here, there, and back again

i really wasn't planning to post this story, but robyn thought i should so here goes. i decided to make this cake for our 4th of july bbq with some friends of ours. there were 4 of us there. we each had a piece, and i left a good sized piece with them (about the size of 2 slices). the next night we went to my cousin's house for dinner, and i took the cake there to share. 4 adults plus 1 child each had a piece, and i left another (normal size) piece with them. the next day i had a piece with my lunch but still, there was cake. that night i went out with 2 friends and dropped jose off at one house to hang out with one of the husbands and he took the cake there. he and the husband of my friend each had a piece, and... we left the last piece there. finally the cake was gone. you can do the math to see how many servings it serves.

the weird thing about this cake is that it's quite a lot like a banana or nut bread of some kind, so it's not the normal cake texture. also, they ask for way way way too much icing sugar for the icing. the other thing is that although the link i've posted appears to be the exact same recipe (same magazine, same person's name, same picture of the cake) there are some minor differences from the one i made. so if you choose to make this cake, please keep in mind two things: 1. i want to hear how yours turned out with those changes, and 2. this cake is enormous. beware.

Garlic Rolls

Mix 2 Tbsp yeast in 2 cups warm water. Add 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt together 1/2 cup margarine, 6-8 cloves garlic, minced, and 1 Tbsp dried basil.
Heat till bubbly and pour into large mixing bowl.
Add 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1 cup flour (preferably bread flour).
Add yeast mixture and 2 eggs and mix well.
Add 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese and 5-6 cups flour, one cup at a time, till the dough is soft and can be kneaded.
Knead well, place in oiled bowl and cover with a towel.
Let rise for 45 minutes in a warm place.
Knead dough briefly, and shape into 30 rolls.
Place on lightly greased cookie sheets and cover with a towel.
Let rise for 35ish minutes.
Bake at 375*F for about 12 minutes, or until golden.

This is loosely based on the Two-Hour Buns in the RL cookbook. I made these last night for a potluck and got many compliments. They are pretty melt-in-your-mouth, if I do say so myself. :)

Coconut Cream Pie

The original recipe can be found here. The following is with my changes, and really... it's the best coconut cream pie I've ever had.

1 (15 oz.) can coconut milk
1 pint whipping cream
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
1/4 c. coconut, toasted

In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk plus enough whipping cream to make 3 c. total, eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly til you get a nice smooth pudding. Remove from heat, and stir in 1 cup coconut and vanilla extract. Pour into pie shell and chill 2 to 4 hours, or until firm. Whip the rest of the whipping cream and spread over top (it's enough for me but not a hugely thick layer, so you may want more if you're greedy). Sprinkle on 1/4 cup of coconut, toasted, if your heart desires. Note: To toast coconut, spread it in an ungreased pan and bake in a 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Honey Bars

I couldn't stop myself from making these the other day. I tried, but I couldn't.
(You'll have to scroll down a little when you get there to see the recipe.)
And what the author says is totally true. When you first taste them, they're kind of ho-hum, but after you've eaten one you want to eat the entire pan. Go ahead and make a double batch, so that they fit in a large cookie sheet. :-) (And so that no one notices when you eat another one)

Just 2 tips:
*don't use olive oil. I was trying to be all healthy, and the taste really came through. Not so good in bars. There's no redeeming qualities about them anyway, so just enjoy them.
*underbake them. I just crossed the line of being slightly "too done" and the side that was darker was dry and crumbly. The side that was lighter was ooooohhh, good.

Spinach Chicken Pasta

Okay, this is going to taste familiar to you. It's just another twist on the combination of chicken, pasta, spinach, and tomatoes. But it's easy and good.

Saute 2 onions and 2 (or more) cloves of minced garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil.
Add 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been cut into approx. 1" cubes or larger.

When chicken is almost done, add:
1 pkg frozen, chopped spinach
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
basil, oregano, thyme and chili pepper to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Let simmer until sauce is reduced a bit. It will still be somewhat watery, but just serve lots of garlic bread for soaking it up.
Serve over spaghetti or pasta of your choice.

Olive Damper – from Jenny B. in Uganda

Serves 8

2 cups (250 g) self-rising flour

1 tsp salt

1 oz (30g) butter, chopped

½ cup (50 g) shredded parmesan cheese

½ cup (60 g) sliced, pitted black olives

1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

½ cup (125 ml) milk

¼ cup (60 ml) water

1 Tbsp milk, extra

2 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese, extra

Preheat oven to 415*F (210*C).

