Super Sour Cake

Two years as I was looking through my mom's cookbooks I came across a pamphlet book from Betty Crocker.  In it I found a recipe for a bright pink and green sour cake, I copied the recipe and then, of course, lost it.  However, a few months ago my mom downsized her cooking book shelf and I got the book with my missing super sour cake recipe!!!! I have been dying to make this for YEARS!!

 Super Sour Cake

Cake 1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® white cake mix 1 ¼ cups water 1/3 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs 2 packages (0.14 oz each) strawberry- or lemon lime-flavored unsweetened soft drink mix ½ cup frozen lemonade or limeade concentrate, thawed Super Sour Frosting 1 package (0.13 oz or 0.14 oz) lemon lime- or strawberry-flavored unsweetened soft drink mix 4 to 5 tablespoons frozen lemonade or limeade concentrate, thawed 3 cups powdered sugar ¼ cup butter or margarine, softened Sour gummi candies, if desired Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, eggs and 2 packages drink mix with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. (Batter will be lumpy.) Pour into pan. Bake 27 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Pierce top of warm cake every 1/2 inch with long-tined fork, wiping fork occasionally to reduce sticking. Drizzle 1/2 cup lemonade concentrate evenly over top of cake. Cool completely, 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. In medium bowl, stir 1 package drink mix into 2 tablespoons lemonade concentrate until dissolved. Beat in powdered sugar and butter on low speed. Gradually beat in enough of the remaining 2 to 3 tablespoons lemonade concentrate, 1 teaspoon at a time, to make frosting smooth and spreadable. Spread frosting over top of cake. Cut into serving pieces. Decorate with sour candies. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Result
I really liked this cake, but I also like sour stuff.  My daughter liked it as well.  This would make a great birthday cake.  I've eaten 4 pieces so far!  I need to get it out of the house before I eat the whole thing.

 

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Butterscotch Bars

I am a huge fan of Cooking Light magazine.  The recipe for these bars was in there about a year ago and I have wanted to make them since I saw the article.  I made them last week.

Butterscotch Bars

Ingredients

• 1  cup  packed brown sugar
• 5  tablespoons  butter, melted
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten
• 9  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
• 2 1/2  cups  quick-cooking oats
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• Cooking spray
• 3/4  cup  fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/4  cups  butterscotch morsels (about 8 ounces)
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl. Stir in vanilla and egg. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, oats, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Add oat mixture to sugar mixture; stir with a fork until combined (mixture will be crumbly). Place 3 cups oat mixture into the bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray; press into bottom of pan. Set aside.
3. Place sweetened condensed milk, butterscotch morsels, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until butterscotch morsels melt, stirring every 20 seconds. Stir in walnuts. Scrape mixture into pan, spreading evenly over crust. Sprinkle evenly with remaining oat mixture, gently pressing into butterscotch mixture. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Place pan on a cooling rack; run a knife around outside edge. Cool completely.

Results
I made these at my mom's house for Sunday dinner, before I left she took 1/4 of the bars to keep.  My sister took some as well, and the boyfriend ate a bar for breakfast every day last week.  That should be enough evidence that these were really good.  One thing to keep in mind, pour the butterscotch immediately, it cools fast out of the micro and makes it hard to spread.

Meatball Melties

I've always been a Rachel Ray fan, even though she can be annoying.  I just recently started to buy her magazine.  This recipe was in the second issue I obtained, and it is oh so so good!

MEATBALL MELTIES

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, pork and veal mix
• 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons grated onion
• A splash whole milk
• 1/2 tablespoon rubbed or ground sage
• Fresh nutmeg
• Salt and pepper
• EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for generous drizzling
• 8 deli slices mild or sharp provolone cheese
• 1 15-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• A few leaves fresh basil, torn
• A pinch dried oregano or marjoram
• 4 ciabatta rolls or 1/4 large ciabatta loaf, split and warmed or toasted 

Preparation

Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle pan over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, combine the meat mixture, breadcrumbs, parsley, Pecorino Romano, egg, garlic, onion, milk and sage; season with nutmeg, salt and lots of pepper. Form the mixture into 4 patties (thinner at the center and thicker at the edges for even cooking).

Drizzle the burgers all over with a liberal amount of EVOO. Place in the hot skillet and cook, turning once, for 10 minutes. Top each burger with 2 slices of provolone and tent with foil to melt.

While the burgers are working, in a medium saucepan, heat the tomatoes. Stir in the basil and oregano; season with salt and pepper.

Place the burgers on the roll bottom, then top with the sauce and roll tops.

RESULT
The burgers were really tasty.  I couldn't find a meat mixture at my local stores, so I just used ground beef.  I also used Parmesan cheese instead of the Pecorino for the same reason, but it tasted super good anyway!  Safeway sells ciabatta rolls in their deli section in a pack of 4 for $2.50, the deli provolone was only around $3.00...which makes this dish easy and cheap for a family of four.  The boyfriend gave it a thumbs up, so it's definelty a keeper!

Asian Salmon

I was sitting at school correcting papers and I had the food network on the TV.  I've never really heard of the Barefoot Contessa, but that was the show airing at the moment.  She was making lunch for friends and this salmon was on the menu.  It made my mouth water!  This is the recipe, the Barefoot Contessa calls it Eli's Asian Salmon and the recipe is from foodnetwork.com.  I first read the all the reviews for this, and based on the comments I did modify the marinade.  I have noted what I changed.

