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

As promised, here is another of the items I made for Thanksgiving last week. Remember these?

Well, I decided to do some experimenting and instead of using cake batter I used boxed pumpkin quick bread mix. They were as delicious as the first time. You can essentially make these using any boxed cake or bread mix - so get creative. Try red-velvet, or chocolate cake mix, or how about coffee cake mix? - that could be interesting. These are almost impossible to mess up!

PUMPKIN PIE CAKE BATTER TRUFFLE RECIPE
(Six Sisters)



Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency. Mix in sprinkles by hand. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.


People. I'm in a food rut. You know what I mean. When nothing, and I mean nothing, sounds even remotely appetizing. I think its the heat. Denver has been sweltering for weeks now and it really makes me not want to cook. Even my normal standbys, like simple pasta with fresh tomato sauce, sound terrible at the moment.

For the hubby's big 3-0 we had some folks over for food and to hang out by the pool. It was an awesome day and I think the hubby had a great time, which is what matters most. I made these little cake batter truffles since they didn't require turning on the oven. That alone was enough to win me over when reading the recipe. They also seemed birthday-ish - like mini birthday cakes for all of our guests.

In addition to being cute and requiring no actual baking, these were AWESOME. People were freaking out over them and there was not a single one left at the end of the day. I also liked that they didn't require plates and forks like typical birthday cake does. All around, a great dessert. I am sure you could use any type of boxed cake mix and get creative with the coating - I was thinking that next time I could do red-velvet cake mix, dipped in chocolate candy coating, and then rolled in crushed Oreos before the coating hardens. You get the idea.

CAKE BATTER TRUFFLE RECIPE
(Six Sisters)


Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency. Mix in sprinkles by hand. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.


• Brie with Crackers
• Anchovy-Lemon Marinated Turkey Breast
• Green Beans with Lemon and Pine Nuts
• Semolina Dumplings
• Sticky Date & Coconut Cake

My two very good friends visited over the 4th of July weekend from California. It was soooo good to see them. And, it was the hubby's 29th birthday weekend. I decided friends in town+hubby's birthday was as good a reason as any to throw a party - who doesn't love a party?!?. Of course, I was thrilled to get to cook a bunch. It seems that I haven't had much time to cook lately so this was the perfect opportunity.

The Menu:

• Chickpea and Olive Crostini
• Cheese Plate
• Tomato and Goat Cheese Flatbread
• Potato Salad Stackers
• Honey Marinated Chicken Skewers
• Strawberry Cupcakes

More on the Strawberry Cupcakes in a second, but first I have to mention that the hubby and his good friend have been brewing beer together for the past couple of months. They brewed all the beer for the party and we made these awesome little labels for the beer. The Steam Beer (something like Anchor Steam) was a big hit.



Now, back to cupcakes. I have made this Strawberry Cake recipe a few times and every time it has been a MEGA hit - no seriously, people freak out over this cake. I decided that cupcakes made more sense given we were outside playing games, etc. and this recipe easily translates to them. The batter (yes, I lick the bowl) tastes like fluffy strawberry ice cream and the baked cake maintains an amazing amount of moisture - making these light yet decadent. Fresh strawberries at the peak of ripeness are the key, don't sacrifice on them, it's worth it.



STRAWBERRY LAYER CAKE RECIPE
(Cooking Light Magazine)

Cake:
1 1/4 c. sliced strawberries
10 ounce all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 c.)
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 c. low-fat buttermilk
1/4 tsp. red food coloring
Cooking spray

Frosting:
1/3 c. (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/3 c. butter, softened
2 tbl. Grand Marnier (orange-flavored liqueur - I use regular fresh squeezed orange juice and it works wonderfully well)
3 c. powdered sugar
12 whole strawberries (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, place sliced strawberries in a food processor; process until smooth.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place granulated sugar and 1/2 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in egg whites. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Add pureed strawberries and food coloring; beat just until blended.

