Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

While at work, my friend and I were discussing the latest gossip as we usually do at the office. In the middle of the conversation she made sure to squeeze in that her birthday was coming up. I was ecstatic to hear this because I jump at any occasion to make a cake. And plus, it's her 20th birthday so that's a big deal, right? She would no longer be a teenager so I had to make something amazing. She LOVES strawberries, as do I, so right then I knew what I was going to make.

A homemade strawberry cake batter with whipped butter-cream frosting to dirty ice it. In the middle would be a seedless strawberry jam with fresh chunks of strawberries folded into it. The jam was spread evenly between the two layers. Then I whipped up some fresh, homemade whipped cream that would be served in a dollop on the side. I placed chocolate covered strawberries sporadically around the cake plate and on top of the cake itself. But now to the recipe...

The Cake
Ingredients:

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 4 eggs (room temperature)
• 2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup strawberry puree made from frozen sweetened strawberries

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir into the batter alternately with the milk. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a small knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in their pans over a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, before tapping out to cool completely. 

Homemade Whipped Cream:
(Seriously the easiest thing in the world.)

• 1/2 pt. whipping cream
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

• Whip cream with mixer. Be careful not to over-beat or else will get too thick. When it begins to thicken, add sugar and vanilla; stir. Refrigerate.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries:
(Pretty self explanatory but oh well...)

• Wash and dry strawberries. If you don't dry them thoroughly, the chocolate won't stick. 
• In a double boiler, add a tbs. or 2 to the bottom pot. When that starts to boil, add a bag of chocolate chips to the top part. 
• Stir Constantly.
• When all the chocolate has melted, turn the flame off but leave the pot on the stove to soak up heat.
• Then just dip the strawberries in the chocolate by holding on to their stems.

Shopping at the Bucket

Yesterday my creative writing class took a "field trip" to one of the town's grocery stores. The two major stores are Shaws and Market Basket. Most locals shop at Market Basket, otherwise known as the Bucket, because of the drastic price difference from the overpriced goods at Shaws. The walk from the high school to the store was a little over 2 miles but it was worth it to get to leave the school for an hour or so. The main purpose of the trip was to look at marketing strategies as to how food industries grab your attention to their product. We also got extra credit if we found something with a spelling error. Once done with that, we decided to grab lunch at D'Angelo's. I didn't see anything too appetizing so I stuck with your average Caesar salad wrap. It wasn't great but definitely better than anything the school cafeteria would have offered. I would have preferred to get lunch at the quaint, natural, food market down the street but time wasn't on our side and unfortunately we had to get back to the school.


Considering the last day of school for seniors is May 20th, it was nice to be able to get outside instead of sitting in the classroom. "Senioritis" (a horrible illness that affects all seniors within the last 2-3 months of school) is setting in and since everyone is pretty much done anyway, I hope to see a few more outdoor field trips in the future. If not, I can always come to my writing class and find my sanity again by escaping from the everyday stresses of high school.

Vegetarian Chili

Even before I started this whole "I'm a vegetarian now" thing, my mom had been making vegetarian chili for years. The funny thing is that I didn’t even know it was veggie friendly until about six or so months ago. The trick? Boca Burgers. I know, I know, fake meat. The normal perception of Boca is fake, gross, or even mysterious but I can honestly say that I couldn’t tell the difference. After I found out that she used Boca, I decided to try in on a bun, you know, like a regular burger. Not a good idea. Boca tastes great in chili but not so much by itself. The veggie ground beef gives the chili more texture than if it were just to have the beans and vegetables. It’s much more filling as well. I dare you to taste the difference.

Ingredients:

·        2 (12 ounce) packets frozen Boca vegetarian ground beef (Make sure it says ground beef; they have different flavors. Do Not buy the Boca Chili!)

·        2 (14 ½ ounce) cans Mexican-style tomatoes

·        1 small onion, chopped

·        1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans

·        ½ teaspoon cumin

·        ½ teaspoon chili powder

·        Salt and pepper, to taste

·        A sprinkle of shredded cheese (any kind works)

Directions:

·        Spray frying pan with nonstick cooking spray.

·        Heat pan, saute onion, and add ground Boca when onions start to brown.

·        Saute Boca and onions.

