Day 180 - Tamale Pie

For dinner tonight I used, The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Thirteenth Edition, p. 177; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., an imprint of Random House, Inc.;ISBN 0-385-19577-X.

Tamale Pie - serves 6
Crust
4 cups waterasm
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup yellow cornmeal

Filling
1 medium-size yellow onion, coarsely
1/2 of a green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder (original recipe called for 1 tablespoon)
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
pinch of freshly ground pepper
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

Topping
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.
Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan, very gradually add the corn meal, whisking constantly so that it doesn't clump.
Turn heat to low and continue cooking and stirring about 5 minutes until quite thick.
Spread 2/3 of the cornmeal mixture in the bottom of a greased 9 X 9 X 2-inch pan and set aside; keep the rest warm.

For the filling, stir-fry onion and green pepper in oil in a large skillet over moderate heat 8-10 minutes until onion is golden; mix in meat, garlic, chili powder, salt, oregano, and pepper and simmer 5 minutes longer, breaking up any clumps of meat.

Mix in tomato sauce and simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes; spoon over cornmeal mixture in the pan, top with remaining mixture, spreading as evenly over all as possible.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

I rate the items I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 1 being "don't waste your time, money or ingredients" and 4 being "you've GOT to try this!!!!".  This Tamale Pie earned 2 rolling pins.
The five members of the 365 family were not thrilled with this dish.  There was plenty left over and it will not be eaten tomorrow.
It was just kind of blah.  The cornmeal crusts had no flavor and my husband thought it was too thick.  The meat filling was ok, it kind of tasted like a sloppy joe.
The original recipe called for 1 tablespoon of chili powder, but I only added 2 teaspoons because I didn't want it to be too spicy.  But I think I should have added the full amount.
So many dinners this week, I think it's about time for some dessert!
Happy baking!!
Thank you so much for reading!!

Day 179 - Baked Ravioli & Shopping

I know it was National Cheesecake Day today and some of you may have been expecting a cheesecake recipe, but...
I had a wonderful day shopping with my daughters, and didn't have time to make that and dinner.

We went to purchase some necessary goods for dorm life.  Our eldest didn't need much since we'd bought most of it last year, just some storage stuff.
And of course, we each bought some clothes.
Shopping was something my mother and I always did together, too.
We didn't do it too often because many times she didn't feel up to it.  She had a pinched nerve in her neck from a car accident when I was about 3 years old which caused her lots of pain throughout the rest of her life.  Later she became sick with cancer and would undergo various chemo. or radiation treatments.
I remember being very angry when she was sick that we couldn't do certain things or life had to be put on hold because mom wasn't feeling well.
Now, looking back I feel very selfish.
But taking it a step even further, I discover that I wasn't upset about not doing what I wanted to do, but that these ailments my mother so often endured were stealing her from me.
And I hated that.
I hated that plans would be made and they'd have to be cancelled.
That often she'd end up going back to bed because she was in pain or didn't feel well
and
that there was not a thing I could do to make her better or all go away.
Being a child, I just thought it was all her fault and didn't understand everything that was going on.
To be honest, I still didn't or didn't even want to try to understand as a teenager because all I'd ever really known was mom not feeling well.
And I harbored a lot of resentment because of it.
I see it now for what it was and of course, it's not something I'm happy about.
I was angry, bitter, and impatient, not completely understanding all that was going on.
I needed someone to shake me to my core, to jolt me back to reality and say,
"Open your eyes!!  She's sick, and above all else, she needs your love and your patience.  This isn't your fault."
And yet I thought the cancer was.
I was sitting on her lap when I was 5, looking at her big brown eyes and the lines on her face.  I pushed her thick black hair back away from her forehead with both of my hands and said, "I wonder what you'd look like without any hair."
She smiled and said, "I don't know, but I'd look pretty funny, don't you think?"
And then she lost it.
Four years later she lost her hair because of the chemo.
For years I blamed myself.
Did I put it out into the universe?
There were other factors involved, I know, but had I started the whole thing?
It's something I never shared with her because I was too afraid to even bring it up.
So inside my mind it sat and combined with the anger I felt with her being sick, it's a wonder I wasn't ever committed.
Forgiveness.
It's been a HUGE process, but it has truly done wonders.
I've let it go because if I hadn't there's no moving forward and who knows where I'd be.
And I have a family who needs me.  It's not fair to them if I live in the past and don't release these feelings and forgive myself.
Or my mother for circumstances beyond her control.
Peace is a wonderful thing.  And is so much better for the soul.