Divide batter between 2 (8-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

To prepare frosting, place cream cheese, 1/3 cup butter, and liqueur in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar, and beat just until blended.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Cut 1 whole strawberry into thin slices, cutting to, but not through, the stem end. Fan strawberry on top of cake just before serving, if desired. Cut remaining 11 strawberries in half. Garnish cake with strawberry halves, if desired.

In a mixer, cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla. (I did not use the butter - I don't think you need it. I just add milk one tablespoon at a time until I get the thickness I want)Gradually add sugar and mix until smooth.

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.

I know this is really silly of me, but it never occurred to me that I would be baking at a high altitude in Colorado. The hubby and I live at around 7,000ft - I can barely walk to the end of the driveway without needing a water break.

About two weeks ago I decided to bake my tried-and-true chocolate chip cookie recipe. This recipe is so good we served these cookies at my wedding (I will share it at some point). Not even thinking about my new altitude, I busted out a batch in no time...only to have the flatest cookies I have ever made emerge from my oven.  Duh - I live at 7,000ft! What am I doing!??!



Next I tried Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies from SmittenKitchen.com. In California, they were round and soft and wonderful. In Colorado, flat, flat and more flat. And I even adjusted the cooking temperature, etc. which I read about online.

At this point, I was seriously fearing that I may never successfully bake again, and this would truly be a tragedy for me (though my waisteline would be happy).

So this weekend I attempted my third-round of high altitude baking with another SmittenKitchen.com recipe- Gingerbread Apple Upside Down Cake...and....Success!! I added some additional liquid (buttermilk) and increased the cooking temperature and voila! Cake!

Topping
4 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing pan
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
4 apples (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch wedges

Batter
1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup dark molasses
1/3 cup honey
1 cup buttermilk (I added an extra two tablespoons due to the altitutude - liquids evaporate faster so adding more helps things from drying out)
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:
Preheat the oven to 325°F (350°F for high altitude).
Grease a 10-inch (or 9-inch) cake pan.
Melt butter in a small saucepan.
Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, four minutes, then swirl in salt. Remove from heat and pour into the bottom of your cake pan.
Make circles of overlapping apple slices on top of the caramel.
Chop any remaining slices and place them in the gaps.

Batter:
Using a mixer, blend 1/2 cup butter and the sugar on medium-low speed. Increase the speed to high and cream until light and fluffy.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, molasses, honey and buttermilk.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon.
Alternate mixing the flour and molasses mixtures into the butter mixture, adding the next once the last has been incorporated.

Pour the batter into the pan. Bake at least 45 to 50 minutes (I baked for an hour) or until a wooden tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let cool on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a platter.

I find that mid-August truly has the best produce of the year. It is varied, at its peak ripeness and so gorgeous to look at. I have a tendency for my eyes to be bigger than my stomach (or fridge, for that matter) and end up often purchasing too much and scrambling to find uses for all of the "questionable" fruit that I haven't managed to eat up by the end of the week.

In a fruit possessed tirade a week ago I purchased enough berries to feed all of Kansas.  I can put a serious dent in some berries - but my efforts weren't quite enough to finish them off.



Luckily, the hubby and I went to a friends house for dinner on Saturday and I was in charge of dessert. I decided something with macerated berries would be perfect - I could chop off all the questionable bits from the strawberries. Since I'd be smooshing them anyway, they didn't need to look perfect (and no one knows you are feeding them the remnants of your fridge).



We used the berries to top of Ina Garten's Lemon Yogurt Cake. This cake shouts summer. Light, lemony, and easy to make (cause who wants to be inside all day baking during the summer?) I made a few adjustments to the recipe which I noted below. Overall it was a great end to a BBQ dinner. I packed the cake in foil and glazed it on location for easy transport.



LEMON YOGURT CAKE RECIPE
(Ina Garten)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I used non-fat yogurt and substituted 1/3 cup sour cream - so, 2/3 c. yogurt and 1/3 c. sour cream - I like a litte extra tang)
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (I also added 1/8 tsp. lemon extract for some added lemon zip)


For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla.

Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.