Easy Peasy Chocolate Squeezy... Banana Dessert

Elegance in a glass...

Elegance in a glass that does not get much simpler than this! My hubby is not a big lover of desserts (God only knows why), so I never feel the need to go over-the-top to satisfy him in this department. Decadent desserts are for my benefit only and I gladly eat the majority of them myself. The original concept for this layered pudding came from a back-of-the-box recipe of Ambrosia Chocolate Custard. After a few tweaks and twonks, I produced this simple, yet tasty, after dinner delight.

Dive in to the chocolately whirlpool of perfection...

Layered Chocolate Banana Dessert

Recipe adapted from back-of-the-box of Ambrosia Chocolate Custard

4 digestive cookies, crushed

1 carton Ambrosia Chocolate Custard (or chocolate pudding)

1 banana, sliced

Crush the digestive cookies with a rolling pin or mallet inside a plastic bag.
Divide between two wine glasses or dessert cups and press firmly into the bottom.

Spoon the chocolate custard on top of the crushed cookies.

Arrange the banana slices on top of the custard.

Dig in and enjoy!

Coconut Oatmeal Chewies

Being 4,000 miles away from home can really deprive a girl of her mother's home cookin'. It is one of the things that I miss most about being away and something that many kids take for granted when they receive it on a daily basis. My wonderful mother has gotten into the habit of sending me packages containing an assortment of homemade cookies. It is at this time that I jump up and down while unwrapping a bag in order to taste their amazingly flavorful goodness.

After all the cookies she has sent me in the past year, it only seemed appropriate that I send her some of my homemade cookies for her birthday!

Above all, I needed a tasty and durable cookie that could withstand the trials and tribulations of an international mail delivery... and that is just what I got with this recipe. I made one major adjustment in order to produce my desired result, which many of you may choose to avoid for health reasons, but it gave the cookies an ideal texture for a 4,000 mile journey.

Whether you have someone overseas who would love a box of cookies or someone in your own home who loves coconut and oatmeal, it is worth giving these cookies a try!

Coconut Oatmeal Chewies

Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen Member, Melanie - My Kitchen Cafe

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar 

1 egg
½ cup lard, softened (or butter)
1 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 ¼ cups flour

½ cup shredded coconut

½ cup quick oats
 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large bowl, cream together the sugars, egg, lard, and vanilla until light and fluffy. 

Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. 

Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a greased or lined baking sheet. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes, until the cookies are set but not overly browned.

Cool completely on a wire rack and serve.
Delicious with a cup of tea or coffee. 

Simple Spaghetti Sauce

The simplicity of spaghetti... it gets me every time!

A level of versatility lies in this sauce and I found it wonderfully helpful when making my weeknight dinners. It began as a recipe for pizza sauce that adorned a fabulously delicious margherita pizza last Wednesday night. After adding only a minimal amount to the pizza crust, so as not to create a soggy dough, I placed the leftovers in the fridge until I needed them for another day's creation. That day has come several times already after I realized that the recipe was a basic marinara sauce that would be an ideal companion for pasta. Two lunches down and the leftover sauce has all but disappeared.

Versatility is the name of the game.

This recipe is a great idea for anyone planning a weekly menu!

Pizza/Marinara Sauce

Recipe adapted from Kayotic Kitchen

½ small onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
1 ½ tsp oregano
1 ½ tsp basil
¼ tsp salt

½ tsp. sugar

pinch of pepper

1 tbsp butter

1 ½ tsp oil

In a medium skillet, over med. high heat, saute the onions in oil. 

Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for another minute.

Add the canned tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, sugar, and pepper and simmer the sauce over low heat for about 5 minutes.

Cut up the butter, add it to the sauce, and stir until melted through.

Allow to cool slightly before spreading on pizza crust or add directly to cooked spaghetti noodles.

Delicious Dinner Rolls

Gaze upon the glorious puffiness of these sensational dinner rolls and tell me what you see...

How about a fantastic accompaniment to any bowl of soup that your mind can cook up?

Dipping bread into a warm and comforting bowl of chili was my objective earlier this week and I'm continuing to enjoy the fruits of my labor. There is no satisfaction greater than wiping a soft hunk of bread around the bowl in order to soak up every last drop of that tasty red stuff.

I'd like to send a big shout out to my favorite Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, for sharing this recipe with the world. They are such cute, soft, and delicious dinner rolls that you'll keep going back for more, guaranteed! I demand you try the recipe this weekend alongside your favorite bowl of soup!

As the chill of fall sets in around us, there is nothing better than hunkering down with a big bowl of warming soup!