You know, this so wasn't where I was going with this when I told you I had taken my girls shopping.
My thoughts just flew through my fingers and here we are.

My daughters and I were sitting eating lunch and from around the corner and completely out of surprise a woman in her late 50's came up to our table with a HUGE smile on her face and made eye contact with each one of us.
"I just have to tell you how beautiful each of you are.  You're smiling and you're having so much fun with each other.  I just had to come up and tell you that because now a days people when they see something like this they don't say anything and it means so much.  So I just had to stop and say something."
I thanked her immensely and felt completely blessed both by what she had said and the relationship I have with my daughters.
What a gift, to have that woman not only identify our relationship, but to verbally acknowledge it.
She was truly an angel.
I wish I'd thought fast enough to ask her name, but she'd left as quickly as she'd shown up.
In time I know my daughters will understand more of the intimacy between us and may not even fully comprehend its' meaning unless they become a mother themselves or may not ever fully comprehend it.
And that's ok.
For now, we each are where we're supposed to be; growing, changing and learning about each other, but more importantly about ourselves.
And that's what makes the relationship between a mother and her daughter so beautiful - the love, the forgiveness and the bond.

Pasta again for dinner.  This time I used Martha Stewart's Everyday Food's Great Food Fast, p.313; author, The Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living; publisher, Clarkson Potter/Publisher, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 978-0-35416-7.

Baked Ravioli - serves 4-6

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
coarse salt
freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes

2 pounds ravioli (the bag I used was 1 lb. 14 oz., so not quite 2 lbs.)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 425F.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring  occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

 Add the oregano and the tomatoes.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to about 5 1/2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water just until they float to the top 9the pasta will continue to cook in the oven).  Drain the ravioli and return to the pot.

Toss the sauce with the pasta.  Pour the mixture into a greased 9 X 13-inch baking dish.

Sprinkle with mozzarella and then with the Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes.
Cool slightly before serving.

Everything I bake is rated on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the absolute best (I feel like a broken record every day that I say this, but if I don't new readers may not understand.  So to those of you who have been with me a while, thank you for reading this over and over and over again.  And thank you for your patience!).
This Baked Ravioli earned 3 rolling pins.
The men in the family really like their pasta and are nuts about ravioli so I decided to make the full amount instead of halving the recipe as I did last night.  I know they'll eat the leftovers tomorrow.
I preferred this to the ravioli I usually make, where I just boil and serve it with sauce.  It definitely had more flavor and I thought the made-from-scratch sauce was delicious.
Everyone liked the dish, didn't rave about it, but the 3 rolling pin rating was unanimous.
Happy baking!

Day 178 - Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful weekend and that you find some relief from this summer heat most of the country's been having.

Can you believe it's the last weekend in July?
This summer and year is flying!
Our two younger kids return to school two weeks from Monday and our college sophomore moves into her dorm the week after.
I'm excited for the school year, but I hate to see summer go and am not looking forward to the countless hours the kids will be spending on homework.
I know it's necessary, but the stress that goes along with it, especially for our high school senior, sometimes proves to be too much.
One day at a time, one day at a time.

Giada De Laurentiis' cookbook, Everyday Italian was used for tonight's dinner.  It is on pages 79 and  115; publisher, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 1-4000-5258-0.
I halved the recipe, and that is what follows.


Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce - serves 4 - 5

Bechamel Sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups warm whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
pinch of ground white pepper, plus more to taste
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg, plus more to taste

In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming.
Simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick, smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes (do not allow sauce to boil).
Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a pinch each of white pepper and nutmeg.
Season the sauce with more salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.
The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead.  Cool, then cover and refrigerate.

Rigatoni, ingredients and assembly
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups Bechamel Sauce
1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, cut crosswise into thin strips
1/2 cup freshly grated fontina cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
pinch of white pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 pound dried rigatoni
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 425F.
Generously spray an 8 X 8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
In a medium saucepan, stir the bechamel sauce over medium heat until hot (do not boil sauce).
Stir in the prosciutto, 1/4 cup of the fontina cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of white pepper.
Set the cheese sauce aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add the rigatoni and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost tender but still very firm, about 5 minutes (do not cook pasta to doneness at this point as it will continue cooking as it bakes in the oven).
Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Stir in the cheese sauce and season the pasta mixture with more salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon the pasta mixture into the prepared dish, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of fontina cheese and dot the top with the butter.
(The pasta can be prepared up to this point 8 hours ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.  Uncover before baking.)

Bake the pasta until the top is golden brown and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.
Serve immediately.

We all really liked this.
I halved the recipe because we aren't big eaters, but I would have added 1 more cup of the bechamel sauce to make it the finished product a little creamier.  I like more sauce in my pasta.
I rate my daily bakings on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and Giada's Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce earned 3 1/2 rolling pins.
This is definitely a dish I will be making again.
Happy baking!

Day 177 - Mustard Pecan Crusted Salmon

I was having technical difficulties last night, so this wasn't posted.
I have a new tablet and was attempting to type my post and was not having a good go round with it.
I was exhausted at 9:30 at night and was becoming so extremely frustrated.
I need to purchase a keypad for it.  Bottom line.
So, there will be two posts today, Day 177 and I'll post Day 178 later today.
The post is typed, but I'm having trouble with my SD card loading the pictures, so I'll do that as soon as I figure things out.
Thank you for your patience!  Hugs!

We watched a family movie last night - Disney's Alice in Wonderland.

I`m how old, and I`ve never seen it.  I loved the beginning before the movie started.  The intro. came on and it brought me right back to when I was very little.
It was the introduction to the weekly Sunday night show of The Wonderful World of Disney.

Please tell me that someone else remembers it, too.
I miss that show, it was so awesome!

My middle daughter who doesn`t like fish actually requested salmon for dinner last night.

I was shocked, but figured I`d take advantage of it while I had the chance.  I don`t like it either, but it is healthy and we haven`t had salmon in quite some time, probably years in fact.
And it just so happened when I went to the store that there was a screaming deal on wild Sockeye Salmon which made me really excited.

Mustard Pecan Crusted Salmon - serves 5

1 1/2 lbs. salmon
5 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated pepper

Wow, that's it?  That's all the ingredients?!  How easy peasy!!

Place oven rack in upper third of oven.
Preheat oven to 450F.
Prepare a rimmed baking sheet by covering it with foil and spraying generously with cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, combine pecans, bread crumbs, salt and pepper; set aside.
Place salmon (skin side down) on pan.

Be careful to remove any pin bones from the fillet(s).

Place mustard on salmon and spread with a knife or spatula.

Cover with pecan/bread crumb mixture.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Turn broiler on to high and cook until the tops are golden, about 1-2 minutes.

This was enough for 5 people.  That is if your family doesn't eat a lot and you have people who won't take large portions because they don't like fish.
Now, I have to share that I referenced my Martha Stewart cookbook and followed her directions on how long to bake the salmon for.
She had recommended leaving it in the oven for 5-6 minutes and then broiling it.
I did that and it wasn't cooked all the way through.
The big piece in the picture was thicker in the middle, so I turned the oven back on and set it to 450F.  It started out at 418F and as it was heating up I put the salmon in for another 4 minutes.
Almost done, but not quite.
I cut it into pieces and cooked it for another 3 minutes.
So I'm thinking the 10 minutes total cooking time with the 1-2 minutes of broiling should do it for you, that is if you have one large fillet.  If they're smaller pieces, then you should probably go with the 6 minutes Martha recommendation.
The recipe in the Martha Stewart Living Cookbook used 6  6 oz.  fillets with the skin removed.
I left my larger fillet intact and didn't remove the skin from either piece (we just removed it at as we were eating it).  No biggie.
So those two differences I'm sure, accounted for the lack of doneness at Martha's recommended times.

