Tag Archives: recipe

Kiss My Bundt! (A Carrot Cake Recipe)

Posted on June 1, 2009 | 2 Comments

carrot cake frosted

My mom used to serve this as a side dish rather than a dessert. That’s why I’ve always found it weird that actual carrot cakes have icing. Mom’s never did.

What she did do was make this cake in a bundt pan. And because I never had one, I didn’t even attempt making this thing. But when my mom replaced her bundt with something new, guess who got the hand-me-down?

That’s right, me. I fished out the recipe and went to work.

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp. water
  • 2 1/2 grated carrots
  • 1 1/2 cups flourAdd
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Cream Cheese Frosting

The last cream cheese frosting recipe you’ll ever need (Slashfood)

  • 8 oz. cold cream cheese
  • 5 tbsp. softened butter
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 cups confectionery sugar, added gradually

Directions

In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.

carrot cake beginning

Add all other ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate dough overnight.

carrot cake dough

The next day, pack the dough into the bundt pan (should come about halfway up). Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

carrot cake oven

A little bundt in the oven.

Let cool in pan several minutes, then overturn onto a rack to cool completely. Ice with frosting.

Before icing, the way Mom served it.

Before icing, the way Mom served it.

Enjoy!

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My First Scallops

Posted on February 19, 2009 | 1 Comment

scallops-done

No, they’re not the first scallops I’ve ever eaten… just the first ones I’ve ever prepared.

They turned out decently, all things considered. And by “things,” I mean:

  1. I had no idea what leeks looked like. I forgot to check the web before going to the supermarket, so I had to depend on some visual aids in the produce department. Thankfully, I picked the right weird-looking vegetable.
  2. I used frozen scallops, which seem to have their own rules for defrosting. According to the Trader Joe’s bag, defrosting at room temperature is a no-no. Thanks, Trader Joe’s bag!
  3. I seared the scallops in a nonstick pan. I don’t think you’re supposed to do that.

scallops-two-pansThe recipe can be found here, and I must agree, it is pretty easy to make.

I subbed in vermouth for brandy (because I never have brandy lying around), so I guess the leeks and mushrooms were vermouthed [trademark: me], rather than brandied.

I was pleased that I didn’t overcook the scallops – they weren’t chewy and yielded easily to a butter knife. On the other hand, the mushroom/leek mixture had kind of a funky taste. I’m not sure whether that was due to the missing brandy or the fact that I’m not used to eating leeks. I’ll chalk it up to both.

Since I was not as traumatized as I thought I’d be from my first scallop cooking experience, I guess I’ll give them another shot.

But you can be sure I won’t overdue it, like Jamie on Top Chef. After all, as Fabio would say, “This is Man Eat Food, not Man Eat Scallop!”

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Posted in Cooking, Recipes - Observations

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Apple Cakes Abound

Posted on December 21, 2008 | Leave a comment

finished-apple-cake

Still trying to catch up on posts, as exemplified by apple dessert recipes that are going on two months old. That’s okay; they’re new to you, right?

The apple cake above was the second of two recipes I tried as I made my way through the last of the picked apples. It was also the more dramatic of the preparations, considering I used a 9″ cake pan to make a 10″ recipe. Lesson learned: don’t do that.

old-cakeBut before we get to the second, I wanted to introduce the first apple cake, the one that almost slipped into my culinary history undocumented. Luckily, I remembered to take a pic of a portion I brought to my folks. To your right is the cake in all its tupperware glory.

It may not look like much, but it was actually quite delicious. I found the recipe, as usual, through a Google search (keyword: best apple cake). Being the sucker for hyperbole that I am, I couldn’t not try the Best Apple Cake (in 47 Years of Cooking).

Did it live up to its title? Well, I haven’t been cooking for 47 years (yet), but it was certainly easy, sweet and full of appley goodness.

The only issue I had was with the glaze. While I can’t get enough of butter, cream and brown sugar, drizzling this concoction over an already-soft cake, made the dessert almost too moist. I know, I didn’t think that was possible either.

The second cake, while also moist, took a completely different approach to mixing apples and batter: it didn’t. But it looked a whole lot better, as you’ll see after the jump.

Continue reading →

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RECIPE – Chicken & Artichokes

Posted on January 26, 2008 | Leave a comment

img_1463.jpgimg_1465.jpg

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. chicken tenders (or strip-cut breasts)
  • 1 lemon, sliced
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 TBSP butter
  • 1 package frozen artichoke hearts
  • 2 cups sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup dry Vermouth or Marsala
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • 1/4 cup water

Directions

Cut up chicken into 2 inch strips. Dip pieces in egg and cover with breadcrumbs. Brown in olive oil/butter mixture. Remove to warm dish.

Scrape bottom of pan and add chicken bouillon (dissolved in water). Add Vermouth or Marsala. Cook 2 minutes and put return chicken to pan. Cover with sliced mushrooms, artichoke hearts and lemon slices.

Cook 10 – 15 minutes uncovered and mix before serving with rice or couscous.

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RECIPE – Balsamic Vinaigrette

Posted on December 13, 2007 | Leave a comment

Why buy grocery store salad dressing when you can easily make some of your own? Except for the oil and vinegar, which should stay in a 2-1 ratio, the below ingredient amounts are just guidelines. Change the mix at your own discretion.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, sliced
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

Serve over salad (duh).

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