Caramel Cake

Baking the cake

Steve and I are recently engaged and before that happened; his mother had a birthday. I took it upon myself to offer to bake her birthday cake. Now as you know, when you off to bake someone a cake you want it to be perfect. I know...I know...I hear you all already feeding me my words back "it’s not about the presentation, it’s about the taste". But Steve's mom is a good cook and therefore I wanted this cake to be spectacular! So I was all wrapped up in nerves, a good thing Steve loves me otherwise I would've been thrown on the street, and finally decided to look for a caramel cake. 

So instead of heading to Pinterest, where it’s hit or miss sometimes, I went to the full proof source of Food Network, which is where I found Paula Deen's caramel cake recipe. She has been in the news lately, however no matter what comes out of kitchen it is ALWAYS a hit! Maybe it’s the 10 tons of butter…but hey it’s always good!

After adding the filling to first layer

A couple of things I did differently. She used round cake pans; however I did not have multiple round or square cake pans. So I used on long cake pan, second I did not use all the frosting, only about half of it. Before I share the recipe I have to tell you, that this was the SADDEST cake I have ever made…I was so embarrassed...not that it mattered in the long run! Sometimes it the saddest cakes that taste the best!

It was sad because of a couple of reasons: 1. I did not let the cake cool down and rest. 2. When I was stacking the two pieces on top of each other I should have put the two ends of the cake on opposite sides, instead I put the two middles onto of each other, which ultimately caused my cake to sag only on one side. I hope they don’t deter you from making this cake!!  I also did not put any nuts on the cake either.

A very sad but delicious Caramel Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
3 cups sifted self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the filling:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream, or more if needed
1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts, optional
Directions
For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add granulated sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4-inches above counter dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

For the filling:

While cake is baking, in a saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and milk. Cook and stir over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Remove cake layers from oven and allow cake to remain in pans as you prepare to stack and fill. Remove first layer and invert onto cake plate. Pierce cake layer with a toothpick over entire surface. Spread 1/3 of filling mixture on cake layer. Top with second layer, repeat process. Top with last layer and repeat process again.

*Cook's Note: As I stack layers together, I stick them with toothpicks to prevent cake from shifting.

For the frosting:

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and stir in brown sugar and cream. Bring to a boil, and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat with a handheld electric mixer until it reaches a spreading consistency. At this time it may be necessary to add a tablespoon of heavy cream, or more, if frosting gets too thick. Just be sure to add cream is small amounts because you can always "add to", but you can't take away. Frost cake and sprinkle top with chopped nuts, if desired.

 

 How did yours turn out?


Happy Cooking!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Not many of you will know this about me, because I try to keep my blog diversified with what I post. However, my go to food is chip and dip! Any kind of chip and any kind of dip, could eat myself silly. I am really not joking, I am a chip and dip connoisseur. 

It was only a matter of time that I have started to venture making my own dips! What is your favorite kind of dip? I definitely enjoy a good sausage or buffalo chicken dip, but when I am in a veggie mood, spinach and artichoke is where it is at! Now, I have had a lot of different types of spinach and artichoke dip. Costco puts water chestnuts, carrots, etc in theirs which is a nice added crunch. However, I do like to stick to the basics. 

So of course I went to the data center for creativity and recipes, Pinterest, to start my quest for a good looking recipe. Luckily I came across this one, Averie Cooks. It seemed simple enough and economically. I followed the recipe, but I do believe it would be just as good with the substitutes.

Not too many pictures with post, since it was so simple…but it filled out bellies and more! I might even stuff chicken or pork with it!   

 

Spinach & Artichoke Dip 

3/4 c spinach (I used frozen and this is after draining it and squeezing it tight)

3/4 c artichokes hearts

1/3 c mayonnaise  

1/4 c cream cheese

1/3 c shredded cheese (Pepperjack, ricotta, mozzerella, Daiya, Parmesan, no/lowfat cheese, etc.)

Black Pepper to taste

Optional Seasonings to taste: Salt, Garlic, Onion Powder, Cayenne, Chili Powder, Curry, Red Pepper Flakes, seasoning blends such as  Mrs. Dash blends, etc.