Considering we don't eat salmon a lot, this was pretty good.  Everyone really liked it, including myself and my non-fish eating daughter.  Three quarters of the way through my piece though, I was done and didn't dare eat another bite.  I just can't eat too much fish.
I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and this Mustard Pecan Crusted Salmon earned 3 rolling pins.
As we were eating, a few family members thought it needed a sauce for dipping yet I was puzzled as to what flavors the sauce should have without detracting from the mustard and pecans.
I was very pleased with the way this turned out.  The flavors were really good and the breadcrumbs mixed with the pecans were a nice addition as well.
Happy baking!

Day 176 - Chocolate Caramel Macchiato Cake Balls

We have a cat.
His name is Charlie and I think he's three years old.  I honestly can't remember.
We have a love/hate relationship he and I.
When I worked at the vet clinic, I adopted him.
His mother had died when he was just two days old and everyone at the clinic took part in caring for him.
He was absolutely adorable when he was a kitten.  He would climb up on our son's shoulder and fall asleep nuzzled in his neck, and would cuddle up with the dog to take naps on the floor.
Brady, our Golden, was so gentle with him and loved the company.
Then Charlie became not so adorable.
He would hide under dressers and attack our feet, biting at our heels and toes as we would walk by.
He became very moody when we would pet him, only wanting to be touched in certain places and would bite down on your hand completely unexpected, without any warning.
It sucked.
He's gotten better though, and has become more patient, affectionate even.
I was sitting on the couch this morning and Mr. 365 was on the other end, each using our computers.
Charlie had come in from being outside and wanted some attention.  He walked along behind me on the couch begging for me to pet him and scratch his neck and head as I have been doing lately.
I obliged.  My petting/scratching him and his roaming the back of the couch went on for a good 10 minutes, and he was purring up a storm.
"Oh, Charlie! You're such a good boy and you're showing so much love.  Yes you are." I said as I moved my fingers toward the back of his head.

"OUCH!!!!!"
"%@$@#&!!$%@^#%^#, CAT!!!!"

And then the floodgates opened.  
That little son of a freaking cat had bitten me and had bitten me hard on the heel of the hand.
Without any warning, Mr. Hyde had become Dr. Jekyll.
I HATE that!
There was no puncture wound, but it HURT! 
Ok, and probably more shocked me than anything else.
And I cried.  Bawled like a baby, me did.
Mr. 365 laughed.
Not because I was crying, but because of the way I was crying and he often did this when I was pregnant.  The best way I can describe it is if you've ever seen the theater comedy and tragedy masks, then you know what I'm talking about.
He says it's me - happy one minute and at the drop of a hat, crying the next.
I have no problem with his teasing because it's true, so very, very true.
I've been challenged mentally and emotionally these past few weeks, not to mention some hormones have been thrown in there and the cat's attack was the impetus for a release.
Life, really missing my mom because Sunday was her birthday, and some other things that have been going on had just sent me over the edge.
Mr. 365 came up to me a few minutes later and gave me a great big bear hug, saying, "you're perfect for me!  You make me laugh and it's always been that way, and I'm perfect for you, too.  I love the way you are!"  A slight smile broke through the tears.

He's always there when I need him.
I love that man.
I'm still mad at that cat.

Adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition.

Chocolate Caramel Macchiato Cake Balls - makes about 50

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup milk
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 cup colored nonpareils (colored sprinkles)

1 1/2 cups Caramel Macchiato Coffee Creamer + more if necessary
16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (This amount was enough to cover about 25 balls.  I ran out of chocolate, so I suggest you use 32 oz. to cover all of them.)
toothpicks, plenty of toothpicks

Preheat the oven to 375F.
Sift flour with baking powder, and salt and set aside.
Cream butter until light.

