Fresh Apple Cake

As I've said many times before, I'm not really a dessert person. Given a choice of types of food, my preference is always savory. I do, however, like making desserts.

I love the ooooh's and awwww's and Oh My Gawd's when I present a luscious looking dessert like the stunning Oreo Cookie Cake or the decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie or the inviting Strawberry Cake. I know. I admit it's a little egotistical.

This cake is not like that. It's not fancy. It's not decadent. In fact, it's plain, simple and while satisfying to a palate yearning for something sweet, it is less so than other desserts I've made. That's why I loved it.

You could definitely sweeten it up some with a sugary glaze or salted caramel drizzle if you so desire. I didn't. I covered it with a light dusting of powdered sugar and thought it was perfect.


I found this cake at Food52.com, one of my favorite food sites. I followed the recipe exactly, except for one minor detail. I left out the raisins. Why, you ask? I live with a Raisin Squirrel, who is also a Nut Squirrel, a Chip Squirrel, a Pretzel Squirrel...are you getting the picture? It's my husband, Tom. He's the consummate nosher, nibbler, snacker and raisins are one of his favorite little morsels. When he walks through the pantry to the garage, or from the garage through the pantry to the den, he grabs a handful of whatever morsels are stored there, pops them into his cheek and nibbles away at them, one by one. He also is not immune to grabbing a bowl and creating a custom morsel mix for himself to nosh on while he watches a movie.

So, yes, I adapted this recipe slightly. It would probably be a little sweeter with the addition of the raisins, but I didn't miss them. It was still moist and tender and quite luscious.


Fresh Apple Cake
Adapted slightly from Food52.com

• Butter for greasing pan (I use my own Easy Release Pan Coating)
• 3 cups flour, plus more for dusting pan (see above)
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups peeled, cored, and thickly sliced tart apples like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith (I used a large dice)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup raisins (I omitted)
• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter and flour a 9-inch tube pan (or use a pastry brush to apply the Easy Pan Release.

Beat the oil and sugar together for 5 minutes in a stand mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment). While the mixer is working, assemble the remaining ingredients. After about 5 minutes, add the eggs and beat until the mixture is creamy.

Sift together 3 cups of flour, the salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir into the batter. Add the vanilla, apples, walnuts and raisins and stir until combined. The batter will be very thick.

The batter will be thick, so you'll need to drop it into the prepared pan by the spoonful. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven to a rack and cool in the pan before lifting out.

Serve at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Spumoni Cake

Spumoni is Tom's favorite ice cream flavor. Well, except for any combination with peanut butter in it. Anyway, what he loves about spumoni is the nut, cherry and chocolate flavors layered and swirled with each other to create the unique combination, yet retain their own individual flavors. When I saw Katy's Spumoni Cake @ Food for a Hungry Soul, I knew I had to give it a try.

Traditional Italian spumoni is a combination of pistachio ice cream with chopped pistachios, cherry or fruit flavored ice cream with candied cherries or fruits, and chocolate ice cream. Although Katy's recipe calls for an almond flavored cake layer, I decided to stick with the traditional version and use pistachio flavoring and pistachio nuts. However, I didn't have any candied fruit, so I stayed true to Katy's use of maraschino cherries. I think I would like a little stronger maraschino cherry flavor next time, so I ordered a bottle of maraschino cherry flavoring to use next time.

I did not frost the cake, but instead drizzled it with a semisweet chocolate glaze.


The result was a very moist, tender cake that is as tasty as it is festive.



Spumoni Cake
Adapted from Food for a Hungry Soul

• 1 box yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sour cream (I only had "lite" sour cream so that is what I used)
• 1 small box vanilla instant pudding
• 1/3 cup chopped pistachios
• 1/2 teaspoon pistachio flavoring
• 1 - 4 oz. jar of maraschino cherries, drained and roughly chopped
• 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 2 squares semisweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons butter
• red and green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one large tube or bundt pan with cooking spray or oil.

Combine the cake mix, eggs, oil, sour cream and pudding in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed with a hand or stand mixer for about 2 minutes until the batter is thick and smooth.

Put 2 cups of the batter in a smaller bowl. Add the pistachios, pistachio flavoring and 4 to 6 drops of green food coloring. Mix by hand with a rubber spatula until completely combined. Transfer the batter to the bundt pan, smoothing the batter slightly. Wash and dry the bowl and spatula.