Directions:  Combine thawed (or fresh) spinach and artichokes (diced) in a bowl.

In another bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and stir.  Pour white mixture over the spinach and artichokes, stir, and serve.  Refrigerate leftovers for a few days; use common sense.

Optional tweaks:

Make this as a hot dip by baking in ramekins or a small baking dish for about 20 minutes at 350F or until bubbling/browned.   Top with cheese on the top in the last 5 minutes or so of baking or broil for a cheesy gooey top layer.

Yields approximately 1 1/2 cups dip.  Double or triple the recipe if making for a party or crowd.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as we did!

Happy Cooking!!

Creamy Wantons and Sweet Chili Sauce

Hello Fellow World Foodies!!

This was such a good find on Pinterest. I pinned it probably a couple of months ago, but just had not had time to do it. FYI mine totally did not turn out like the picture but I can guarantee that they were just as tasty if not more! Steve and I were looking for something tasty for dinner and decided to look through my Pinterest board, and came across this delight.

We used this for appetizers however there was plenty of enough to make them a meal. So the extras we put in to fridge for the next day's lunch. And even though you fry them, we placed them in the oven at 350 for a couple of minutes and were just as delicious.

As we were making these tasty treats I was thinking how great it would be if we had a sweet chili sauce to dip them in. I always enjoy that sweet/ spicy taste, on top of a creamy cheesy wanton...who can go wrong really? So being the handy dandy person I am, I googled a recipe and gave a shot! So this blog is a double duo! I hope these two things bring you as much joy in your home as they did for us.

First recipe up is the Spinach and Cheese Wanton! Thanks to Jinkzz's Kitchen for this recipe! We fried them up in a pan. Be CAREFUL if you are going to fry them up! Not sure if you know this, but when you add things to hot oil it typically pops back at you! So just be weary! I am sure you could bake these as well maybe at 400 for 10 minutes or until they turned brown. I also think if you replaced the ricotta with just cream cheese it would be just as good! We aren't huge ricotta fans, so I think that will be our next venture as well with adding mushrooms.

Ingredients

1 box (10 oz) Frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
Large size wonton wrappers
oil for frying 
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste


1. In a bowl, placed squeeze-dried spinach. Fluff them up to loosen.
2. Add cream cheese and ricotta cheese. Mix well.
3. Season with salt and pepper according to your taste.
4. To wrap: Take a teaspoon full of the filling and place it in the middle of the wonton wrappers. Gather the corners to create a pouch. Take small stips of the cut wonton and use it to tie the corners together. Be careful not to break the tie.  (I folded mine like a package, didn't have enough wanton to tie corners together)

5. Do this until all the filling has been used. 
6. Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot, place a few of the pouch and fry until golden in color. NOTE: Fry only a few at a time so as not to lower the oil temperature and not to overcrwod the pan.
7. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.
8. Transfer to a serving platter and serve warm.


So when I searched for the sweet chili sauce, a lot of different options came up, but this blog called SheSimmers seemed to be the most reasonable and useful one considering that I did not have to run back out to the store to buy more products to make it! Instead of using fresh peppers I used Red Pepper Flakes. Also due to a lack of a blender or food processor, I grated my garlic on a cheese grater, which if you opted for the fresh peppers you could do as well.

I am not sure how long this sauce stays good for, so we places it in the freezer have heated it back up in the microwave for other dishes! Trust me you wont be lead a stray!! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 red Jalapeño or Serrano peppers, deseeded (See note #1 below.)
• ¼ cup white distilled vinegar
• ½ cup sugar
• ¾ cup water
• ½ tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch (See note #2 below.)
• 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

1. In the blender, purée together all the ingredients, except for the last two.
2. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until the mixture thickens up a bit and the garlic-pepper bits begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
3. Combine the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and continue to simmer one more minute. The cornstarch will help the sauce to thicken slightly thereby causing nice suspension of the garlic-pepper bits; otherwise, you get a thin sauce with all the little pieces floating on the surface.
4. Let cool completely before storing in a glass jar and refrigerate.

***Side note***I have decided to format my blog in a different way, with the pictures down the side. I have noticed that when I am reading other's blogs with instructions and they have pictures along the way its a bit hindering, because I need the instructions more than I need the pictures. Do you like it? Or is it better the other way?

