Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream and Sprinkles!

Yep....I discovered tonight that it takes roughly the same amount of time to make a yellow cake from scratch that it does to make one from a box.  It tastes better too.  I don't think I will ever be buying box cake mix again.

I used a recipe from the traditional Good Housekeeping cookbook.  It was simple and fast.  I did add the remaining leftover Christmas sprinkles on top! I was trying to empty the bottle so I could throw it away and not feel guilty!

On top is some homemade buttercream!  I NEVER buy store bought frosting as this recipe is super easy! No measuring just lots of tasting until it is just right.  All that is in it is melted butter (REAL butter), vanilla, milk, powdered sugar and cocoa.  Easy and delicious.

Okay, I know this entry will sound weird.  I am tired but I am very, very happy I got to go to Wednesday night service tonight.  Our pastor is pretty amazing.  His lesson tonight was great and I will post about it tomorrow when my eyes are not trying to force themselves closed on me!

GOODNIGHT!!

PS....lots of prayers to my sister in law Susan as she recovers from an illness! I love you Curly Sue!

Unused grape tomatoes equals relish?

It has been a very busy week for me! I started a part time job working from home on top of my full time job outside the home, plus taking care of my family and my other obligations! WHEW!

I was unable to make dinner last night but was determined it was going to happen tonight.  I did NOT want to go to the grocery store so I did what I always do and stood in the kitchen looking at what I had to determine what I could come up with.  Fortunately with some forethought during my grocery store shopping last week, I had some Polska Kielbasa in the fridge already! I decided to mix up a batch of Red Beans and Rice again!

I started with the usual ingredients of chopped onion, chopped and smashed garlic cloves and some olive oil.  That went into my frying pan while my rice was boiling happily away.  I sliced my kielbasa and threw it in the skillet along with a can (don't faint people....I have discovered I LIKE canned beans and they are SO much easier than having to make them from dried....my mother would shoot me!) of red kidney beans that I rinsed first.  In went the rice, some Kitchen Bouquet, chipotle chili powder, Soul Seasoning, fresh ground pepper and sea salt.

As that was perking along on the stove I noticed I had a container of grape tomatoes that were going to go bad very soon if I did not use them.  I almost threw them in with the red beans and rice but my middle daughter convinced me that would be a bad idea.  I decided I had to use them so why not a little relish on the side?  I chopped them in half and tossed them in a bowl with some more smashed garlic (I swear I smell so Italian right now!), some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dried basil, dried oregano and some more chipotle chili powder.  I served it along side my rice and beans.  Well....at least that was the intent.  I ended up mixing  a rather large spoonful into my rice and beans! It was good but I have to admit my daughter was right, it would have been weird if I had thrown them into the mix.

Now I am off to finish up my part-time work so that I can go to bed! I have been staying up past midnight the last two nights in a row and still getting up at 5:30 in the morning.  I am not as young as I used to be so I better knock that off right now.

NIGHT!!!

Potatoes, Parrots and other GREEN things

Tonight's dinner was cube steak, baked potatoes and corn.  I wanted REAL steak but feeding a family of five + one requires some frugalness!  I needed steak as I have been dying to make a chimichurri sauce ever since I had it at a restaurant. And I must say, it turned out beautifully!

This is what I did:

(1) large bunch of cilantro, stems chopped off
(1) large bunch of Italian parsley, stems chopped off
(3) cloves of garlic, chopped and smashed
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
water

I do not own a food processor.  If I did, I definitely would have used it!  I put the most of it in my Kitchen Aid blender.  I added the garlic and then (1) tablespoon of the oil, vinegar and water.  I pulsed it for a minute then continued to add the liquid ingredients a tablespoon at a time until I got a smooth-like consistency.

I then transferred the ingredients to a bowl and let sit and "marry" while my son (God bless him) went outside in the 29 degree cold weather on the back porch to grill my steaks! He put the fire pit on to keep his backside warm while the front side of him was kept warm by the grill! It was not too bad for him out there!

I guess by now you are wondering where the potatoes and parrots come in, right?  We had one baked potato left over after dinner.  Our parrot LOVES potatoes!  I cut open the potato and put it in his cage where he happily proceeded to eat it.  He is such a goof ball.

Dinner was successful overall.  There was no steak or chimichurri left over. And the last potato went to the parrot!  This is a picture of me and Louie! My lovable, crazy Yellow Naped Amazon Parrot!

Red Beans and Rice

Okay....right out of the box I will admit this is not the best picture I could have taken.  It is dark.  That is because instead of taking it with my awesome camera, I took it with my yucky phone that does not have a flash.  BUT in my defense, teenagers were hovering and I knew if I did not snap a picture soon that it would be gone.

This was tonight's dinner.  I was sad.  I was not sure what to do but I knew I needed to make dinner.  I leaned back to my favorite and busted out the rice.  As the rice boiled away nicely, I chopped up two medium sized sweet onions and about eight cloves of garlic.  I threw the onions and garlic into my large skillet with some olive oil to get all soft and yummy.  While the onions got tender I chopped up a large package of Andouille sausage.  I added this to the pan.  Of course, the next item to hit the pan was some of my favorite Soul Seasoning and then the Chipotle chili powder. I really love this stuff and it is worth every penny!