Put 2 more cups of the batter into the clean bowl. Add the maraschino cherries and 4 to 6 drops of red food coloring. Again, mix by hand with the clean rubber spatula until completely combined. Layer that batter in the bundt pan on top of the green pistachio batter, being careful not to mix the batters together. Wash and dry the spatula.

In a small bowl, microwave the unsweetened chocolate until it is just melted, checking and stirring every 15 seconds or so. Do not overheat the chocolate as it will become grainy and separate.

Add the melted chocolate to the remaining batter and mix well. Pour the chocolate layer over the cherry layer.

Bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes. Check the cake by inserting a toothpick or small skewer into the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. Cool slightly and invert cake onto a plate.

While cake is still slightly warm, put the semisweet chocolate squares and butter into a small bowl and microwave until it is just melted, checking and stirring every 15 seconds or so until the mixture is smooth. Drizzle over the cake with a spoon.

Oreo Cookie Cake

I came across a recipe for this cake several years ago. It is supposed to be a copycat recipe for a cake that was served at TGI Friday's, but I cannot confirm that. I haven't eaten at TGI Friday's in years and when I did, I only ordered the Asian Chicken Salad. I never looked at the dessert menu.

The recipe includes directions for a homemade chocolate cake, but the cake didn't impress me all that much. So the next time I made it, I substituted a Duncan Hines chocolate fudge cake. The texture was much better.

The cake is a little time-consuming, but it's worth it because it is a stunning presentation. The tricky part is using a long serrated edge knife to cut the cake layers in half horizontally. This video from Zoeybakes.com demonstrates how to accomplish this quickly.

The cookies add that familiar Oreo cookie crunch. The filling is creamy and luscious. One slice is laden with calories, but it's delicious.

I hope you give it try.

Oreo Cookie Cake

• 1 box Duncan Hines chocolate fudge cake, baked according to package directions using 9-inch pans.
• 4 - 1 ounce squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
• 1/4 cup butter
• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 20 Oreo Sandwich Cookies (not Double Stuff), divided

Bake the cake using according to package directions in two 9-inch cake pans. When the cake is done, cool in pans for 5 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, remove the pans and cool the layers completely.

When the cake is cool, crush 12 Oreo cookies into coarse crumbs in a plastic bag Zip-lock type bag. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the whipping cream into soft peaks. Set aside.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in the whipped cream and crushed cookies.

Cut one cake layer in half horizontally. Place one slice on a cake plate and spread with about a quarter of the filling. Place the second slice on top and spread with more filling. Cut the second layer in half and repeat, finishing with a layer of the filling on top of the cake.

Place the chocolate squares and butter in a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, checking and stirring every 30 seconds, until the butter and chocolate are melted and combined. Do not overheat the chocolate. Cool 5 minutes.

Crush the remaining 8 cookies.

Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the crushed cookies while glaze is soft.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

It's Final

There's no going back. The menu is committed to MS Word and printed, with lovely graphics of course.

For appetizers, bite-sized Asian Turkey Meatballs. I found this recipe at Gina's Skinny Recipes and loved them. I made them for the first time and posted the results in March 2010. I've made them many times since then, both for appetizer and entree.

To keep things simple, we will steam some shrimp and serve it with a quick and Remoulade Sauce.

I was going to keep the appetizers down to only two, but I've been wanting to try Suzanne's Cranberry Salsa, so I put that on the appetizer menu as well.

The turkey is in a cooler in the garage submerged in apple cider. Tom will make the stuffing in the morning, but tonight he's going to prepare the mashed potatoes, refrigerate them overnight in a casserole dish and we'll warm them in the oven tomorrow just before dinner.

The turkey giblets will be thrown in a pot of water with some onion, carrot and celery to be simmered all day on the stove. That wonderful turkey stock will be used for my gravy.

Instead of the traditional overly sweet candied sweet potatoes or sweet potato pudding, I'm going to roast chunks of fresh sweet potato with a little butter and a touch of pure maple syrup.

Fresh green beans will not be in the form of a casserole. They will be cooked until just done with bacon and butter. Simple, easy, delicious. I don't know why I never thought of cooking them that way, but I guess you have to have the vast experience of the chef who introduced me to them ~ my niece's husband, who is a chef and culinary instructor in southern California.

We may not have green bean in casserole form, but we will have casseroles of sorts. First, my son Mike's recipe for Cauliflower Gratin, which combines cauliflower with cream and copious amounts of Parmesan, mozzarella and goat cheeses for one of the best gratins I've ever eaten.

The second casserole is Marie's Parmesan Roasted Onions. To. Die. For. Honestly.