·        Season to taste with cumin, onion powder, salt, pepper, chili powder.

·        Add stewed tomatoes and continue to cook over a medium flame for about 8 minutes.

·        Add the kidney beans for the last three minutes or until heated through.

·        Let it sit for about 10 minutes to soak up all the flavor

·        Pour yourself a bowl & then sprinkle some cheese on top!

Not Your Average Waldorf Salad

Yesterday my best friend took me out to dinner to celebrate us both getting into college. We decided to go into the downtown area to Not Your Average Joes; mostly for the bread. If you’ve never been there before, I highly recommend it. It is a chain restaurant but definitely one of the best I have ever been too. The weather was absolutely beautiful so we decided to sit outside by the waterfront. We had a waitress in training that was unbelievably stressed. She spilt our water glasses twice. But nonetheless we were still thrilled to be there.

After watching the movie Food Inc. I made the decision to become a vegetarian. Not until recently have I noticed that there are only a few select things on the menu that cater to vegetarian needs. I immediately was drawn to the salad section where I set eyes on the Waldorf. After reading the description, I knew this would be my choice. It did have chicken in it but I simply asked them to keep it out. Instead, I added some sun-dried tomatoes. Joes’s version was full of chunks of granny smith apples and layered with sun-dried cranberries. There were halves of perfectly ripened red grapes along with clusters of caramelized pecans. Although I didn’t add this, the shredded chicken was described as being grilled to perfection. The salad came with only the greenest romaine lettuce and was drizzled with creamy sherry vinaigrette. But what topped it off was the shredded, smoked, mozzarella. Oh my God. It was absolutely incredible.

Bacon Brownies...Umm?

Last Friday, school was just getting out and I was on my way to work. I work at a local primary care office right up the street from the high school. In the office we have this counter space where food is usually dropped off by Prescription Representatives or even friendly patients trying to show their appreciation for the doctors. There is usually never even an inch of counter space that isn't taken up with candy, cookies, cupcakes, or fruit. Edible Arrangements is always a big hit. (Especially if it's a chocolate covered one) But last Friday was different. There was nothing. Nothing except a clear Tupperware container which had obviously seen better days. Inside the container sat a bit sized brownie with what looked to be whipped cream on the top. I just ignored it, sat down at my desk, and started shuffling through what seemed to be thousands of papers. Our Nurse Practitioner walked over to the container and enthusiastically said "One left! One left! Who wants it?!" I just shrunk down in my chair hoping that he wouldn't pick me. He came scuttling over with the container demanding that I try it. I asked what it was and he exclaimed "A Bacon Brownie! They're so good and there's one left that we saved for you." Oh great. I was very adamant on not eating this abomination of a "desert" but I was eventually guilt tripped into it. I took the first bite and wanted to die. This was awful. Everyone was waiting to see my reaction because apparently they all thought it was out of this world. I can assure you, it was not. Apparently it was supposed to be a salty-sweet combo. Chocolate covered pretzels give the same effect and those are actually good. This dessert was definitely NOT simply scrumptious.   

Chocolate Covered Animal Crackers

Tonight (literally about 20 minutes ago) I was sitting in my living room watching tv. My sweet tooth was screaming so I decided to raid the kitchen. Nothing. Well I mean, there was plenty if I didn't mind spending 6 hours at the gym tomorrow burning it off. So I looked to my left and saw a few chocolate cupcakes that my mom had brought home from work. Then I looked to my right and saw animal crackers. Animal crackers? Hmm...

I grabbed the huge tub of crackers I recently purchased at Sams Club and placed it on the counter. Staring at it for a few seconds, while racking my brain, I finally got it. Chocolate Chips! I rustled through the pots and pans to find the double boiler that sat underneath the cabinet. Then I quickly tore open the bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and placed them in the top of the boiler. When the chocolate finally melted, I dipped the crackers one by one and delicately placed them on the wax paper. For a little twist, I even sprinkled some coconut on a few.

In the freezer they went for about 5 minutes until the chocolate hardened. Then out they came and now was the moment of truth. Did I just waste 10 minutes of my life on something that was only going to taste disgusting? And the answer to that was...NO! I can't even describe how amazing they were. Especially if you're trying to watch your weight and need something chocolately, these are the treats to curb your sweet tooth. Taking all of 10 minutes, the kids won't have to wait and I guarantee you'll be happy too. Enjoy these simply scrumptious treats!

