. Almost...

It wouldn't be April Fool's without a Rubber Chicken!


*Lishie tip- if you have batter bowls like these, they are the best to use for the color mixing & pouring!

The End.

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic

It's well known how much I love seasonal, fresh veg & these asparagus were gorgeous peeking at me in the produce aisle!

Green Goodness!

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic

• 1 lb. Asparagus, trimmed
• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper 
• 1-2 TBSp Balsamic Vinegar (to taste)

Place the asparagus in a baking dish. Sprinkle the olive oil, S & P over it & toss to coat. Roast at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Drizzle with the balsamic before serving. 

The asparagus is stays a gorgeous green & still has a bite to it. It's absolutely delish as a salad, side or snack!

Yep- that IS an asparagus plate :) Shows I really love my veggies.

Chai Ice Cream

I love, love, love chai... I have it nearly every day. It makes me happy! So when I saw that Starbucks sells it's Chai concentrate to take away, I could.not.wait.to.try.it. Unlike most "make it at home" yourself things from restaurants, it actually tastes like the chai you order at Starbucks, which is amazing to me. 


I love it so, I incorporated it into an ice cream, thanks for the idea Ashley V! :) :

First, little bowlful, before it completely froze

Chai Ice Cream

• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1 Cup Skim Milk
• 2 Cups Heavy Cream
• 3/4 Cup Chai Tea Latte Concentrate by Tazo Tea

Whisk together the sugar & the milk until the sugar is dissolved (about 2 minutes). Add the heavy cream & chai concentrate until blended, another minute. Poor into the ice cream maker. 

It is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo delish! YUM

*Lishie tip/fact- "Chai" means tea... so never say "Chai tea". :)
Also, you can you can use your own favorite chai- make sure it's COLD & the same measurement!