I don't like canned cranberry sauce. But I saw David Hahn, a filmmaker, on some cooking show a few years back promoting Cranberry Fool, a cranberry topping that he and his wife use to make and gave as gifts. Since he was trying sell his new product, he didn't give the recipe, but the ingredients are listed on the jar: cranberries, cherries, currants, raisins, vanilla and NO SUGAR, although I do add about 1/2 cup. How hard is that? I think his product contains fresh cherries, but we obviously can't get them year round, so I use dried cherries. I've made it ever since in place of cranberry sauce and I've even added candied jalapenos and served it over cream cheese as an appetizer. Pretty darn yummy...and I don't care for cream cheese.

We cannot have Thanksgiving dinner without rolls. I found the recipe for Sweet Potato Buttermilk Dinner Rolls at Pinch My Salt in 2008 and made them for Thanksgiving that year, too. They are absolutely delicious.

Finally, for dessert I am making Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake that I saw at The Pastry Affair. The recipe calls for 3 teaspoons of espresso powder, but I already know I'm probably going to use a little bit more.

Here's the menu in a more formal state:

I have a lot of prep work to do, so I better get started. I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday weekend filled with fun, love and good food! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Candied Jalapenos and My Thanksgiving Menu

In my last post I said I would post the recipe for the candied jalapenos that I used in the Vietnamese Slaw and on the Pork Banh Mi Sandwich. We love these at our house. We use them for everything, from salsa to topping sandwiches. I took a jar to my son's house and they were a hit there as well. I've known folks who just chop up a few, mix them with cream cheese and serve it on crackers.

The recipe is the lazy person's method and has only three ingredients: a jar of pickled jalapenos, sugar and a touch of alum (which is optional). No picking jalapenos from the garden. No slicing. That's all done for you.

I buy the pickled jalapenos in the 64-oz. jar, so that's the amount I will use for the recipe. If you decided to use a smaller jar, just reduce the amount of sugar and alum by the same ratio.

You should keep the Candied Jalapenos in the refrigerator. Fair warning: they won't last long!

Candied Jalapenos

• 1 - 64-oz. jar pickled jalapenos
• 2-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon alum

Drain the liquid from the jar of peppers into a non-reactive pan. Add the sugar to the pan with the liquid and bring the mixture to a full boil. The sugar she be completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in alum. Allow the liquid to cool for 30 minutes.

Pour the cooled liquid back into the jar with the peppers. Do not allow to overflow. If there is any liquid remaining in the pan, discard it. Screw the lid back on the jar and refrigerate for a few days. Keep refrigerated.

That's it. I told you it was the lazy person's method.

Now, I'm already planning for Thanksgiving dinner. I think Tom's sister and brother-in-law will be coming, depending on their travel schedule, but whether we have company or not, we will have the traditional roast turkey, stuffing and gravy.

It's the rest of the meal I'd like to change up some.

Let's start with appetizers. First of all, I will make mini-sized Asian Turkey Meatballs. And a few days I saw a recipe for Baked Brie Bites @ Plain Chicken and I think I'd like to give those a whirl sometime before Thanksgiving, but they sound yummy without all of fuss of an En Croute.

The main course will, of course, be roast turkey, but I will put it in an apple cider brine the day before. The bird will be stuffed with a traditional bread stuffing, but Tom likes to add some fruit as well, like chopped apples and dates, along with the onions and celery. When we put the bird in the oven, I put the giblets and neck in a pot of water with some onion, carrot and celery and, when we are ready to serve, I make a gravy with the rich turkey broth.

I feel like switching up the side dishes this year. We usually make the traditional mashed potatoes, but I made Parisian Potatoes last month and I think I'll make them instead of mashed potatoes this year.


Not wanting to stray too far away from the traditional, green beans will still be on the menu, but not in the form of a casserole. A few years ago at a family reunion, my niece's husband made the tastiest green beans I've ever eaten. The dish consisted of simply fresh green beans, crisped bacon and butter, all of which were cooked together until the green beans were tender. Amazing.

A couple of years ago, I visited Marie @ Proud Italian Cook and copied her recipe for Parmesan Roasted Onions. They are rich, savory, creamy and delicious. And even if I'm the only one who eats them, they will be served Thanksgiving Day.

It's hard to decide what to do with a sweet potato. I'm not fond of the overly sweet candied sweet potato, nor do I care for the grated sweet potato casserole I've made the last 3 or 4 years. I'm thinking of roasting sweet potato rounds or wedges this year.