Pizza Times Ten!!

I think there is a running theme to this blog, which is that I love all kinds of food hands down. I'm at least willing to try it once! I keep on seeing all these post and hearing all these great ideas about homemade pizzas! There are so many types of pizza you can make...really to each of your own...fruit...meat...veggies....shoot I bet you could even make a brownie pizza if you wanted. Well unfortunately I haven't managed a pizza brownie, but I have found a great pizza dough recipe and I will give you all the ideas that I have made successfully. 

This recipe is by Bobby Flay. Actually this recipe makes enough for 2 pizzas. If you want a thicker crust than combine the two balls of dough together, but if you like a thinner crust than keep them separate. If you want something fast and easy...you could always head to your grocery store where they sell balls of dough for a dollar. Keep reading for pizza ideas.

Ingredients

3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling (Chef's Note: Using bread flour will give you a much crisper crust. If you can't find bread flour, you can substitute it with all-purpose flour which will give you a chewier crust.)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 envelope instant dry yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups water, 110 degrees F
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons

Directions

Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine. While the mixer is running, add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and beat until the dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.

Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area to let it double in size, about 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Pizza Ideas

Chicken Alfredo Pizza- I used broccoli, onions, chicken (I used canned chicken, however you could fry it up or bake it). We made a cal-zone with these ingredients as well. We also used a bottled store bought Alfredo, just in spurts though. If you put to much than you are going to over sauce your pizza. Only put herbs on the base of the pizza, no other sauce. This could also be good with shrimp!

Veggie Lovers- Green peppers, Spinach, Mozzarella, Onions, Tomatoes, Mushrooms. We used a white pizza sauce which is basically olive oil and a mix of Italian herbs. Placed garlic powder and butter around the crust. -->

Goat Cheese- White pizza sauce, Spinach, Chicken, Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and balsamic vinegar.


I hope these have inspired some tasty creations for yourself and others!


Happy cooking!

Stuffed Scalloped Potatoes

As the fall draws closer and closer here in NC there is nothing more suitable than a good tasty potato! I love all kinds of potatoes!They are so hearty...and seems to fill your soul with something...something good! The go good with pretty much any dish you make. Plus they are such a versatile veggie, use them as French fries...mashed...loaded...loaded mash...casserole! The possibilities are endless!! Then I came across this recipe on Pinterest and knew I would have to give it a shot. This is from a blog called Tasty Kitchen. 

 I did struggle with fitting the pieces of butter and cheese in the spaces, however although it turned out a bit messy... it was well worth it! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. Let me know if you did anything different! 

Ingredients

2 whole Golden Potatoes
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 piece (about 2 Inches Long) Parmigiano-Reggiano, Sliced Thinly
⅛ teaspoons Garlic Powder
¼ teaspoons Kosher Salt
2 teaspoons Olive Oil
¼ cups Heavy Cream
¼ cups Cheddar Cheese Blend

Directions

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Scrub potatoes.

You need 2 wooden spoons with handles of the same width. Place a spoon on each side of the potato and start slicing the potato into thin slices. The spoons will stop the knife from cutting all the way through the potato.

Slice the butter into thin pieces. Alternate the butter and the parmesan, stuffing them in between the slices of the potato. Season the potato with garlic powder and kosher salt. Drizzle the potato with olive oil.

Bake at 400ºF for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle heavy cream over the potatoes. Top with cheddar cheese.

Place back in the oven for 10-12 more minutes. Remove and serve!

Best of luck and Happy Cooking!!

Zucchini on Steroids!

As much as I enjoy meat, meat, meat…I also enjoy a TON of veggies! Sometimes there is nothing better than to have a buffet of veggies for dinner. With that being said I have not always had the best of luck when cooking or even baking veggies. Look at my former failed experiments, zucchini chips, half baked potatoes, zucchini and carrot sticks… those were just baking. When I cook veggies I always feel I either over cook or under cook them, on top of that if I under cook them I tend to have an allergic reaction. I know it is weird, but I have a weird allergy to most raw fruits or veggies, it causes my mouth and lips to swell (Not the most attractive sight). But we must not be deterred from trying things out despite our conditions! What kind of life is that if we were?