Dinner Rolls

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

1 cup milk
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 ½ cup oatmill flour
1 ⅛ tsp. yeast
¼ tsp. baking powder (heaping)
¼ tsp. baking soda (scant)
1 ½ tsp. salt
 
Pour the milk into a stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the sugar and vegetable oil. Stir to combine. Now, turn the burner on medium to medium-low and scald the mixture to dissolve the sugar.

Before the mixture boils, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the burner. Allow the mixture to cool to warm/lukewarm. The mixture will need to be warm enough to be a hospitable environment for the yeast, but not so hot that it kills the yeast and makes it inactive. If the side of the pan is hot at all, allow it to cool longer. When it feels comfortably warm, it should be ready.

Add in 1 cup of flour and the yeast. After they are nicely incorporated, add another cup of flour. Stir together and allow to sit, covered with a tea towel or lid, for one hour. After about an hour it should have almost doubled in size. When it had risen sufficiently add the last ½ cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir (or knead just a bit) until combined and no longer sticky.

Butter a muffin pan. Form the rolls by pinching off a walnut sized piece of dough and rolling it into a little ball. Repeat with the rest of the dough and tuck three balls of dough into each buttered muffin cup. Continue until the pan is full (should produce approximately 10 rolls). Cover the muffin tin and allow to rise for about 1 to 2 hours.

Bake in a 400-degree oven until golden brown, about 17 to 20 minutes.

Cake-a-thon

My sincerest apologies for being unable to post yesterday.

My entire morning and afternoon were consumed with the prospect of creating my first ever party cake.

Discounting the few birthday cakes I've made for close family members, I can honestly say this is the first cake I have made for a friend to help celebrate a baby shower. The process was long and tiresome, but the end result was a huge success. I can see my cake decorating career taking off from here...NOT! I'll need some serious lessons in proper cake etiquette before I even get close to producing "professional" designs. All I know is that amateur creations, like mine, go over extremely well as gifts! My time, effort, and enjoyment in a baking project will always provide a large pay-off in the end.

The base is two layers of chocolate wacky cake (recipe listed in a previous post) with a thin layer of almond buttercream in the middle. I used fondant to initially cover the cake blocks, added hand-cut letters to all sides, and piped the borders using the leftover almond buttercream frosting. The design was created with the inspiration of children's toy alphabet blocks.

I wonder what my next cake-a-thon creation will be! 

Heavenly Chocolate Wacky Cake

L is for the way you look at me...

O is for the only one I see...

V is very, very extra-ordinary...

E is even more than anyone that you adore and

LOVE!

I fully intend to have a life-long love affair with this chocolate cake. My obsession first began as a 5 year-old kindergarten student during school lunch, when it was frequently served for dessert in a square depression on a lunch tray. I meticulously peeled the layer of sweet frosting from the surface, leaving it forgotten on the side, and savoured every last bite of the plain chocolate cake. After recently coming across this recipe, I knew I had to try it and see if it lived up to the unforgettable memory of school lunch wacky cake. By george did it ever! I have practically polished off the entire pan in less than three days!

If you have a memory of this deliciously inexpensive chocolate cake, feel free to share it and try this recipe for yourself!

Chocolate Wacky Cake

Recipe adapted from Savory Sweet Life

1 ½ cups plain flour

1 cup white sugar

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ cup cocoa powder

6 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tbsp. distilled vinegar

1 cup cold water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together using a whisk.
Add all the wet ingredients until well combined.
Pour into an 8×8 pan which has been greased with butter or non-stick spray.
Bake for 35 minutes and test with a knife for doneness.
Allow to completely cool before serving.
Dust with powdered sugar. 

Stuffed Tomatoes with Moroccan Tuna Salad

My love for traveling is not far behind my love of food. And where is there a better place to enjoy a cultural food experience than Morocco? 

I'm not one to talk since I haven't even ventured into the African continent yet, but as soon as my hubby and I get the opportunity, it is one of the first places we want to explore. The selection of markets and food stalls is beyond comprehension and I cannot contain my excitement at the prospect of filling my tum-tum to the brim with the authentic cuisine.

A common spice blend that is widely available around the world that allows us to produce Moroccan food in our own homes is Ras el Hanout. It is my chosen ingredient in this recipe and adds a perfect depth to the dish that is impossible to attain with any other spice. 

If a Ras el Hanout spice blend is not available in your area, do not fear. There are many streamlined recipes online to chose from that will allow you to make use of the everyday spices in your cupboard.