Of course, I will have my version of Cranberry Fool, a cranberry sauce made with fresh cranberries, a little sugar, dried cherries, raisins with a touch of vanilla.

For dessert, I am making a Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake posted at The Pastry Affair

I don't think anyone will leave hungry.

What are you serving for Thanksgiving dinner?



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Chocolate Flan Cake

Flan is a creamy, soft custard baked on top of a layer of sugar syrup that has been cooked to the caramel stage. It is baked in a water bath and when served, the custard is turned out of the ramekin onto a plate and the caramel becomes the topping.

There is not an ounce of cream cheese in an authentic Flan recipe, nor would any self-respecting Mexican cook use a jar of cajeta (pronounced kah-Heh-tah) or Smuckers Caramel in which to bake her authentic Flan, but for the purposes of this recipe I will call it Flan and I will also use cajeta.

Now that we know what this recipe isn't, let's begin with what it is: A thick-ish layer of caramel poured into the bottom of a bundt pan, over which is poured a prepared chocolate fudge cake and then a blender-ful of three milks, eggs, cream cheese and vanilla is poured into the cake mix, then it's baked in a water bath for two hours. The cake rises through the flan to become the base of the cake and when the cake is done it is inverted onto a serving plate with the caramel bathing the flan and the cake.

It's simple to make. It's impressive to serve. It's rich, creamy, velvety, chocolatey and caramely, and once your guests starting eating the cake, your dining room will be silent save for an occasional mmmmmmmm, ooohhhhhhh and aaahhhhh.

This is, without a doubt, the cake most requested by my dinner guests and the tendency for the flan to crack has never dissuaded anyone from eating their portion.




There are a couple of things you should know before you begin.

First, be sure your bundt pan will comfortably hold 12 cups. This cake will ultimately almost fill the entire pan.

Second, before measuring the Cajeta, spray the inside of your measuring cup with cooking spray. It will release the Cajeta easier. Also, although many recipes list Smuckers Caramel Sauce as a substitute, I have always used Cajeta.

Third, your serving plate must have a slight rim or you will have caramel spilling off the plate all over your counter. You don't want to waste an ounce of that caramel.




Chocolate Flan Cake

• 1 box chocolate fudge cake mix (I use Duncan Hines), plus the ingredients to prepare the cake mix according to package directions
• 1-1/3 cups Cajeta or Smuckers Caramel
• 1 - 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 - 12 ounce can evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 - 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 5 eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°

Spray a 12-cup bundt pan generously with cooking spray and pour the caramel topping evenly into the bottom of the pan.

Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions and pour the batter into the pan on top of the caramel.




To make the flan, pour the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and whole milk into a blender and add the cream cheese, vanilla and eggs. Blend until smooth, being careful to start the blender at a slower speed and gradually increase it as your blender will be pretty full. Pour the flan mixture slowly over the cake batter.




Spray the underside of a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray, cover the pan and seal tightly around the edges and center with your fingers.




Set the bundt pan into a large pan (like a lasagna pan) and put in the oven. Pour hot water into the larger pan so that the bundt pan is sitting in about 2-inches of water.

Bake for two hours. Carefully remove the cake pan from the water bath to a rack and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Peel off the aluminum foil.




Invert the cake on to a large plate. The caramel will flow down the sides of the flan cake. Cool, then refrigerate.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Why oh why do I continue to bake such sweet morsels. It's a very bad habit. But I just can't seem to help myself. When I see something ooey and gooey and nutty and sugary, I just have to bake it to see if it tastes as good as it looks.

Mostly, I'm a little disappointed. Usually the photo is better than the real thing. This recipe is an exception.

If you're looking for a sugar rush that will make your eyes roll back in their sockets and produce a near coma, all you'll need is a 3-inch by 3-inch square piece of this cake. Coupled with a cup of strong French roast coffee, you might survive without any remaining side effects.

But then you will go back for more. You see, because you won't be able to help yourself. It's sweet alright, but it's cakey and smooth and buttery and a little nutty and a little spicy and oh so ooey and gooey, all at the same time.

I did not share this cake....and I share almost all of what I bake. Most of the time, I am satisfied to merely try one serving of whatever is the pastry of the day, then I pack up the rest and head for a neighbor's house, any neighbor, to get rid of the cake, or pie or cookies or bars so I can move on to try the next luscious, delectable recipe.

After one piece of this cake and about ten Oh My God's, we cut it into 2-inch squares, wrapped them in plastic wrap and stuck them, selfishly, into the freezer. My neighbors did not receive one morsel.

