Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Sugar, butter, chocolate, Dr. Pepper…

Nuf said?

Almost.

My daughter is a big Dr. Pepper fan, so I had to try my own version of the chocolate cakes I’ve seen here and there with either Coke or Dr. Pepper added. And boy am I glad I tried it. This cake? It’s a must do. Rich and moist, and oh, so easy – there’s no excuse not to try it at least once. Just make sure you’ve got a group to bake it for, ’cause it’s dangerous to have leftovers hanging around.

Look giant chocolate cake. Ooooooh. Ahhhhhh. Ohhhhhhh.

One of the things I like about this cake is the ease at which it comes together. Seriously simple. It bakes in 20-25 minutes – it’s gone in 10. All ingredients are combined in a saucepan and poured directly into a 13×9x2″ baking pan. Speaking of ingredients, see the brown sugar pictured?

I’ve baked this cake a few times, both using 1 c. brown sugar + 1 c. regular ‘ole white sugar, as well as all 2 c. of white sugar and I couldn’t tell the difference. Maybe I’m missing something, but if you need to combine, or just want to, go ahead. Just make sure at least 1 cup of the sugar is white. You probably would be able to tell a difference if all sugar used was brown. But I dunno.

Also, for both the cake batter and frosting, I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder. It’s good stuff. Hope you can find some.

Begin by combining the Dr. Pepper, oil, butter and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat.

When it comes to a simmer, mix well and turn stove off.

Mix dry ingredients together (sugar, flour and baking soda), add to saucepan and mix well.

You don’t need to beat the heck out of it. It will be a little lumpy at first but just mix well until combined.

In a separate small bowl lightly beat the eggs and buttermilk together then add them to the saucepan.

Combine batter well and pour into a greased baking pan and bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake.

(Extreme cake bokeh – sorry folks.)

The frosting works the same way. Combine butter, cocoa powder and milk together in a saucepan, over medium heat, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth. Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time, combining after each addition until smooth.

Pour over warm cake. Yuuuum.

While the frosting is mighty yummy, I think the cake is quite tasty without it, or maybe just with a little dusting of powdered sugar and a tall glass of milk.

So what are you waiting for? Go grab a Dr. Pepper and get to work!

Dr. Pepper Chocolate Cake Recipe
(makes one 13×9x2″ baking pan)
(adapted from “Cracker Barrel Double Fudge Coca-Cola Cake Recipe” found at thatsmyhome.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup Dr. Pepper soda
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 stick salted butter (8 tablespoons)
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder (again, I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350° F and grease or spray with cooking spray a 13×9x2″ baking pan.

- Begin by combining the Dr. Pepper, oil, butter and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat. When it comes to a simmer, mix well and turn stove off.

- Mix dry ingredients together (sugar, flour and baking soda), add to mixture in saucepan and mix well. Don’t over beat.

- In a separate small bowl lightly beat the eggs and buttermilk together, then add them to the saucepan and combine batter well.

- Pour into a greased baking pan and bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake.

Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 stick salted butter (8 tablespoons)
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 8 tablespoons milk
• 4 cups confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

Directions:

- In a saucepan, combine butter, cocoa powder and milk together over medium heat, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth.

- Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time, combining after each addition until smooth.

- Pour over warm cake.

- Lock all the doors, draw the shades, don’t answer the phone and get the milk.

Enjoy! And let me know how it turns out.

Spring is right around the corner. Can you believe it?

Last week I went for a stroll through our pitiful garden plot that needs tilling and a bunch of attention before spring. Of course the only thing that’s looking alive is the cilantro (and the damn mint – damn you mint). The cilantro is only a few inches tall but it’s held its own through the winter and in a few weeks will be going strong until the summer heat zaps it.

In hopes of a bumper crop of fresh cilantro I began thinking of how to use it up. Pesto is a favorite that I love to make with fresh basil throughout the summer but I’d never tried a cilantro pesto.

After some thought I threw together a combo of a bunch of green things hoping for the best. Cilantro, roasted peppers with pisatchios pesto is now on my list of regulars.

Yum.

That’s all I’m gonna say.

I served it with pasta and shrimp but it certainly could be used for bruschetta, added to chili, or thinned for a sauce over chicken or what have you. As far as the pistachios, I had some leftover from the holidays so that’s what I used. You could certainly substitute the traditional pine nut or walnuts.

The ingredients for the pesto are simple: cilantro, poblano peppers (roasted), a jalapeno pepper (roasted), pistachios, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Begin by roasting the peppers. Everyone seems to have their favorite way to roast peppers but here’s one way to do it. First cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and seed knob.

Coat them inside and out with olive oil then place them, cut side down, on a baking sheet and bake in a 500° oven for about 15 minutes.

They turn a deeper color and look a little shriveled but, oh, they smell so good! For the pesto, I removed the skins but if you were using them in a soup or sandwich the skins on would be fine I think.

To loosen the skins on the peppers for easier removal, put the roasted peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or foil and let sit for another 15 minutes or so.

