A Birthday Celebration

I had never made a German Chocolate Cake before. All the bakery German Chocolate Cakes I'd ever had had been dry, crumbly, and, frankly, very disappointing to a chocolate lover like me! I'd always assumed that Germans preferred their chocolate cakes dry and crumbly...until now...

We had a friend in town last night. She recently had a birthday, AND baby was wanting some cupcakes, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and make her a birthday cake for her visit! I asked her what her favorite cake was, and groaned inwardly when she said "German Chocolate!" I'd thought my friends would have better taste... :P

Ah, well, she's a good friend, and if she wanted a "German Chocolate Cake", a "German Chocolate Cake" she would get! And it's off to Google!

As it turns out, a German Chocolate Cake is not German in origin at all! It's named after the brand of chocolate used in the baking of the cake! Huh. Maybe there's hope for this cake, after all.

Here's how it turned out:



It. Was. DELICIOUS. So moist and CHOCOLATEY.

And here is the recipe, which can also be found by clicking the link above: (Note: I don't have THREE layer pans, I have two. So, I made a two layer cake, and six cupcakes, five of which I gave to the neighbours after the hubby came over to help Matt unclog the shower. Ugh. I can't wait to move.)

German Chocolate Cake
1 pkg. Baker's German’s sweet chocolate (4 oz.)
1/2 cup Water, boiling
1 cup Butter or margarine
2 cup Sugar
4 Eggs, separated
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 cups Flour, all-purpose
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Buttermilk
Coconut-pecan frosting



1. Melt chocolate in water and cool.
2. Cream butter and
Sugar.
3. Beat in egg yolks.
4. Stir in vanilla and
chocolate.
5. Mix flour, soda and salt. beat in flour
mixture, alternately with buttermilk.
6. Beat egg whites
until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Pour batter
into three 9-inch layer pans, lined on bottoms with
waxed paper.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or
until cake springs back when lightly pressed in
center Cool 15 minutes; remove and cool on rack.

THE FILLING AND TOPPING

1-14 oz. can of condensed milk such as Eagle Brand
½ Cup water
3 egg yolks
1 t vanilla
1/2 C butter (1 stick)
1 1/3 c Pecans; chopped reserve 10 whole pecan halves for garnish.
1 ¾ c Angel flake coconut
(If you can not find eagle brand condensed milk then use this substitute
mix 1 cup + 2 T (250 gr.) powdered milk mix with 1/2 C water and 3/4 C granulated sugar
Directions:
Cook the milk eggs and water over a double boiler until thickened.
Cook it over direct heat if you use complete concentration.
Then add the vanilla and butter and whisk in until it is melted and
smooth.
Add the chopped pecans and coconut.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING (Optional) {Erin's Note: Or, not so optional. :P}

1 stick or 1/2 Cup (125 grams ) butter , softened
9 squares (50 ml) Baker's German's chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups (350 gr.)powdered sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
1 1/2 TBS (45 ml) milk
for a richer chocolate flavor, add cocoa powder. or buy more German's chocolate
Mix butter and chocolate in mixing bowl. Stir in powdered sugar.
Beat vanilla and milk until smooth and of spreading consistency.
Assembly;
Divide the filling evenly between the 3 cakes putting the 1st layer
down, Then spread the filling evenly
Repeat with the other layer.
Frost the side of the cake only.


It sounds like a lot of work, and I suppose it is, but it was really a lot of fun!

Another Pork Marinade

I am a big fan of marinades. I feel like sometimes that is all I post. Well, this one is FANTASTIC. I've used it for years, had it tonight, and felt you all needed to try it. I bought 1 package of pork tenderloin. In these packages, there are really 2 small tenderloins totally about 2 lbs. I was able to get mine for about a total of $8, so really not that expensive. Use this marinade..the longer you can marinade it the better, but today I only was able to do it for 6 hours. It is delicious. Enjoy

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce (found on oriental aisle)
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp red pepper (i use the flakes, but you can use ground)
2 TBS brown sugar (today I didn't have any, I used white and it was fine)
1 TBS ginger
1 TBS minced garlic (I of course used much more)
1 TBS ketchup
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Mix all ingredients and marinade. You can either grill it or bake it. If you grill it, use indirect medium heat and do 20 minutes, flip, then 20 minutes. If you bake....preheat oven to 350. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Place foil on top unsealed for 1 - 1 1/2 hours on 375. Continue turning during cooking.

I had my first hot cocoa of the season this morning in our chilly dining room with all the windows flung wide open! Marshmellows and all - it was delicious. I am looking forward to the warmer food that chilly weather brings.

A Tip for the Mamas-to-be*...

My midwife says I'm eating too much fruit and not enough vegetables. And that I should be eating the veggies raw. And that I need more Vitamin C in my diet. Unfortunately, I'd developed an aversion to raw veggies, and cutting out oranges meant LESS Vitamin C, so I had to get creative!

Bell Peppers (blech :P) have TONS of Vitamin C in them, apparently. And since we pregnant ladies also need TONS of protein, I've been snacking on "Hummus"-stuffed bell peppers!

For the "hummus" drain 1 fifteen ounce can garbanzo beans, reserving liquid. Add the beans with 1/3 c. olive oil to blender, with garlic to your taste (I used to be the Garlic Queen, but now I'm very sensitive to it!) and blend away until smooth, adding the reserved liquid as needed. Drizzle a little lemon, and salt to taste, over the top of the hummus and stir it in, and stuff it into your washed and halved peppers.