Don't hesitate to make this simple, healthy, and delicious recipe today!

Stuffed Tomatoes with Moroccan Tuna Salad

Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen Member, jodiemo  

 1 can tuna, drained and flaked
1 green onion, finely sliced

¼ tsp. Ras el Hanout spice blend

1 ½ dried parsley

½ tsp. chives
1 pinch garlic powder

 2 tbsp. mayonnaise

salt and pepper, to taste

1 whole tomato 

Mix everything together except the tomato.
Core the tomato and spoon out any seeds.

Fill each cavity with the tuna salad and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve with crackers or Ryvita. 

Enjoy!
 

The Last of the Summer Colors

Summer is officially on its last limb and for many of us, fall has already begun to set in.

Mother Nature beckons us to the season of harvest, where we leave the bright colors behind and embrace the deep, earthy tones of fall. Cooler temperatures threaten the world's garden with frost and we scurry to collect the last edible remnants from our own vegetable plots. Pumpkins will soon line the steps of our front porches and soup will be a welcomed commodity. As we watch the steam rise from sweat-stained jerseys, an extra coat and blanket are necessary to enjoy a local high school football game. No matter how slow we wish time would travel, it continues to pass us by faster than we can even imagine.

Take some time out today and enjoy any remaining signs of summer in your life. Before we know it, the major color to penetrate our eyes will be this one...

I hope to be back tomorrow with yet another food related entry! Til' then!

Do Not Try This At Home

Let's talk about ambition...

Not to be confused with insanity.

Which happens to be the exact behavior that bubbled to the service of my brain two days ago.

Who in their right mind would attempt to create tacos (tortillas, sour cream, salsa, and all) from scratch?

Hi, that's me!

I cannot deny the fact that they turned out amazingly well and tasted far better than tacos containing store-bought ingredients. However, the next time I want to make such an involved dinner, will someone please talk some sense into me? I kid you not, I was in the kitchen for the better part of 3 hours! It is a very good thing I had nothing better to do with my time. Besides, the best part of my day is cooking a wonderful meal for my hard-working hubby. 

 None of the recipes I used where overly difficult, I just had to be prepared for the time-consuming process, which began with tortillas. 

Pioneer Woman kindly allowed me to use her recipe for homemade tortillas. And don't they look scrumptious? My meat-loving man was even enjoying them wrapped around thin air. I don't blame him though, just look at that perfect doughy goodness!

I know what I would do if processed, grocery store tortillas didn't exist!

Next, I endeavored to create the underappreciated and undervalued ingredient in tacos that is sour cream. Did you know you can make sour cream in your own home? I didn't until a couple of days ago. The recipe does require a previously purchased cheese product, unless you make this from scratch too, but I highly discourage anyone from being that crazy all in the span of one day! Three simple ingredients blitzed in the blender till you reach sour cream heaven. One cup of cottage cheese, followed by two tablespoons each of lemon juice and milk; it doesn't get much easier than that.

Homemade salsa is a frequent undertaking among American families each year, but I was not about to break out the canning equipment. I got some ideas from various websites and ultimately decided to throw some ingredients together and hope for the best. 

Guess what?! It worked!

It seems that all my hardwork paid off in the end, because all that remained was the tiniest fluff of parsley, a bit of red bell pepper, and a squirt of spiced oil that dripped vicariously from the end of the tortilla.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

  2-½ cups self-raising flour
½ cups lard
2 tbsp. additional lard
1 cup hot water
 
In a large bowl, add spoonfuls of lard to the flour. Use a pastry cutter or fork to combine the ingredients. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.
Slowly pour in the hot water, stirring to bring the mixture together. Lightly knead the dough 30 to 40 times, or until it becomes a cohesive ball of dough and is less sticky. Cover with a tea towel and allow the dough to rest for at least an hour. 
Roll into ping pong size balls, place on a tray, cover with a tea towel, and allow to rest for another 20-30 minutes.
When you’re ready to make the tortillas, heat a dark or cast iron griddle to medium/medium-high heat. One by one, roll out the balls of dough until very, very thin. Throw the tortillas (one by one) onto the griddle. 
Cook on each side for 20 to 30 seconds, removing while the tortillas are still soft but slightly brown in spots. Remove and stack the tortillas, and cover with a towel to keep warm. Serve immediately or allow to cool before storing the tortillas in a container. To warm, nuke the tortillas in the microwave, or wrap in foil and warm in the oven.

 
Please contact me if you would like any of the other recipes from this post. 

Cherry Blossom Cookies

Speaking of special people in my life (see my previous posting)...