I baked this cake back in August. Last night, Tom ate the last piece. I'll make another one next week and give it to the neighbors. Maybe.

The cake is relatively simple to make. All you do is mix up the cake batter and pour into 9-by-13-inch pan. Then mix up the topping and drop it as evenly as possible over the cake batter.



Then you run a knife through the clumps of topping and the batter to swirl the topping throughout and bake. When the cake comes out of the oven and cools a bit, drizzle the glaze all over the warm cake.



And, voila! You have a cake that smells and tastes like an ooey gooey cinnamon roll.



Just remember to tell your loved ones not to be alarmed if they find you slumped unconscious on the couch. It's merely your body shutting down peripheral functions in order to transform the sugar and butter into energy and you'll be fine by morning.

Cinnamon Roll Cake
Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

For the Cake:

• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

For the Topping:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar (I used light brown sugar) 
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans (I used pecan chips)

For the Glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the cake batter first. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. With an electric or stand mixer, add the milk, eggs and vanilla to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until fully combined and smooth. Mix in the 1/2 cup of melted butter until combined, then pour the batter into a well greased 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan.

Make the cinnamon topping by combining the 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and pecans in a medium sized bowl until well combined. The consistency will be similar to a paste. Drop tablespoons of the mixture evenly over the cake batter. Use a knife to swirl/marble the topping mixture through the cake batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes (mine took 32 minutes) or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean from the center. It may have some melted sugar on the toothpick, but not cake batter. When done, remove from the oven to a rack to cool.

Make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.

Orange Dreamsicle Cake

First, I would like to thank my foodie friend, Alison of Wish Upon a Chef for turning me on to this recipe.

As noted in her blog post, this recipe is not for purists. It contains two highly processed ingredients: a boxed cake mix and a box of bright colored jello. If these ingredients make your nose curl in disgust, simply hit your back button. I won't be offended.

However, if your response to those ingredients is something along the lines of, Well, that's sounds somewhat interesting. Please continue, well, stick around.

One of those highly processed, pre-packaged ingredients is a box of Duncan Hines Orange Supreme Cake Mix. To be able to acquire a box of this specific cake mix, you must be lucky enough to live in a part of the country where this cake mix is readily available. I'm not. I have never been able to find this product in Conway, Arkansas, where I live.

But I loved the idea of making a cake that is reminiscent of the orange sherbet and vanilla 50-50 ice cream bar I used to buy from the guy who drove the ice cream truck through our neighborhood every summer afternoon during my childhood in the 1950's. So, since Alison's post over two years ago, I made sure to visit every grocery store in every city I've visited since then to see if I could find the elusive cake mix. I struck gold....er, orange....during a visit to my son's house in Savannah just before he moved to Florida almost a year ago and I bought two boxes. They've been sitting in my pantry ever since then.

It's been hot here...hot and sunny...which reminds me of growing up in Fresno, California, where temperatures reach well above 100 degrees daily all summer long, and I've been thinking about those 50-50 bars....and Alison's cake.

Alison adds flaked coconut to her icing and I did, too, but when I make it again, I think I'll leave it out. I love the creamy, silky vanilla icing in concert with the sweet orange of the cake and I thought the coconut was more of a distraction than an enhancement.

I also baked my cake in two 9" round cake pans instead of baking the cake in a 13" X 9" rectangle pan, mostly because the only plate I have large enough to hold a rectangle that size is a cookie sheet and...well...presentation IS everything and I'm just not a beautiful-cake-on-an-old-cookie-sheet kinda gal.

Orange Dreamsicle Cake
by Alison @ Wish Upon a Chef

PRINTABLE RECIPE

For the cake:

• 1 box Duncan Hines Orange Supreme Cake Mix
• 1-1/4 cups orange juice
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 small box orange jello
• 3 eggs

For the icing:

• 8 ounces heavy whipping cream
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1-1/4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
• 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes (I will leave this out next time)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9"X13" baking pan or spray with cooking spray.

Pour all cake ingredients into a bowl and mix well (about 3 to 4 minutes). Pour batter evenly into prepared baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before icing. (Alison's note: You can leave the cake in the pan and ice only the top, but I like to turn it out onto a cakeboard and slather a ton of icing on the top and sides)

For the icing: Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. While you continue to mix, slowly add the orange juice and confectioner's sugar whipping into to stiffer peaks.

Place the sour cream and coconut in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Gently fold the whipped cream into the coconut mixture until just combined. Smooth over cake and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Roasted Potato Salad and Date Pudding Cobbler

After the whirlwind month of May, I'm back from vacation.