Next I added a rinsed can of red kidney beans.  Rice was finished so it was dumped next into my large skillet where the onions, garlic and sausage were cooking.  I mixed it well and through in a healthy dose of Kitchen Bouquet and stirred well.

Now, I know that the above is not some Cajun secret recipe for red beans and rice.  It was mostly just me doing what I do best:  going into the kitchen and throwing stuff into a pot and making dinner!

It turned out well!! And, quite frankly, I don't think I have ever tasted authentic red beans and rice anyway!

Meatloaf two ways

Tonight my sweet husband requested meatloaf.  I had not made it in quite some time!  Most of my family does not like it with the ketchup baked on top but that is my favorite! I decided to accommodate both of us!

The meatloaves started out with the same basic ingredients.  I went to Harris Teeter today and purchased approximately three pounds of a meatloaf mixture:  ground chuck (poor chuck), ground veal and ground pork.  To this mixture I added two chopped sweet onions, one full sleeve of saltine crackers that I had crushed (great stress reliever!) and two raw eggs (cracked, shells discarded of course!).  I also added some freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, Soul Seasoning and garlic powder.  I mixed it together with the two BEST utensils God gave us (my hands). 

After the meatloaf was mixed well, I made four medium sized loaves into two pans.  To two of  the loaves, I poured on the ketchup! I love ketchup baked on my meatloaf! The other two I added two strips of uncooked turkey bacon to the top.  Into a 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes they went!

While the meatloaf baked, I peeled potatoes and made mashed potatoes (or as I call them:  mash-a-taters) and also made some mixed veggies.  

Tonight's dinner had to feed two adults and five teenagers.  Fortunately, there was enough.  I am grateful that God has blessed me with so much.  May I never take it for granted.

Time to go do some laundry so that I can be respectable for church tomorrow! Make sure you say your prayers and get ready and go! Do not forsake your fellowship needs!

Talk to you soon!! :)  

PS...I would love to hear from you! I know I have quite a few readers that are not in America.  Please let me know what you think and if you have any recipes to share. I can't wait to hear from you!

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Monday was my boss's birthday so I needed to make him a cake to bring to work!  I looked through the Cook's Country cookbook but was easily frustrated.  That book requires too many special gadgets and I have been very disappointed by it.

The cookbook I turned to is "Perfect Cakes" by Nick Malgieri.

The recipe was very easy.  The hardest part of the recipe was waiting for the eggs to come to room temperature.  I was determined to follow the recipe exactly so I waited.  And it did make a difference.  I was actually surprised at how much looser the eggs were when they were not cold anymore. I also liked the fact that it took 3 1/2 sticks of butter!  The only thing that I did not add to the recipe was the walnuts.  I had to keep nuts out of the recipe for allergy reasons.

The cake was perfect.  The tunnel of fudge was just that....all yummy and fudgy.  The pile of chocolate you see in the middle is where I poured the extra glaze into the middle...no sense in wasting good chocolate.

The cake was a big success.  All the boys loved it.  It was definitely very, very rich as all chocolate should be.  I recommend it.  It was so much better than what comes out of a box!!  If you want the recipe, let me know!

My OCD Dog

I would like to introduce you to Buttercup or as my kids have re-named him, Humperdink.  He goes to work with me almost everyday.  His bed (or should I call it his throne?) sits on my desk (I have a HUGE desk).  When the UPS driver comes, he always gives Buttercup a bone.  I feel kind-of guilty about it because Buttercup never eats them! He just likes to line them up and "bury" them in the edges of his bed.

One of my co-workers likes to move the bones out when Buttercup is laying down and stack them on his belly.  Buttercup is a good dog and does not snap over food (fortunately for my co-worker!) but just lays there and looks very, very annoyed.

I could not resist sharing....I mean, it kind-of is about food...DOG food.  I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into my office life!

I will be posting again soon when I begin my first recipe from my Cook's Country cookbook!

Take care and God bless you!

2013 Goal

My cookings has been sliding off into the awful lately.  I am not exactly sure why.  Is it this constant headache that never goes away? Is it the stress? I have no idea.  I am looking to cure that however.  Last year I got "The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook" from the Editors at America's Test Kitchen.

This cookbook has 2000 recipes in it.  I have decided to try and tackle at least three recipes a week and follow it exactly.  I have a bad habit of going "off the rails" when using recipes.  This time, I will follow it to the letter!  I am a little nervous.  Quite frankly, I have NEVER bought a shallot in my entire life.  I am not even sure what to look for.  Hopefully by the end of the year I will have picked up some new techniques and habits.  Otherwise, I may have to surrender my cooking duties.

I will keep you posted on what I cook.  Who knows, maybe one day I can get the chef's to visit my little Harley Davidson kitchen?!

Although I shudder to think what Mr. Kimball and Mr.Bishop will think of the contents of my pantry? I know for sure Mr. Kimball would be appalled by the appearance of regular canned tomato soup in there! 

Here's to 2013! May our cooking and baking ever be better!!!!!!
God bless you!