Ingredients:

• Animal Crackers
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

• In a double boiler, add about 1 to 1.5 inches of water. Don't let it boil though. When you think it's about to start, then put the top with the chocolate chips on.
• Stir constantly until fully melted.
• One by one, dip the crackers in the chocolate and place on wax paper to dry.
• Then leave them in the freezer for about 5 minutes.

Heavenly Hummus

A few days ago, I decided to make my weekly trip to the local grocery store. I got a few things that I wanted needed to have as well as a few extras. As I was venturing down the section of fresh cheeses, I noticed the small area where the hummus was kept. I hadn’t had any for so long so I decided to pick up a jar to throw in my cart. I did some more shopping and found some great organic pita chips to go along with the jar of heaven I had just picked up and made my way to the front cash register. One by one, items were being rung up and then came time for the hummus. This was the one thing in the cart that I had been cooing over for the extent of my trip. The cashier rung it up and said “$7.99”. I thought I had just had a mini heart attack. Almost 8 dollars for a jar of crushed chick peas? I ended up buying it anyway but was utterly disgusted that I had just spent so much money. When I got home and finished unloading the groceries that I had just spent a small fortune on, I sat down to my computer. There were multiple recipes for hummus but none that I felt would be as good as the jar I had just bought. I surfed the web while munching on the pita chips and hummus only to find that the “jar of heaven” I had purchased wasn’t that great. Finally, I found a recipe that looked pretty good. I substituted some of my own ingredients and added a few extras that gave it a pizzazz effect. Homemade Hummus is a lot cheaper to make than to buy and in my opinion, better quality than store bought. Although this recipe does call for longer prep time than my usual recipes, it’s still really easy to make. See for yourself!

Ingredients

[4 extra-large bowls of Hummus]

1 cups dried chickpeas (the smallest you can find)

1/2 cup tahini

Juice from 1 squeezed lemons

1-2 garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon + 1/8-1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Salt

Olive oil

Parsley

Directions

1. Poor the chickpeas over a large plate. Go over them and look for damaged grains small stones, or any other thing you would rather leave out of the plate.

2. Wash the chickpeas several times, until the water is transparent. Soak them in clean water over night with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Then, wash it, and soak again in tap water for a few more hours. The grains should absorb most of the water and almost double their volume.

3. Wash the chickpeas well and put them in a large pot. Cover with water; add the rest baking soda and NO salt. Cook until the grains are very easily smashed when pressed between two fingers. It should take around 1-1.5 hours, during which it is advised to switch the water once again, and remove the peels and foam which float over the cooking water. When done, sieve the grains and keep the cooking water.

4. Put the chickpeas into a food processor and grind well. Leave it to chill a little while before you continue.

5. Add the tahini and the rest of the ingredients and go on with the food processor until you get the desired texture. If the Humus is too thick, add some of the cooking water. It should be thinner than the actual desired texture.

Julee's Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

Julee

For this post, I figured that I’d go with a different approach. Instead of blogging about one of my recipes, I think it would fun to introduce Julee, an amazing baker with some of her own simply scrumptious recipes. I just recently became very close with her and we share recipes and ideas all the time. It was definitely time for me to add her to my blog. We both love to play badminton and tend to get into in depth discussions about food while playing. She’ll usually tell me about some extravagant dish that she made and how it doesn’t even last an hour because her Dad loves everything she cooks. She shared with me her recipe for Pineapple Upside Down cupcakes and they look unbelievable. This girl seriously knows what she's doing in the kitchen.

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 eggs

3 cups sifted cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup of pineapple juice (from crushed pineapple)

Topping Ingredients:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) melted butter

1 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed

Maraschino cherries (amount varies with the size of the cupcake)

1 (12-ounce) can of crushed pineapple

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a cupcake tin with nonstick cooking spray.

In a mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Next, add the eggs one at a time. Be sure to beat the mixture well after each egg is added. Add the vanilla, and then set the mixture aside.

In a separate bowl, sift together the three cups of cake flour, salt and baking powder. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, alternating between the flour, milk, and pineapple juice. Beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Be sure to mix well before each addition. Set to the side.

