Monday, September 26, 2011

The Secret Recipe Club

This is my second month to be a part of The Secret Recipe Club.  I love visiting other blogs and trying recipes but the SRC helps me reach out to new blogs.  I love it.  The month I was assigned Deli-Cute-Essen.  What a great blog! I loved looking all through the blog - tons of cute things and great vegan recipes.  I don't know much about vegan recipes but I loved reading through the different ingredients.  However, I decided to make another cake again this month.  I went with a Mocha Cake.  We loved it.  I couldn't keep my girls out of the frosting - thank goodness we had a little left over!  I chose not put the egg in the frosting - I added a little milk but could probably have left the milk out.  My frosting appears to be a little thinner but still Oh So Yummy!

Also, please visit Deli-Cute-Essen as her picture of this wonderful cake is WAY better than mine!  My girls were diving in as I was trying to take a good picture! :)





Mocha Cake

Cake

2 1⁄4 cups flour
1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
1/3 cups instant coffee
1 1/3 cups water
1 2/3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mayonnaise
3 squares (1 oz each) unsweetened chocolate melted and cooled.         

Sift flour with baking soda. Dissolve coffee in water.
Beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Blend in mayonnaise and
chocolate. Add flour mixture alternately with coffee, one third at a time on low
speed of electric mixer. Pour into two greased and floured  9-inch pans. Bake at 350 F for about 35 minutes.

Frosting
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
1⁄2 cup milk
2 tablespoons instant coffee
1 cup butter
3 cups icing sugar
1 egg

Melt chocolate with milk and coffee over hot water. Blend until smooth. Cool.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat at high speed of
electric mixer for about 1 minute. Add chocolate mixture to butter mixture.
Blend well.

To Assemble Cake
Cut each layer horizontally to make 4 layers. (I didn't split them and ended up with just two layers) Spread each layer with 3⁄4 cup of frosting and cover top and sides of cake.



Thursday, September 22, 2011

ORIENTAL PORK TENDERLOIN – APPETIZER

My husband always likes it when I take a hearty appetizer to a party.  This is the perfect choice for your parties this football season.  I cannot tell you how wonderful this is - the men especially love it.  Give this a try for your next gathering!!




ORIENTAL PORK TENDERLOIN – APPETIZER

1 pkg. of pork tenderloins
1/3 cup sherry
2/3 cup soy sauce
½ tsp. ground ginger
red food coloring

Toasted sesame seeds and hot mustard

Preheat oven to 400.  Mix marinade in a large Ziploc bag and add pork tenderloins.  Marinate 30 minutes.  Take tenderloin out and put on broiler pan and discard marinade.  Put a pan of water in the oven on the rack under the pan of tenderloin to help keep them moist.  Bake tenderloins for 40 minutes turning every 15 minutes.   Allow the tenderloins to cool slightly and then slice thinly.  Serve on a platter with a small bowl of toasted sesame seeds and a small bowl of hot mustard.

You could probably half the marinade or double the meat.  This is great for a party!! 

Yummy – dip each slice into hot mustard and then into sesame seeds.      

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Honey Curry Chicken

All of my good friends have been raving on and on about this recipe from our friend Kathy.  Kathy is the great photographer that did Annie's senior pictures.  Please visit Kathy Johnson Portraits - especially if you are local.

Anyway, my friends were all saying their families were loving this Honey Curry Chicken.  Well, I have to say that I am not a huge fan of curry.  I have a snack mix recipe that has curry in and I do love it - World's Best Snack Mix.  If you haven't tried this snack mix - please make it for your next football party.  You will be addicted!

I made the Honey Curry Chicken and we did love it.  I will double the sauce next time as we are a "saucy" type family.  Everyone wanted more sauce to go with their chicken and rice.  The sauce kind of caramelized around the edge of the pan so I would definitely double the sauce next time. Add this recipe to your easy family favorites!



Honey Curry Chicken


4 chicken breasts
1/2 - 3/4 stick butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder

Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Mix butter, honey, mustard, salt and curry powder. Spray 8 x8 pan with cooking spray or even line pan with foil. Pour mixture over chicken.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour.  Serve with white rice and your favorite vegetable.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Hummingbird Cake

I haven't been the best blogger lately.  With the beginning of school, volleyball season for our senior and the start of my preschool year - just a little on the busy side.  I have still been cooking - just not getting it on the blog fast enough.

On that note, I have to say this cake is..... AMAZING!  I had two ripe bananas instead of the normal three I use when I make banana bread.  I remembered this recipe from years back and thought I would give it a try.  I loved it.  It was so moist and flavorful and so yummy.  I did share a quarter of it with our good friends.  Greg gave me a bad time - telling me I was going to have to use a lot of hummingbirds to make a cake. :)  I promise - no hummingbirds were harmed in the making of this cake!



Hummingbird Cake

In a large mixing bowl,  mix by hand...
1 1/2 cups oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Add...
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Mix well.  Add...
2 bananas, mashed
1  ( 8 oz) can crushed pineapple, with juice
1/2 cup coconut
1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350.  Pour well-mixed batter into 3 greased and floured 9 inch cake pans.  (I like to like the bottom of my cake pans with wax paper for ease in removal).  Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until done.  Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.


Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 pkg (16 oz) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Combine cream cheese and butter and beat until smooth.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.  Spread between layers and an on top.  You can spread on the sides too... if you have enough!  Top with chopped pecans.

Printable Version

Sunday, September 4, 2011

South of the Border Lasagna

I am always looking for new and exciting recipes for dinner.  Like I mentioned before, my girls would rather me stick to a few old favorites but everyone is very nice when I try something new.   Sometimes it is "blog worthy" and I have to admit, sometimes it is not. This recipe came from my friend Donna.  Donna is a great Southern cook!  She has some wonderful family recipes and she is great about digging through her jillions of cookbooks to find another perfect recipe.  My girls aren't very hip on lasagna but I thought they might enjoy this Mexican version and they did.  Serve with Mexican Rice and a green salad.



South of the Border Lasagna


2 lbs. ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Chili powder
3 cups tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 to 1 Tbsp salt
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
4 oz can chopped green chilis
12 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp dried Cilantro
8 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

In large skillet, brown meat over med-high heat.  Drain.  Add onion and saute 5 min or until translucent; add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Sprinkle with chili powder and mix well. Add tomato sauce, sugar, salt, olives and chilis.  Simmer uncovered 15 min.  Heat oven 350.  Spray a 13 x 9 with cooking spray.  In a small skillet, heat 1 - 2 Tbsp oil.  Soften tortillas one at a time, flipping with tongs and then allow to drain on a paper towel lined plate. Mix cottage cheese, beaten egg and dried cilantro. Place 1/3 meat mixture into pan, top with 1/2 Monterey Jack cheese, then 1/2 of cottage cheese mixture and top with 1/2 of tortillas.  Repeat ending with meat on top.  Cover with cheddar cheese and bake for 30 minutes.  Allow to stand 15 minutes before cutting.  Toppings - Scallions, sour cream, black olives, etc.

Printable Version