My mom is an angel sent from heaven above!

Just have a look at these darn cookies she sent me... It doesn't get much more perfect than this! I feel like a little girl at Christmas when my amazing momma sends me a package full of goodies, especially homemade goodies!

These cookies are beyond delectable. The texture, flavor, and design is flawless. If God had gotten off his lazy bum and created cookies on the seventh day, these would have been among his recipes! I think God should have spent his time baking on the seventh day, don't you?

Forgive my Catholic opinions, I was raised this way!

Thanks Momma... For raising me the way I am and baking the most amazing cookies ever!

Enjoy the recipe before God strikes me down! 

Cherry Blossom Cookies

Recipe courtesy of My Momma

   1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 tsp. maraschino cherry liquid
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3-4 drops red food coloring
2½ cups flour
½ tsp. salt
½ cup maraschino cherries, drained and finely diced
 1 bag chocolate stars

In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar, butter, cherry liquid, almond extract, and red food coloring. Blend well.
Add the flour and salt, mix well.
Stir in the cherries.
Cover and refridgerate for 1 hour.
Shape the dough into balls and place on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, and bake for 5 minutes more. Remove the cookies from the oven and quickly press a chocolate star into the middle of each one. Return the pans to the oven and bake for 2 more minutes to melt the chocolate.
Cool on wire racks.
Enjoy! 
 

Sweet and Sour Cabbage Alongside Bangers and Mash

Behind every great woman lies an amazing man. 

Or is it behind every great man lies an amazing woman? 

In my case, it is both. Not to brag or anything, but you could call me the luckiest girl this side of the Milky Way. It is soulmate heaven in our little world.

You might just be wondering what on Earth this subject has to do with sweet and sour cabbage! Well it's simple really... a wonderfully beautiful head of red cabbage came in our organic fruit and vegetable box this past week and I found this delectable recipe for which to use it. With no meat in the house (gasp!), it was increasingly difficult for me to find an appropriate dish to prepare alongside the cabbage. And who would eat a bowl of cabbage all on its lonesome for dinner?

I was in a predicament. 

I had nowhere to turn until my devilishly handsome husband stepped into the room. After a quick trip to the local butcher's up the street, he marched into the kitchen and produced the following:

Pork and Leek Bangers and Mash! 

(or Pork and Leek Sausages with Mashed Potatoes, to us Americans present)

Guaranteed, I crafted the wondrously colorful sweet and sour cabbage, but everything else on the plate was courtesy of my muffin baby!

No if's, and's, or but's about it... He is the most wonderful husband any girl could ask for!

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

Recipe adapted from Heidi at Ward Street Bistro

2 tbsp. canola oil
2 shallots, diced
1 red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. salt
fresh parsley to garnish

Place a large pot or a Dutch oven over medium heat. 

Add the canola oil and onion; saute until translucent. 

Add the cabbage, vinegar, sugar, rosemary, and salt. 

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted (about 30 minutes). 

Remove the cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. 

Garnish with fresh parsley.

Pot Roast to Please Any Man

Men love meat.

Beef, pork, lamb, venison, rabbit, chicken, or turkey... You name it, they will usually eat it. 

This is a simple and widely known fact that many women tend to use to their advantage. And why not? If we can make our men happy simply by cooking a bit of meat, then we better make sure our recipe books are stocked full with the appropriate menagerie.

My beloved is a perfect example of the meat-loving man and this pot roast does wonders to satisfy his appetite, as well as his requirements for weekly portions of protein.

Why not try this recipe for the man in your life? Take precautions after his feeding session though, because you never know what you might be in for!

How about a little lovin'?!

Pot roast never fails!

Perfect Pot Roast 

 Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman 

1 whole (4-5 pounds) topside roast
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 whole onions, quartered
6 whole carrots 
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup red wine 
2-3 cups beef stock
3 sprigs fresh thyme
 3 sprigs fresh rosemary

 Generously salt and pepper your roast.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Cut two onions into quarters and the carrots into 2-inch slices (you can peel them, but you don’t have to). When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the onions to brown them. Remove the onions to a plate. 
Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.
If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate. 
With the burner still on high, use either the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up. 
When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan (or transfer the liquid and meat to a casserole dish) and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2-3 cups). Add in the onion and carrots, as well as 3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and  thyme.
Put the lid on securely (use aluminum foil if necessary), then roast in a 275 degree Fahrenheit oven for 6 hours. Check the roast periodically to test for doneness. If the meat is not fork tender, then put it back in the oven for longer. Roasts with more marbling will take less time.