t o m a t o e s & t e q u i l a

3/4 pound spinach linguine or whole-wheat spaghetti(I used whole wheat which add to the nuttiness of the peanuts)
2 cups (about 9 ounces) broccoli florets
2 cups (about 6 ounces) snow peas, trimmed
2 cups (about 6 ounces) sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 scallion, cut into pieces
3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated (I used powdered dry ginger and it worked great as well)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts

Cook the pasta in a large pot of water according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. While the pasta is cooking put the broccoli in a steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water and steam it for 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and sugar snap peas and steam for 2 minutes more.

As you may have noticed, I like Smitten Kitchen (smittenkitchen.com)...a lot. I find the recipes on this blog to be easy, fun, and covering a diverse range of cuisines and courses.

It's real food, that real people can cook as opposed to some recipe resources out there that are much less accessible. For example, just last weekend I picked up a cookbook from the library. I like doing this - it allows me to test run recipes and books with no commitment of purchase. So last week I grabbed "The Cooking of South West France," by Paula Wolfert. I'm sure some people find this book to be amazing - as far as I could tell it was real french cooking. Most of the recipes used rendered duck fat and clarified butter as the cooking fats. Ingredients included pigs feet, pigs knuckles, truffles, duck skin, etc. Here is my problem - no one cooks like that! So while this cookbook had extravagant and unusual looking dishes - it wasn't a book that I'd keep in my collection because I'm quite sure I would never actually cook anything out of it.

Which brings me back to Smitten Kitchen - I love how accessible the recipes are and yet often have something interesting about them. Like this cake for example. I saw the pictures and thought I had never seen anything quite so rich and gorgeous looking and yet it was simple ingredients and a well known flavor combination of chocolate and peanut butter.


I found that this cake took a lot of time, since I followed Smitten Kitchen's instructions and chilled it often to help in the frosting. I also found that it got better the next day, it wasn't quite so gooey. It's not the type of cake that you make often, but when you do, its amazing. Try it.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CAKE RECIPE
(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, who first adapted the original recipe, Sour Cream-Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze, from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes) 
Makes an 8-inch triple-layer cake; serves 12 to 16

Chocolate Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour (+4 tbl. for high altitude)
2 1/2 cups sugar (-3 tbl. for high altitude)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
2 teaspoons baking soda (+1.5 tsp. for high altitude)
1 teaspoon salt (+ a pinch)
1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean or vegetable blend
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 tbl. half and half for high altitude only

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (for high altitude, adjust temp. to 375 degrees F). Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cakepans. (I used two 9 inch cake pans and that worked just fine) Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper. (I only buttered the pans and had no sticking problems)

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. If you are at a high altitude, add the half and half here and mix to combine. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely. (Smitten Kitchen Note: "These cakes are very, very soft. I found them a lot easier to work with after firming them up in the freezer for 30 minutes. They’ll defrost quickly once assembled. You’ll be glad you did this, trust me.")

To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. (Smitten Kitchen Note: "Making a crumb coat of frosting–a thin layer that binds the dark crumbs to the cake so they don’t show up in the final outer frosting layer–is a great idea for this cake, or any with a dark cake and lighter-colored frosting. Once you “mask” your cake, let it chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm, then use the remainder of the frosting to create a smooth final coating. Once the cake is fully frosting, it helps to chill it again and let it firm up. The cooler and more set the peanut butter frosting is, the better drip effect you’ll get from the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze.")

To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Makes about 5 cups
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (because oil doesn’t separate out)
1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
8 ounces seimsweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half
1. In the top of d double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.

This pasta salad is SO simple (4 ingredients) and SO good. I don't know what it is about it - perhaps it's just the simple but delicious combination of basic ingredients. I make this often because I usually have the ingredients on hand and I can throw it together just before friends arrive or up to two days in advance. It keeps well in the fridge and makes an nice accompaniment at lunch time. It would also be good with some chopped olives or shaved Parmesan instead of feta.

You just can't go wrong with this!

PESTO PASTA SALAD RECIPE
(serves 8 people)

1 16oz. box of pasta (something small and curvy so it grabs the pesto well)
1/2c. pesto (or more, if you like)
1/3c. sun dried tomatoes
1/4c. crumbled feta

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Strain when al dente and pour back into cooking pot.

Add the pesto, sun dried tomatoes and feta to pasta and mix well.

Keeps for a few days in the fridge, can be served warm or cold.

This was my second trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The weather was perfect, I was with some of my best friends, and it was beautiful as always. The benefit of Puerto, as opposed to Cancun or Cabo, is that it was an actual real town before it was a tourist destination. So it has none of the sweeping boulevards and perfectly manicured streets of other resort towns in Mexico. This undoubtedly adds to its charm.

The week was really quite uneventful, A LOT of laying in a lounge chair reading. Two highlights included releasing baby turtles into the ocean and dinner at  Fajita Republic - best fajitas I have ever had and the ambiance was awesome. There were beautiful lanterns (see photos below) everywhere. And of course, deadly margaritas, my favorite drink.