I spent a week on Anna Maria Island (Florida) with my youngest son's family, a week in the San Francisco Bay Area with my oldest son's family and a weekend in Fayetteville for my nephew's wedding. My trips included 5 days of driving and 3 days of flying, one of my flight days interrupted by flight cancellations due to weather. Whew!

It was a great vacation, but I'm glad to be home and back in the kitchen.

I made these ribs for dinner last night and served them with a Roasted Potato Salad and a simple tomato, cucumber, onion and artichoke heart salad marinated in a vinaigrette.

While I was in Florida, my son made his delicious version of potato salad. As he was putting it together, he called out the ingredients as I quickly noted them in my iPhone. I've already made this salad twice since then -- once while in San Francisco and again for last evening's dinner.

When I was in local grocery store on Tuesday, I picked up a bag of beautiful purple potatoes and used them with the Yukon gold potatoes called for in the recipe.

For this salad, the potatoes are roasted instead of boiled and the dressing is a cross between a mayonnaise and vinaigrette -- a little creamy, a little tangy but with a little bite. And, of course, you can't go wrong with bacon.



Chris' Roasted Potato Salad
PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

• 7 small to medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 5 green onions, sliced thin
• 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease)
• 1 small container crumbled Blue cheese

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used reduced fat)
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1-1/2 teaspoons grated prepared horseradish
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon reserved bacon grease

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the cut up potatoes in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle lightly with the salt and pepper. Mix until all the potatoes are lightly covered.

Place the potatoes in an even layer on a large cookie sheet and bake 35 to 40 minutes until done. You should be able to easily pierce the potato with a fork. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

While the potatoes are roasting, fry the bacon until crisp (I cut up the strips of bacon before frying). Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel, reserving bacon grease.

To make the dressing, put all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well until smooth.

Place the cooled potatoes in a large bowl. Add the cooked and crumbled bacon, green onions and crumbled blue cheese and toss to combine. Add the dressing and toss the salad until all the ingredients are coated well.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.



The Date Pudding Cobbler isn't really a pudding or a cobbler. It's a very moist, gooey cake-like concoction.

I was looking for something tasty for last night's dessert, but I didn't want to run to the store for anything, so I started scouring my cookbooks and recipes for something that would use what I already had on hand. I already had the staples: flour, brown sugar, baking powder, etc. I had some medjool dates leftover from when I made these scones and a few walnut pieces. And there was an unopened tub of Cool Whip in the freezer. Cool.

I used all of my remaining medjool dates, which measured just over 1 cup after seeding and chopping. That was the only change I made to the recipe.



Date Pudding Cobbler
PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon cold butter
• 1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
• 3/4 cup chopped dates (I used just a little over 1 cup)
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (I think pecans would be good, too)
• 1 cup water
• Whipped cream or Cool Whip and ground cinnamon if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with butter or cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar and the baking powder with a whisk. Cut in the butter until it is crumbly.

Add the dates and walnuts and toss to combine.

Gradually add the milk a little at a time mixing until combined.

In a saucepan, combine the water and remaining 1 cup brown sugar and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the date mixture and mix well (the batter will be thin).

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes (mine took 40 minutes) or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool.

Cut into squares and serve topped with a little whipped cream or Cool Whip and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Spicy Grilled Shrimp, Garlic Scallion Noodles and a Cake to Die For

I think easy, simple dishes are the best.

A few spices can make a plain shrimp explode with flavor. A couple of common ingredients can make plain ole pasta almost addictive.

We've been making this shrimp for years. Generally we grill it, but it is equally good quickly sautéed in a frying pan.

I found the noodles from a post by Jaden @ Steamy Kitchen. Jaden describes this dish as "crack in noodle form." Yes, they are that good.

I've changed her recipe a bit. Jaden's original recipe uses Chinese egg noodles, but I simplified it by using angel hair pasta. I also added some julienned carrot and celery to the dish for a more flavor dimension and texture.

Then there is dessert. This doctored up store-bought yellow cake will make you want to hide it from your kids so you can eat the whole thing yourself.

So let's get started with dinner, shall we?

Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Asian Dipping Sauce

• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1-1/4 pound jumbo shrimp (21-25 per pound), shells removed but tails left on
• 5 -6 bamboo skewers

Place the bamboo skewers in a baking dish, cover with water and allow to sit until you are ready to skewer the shrimp.

In a small bowl, combine the red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, oil, salt & pepper and mix well.

