Thursday, February 25, 2010

Warm Lava Cakes

I like making one special dessert a week, this doesn't always happen, but I like having something to indulge in throughout the week, & helps me look forward to the weekend when I can make a new sweet recipe! 

I love making these when I need a chocolately fix.  Due to the massive amount of eggs the recipe calls for, you can half the recipe and still make quite a few cakes.  I like to serve these with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream, but there equally as tasty with a scoop of Caramel Ice Cream!



You can find my recipe for Lava Cakes, HERE. 

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Lovely Sugar Cookies


Mom & Dad,
     I am thinking of you today & how you always made Valentine's Day special for us when we were growing up.  Childhood memories & mom's Sugar Cookie Recipe were the inspiration for today's post.
With most of my recipes, I eventually modify them somewhat, but with this one, it has remained unchanged.  I cheat when it comes to "rolling out" the dough, see below. 

Mom's Sugar Cookies
1 C Shortening
1 1/2 C Granular Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp. Milk
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
2 1/2 C All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

Cream shortening & sugar together.  Add in eggs, milk, & vanilla, stirring well between each addition.  In a medium bowl combine flour & powder, then add into shortening mixture.  Stir well to combine.  Wrap up, in log shape, & chill overnight for best flavor.













When ready to bake, slice into uniform pieces, & round out the sides.  I use a creme brulee dish bottom dipped in flour to push them into evenly round shapes.  You could use a glass or even a measuring cup to do this.














Bake at 425 Degrees for 5-9 minutes.
Once in the oven to bake, I take a flexible cutting board & place it under the cooling rack (to collect crumbs, keep down on the mess).  This batch took 8 minutes to bake, you can see how they look on the tops & bottom. 


Let cool completely before icing.

Icing
1 C Powdered Sugar
4+ Tbsp. Milk
Combine ingredients, add more milk if too dry.  I prefer my icing on the thick side so that it doesn't run. 

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Around the house

So, what have I been up to, you ask?!?


Making ribbon heart streamers for my dining room chandelier.  My inspiration for this decoration can be found HERE

I also made a batch of Valentine's Day themed sugar cookies, the recipe will be posted tomorrow, 2-14!




Making more homemade butter, yummy!  You can find my tutorial/recipe HERE.
 

Monday, February 1, 2010

Valentine's Decorations


I made these cute hearts to decorate our fireplace for Valentine's Day.  I  purchased the foam hearts in various sizes, along with the cute love phrases, at Jo-Ann's.  Then added some colorful buttons, & hot glued everything onto some red ribbon.  Finally, a couple of red heart candles added to the mantle, & voila, all decorated!



I convinced Kyle to help me decorate them  :-)
A more detailed look of the hearts, aren't they cute!!!

*I took my inspiration from these felt hearts at the Little Birdie Secrets.


Cheesy Polenta with Tomato Chile Sauce

Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!

While attending Culinary School, I purchased a lot of cook books which most of them I have gotten rid of due to lack of interest.  During the school year, there were intensive weekend courses that I would attend, they would last 4 weeks, at 6 hrs each Saturday, & would encompass the same work load as a full semester course.  One of my favorites was a Healthy Cooking class aimed at tasty dishes that were healthier than their traditional recipes.

My favorite recipe in the book was a dish that included beef tenderloin set atop cheesy polenta, & garnished with chile sauce.  I modified the recipe a bit to use some leftover pulled pork & tamed the heat of the sauce by omitting the cayenne powder. 


Polenta
4 C Chicken broth or stock
6 oz. Yellow Cornmeal
1/4 C Grated Parmesan (I used a blend of parmesan & cheddar) + more for garnish
2 tsp. Salt

Heat broth/stock to a simmer in medium saucepan.  Gradually pour cornmeal into broth, while stirring constantly to avoid clumps.  Cook over low heat, stirring nearly constantly, with a wooden spoon, until the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pan, approx. 25 minutes. 

Remove from heat, stir in cheese & salt.

Brush sides & bottom of 9x9 pan with water & add polenta to pan.  Spread evenly, cool, & cover with plastic until ready to serve. 













The first picture shows the cornmeal just added to the chicken broth/stock.  The next picture shows the finished product after it has cooked 25 minutes & all of the liquid is absorbed.


The Polenta is spread in a 9x9 pan.  You can use a 9x13 pan for smaller slices of polenta. 


Tomato Chile Sauce
2 Tbsp. Oil
2 Tbsp. Onion - chopped fine
3 oz. Tomato Paste (half of a small can)
2 tsp. Garlic - minced fine
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
2 tsp. White wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. Chile Powder
1 C Chicken broth or stock
3/4 C Beef broth or stock

Heat oil in a small pan over medium, add in the onion & saute until translucent.  Add in tomato paste & cook until rusty colored (don't burn!).  Add in the garlic, brown sugar, vinegar, chile powder, & chicken broth/stock. 

Bring sauce to a simmer, let cook 20 minutes, don't forget to stir!  Once thickened, add in beef broth/stock & let simmer an additional 10 minutes.  At this point, you can puree the sauce if desired. 


For Color:
1/2 Red Pepper - sliced thin
1/2 C Zucchini - sliced thin
1/2 C Yellow Squash - sliced thin
1 tsp. Salt

Saute pepper, zucchini, & squash in a small amount of oil until cooked through, sprinkle salt to finish.  *This was omitted in this preparation of the recipe due to not having any of these items, they are a great color addition to the dish and complement the flavors.*


To assemble I cut rounds of Polenta, use a large cookie cutter, top with a small amount of additional parmesan & cheddar mix, set under low broiler just until cheese melts (you could also melt in microwave in 15-20 seconds).  Place a small amount of tomato chile sauce on the plate, top with the cheesy polenta, add on the shredded pork (or Beef Tenderloin), sauteed veggies, & garnish the top with more tomato chile sauce.   


Wolf Moon


On Friday, we viewed a wonderful Wolf Moon which is the largest full moon of the year.  The moon was within 221,577 miles of Earth, and appeared 30% larger & 14% brighter.

Not sure how I caught this shot as this is not a time lapse photo, but interesting none the less!