Texas Sheet Cake

recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (12th ed.)

There are just some recipes that you have to enjoy just for the sheer pleasure of eating them.  Sometimes I try to tweak recipes to make them a little "healthier," but it is my opinion that there are some recipes that are just so classic that you can't mess with them.  This, my friends, is one of those.  I don't claim that it is healthy by any stretch of the imagination, but delicious... oh yes!  So... if you have no self control (like me), make it for a party and I promise it will be so popular, that you will only be able to get one piece to yourself. (Where's the harm in that, right?) So here goes... the classic Texas Sheet Cake.

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk*

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 recipe Chocolate-Buttermilk Frosting

Grease a 15x10x1 inch or 13x9x2 inch baking pan; set aside.  In a medium bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine butter, cocoa powder, and 1 cup water.  Bring mixture just to boiling, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Add the cocoa mixture to flour mixture and beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until thoroughly combined.  Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour batter into the prepared pan. 

Bake in a 350 degree oven about 25 minutes for the 15x10 inch pan or about 35 minutes for the 13x9 inch pan or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.

**Make the Chocolate-Buttermilk frosting in enough time that you will be able to pour it warm over the warm cake.

Pour warm Chocolate-Buttermilk frosting over the warm cake, spreading evenly. (Use a very light touch when spreading the frosting, since the warm cake will easily stick to your utensil.)

Place cake in pan on wire rack; cool thoroughly.

Chocolate Buttermilk Frosting

1/4 cup butter

3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 Tablespoons buttermilk

2 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar (I used 2 cups unsifted and it worked great!)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium saucepan combine butter, cocoa powder and buttermilk.  Bring to boiling. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth.  If desired, stir in 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans.

* If you don't have buttermilk on hand, substitute sour milk for the same amount of buttermilk called for in your recipe. For each cup of sour milk needed, place 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup total liquid; stir. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes before using.

Variation:

Chocolate-Cinnamon Sheet Cake

Prepare as above, except add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the flour mixture.

Bean Curry with Naan (Indian Flatbread)

recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

We love curry at our house and I stumbled across this recipe one day and thought I would try it. It did not disappoint. Besides being delicious, it fills your house with wonderful aromas from the different spices used. It is a great ethnic dish and is a great vegetarian option.

Bean Curry

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

pinch cayenne, to taste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon Garam Masala*

3/4 cup half and half

1 cup vegetable stock or chicken broth

1 can black-eyed peas, lightly drained (I used black beans because that is what I had on hand)

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

*Garam Masala is an Indian spice mixture.  I found my bottle at Whole Foods market.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until translucent and slightly browned. Stir in garlic and grated ginger root; stir constantly for 30 seconds.  Add tomato; cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in turmeric, cayenne, salt, paprika, and garam masala; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add half and half, stock, and black-eyed peas. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro.  Serve immediately with rice, chapati, or naan. 

Naan (Indian Flatbread) 

recipe slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Makes about 12 pieces of naan

3-4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon sugar

3-4 tablespoons butter, melted

Pour milk into a liquid measure and heat in microwave until warm to the touch. (about 110 degrees F with an instant-read thermometer).  Pour milk into a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer.  Add the sugar, yeast, salt and 2 1/2 cups flour.  Mix well to combine.  Continue adding flour gradually in small amounts until a soft dough is formed the cleans the sides of the bowl.  Knead the dough by mixer or hand until it is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes in the mixer or 10 minutes by hand.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rest at room temperature, covered lightly with greased plastic wrap, for about 2 hours.

After the dough has rested, turn it onto a lightly floured surface or roul'pat and divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, rounding each into a ball shape. Cover the pieces with a towel and let them rest for 30 minutes.  While the dough rests, preheat your oven to 475 degrees F and place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven.  (If you don't have a pizza stone, try grilling the dough on a lightly oiled outdoor grill or use a hot griddle to bake the naan - you'll have to experiment with cooking times but either of those methods would work as well.)

Once the dough has rested for 30 minutes, one by one, roll each piece into a circle about 6-8 inches wide, depending on how thick you want your naan.  Lay the circle of dough on the hot pizza stone and spritz lightly with water.  Close the oven and bake the naan for 2-4 minutes, until it is lightly puffed (some pieces will puff more than others) and brown spots begin to appear on the top. Remove the naan from the baking stone and place on a cooling rack. Brush lightly with melted butter. Stack the hot naan on top of each other as it comes out of the oven. Cover with towel and let the naan cool completely or serve warm.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

recipe from Our Best Bites

These taquitos are a frequent request at our house. They make a great appetizer, party food, or combine them with some spanish rice and a green salad and you've got a meal!  Dip them in this creamy lime cilantro dressing and you will have tasted a little mouthful of Mexican heaven! 

1/3 cup (3 ounces) cream cheese

1/4 cup green salsa (I like the La Costena brand ) 

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 Tablespoons sliced green onions

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas

kosher salt

cooking spray

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. 