Put the shrimp in a medium bowl, pour the marinade over the shrimp and mix well to coat the shrimp. Cover and refrigerate for 1/2 hour.

After 1/2 hour, remove the shrimp from the refrigerator and put 4 to 5 shrimp on each skewer. Set aside.

Heat your grill to high. When it’s hot, oil the grill with several layers of paper towel saturated with vegetable oil. Turn the grill down to about 350 degrees, and place the skewered shrimp on the grill, cooking no more than 2 minutes on each side.

When done, remove from grill and serve immediately with Asian Dipping Sauce.

Asian Dipping Sauce:

• 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 green onion, finely minced

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve.

PRINT THE RECIPE: Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Asian Dipping Sauce



Garlic Scallion Noodles
Inspired by Jaden @ Steamy Kitchen

• 1/2 package of angel hair pasta
• 1/4 cup julienned carrots (about 1-inch long) or pre-packaged matchstick carrots
• 1/4 cup julienned celery (about 1-inch long)
• 1/4 cup scallions (green onions), chopped fine
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce (or, if you don't have it, you can substitute soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 3 tablespoons butter (I use Smart Balance)

Cook the angel hair pasta in boiling water until just about a minute from doneness. Drain and set aside.

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large saute pan, then add the carrot and celery and saute for about a minute. Reduce the heat to low and add the scallions and garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the brown sugar, fish sauce (or soy sauce) and oyster sauce to the pan and mix well until the brown sugar is melted and combined with the other ingredients.

Add the pasta to the pan and cook about two minutes, mixing well with the sauce until the noodles are completely covered.

Serve hot.

PRINT RECIPE HERE: Garlic Scallion Noodles



This cake calls for a can of cream of coconut. It looks like this...



Coconut Tres Leches Cake
Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe (www.melskitchencafe.com)

For the cake:

• 1 boxed yellow cake mix

For the milk syrup:

• 1 can (15 oz.) cream of coconut
• 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Garnishes:

• 2 medium ripe bananas
• Whipped cream
• 1 cup sweetened flake coconut, toasted (spread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 7 minutes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly spray a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Mix the cake mix and bake according to the box directions.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool completely, about 1 hour.

While cake is cooling, make the syrup. In a blender, combine the cream of coconut, evaporated milk, cream and vanilla and process until smooth.

Pierce the top of cooled cake all over with the tines of a fork or a wooden skewer. Be generous. The more holes, the more the syrup will soak into the cake. With a spoon, started ladling the syrup over the cake. When the syrup begins to puddle, stop and allow the syrup to soak into the cake. Continue in this fashion until you have used all the syrup. You may still have some puddling on top of the cake. That's okay.

Cover the cake and refrigerate until all the syrup is completely absorbed, about 2 hours.

To serve, cut the cake in squares and top with whipped cream, banana slices and toasted coconut.

PRINT THE RECIPE HERE: Coconut Tres Leche Cake

All You Food Purists, Please Move Along....There's Nothing to See Here. Move Along Now.

Between you and me, this recipe is not for our food purist friends. It calls for two package mixes - cake and instant pudding, both of which are enough to send a purist screaming from the kitchen.

Although I generally prefer to use fresh ingredients and make dishes from scratch, when a recipe has worked very well for a number of years...and, of course, the ingredients don't put your life or well-being in danger...I say, why change it?

I've been making this cake since the early 1970's when I received the recipe from a friend and co-worker. The cake is so flavorful, it stands, undressed, on its own merits very well so I used to just finish it off with a dusting of powdered sugar. But several years ago I decided a chocolate glaze would be even better and I was right.

This is a rich, dense, moist and very chocolaty cake that's easy to make and freezes well. I usually cut the cake into quarters and freeze three of the pieces for a later date.

Triple Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze
by Terri Powers for Terri's Table

• 1 - 18.25 ounce packaged devil's food or chocolate fudge cake mix (I prefer to use the chocolate fudge cake mix)
• 1 - 5.9 ounce package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream (I used low-fat)
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, gently beaten
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 - 1 ounce squares semisweet baking chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare a bundt pan by wiping generously with shortening, butter or vegetable oil or spraying with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, dump the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, eggs and water together. Mix well with an electric mixer on medium until completely combined and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour into prepared bundt pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool the cake thoroughly before glazing.