Gradually add 1 1/4 cups of sugar, continuing to cream until fluffy.

Add vanilla and almond extracts and at low speed, mix in dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry and adding about one third of the total at a time.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until frothy, slowly add remaining sugar, and beat to very soft peaks.
Fold into batter a few short strokes of being well blended.

Gently fold in nonpareils (colored sprinkles), using as few strokes as possible.  (I used too many, and the colors started to run.)
Spoon into 2 greased and floured 9-inch layer cake pans.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until cakes shrink slightly from sides of pans and are springy to the touch.
Cool upright in pans on wire racks 5 minutes, then invert onto racks, turn right-side-up, and allow to cool completely.
Using your fingers, crumble both cakes into a large bowl.

Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add 1 1/2 cups of the coffee creamer.
Allow mixture to sit for a few minutes.
Using your hands, work dough and creamer together so that you can form it into a ball.  You may need to add more creamer, but do so by tablespoons and add just enough so that the dough sticks together.  You do not want soupy dough.
With a tablespoon measure dough, and shape into a ball.
Place balls on prepared rimmed baking sheet and place in the freezer to chill for 90 minutes. 

Prepare another rimmed baking sheet or cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate.

Place on rimmed baking sheet and allow time to harden.
Store them in a sealed container in the freezer and remove just before serving.

 

Ok, dessert day number four in a row I have to say was pretty exciting only because it was my first experience with cake balls.

I am pretty hooked even though they are a bit time consuming (and I didn't take the time to really decorate them as some people do!)  Check out Angie's site, Bakerella.  Her items are gorgeous!!!

One day I'll get there, just need some more practice and have to figure out how to put a thinner layer of frosting on the ball.  

It was too thick and overpowered the cake.

The cake had a nice sweetness to it with the creamer.  I liked the flavor as did other people (some neighbors and family) who tried it.

I've seen recipes where they use canned cake frosting to bind the crumbled dough, but I'm making things from scratch here and didn't want to go in that direction.  They also use boxed cake mixes.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that."

It's just that I've been baking things from scratch since I've started this and I'm going to keep it that way at least until 365 days is over, then we'll talk.

it just doesn't feel right to me to not make things from scratch.

I thought about making a buttercream frosting, but having never made these, I just decided to use what they suggested in this tutorial.

I think I should have left out the sprinkles and just used the plain white cake with the creamer.  The sprinkles gave it a little crunch, some color and a little extra flavor, but as you can see, they resembled meatballs when they were on the baking sheet.  That didn't excite me.  The batter became a very unappealing color.  I should have used the sprinkles for the top instead of in the cake ball.

I also needed more melted chocolate, and need to determine how best to roll them to ensure a more uniform and lighter covering.

Too much chocolate made them way too sweet.

I am excited about trying more flavors and doing more decorating.  These are really cute things to do.

I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and these Chocolate Caramel Macchiato Cake Balls earned 2 1/2 rolling pins.  

They need some work, but were adequate for the first go-round.

But the thing that made them really awesome was the time I was able to spend with my 17 year old daughter when she spontaneously jumped in to help me frost them.   It was wonderful, unexpected  quality time and I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Thank you, my dear.

Happy baking!

Day 175 - Lemon Vanilla Poundcake

Did you skip today?

That was your homework.

Do you receive an A for effort, at least?

I'm not going to grade you on your skipping ability, just that you made the effort.

I skipped.

And let me tell you, haha, it is NOT as easy to do as it was when I was a kid.

The body is a wee bit heavier, I'm not as nimble, and parts of the body just did not cooperate as I had assumed hoped they would.

Four out of five of us went out to dinner tonight.  After dinner we had to go to a sporting goods store to purchase our new male cross country runner some sneakers.

After leaving the store I grabbed my 14 year old son's hand and attempted to have him join me in a good brisk skip to the car.