Vitamin C-Protein snackables!

*Well, and for anyone who needs more Vitamin C, less fruit, and more protein in their diet! :P

Louisiana-Style Picadillo

It's been so long since I've posted-- partly because I didn't have a kitchen to cook in while I lived in Rome. We had an amazing cook, Anna, who fed us very well. But now I'm back to cooking for myself. And to honor my new Southern dwelling, I give you a dish that calls for okra. Hey, I have to fit in around here...

I'm not sure what makes this "Louisiana-Style." Picadillo usually comes from Spanish-speaking countries, and it's usually ground beef, tomatoes, and a variety of other ingredients. The mom of one of my friends, Marisa, makes an amazing picadillo, so when I was browsing through a cookbook and saw this, I decided to try it.

Prep-time: 30 minutes

2 c uncooked instant white rice
2 1/2 c water
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 c chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c sliced okra (or 1 10 oz pkg frozen cut okra, thawed)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/4 t pepper
1 (15 or 15.5 oz) can kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes seasoned with green peppers and onion, undrained

1. Cook rice in 2 cups of water as directed on packaged. Cover to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain.

3. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup of water and all remaining ingredients except rice. Cover; simmer 10 minutes or until okra is tender, stirring occasionally. Serve okra mixture over rice. If desired, sprinkle with sliced green onions.

**Of course, I didn't follow directions (what's new?). When I was at the grocery store, all I saw on my list was "red pepper." I didn't remember what recipe I needed it for, so I thought it was a red pepper... like the vegetable. Well, for some reason, the grocery store didn't have red peppers, so I bought an orange one. When I got home and realized my mistake, I just decided to dice to orange pepper and throw it in when I was cooking the meat, onions, and garlic. And you know what? It was really good!! This is one of those dishes you can throw anything in! And, I'm sure it's one of those dishes that will be great leftover, as the flavors mesh together... mmmm....

BBQ Anything!

I'm not sure if I've posted this recipe before on my blog or on this one, but here it is. This recipe comes from my neighbor Tara who is a goddess in the kitchen. I called her one day after searching and searching for a bbq sauce recipe that wasn't spicy and didn't call for alcohol as all the ones I was finding online and in my cookbooks did. I know I can always call Tara when I need a recipe for something that excludes the alcohol, because she's Mormon and doesn't ever use it!! She's got loads of alternative recipes. Anyway, here it is:

3/4 c Ketchup
1 c Water
2 T Vinegar (white)
1 pkg. Onion Soup (the dry kind, I use Lipton, and sometimes I use Beefy Onion)
1/4 c Honey(I think you can substitute sugar)
4 T Soy Sauce
2 T Worcestershire Sauce

You just mix it all up in a bowl and pour it over whatever you're making. It's not a thick sauce, but it does thicken slightly when you cook it. The first thing I made it for was barbecue chicken wings. I just put the wings and the sauce together in a cast iron skillet on the stove top. Today I'm making it with pulled pork in the crock pot. But I imagine you could use it for whatever dish you want!!

Birthday Waffles...

...for my sweetie
Dan loves the Cubs so I thought he would enjoy this. The waffles aren't homemade. I wanted to make the kind that sit over night but his parents had us out last night and we got home too late for my tired body to do any cooking. He loved his surprise all the same!

Catching Up

At my sister's request, I finally have added back our cooking links. Please let me know if they are any good ones that I'm missing and you'd like to have up there. I'm sure I missed some. I'd be happy to add more.

My rotating the same meals about every two weeks did not work out for us. Maybe this was because I tried to start right before our move. I don't know. But it was helpful in that I am finally figuring out what our family eats weekly and in what amounts. Which means that even though my meals may vary, the ingredients and the shopping list stay pretty standard.

I've also learned to stick to Aldi's for most of our stuff. I can't swing the prices at the other stores around here. At least so far. There are lots of little side markets that I'd like to try: Billy's Fruit Market and Pan's Foods to name a few. They intrigue me. But I'm too much of a wimp to venture in on my own.

Maybe when my mom comes back to visit...

Farmer's Market Pizza

Hello, again!

It's been awhile since I've posted either here OR on my own cooking space, mostly since I've been in a food-rut: protein, protein, protein!! There's only so much I can do with the protein...plus, any veggies or fruit I've been eating have been pretty much straight from my shopping bag to my tummy, since fresh, organic produce from the Farmer's Market just really doesn't need to be improved on, in my book! :)

HOWEVER. We had a visitor this week, and I wanted her to meet some of my local friends, AND see some of the local color, so we downtown to meet some folks at the Thursday Farmer's Market, where we picked out some fresh veggies, and took them home to put on homemade pizza!

Here are the toppings we came up with:

Zebra-striped eggplant, summer squash, pepperoni and (sauteed) garlic.

Zebra-striped eggplant, mushroom and bell pepper.

Summer squash, banana pepper and pepperoni. (In the words of our houseguest: "It wasn't too hot...more 'tingly' than spicy!")

It was fun to try different combinations of these delicious (and beautiful!) veggies! It's a great way to get everyone involved in the cooking process, and I imagine it would make kids more enthusiastic about eating their vegetables! ;)

I Forgot to Post Here...

...that I haven't been posting because I've joined the ranks of Anne, Erin, and Jill in being pregnant! I'm still in the first trimester and there seems to be a new change everyday and from what I hear I might as well get used to that.

Happy Pregnancy!