For the glaze:

Put the butter and baking chocolate squares into a small microwavable bowl and heat on high in the microwave, checking and stirring every 15 seconds, until just melted and chocolate and butter are combined and smooth. While the glaze is hot, drizzle over the top of the cake, allowing the glaze to run down in inside and outside of the cake. Allow the glaze to cool completely, cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

PRINT THE RECIPE HERE

Ardyce's Fruit Cocktail Cake

I'm not much of a dessert lover. I especially shy away from foods that are exceptionally sweet, like pecan pie or brownies. I know, I'm weird, but just the thought of putting all that sugar in my mouth makes my teeth hurt. I much prefer a fairly light dessert like a sorbet, flan or a soft and luscious creme brulee.

However, I made an exception to my own self-imposed rule for this wonderful cake...



Ardyce, my friend and former co-worker, brought this cake to a potluck when we both worked at the local university. I hesitated to try it because it looked ooey-gooey-sweet...not my cup of tea at all. But Ardyce tried and loved what I brought to the table, so I felt compelled to reciprocate. I'm glad I did.

This cake is sort of a cross between a cake and bar. It's super moist, chock full of fruits; it's tender, but dense, and topped with a mixture of brown sugar, chopped nuts and coconut.

Last week, when I was craving something really tasty for dessert and went searching for a recipe that would inspire me, I came across Ardyce's recipe.

I had my piece of cake with a little bit of ice cream (low sugar & fat, just because), but it's delicious all by itself.

Ardyce's Fruit Cocktail Cake
adapted from a recipe by Ardyce Coffey

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 pinches of salt
• 2 - 15 ounce cans of fruit cocktail with syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts, but you could also use pecans)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with oil, Crisco or cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, soda and salt with a small whisk to combine. To the dry mixture add the fruit cocktail (syrup and all) and eggs...


...and beat to combine with a hand or stand mixer. Pour into the well greased baking pan.



In a small bowl, mix the chopped nuts, brown sugar and coconut. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter.



Bake the cake for about 45 minutes or until done. Remember, the cake will be very moist. And, don't be alarmed if the brown sugar does not fully caramelize at first. The moistness of the cake will eventually dissolve the brown sugar.



Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

The only sure thing about luck is that it will change. ~ Wilson Mizner

I am hoping that is true because I've had a string of bad cooking luck lately and I would like for it to change.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a blog post for recipe for Banana Chocolate Cake. It looked great and I had some bananas on the verge, so I made it. I wound up throwing it away. It was like eating a sponge.

Then we found a source (foodies have "sources" in Arkansas because we have to) for soft shell crabs so we could make my favorite dish from Mike's Place, Tilapia Ponchetrain.



It wasn't quite as good as Mike's (too much corn meal, I think), but we have a freezer full of soft shell crabs.

For Easter, I bake a wonderful Orange Dreamsicle Cake. I got the recipe from Alison's blog, Someone's in the Kitchen. It turned out really good, even though I couldn't find the Orange Supreme cake mix and had to improvise. But the only photo I got was this one...



The last lonely piece of cake taken with a camera that was on the fritz. GRRRR! And, it was a beautiful cake, too.

A couple of weeks ago, while folding laundry, I was watching Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network and caught the end of a dessert she was preparing, Couer a la Creme. I looked up the recipe and was so disappointed when I learned it was made primarily with cream cheese. Now, I'm not a cream cheese lover. I don't even like cheese cake all that much, so I scoured the internet for another recipe that called for ricotta cheese. I used the lemon zest and vanilla bean just as Ina's recipe called for and I also made her Raspberry Sauce (which was out-of-this-world delicious). But, the Couer a la Creme...well, that is another story...which began with my quest to find a Couer a la Creme mold (Huh? was the most common response to my inquiries) and ended with using these small plastic colanders I finally found at Target...

The final result tasted good, but the texture was just too soft.



Then there was my Italian Cheese Bread. It is delicious, but the photo is so washed out that the color resembles my white thighs in the winter. Ick!



And, finally, the Thai Seafood Chowder I got from the Bon Appetit website. I spent $13 on scallops. We couldn't find mussels, so we bought clams (another $10). And I used about $6 worth of shrimp. I had never ventured much into Thai cuisine and used only minute amounts of Thai green curry paste in other dishes, but I was willing to give the 6 TABLESPOONS!!! the recipe called for a good ole college try. I tasted the broth as I was cooking and it was so hot and spicy that I added an additional can of coconut milk to cool it down some, but it was still too hot.



Neither Tom or I could tolerate the level of heat. We threw the chowder away and Tom went to Shorty Small's for burgers.

So what's next? Well, I have made a couple of things that turned out great which I will post at another time, but a little culinary good luck would be in order, don't you think?