Alright I will get off my soap box and tell you what I made. I am definitely proud of this recipe and we will be making it again in the future! I have always wanted to try to make stuffed anything. In my previous post you will see I have had a lot of success when it comes down to stuffing meat (I highly recommend any of the previous stuffed recipes) with veggies or cheese. Now I was ready to take stuffing to a new level! All these Pinterest post make things look so easy, and then when you actually try to make the item…well its actually NOT that easy. So I steered clear of Pinterest this time and went to the old trusty Food Network! Where human beings have actually cooked and successfully made the recipe!  (Side note about Pinterest- I love it and feel free to follow me at chelsgo- however I like to  be inspired to make things and then I go compare recipes to other ones…sometimes cooking is just common sense)

The other nice thing about Food Network is that you can type in your ingredients that you have and it will pull back dinner ideas, a great way to make nothing out of something! So I bundled up all my courage and became really daring one day to cook a stuffed zucchini! And boy did it turn out great!! This is a Paula Deen recipe, and despite all of her drama, when it comes to the kitchen she has some of the best recipes around. You don’t always have to take her heavy ingredients either, lighten them up. Use light sour creams or cheeses or sodium free butter. You’re the cook, take charge of your kitchen and your life!

The things I did differently in this recipe is that I only used one zucchini, there was only 2 of us. I used fresh spinach instead of frozen, fat free sour cream (you could also use greek yogurt) and only ½ cup of cheddar cheese.  I also added mushrooms and chopped them finely. I did have stuffing left over when I only used one zucchini, but that didn't detour us from eating it. It was that delicious! The recipe is below along with pictures from my adventures. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

Stuffed Zuchinni

Ingredients

Finished Product with Pork Chop

• 5 large yellow squash, halved lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup chicken flavored stuffing mix
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Brush cut side of squash with olive oil; sprinkle with salt, and pepper. Place squash, cut side down, on a lined baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, or until tender. Scoop out pulp, keeping shells intact; reserve pulp. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until transparent. To the skillet, add stuffing mix, spinach, sour cream, Cheddar and squash pulp. Mix together and add salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for 3 minutes. Spoon mixture evenly into squash shells. Place on baking sheet, and bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through

Stuffed-Baked and Finished

 

Blueberry Buckle

Hey Internet land!

It's summer time, kicked into full gear here in the USA. So I found this recipe looking for something sweet to make Steve and I. In the summer, I hate eating hot things like cobbler or pies etc. I also didn't want to eat just fruit. Not that I have anything against it, just wasn't in the mood for just fruit. I can't remember what exactly I googled for, but if you have found this blog than you know that you can search for anything on the Internet!!

Anyways, this is an Alton Brown recipe. Side note- I love Alton Brown! He is always precise and just like Paula Deen, no matter how many times I use one of their recipes it has NEVER turned out bad! So there is my promo for him.

I followed the recipe exactly the first time, and used the cups measurements instead of ounces. Only because lack of scales, but everything turned out great even still! The second time I made this I used cinnamon instead of nutmeg. It is in the oven now,  I'll let you know if it doesn't turn out! I am sure that it will though. Blueberries and cinnamon you can't go wrong.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did! Add a little bit of whip cream on top and that is GOOD EATS!

Ingredients

For the cake:

Nonstick cooking spray
9 ounces cake flour, approximately 2 cups
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
5 1/4 ounces sugar, approximately 3/4 cup
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
15 ounces fresh whole blueberries, approximately 3 cups

For the topping:

3 1/2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/2 cup
1 1/2 ounces cake flour, approximately 1/3 cup
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 ounces unsalted butter, chilled and cubed


Directions

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground ginger. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Add the egg and beat until well incorporated, approximately 30 seconds. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated and then add 1/3 of the milk and beat until incorporated. Repeat, alternating flour and milk until everything has combined. Gently stir in the blueberries and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

For the topping:

In a small bowl combine the sugar, flour and nutmeg. Add the butter and work into the dry ingredients using a fork to combine. Continue until the mixture has a crumb-like texture. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the cake. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes or until golden in color. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.



Happy Cooking!!!