Heat cream cheese in microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir.  Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and granulated garlic.  Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions.   Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

 (You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep mixture in the fridge)

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking.  It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it.  If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keep it about 1/2 inch from the edges.  Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place the seam side down on the baking sheet.  Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other.  Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Dip in salsa, sour cream, guacamole or this creamy lime cilantro dressing.

Gingerbread Cookies

recipe from my Mom

Merry Christmas!  These little gingerbread cookies are fun for kids to make and eat and your house will smell amazing while they are baking.  (My toddler was asleep while I was making these, or these might have turned out more like scary Halloween cookies rather than cute little Christmas gingerbread people! :)  It can be quite a project to make the cookies and frost all in one day, so you may want to make the cookies and then freeze them until you are ready to decorate. It makes them a little less time intensive.

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Combine butter, brown sugar, molasses and egg and beat until fluffy.  Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice and beat until blended.  Cover dough and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness and then cut into desired shapes. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  

I used this glace icing to decorate the cookies. There is also an awesome tutorial on decorating cookies with this icing technique at Our Best Bites. 

Almond Poppyseed Muffins

recipe from bake-aholic.com

Sometimes there is nothing like a warm, fresh muffin for breakfast and these muffins come together so easily that there isn't really any excuse not to enjoy them whenever you want.  We devoured these at our house.  I guess that means we can make them again soon!

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

1 egg

1/2 teaspoons almond extract

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

1 1/3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 Tablespoons poppy seed

3 teaspoons sugar

sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line 12 muffin cups with paper baking cups (or spray them very well).  In a large bowl, stir together 1/2 cup sugar, the oil, egg, and almond.  Beat in sour cream and milk with a spoon until blended.  Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, soda, and poppy seed until well blended.  Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.  Sprinkle batter with 3 teaspoons sugar and the almonds.  Bake for 14-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. 

Butternut Squash Soup

recipe slightly adapted from Our Best Bites

Delightful recipe for this time of year. I have made this soup several times for my family and they love it.  I love it because it is packed with vegetables and my toddler doesn't even give it a second thought!  It is a very light soup, so I usually make it with a grilled ham and cheese sandwich or a nice crusty panini.  For a little more money, you can save yourself some time and buy the butternut squash already cubed at Costco, or you can go for the experience of peeling and slicing one yourself. Either way, this soup is definitely a seasonal favorite.

1/2 Tbsp canola oil

1 Tbsp butter (You could omit the butter and use 1 Tbsp canola oil for vegetarian recipe)

1/2 cup sliced carrots (about 1 medium or 12 baby ones)

2 stalks celery, diced

1 cup diced onion

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1 medium butternut squash, (about 4 cups peeled and diced)

32 oz chicken broth (that's one box/carton) (You could substitute vegetable broth here for a vegetarian recipe)

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon dried sage

1 pinch cayenne pepper or douse of hot sauce

In a large stock pot, heat oil and butter. When butter is melted, add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic.  Saute for 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender.  Add the squash. Then add potato, sage, salt, red pepper, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.  Simmer with the lid on for 30-40 minutes or until everything is tender. check a piece of squash and also a piece of celery and potato to make sure they are fork tender.  Stir in 1 tablespoon brown sugar.

Use an immersion blender, or let soup cool and transfer to a regular blender and puree until smooth.  

Drizzle with sour cream or heavy cream and garnish with a little parsley and some croutons.

Garlic Roasted Pork Loin with Raspberry Chipotle Glaze

recipe slightly adapted from The Food Network

I was searching for a recipe one day and came across this recipe from the Food Network.  I had some leftover chipotle chilies in adobo sauce from making this amazing chipotle chicken taco salad and decided to try this pork loin recipe.  The glaze was so delicious.  I think it would be a perfect menu item for a holiday party.  I also made the accompanying wild rice and cranberry dressing, but wasn't as big of a fan of that.  I will definitely make the pork loin again, though.

Raspberry Chipotle Glaze

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup small diced onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons chipotle chilies in adobo, chopped

2 pints fresh raspberries, rinsed (I think you could have success with frozen raspberries as well)

1/2 cup raspberry vinegar (I used red wine vinegar with pomegranate)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and cook, stirring until soft and slightly caramelized, 4 minutes.  Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 1 minute. Add the chipotles and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute.  Add the raspberries and cook until soft, 2-3 minutes.  Add the vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan.  Add the sugar and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thickened and reduced by half, 8-10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. 

Garlic Roasted Pork Loin

2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pound pork loin 

8 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

olive oil

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

For the pork loin, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Add oil to a large skillet until bottom is coated.  Season the pork loin with salt and pepper.  Sear the pork in the skillet on all sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.  

In a food processor, combine the garlic, rosemary, sage, and thyme.  Process until smooth.  Add enough oil to make the mixture a good, spreadable consistency.  Season with salt and pepper.  

Remove the pork from the heat.  Carefully rub the garlic/herb mixture over the pork loin. Place pork on a roasting pan and roast until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 40-45 minutes.  Five minutes before removing the roast from the oven, evenly spread the glaze over the top.  Remove the from oven and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.  Drizzle with leftover glaze.