To remove the skins, lay the peppers skin side up on the cutting board and with a knife or your fingers peel the skins off.

Now you’re ready to put the pesto together.

It’s basic. Basic. Basic.

Basically, you put all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

I usually process the garlic and nuts alone first so they’ll be more finely chopped, then add the cilantro, peppers, olive oil (streaming in slowly) and ending with the cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. The recipe that follows makes roughly a cup of pesto.

To proceed with the pasta dish, I used half of the pesto to about 4-5 oz. of pasta. I’ve been looking into making pasta by hand for the first time but haven’t yet. I did buy some good quality egg pasta though. It’s not cheap.

This box, which serves 5-6, was $7-8. But it’s so worth it. If you’ve never had egg pasta before, go find some. It’s good. Really good. Tagliolini is my favorite noodle size. It’s like linguini but thinner.

(FYI – The pesto plus pasta recipe is not posted below, just the pesto recipe but I thought I’d show you how I add the pesto to the pasta for perfection on a plate.)

Okay, so prepare the pasta as directed on package – don’t forget to salt the water! Hold back some of the pasta water – about a 1/2 cup.

Saute your shrimp or chicken in a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

When the shrimp or chicken is done (this is where I probably break every rule of Italian cooking), I push it to one side of the pan and tilt the pan so the remaining olive oil drains to the other side of the pan, then add the pesto and 1 tbsp. of the pasta water.

Whisk the pesto and pasta water together over low-med. heat until blended smooth.

Next add the pasta right into the pan, and gently (gently, don’t squish the pasta) toss the pasta with the pesto sauce and shrimp/chicken.

You’re ready to serve!

Cilantro, Roasted Pepper & Pistachio Pesto
(makes about 1 cup)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup pistachios; roasted (pine nuts or walnuts may be substituted)
• 2 whole garlic cloves
• 2 poblano peppers; roasted, seeded and peeled
• 1 jalapeno pepper; roasted, seeded and peeled
• 1 cup cilantro; loosely packed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese; shredded
• pinch(s) salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

- Process nuts and garlic in a food processor until finely minced.

- Add peppers and cilantro and process while slowly streaming in the olive oil until smooth.

- Add cheese and pulse a few times until blended.

- Salt and pepper to taste.

- Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

I’d love to hear back if you try this one to see if you enjoyed it as much as we did.

We all know beans are a great source of protein, fiber, iron, magnesium and many other nutrients. But did you know that, according to the Mayo Clinic, beans are packed with phytonutrients that may help prevent chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer? That’s pretty remarkable.

My recent trip to Napa was full of cooking and exploring an array of ways to use beans. We discussed how cooking with beans is more than just opening a can, heating them up and serving them as a side. Beans are an ingredient to be used creatively in sauces, salads, dips and as thickeners to name a few.

Soon after starting this blog I started a series called “The Bodacious Bean” highlighting a variety of bean recipes. And with inspiration from all the great people I cooked with in Napa (and a little creativity of my own), I can’t wait to continue to add to “The Bodacious Bean” recipe file. I’d love to hear any ideas you have utilizing the bean too.

The first recipe I want to share is for a salad dressing. We cooked many recipes and shared endless ideas but this caesar salad dressing, using bean puree instead of eggs, really surprised me. The flavor and texture offer a pretty good match for the original. Plus it’s healthier.

By no means am I saying it’s better than the original but it is a good option for those with egg allergies, or others who can’t eat raw eggs for one reason or another.

The ingredients are basic: white beans, olive oil, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, pepper, anchovy paste, garlic, and water to thin if needed.

Begin by pureeing a whole can of white beans and their liquid in a food processor.

You’ll only need one cup of the puree – 1 15 0z. can of beans makes about 1 3/4 cup of puree. You can use the remaining puree in a soup or as a thickener for a sauce.

In a blender add all ingredients, except the water and blend until smooth.

Yum…parmesan.

If needed, add water to desired consistency but I didn’t add any to mine. Also, feel free to adjust the amount of anchovy paste if you’re not an anchovy fan. You can also use whole anchovies minced.

Toss with some chopped romaine hearts and serve. Yum. Yum. Yum.

That’s it. So simple.

Not-So-Caesar Caesar Salad Dressing

adapted from Joyce Goldstein; 2010 Worlds of Healthy Flavor Conference
(makes about 2 cups)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of white bean puree (canned beans & bean liquid pureed in food processor or blender)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (juice of about 1 lemon)
• 1/4 cup parmesan, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced (about 2 large cloves)

1/4 cup water

Directions:

- In a blender combine bean puree, olive oil, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, pepper, anchovy paste, and garlic until blended and smooth.

- If needed, add water to thin to desired consistency.

- Refrigerate until used.

Enjoy!

I’d love to hear about any favorite bean recipes you may have. Are you a classic chili bean lover? Is there a tasty bean dip you can’t pass up? Please share – can’t wait to see hear from you!