In the cupcake tin, add one to two teaspoons of melted butter to the bottom of each tin. Next, add the light brown sugar to the butter in the tins. Make sure that the moist brown sugar is compact on the bottom of the tins. Now, add about a tablespoon of crushed pineapple on top of the brown sugar. Be sure to spread it evenly on top of the brown sugar. In the center of each tin, place a halved cherry. Push it down lightly so it sits in a bed of brown sugar and pineapple. Now you can add your batter to the tins. Fill them 1/2 to 2/3 of the way in the tin, depending on how much you have already filled it up with the topping.

Place the tin on the top rack of the preheated oven and let bake for about twenty-five minutes or until the top is nicely golden. Once the cupcakes have baked thoroughly, transfer the tin to a cooling rack until all cupcakes have cooled completely. Use a butter knife to carefully loosen each cupcake from the edges and bottom of the tin, then place a cookie sheet over the top. Invert the tin, turning the cupcakes out onto the cookie sheet. Makes 12-18 cupcakes.

Baby Tiramisu

Regular Tiramisu takes so long to make. It’s a tedious process and I don’t know about you but I don’t have the patience for it. Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant, the first thing I think of is if they have good Tiramisu. With this mini version, there’s basically no wait and you still get the main idea. Obviously it isn’t going to be as good as if you were to make the whole dessert by scratch but it comes in a close second. Tiramisu is by far my favorite desert in the world. If you're a fan of this classic Italian dessert, try this quick, lower-calorie variation the next time you need a dessert in a hurry. Both types of ladyfingers—spongy and crunchy—work well. I prefer spongy; It’s closer to the real thing. Once you take a bite of this chocolate drizzled treat, you'll think you just ate a baby bite of heaven.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup nonfat ricotta cheese, (4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 ladyfingers (about 1 3/4 ounces)
• 4 tablespoons brewed espresso or strong coffee
• 2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips, melted

Preparation:

1.Combine ricotta, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

2.Place 6 ladyfingers in a 9-by-5-inch (or similar size) loaf pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons espresso (or coffee). Spread the ricotta mixture over the ladyfingers. Place another layer of ladyfingers over the ricotta and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons espresso (or coffee). Drizzle with melted chocolate. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

So as you can see this is probably the easiest dessert recipe that you will find. It's simply scrumptious! 

Classic Margherita Pizza

Its 6:00 and you just got out of work. The kids are hungry but you don’t feel like cooking an extravagant meal. Order a pizza? No. Store bought is expensive, greasy (translation: unhealthy), loaded with artificial flavors (what exactly is the cheese on Cheetos), and when you drive home the cheese gets stuck to the box. Instead make a pizza! It’s a great way to make a delicious meal and get the kids involved in a family activity that can also show them that traditionally unhealthy food can actually be healthy. Pizza is the perfect food for creativity. You can literally try any kind of combination. I, for one, love the classic Italian Margherita pizza. It’s effortless and so simply scrumptious at the same time. Very low calorie and taking about 20 minutes all together; this is something the whole family will love.

Ingredients:

·         1  (10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough

·         Cooking spray

·         1  teaspoon  extra-virgin olive oil, divided

·         1  garlic clove (cut in half)

·         5  plum tomatoes (thinly sliced)

·         Fresh mozzarella cheese covering the entire pizza (I usually slice mine in circles but it's completely preference.)

·         1  teaspoon  balsamic vinegar

·         1/2  cup  thinly sliced fresh basil

·         Salt and black pepper to season

Unroll crust dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 13 x 11-inch rectangle. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes. Check this often because some ovens differ. I've burned countless crusts because my oven is so temperamental. Sometimes 6 minutes will be more than enough and sometimes I have to leave it in for 10. Remove crust from oven, and brush with ½ teaspoon oil. Rub crust with cut sides of garlic to give it an extra kick. Arrange tomato slices on crust, leaving a ½ inch border; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until cheese melts and crust is golden. Combine ½ teaspoon oil and vinegar, stirring with a whisk. Sprinkle pizza evenly with sliced basil, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly over the pizza. I generally cut the pizza into 8 slices but slice at your discretion. Enjoy!