He wanted no part of it, let me tell you.

I pleaded, I begged, and still it was a no-go.

I guess he was embarrassed or something.

And this coming from a kid who when he was little, loved to skip and actually skipped much better than his sisters.  (He'd die if he knew I shared that!)

Geez, thanks for the support, kid.

My 17 year old daughter would have no part of it either, and Mr. 365 looked at me as if I'd lost it.

So, I smiled and skipped merrily on my way, not concerned about their reactions or what other people in the parking lot might have thought.

I have to say that it was pretty exhilarating and brought back a lot of memories.

That is, until I realized it probably isn't good to skip in flip flops.

I suppose you're wondering what happened next and perhaps thinking that I tripped, landed on my face, and got some major parking lot road rash.

Yeah, that'd teach her, a middle-aged woman trying to act much younger than she really is and she falls.  She had it coming.  I'm certainly glad I didn't do what she suggested.

Wait a cotton.  pickin'.  minute!

Back that truck up!!!!!

Did I just label myself as a middle-aged woman??

¡Ay, caramba! 

I didn't trip.  I didn't fall.  I am still well aware of my center of balance even if I am (gulp) middle aged, but had I skipped well past where our car was located, who knows what the outcome would have been.

It was fun, but I don't know if I'll be doing it again anytime soon, especially in shoes not conducive to skipping.

I hope you didn't hurt yourself, had fun, and at least smiled.

I'll smile at someone tomorrow, say hello, or help an old lady across the street and hopefully I won't be sore from today's extra exertion.  ;-)

I found this cake in Chocolate & Vanilla, p.52-53; author, Gale Gand; publisher, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown publishing group, a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 978-0-307-23852-8.

Lemon Vanilla Pound Cake - makes one 10-inch Bundt cake / 8-10 servings  

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup whole milk

4 large eggs

2 1/4 cups sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract (I omitted)

grated zest of 1 lemon

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

juice of 1 lemon

Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter.  Generously brush a 10-inch tube pan or Bundt pan with the melted butter and refrigerate if for a few minutes.  Once the butter has hardened, brush it again to cover any spots you missed the first time.  Set the pan aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Bring the milk and remaining 8 tablespoons of butter just to a boil in a medium saucepan; set aside. 

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the eggs on medium-high speed until light and very fluffy, about 5-7 minutes.  

 

Reduce the speed to medium and stir in 2 cups of the sugar, the vanilla and lemon extracts, and lemon zest.

On low speed, gradually mix in the flour.

Pour in the hot milk mixture then add the baking powder, and stir until the batter is thoroughly combined.

pour the batter into the buttered Bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, blend the lemon juice with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

Invert the cake onto a cooling rack.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Yeah, right.

WHOOPS! 

Good grief, Charlie Brown!!

My suggestion here would be to butter and flour the pan very generously.
Place the wire rack onto a rimmed baking sheet and brush the warm cake all over with the lemon syrup, letting the syrup soak in as you go.

 

Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature.

This was definitely missing something.  And I'm thinking it might have been the lemon extract I omitted.

Why did I omit it, you ask?

I have no idea.

Perhaps I was thinking I didn't want to purchase it because I didn't already have it.  

Or maybe it was because I didn't want it to be too lemony.

I could have added more lemon juice to the cake itself.

Why didn't I do that?

I have no answer.

I was attempting to omit and adapt and that led to an unsatisfactory result.

We'll just chalk it up to baker's error.

A. Gain.

Wow, three days on a row.

I'm on a roll.

Tomorrow, it's got to be dinner.  I think I need a break from desserts.

Pretty good, hunh? Hunh?

I was SO (shhhhhh....) pissed off!

Definitely, definitely butter and flour the cake pan.  Do yourself a favor so you don't have to piecemeal it back together.

I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the absolute best and unfortunately, this Lemon Vanilla Pound Cake wasn't the best.  We decided it earned 2 1/2 rolling pins, probably due to the omitted lemon extract.

Next time, I'll add it.