Asian Salmon

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 2 1/4 pounds center-cut salmon fillet (1 1/2 inches thick)
• 1 cup soy sauce  (I use 1/2 cup of low sodium shoyu)
  
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (I omitted this)
  
• 1 tablespoon toasted (dark) sesame oil (dark? is there a dark one? I used regular)
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili paste
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions (2 scallions)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (8 large cloves)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• I also used sugar in the marinade.  I added and tasted until I was happy with it.  It helped cut the salt in the marinade.
  

Directions

Line an 8 by 12-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Place the salmon in the pan.

In a mixing cup, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, lemon juice, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, chili paste, scallions, garlic, and ginger. Pour 1/3 of soy sauce mixture over the salmon fillet. Sprinkle the panko evenly over the fillet. Pour the rest of the soy sauce mixture evenly over the panko. Be sure to soak the panko completely and if any runs off, spoon back onto the salmon. Set aside for 15 minutes, leaving all the sauce in the pan.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Roast the salmon for 18 to 20 minutes, or for about 12 minutes per inch at the thickest part of the salmon. The internal temperature will be 120 degrees F on a meat thermometer when it's done. Remove from the oven, wrap tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Results:
This was awesome! It was really real tasty.  I did not measure the panko, I just poured it on until the salmon was covered with it.  I also did not cover the panko completley with the marinade, which I think helped make it crunchy.  I baked it at the 500 temp for 10 minutes and then lowered the temp to 350 and cooked until done.
Really, really, good, and sooooo easy to make!!

Stuffed Cherry Cookies!

I got the book Cookies by Taste of Home at Sam's Club a couple months ago.  Everyone LOVES cookies and this book has hundreds of recipes.The first one that I just had to try is called Chocolate topped surprise cookies on page 17 of the book.

Chocolate Topped Surprise Cookies....or as I have renamed them....
STUFFED CHERRY COOKIES

Ingredients:
24 marschino cherries
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon shortening (I did not use this, I used butter instead)

Directions:
Pat cherries with paper towels to remove excess moisture; set aside.  In a large bowl cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cherry juice and vanilla.  Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.  Cover and rerigerate for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.
Insert a chocolate chip into each marashino cherry.  Wrap a tablespoon on dough around each cherry.  Place 1 in. apart on baking sheet.  
Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes or until set and edges are lightly browned.  Remove and cool.
In a microwave melt remaining chips and shortening (I used butter) until smooth.  Dip top of cookies in chocolate.

Results:
These were good, however they are a lot or work, so I would only make these for special occasions.  The batter was crumbly, so it was hard to form the balls around the cherries.  I suggest leaving it in the fridge for longer, that may help that.  Also, I only dipped some in chocolate.  Everyone liked the ones not dipped.  The chocolate made the cookie very sweet.
Would I make these again, yes, but maybe for a cookie swap or gift, not just for fun.

What happened to my blog??

Oh, new year's resolutions....I never could stick to them.  I've been busy busy and had no time to update the blog.  Fortunately in January I wrote 3 recipe posts and saved them...all I need to do is input pictures.  SOOOOO stay tuned for cherry stuffed cookies, Asian Salmon (my mom is dying for me to post this one), and cast iron skillet apple cake.  I'll have the three recipes posted by tomorrow afternoon.

PS....Haha Sara and Reid, now you'll have something to read when you check back!

Orange Glazed Chicken and Glazed Carrots

I like watching Food Network, but I don't watch it that often. However, this weekend on Jan 1st they had a marathon of The Next Food Network Star, and I really ended up liking the winner Melissa D'Arabian. She already had the first season of her show Ten Dollar Dinners. I decided to try two of her recipes last night. Now, I live in Hawaii, so there is no way I can make these dishes for under $10, but it didn't cost me much more, and it tasted great.
So here I go, on my tiny gas stove, I'm going to try to make awesome culinary meals.

First up is the recipe I will call Orange Glazed Chicken. Melissa calls it....

Crispy-Skinned Chicken a l'Orange
(recipe is from Foodnetwork.com)

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 skin-on bone-in chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
• 4 tablespoons honey

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Liberally salt and pepper the chicken breast halves. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and sear the chicken, skin side only, until brown and beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the orange glaze: In a small saucepan, heat the orange juice concentrate, honey, and salt and pepper, to taste, over medium heat, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Turn the chicken over and brush each piece with the glaze. Turn the chicken skin side up and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 160 to 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, brushing on more glaze halfway through, about 15 minutes in total. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board. Remove the chicken breast from the bone and slice the meat on the bias. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and serve.

Results

Not bad. I liked it! It was easy to make and it wasn't to sweet. Now I didn't get my chicken skin as crispy as she did (see the picture of the finished product on the foodnetwork.com site), but it was browned nicely. The chicken was tender and had a good flavor. I would make this again.

Glazed Carrots

For a side dish I made her Glazed Carrots. Again, this recipe is from Melissa D'Arabian from The Food Network.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 3/4 pound carrots, cut on the bias into coins
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a small skillet, combine the broth, water, butter, brown sugar, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the carrots, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until just tender, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Uncover the pan and let the liquid cook down until it reduces to a glaze, about 2 to 3 minutes. Toss the carrots to generously coat them with the glaze. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Results

Yup! I really liked these. I would make them again. Super easy! This didn't take a lot of time at all. I served the carrots and the chicken with mashed potatoes. When asked, my daughter said the best thing on the plate was the mashed potatoes. Go figure, the 5 year old likes the one thing I bought already made at Safeway. Kids....

If you try these recipes tell me how they turned out for you.