Brush a baking tray with melted butter or oil, and sprinkle lightly with flour.

Sift flour and salt into mixing bowl. Add chopped butter, and mix into flour with fingertips until the mixture is fine and crumbly.

Add cheese, olives and rosemary and stir.

Combine milk and water; add to dry ingredients. Mix to a soft dough with a flat-bladed knife.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly until smooth.

Shape into a ball, and flatten out to a 3/4” (2cm) thick round.

Place dough on prepared baking tray. Using a large knife, score dough deeply into 8 wedges.

Brush with extra milk and sprinkle with extra cheese.

Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown and crusty.

These are delicious, but I’ve never made them. Jenny told me that she found a substitute online for self-rising flour and they turned out fine. (I think it’s flour, baking powder and salt, but I don’t know the proportions.)

Alicia's Aloo Gobi

I was looking for a new vegetarian recipe and found this one online. I made it last night and it is really good. My changes: I left out the ground coriander and the cardamom because I didn't have any. I also used lite coconut milk to reduce the calories, and added a bunch more cayenne pepper. Next time I may try using broccoli and/or carrots and leave out the potatoes or cauliflower for added nutrition and less starch. We ate it over rice, but they suggested eating it plain with naan. Also, don't be surprised if it looks like there won't be enough sauce. There will be when all is said and done. Whew, ok, here it is:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium head cauliflower, chopped into bite size pieces
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
2 tablespoons garam masala

Heat oil in a large pot on medium-high heat and add onion. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes, then stir in garlic and cumin. Continue to cook until onion begins to brown. Stir in tomatoes and coconut and the coriander, salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. Stir until mixture begins to boil, then put in the potatoes, cauliflower, and garbanzo beans. Blend well. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, 45 minutes to an hour (this will depend on the size of the potato chunks). Sprinkle in the garam masala, stir, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

French Quarter Cheese

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon grated onion
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Combine cream cheese, garlic, and onion. Spread onto a plate, and refrigerate. Combine remaining ingredients in a sauce pan, heating until butter melts. Cover chilled cheese with nut mixture. Serve at room temperature with crackers (wheat thins are great). it makes 10-12 servings.

i had this at hans and joelle's wedding reception, and kirk and i both loved it! when i made it, i only used about half the amount of pecans and it was plenty. also, i used reduced fat cream cheese.

Rigatoni Bolognese

1 box (1 lb) rigatoni pasta
2 medium carrots, halved
1 medium onion, quartered
1 pkg (8 or 10 oz) whole mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp olive oil
3 links Italian turkey sausage (about 10 oz), casings removed
1⁄2 tsp crushed rosemary
1⁄4 tsp each salt and pepper
1⁄2 cup white wine (optional)
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes in thick purée

Cook pasta in large pot of salted boiling water as box directs. Meanwhile, put carrots, onion, mushrooms and garlic in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté chopped vegetables 6 minutes. Add turkey sausage and cook, breaking up clumps, 4 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in rosemary, salt, pepper and wine, if using; boil 1 minute. Stir in crushed tomatoes, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Spoon over drained pasta.

Notes: I just used ground turkey instead of sausage and it was fine. Also, it was a little bland so I added more rosemary and salt and put in some basil. It's very good, but my favorite thing about it is the use of vegetables. This is also from Woman's Day.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Posole

1 can (15 oz) yellow or white hominy, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) Mexican-style diced tomatoes
1 can (10 oz) mild green enchilada sauce
2 carrots, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, skin removed
Chopped cilantro (optional)
lime wedges (optional)
Tortilla chips (optional)

Combine hominy, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, carrots, onion, garlic and cumin in a slow-cooker. Add chicken and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high 3 to 3 1⁄2 hours until chicken is cooked through and vegetables tender. Skim and discard any fat from the surface.

Remove chicken; pull meat off bones into large shreds. Stir back into slow-cooker. Stir in cilantro, if using. Serve with lime wedges and tortilla chips.

Karissa discovered this recipe in a Woman's Day magazine, and it was a splendid discovery indeed. So far we haven't bothered with any tortilla chips. Also, for those not around Spanish-speaking people, it's pronounced poh-SOH-lay. :)