Happy baking!

Day 174 - Double Chocolate Toffee Caramel Brownies

 Since yesterday's recipe went so poorly (I'm not even going to link to it, that's how bad it was), I was really wanting to create (yes, create) some yummy tasty goodness for me the family to enjoy.
After having a wonderful coffee date with my friend, Laura, I went to Wallyworld (Wal-Mart) to pick up some necessary ingredients.
I stood there in the baking aisle surveying all of the delicious morsels.
Of course, today's baked good had to include chocolate in part to make up for yesterday.
And those toffee chips I spotted.
And then I remembered the caramel topping sitting in the fridge.
Yeee Ha!!!
I was so excited about the prospect of what was going to come out of the oven that I think there was a little skip in my step as I left the check out.
Ok, I'm kidding.  I wasn't skipping.
I can't remember the last time I skipped, actually.
I'll put that on tomorrow's to-do list.
I think we should all do that, just a little bit.
You don't have to skip a long way, just a few steps.
Who cares if anybody's watching you.  They'll probably be envious of you and think, "Wow, that takes guts to just skip and not care who's watching".
You might just bring a smile to someone's face and make their day!
Ever think of that.
Your skipping could change someone's day around.  Who knows, maybe it will make them want to skip and it will have a domino effect.
IMAGINE!!!!!
We could start a skipping craze on July 26, 2011.
I dare you!  
Take that first step!!
I'll start.
You'll feel like a kid again.

Go for it!! 

 

Skip your heart out!

This recipe was adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition.

Double Chocolate Toffee Caramel Brownies - 16 Brownies

 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup toffee chips

2 tablespoons caramel sundae topping

Prepare an 8-inch square baking pan by lining it with parchment paper.

Here's a great video to show you how.

This is what I did before I watched the video.  Hmmm...

Preheat the oven to 300F.
In a sauce pan over low heat, melt the chocolate with the butter, stirring to blend.
Remove from the heat and allow to come to room temperature.
Stir in the sugar, egg, salt, flour, and vanilla.
Mix until thoroughly combined.

Mix in the chocolate chips.

Taste the toffee chips to make sure they won't poison anyone.  You need to make sure.
Trust me on this one.

Add 1 cup of toffee chips.

Aw, what the heck?!  Add the whole bag!! There's only 1 1/3 cups in there anyway.  A little bit more isn't going to hurt!
Mix them in well.

Transfer dough blob to prepared baking pan.
Look, a big Y for YES, chocolate, sugar and toffee chips!!
That wasn't intentional.
Really it wasn't.

 With a rubber spatula, spread brownie batter in pan so that it reaches the edges.

Drizzle caramel sauce over top of batter.

 I used a knife to blend it into the batter, but it was so full of toffee and chocolate chips (heehee) that it was really kind of hard to move the knife through, so I just ended up spreading it with the aforementioned spatula.

Bake for 45-50 minutes.
Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove brownies by lifting parchment paper.  Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool completely.

 Chocolate brownies with toffee chips and chocolate chips topped with caramel.

STOP!!!!

I really don't know if you want to make these.  

I'm being serious here now.

Wow, two baking disasters two days in a row.  This isn't a good thing.

At least today's was a better tasting disaster.

I believe I picked the wrong brownie recipe out of the cookbook for the base.

It took them forever to bake and they didn't look done in the center because of the caramel.

The chocolate chips melted into oblivion and the toffee chips were (ok, I admit it) too many.

They were extremely sweet. 

I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and these Double Chocolate Toffee Caramel Brownies earned 2 1/2 rolling pins.

I know all you bloggers out there and even you wonderful home bakers can take this recipe as a challenge and rework it so that they are more edible.

Let me know how it goes.

I think they needed more flour and I probably should have used only a half cup of sugar.

They were extremely sweet.

Oh.  I already said that.

Thank you my dear readers.  

I love you.

Happy baking!

P.S.  Remember to skip today, it'll put a smile on your face!  I'll be skipping right along with you.

Promise.