Pumpkin Cake with Cider Caramel Sauce

I have finally been back in the kitchen, and I have been busy! 9 new recipes in the past two weekends! I have lots to share. Per the request of some family members, I’ll be sharing this cake recipe first. It follows my rules for yummy noms. It was really easy and really yummy. Sold. The hubs loves pumpkin, so I picked this one for him. In other news, I’m in the market for a D-SLR camera. These hideous pictures have GOT TO GO.

Pumpkin Cake

1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. oil
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
2 eggs

Place the first six ingredients (dry) in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add oil, pumpkin and eggs. Whisk until blended. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Cool and top with the sauce before serving. Poke the top of the cake with a fork to allow the glaze to sink into it.

Cider Caramel Sauce

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

2/3 c. apple cider

2 Tbsp. heavy cream

1 Tbsp. butter

salt to taste

In a saucepan, whisk brown sugar and cornstarch before turning on the stove. Add cider and stir in the cream, butter and salt. Cook over med-hi heat, whisking constantly, until large bubbles form around the edge of the saucepan, about 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and allow to thicken, about 4 minutes. Make sure to tend to this glaze until it is finished. It can burn easily. Top with vanilla ice cream if you want 🙂

I got this recipe from one of the many blogs I follow. You can find the original recipe here along with lots of others!

Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Cider Glaze

Center of Attention Party Punch

So I lied. I made this, and I guess it would qualify as food since it is a beverage. I concocted this for my friend Katie’s baby shower. Nearly EVERY SINGLE PERSON asked me for the recipe. I decided that I should have printed recipe cards rather than make the homemade sugar scrub favors! Just kidding, those were a hit too. More on that in my next post. This punch is a slightly more involved than just throwing some juices together, but it’s worth it.

Ingredients:

2 boxes of Strawberry gelatin – 3 oz. boxes
6 cups of water
1 cups of sugar
46 oz can of pineapple juice
1 quart of orange juice
2/3 cup of lemon juice
2 2 liter bottles of Sprite

Directions:

Combine strawberry gelatin, sugar and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Add pineapple, orange and lemon juices. Split this mixture into 2 gallon size freezer bags. Make sure the bags are sealed really well and lay them on a baking sheet. Place this in the freezer for at least 6 hours. A couple hours before you’re ready to serve this, remove one of the bags from the freezer. Allow it to partially thaw and then combine it with one of your 2 liters of Sprite. My frozen mixtures didn’t thaw very much, so I popped them in the microwave for about 40 seconds and just smushed them up. I used a very large serving container, so I used both 2 liters and both bags of frozen mixture. I added a few slices of lemon and garnished the glasses with a strawberry. This was polished off by 15 ladies within a few hours. It might be wise to make 2 batches if you’re serving anymore than that.

Go ahead and prepare some recipe cards with this one. I promise people will be asking you for it.

Cheers!

Guacamole on the half shell

That’s officially the ugliest photo picture ever. My apologies. Also, I was just playing in the kitchen and not entertaining when I made this batch. I wanted to see what it would look like in avocado shells. I personally think it could work. This guacamole is simple and delicious. I’ve made it for a few events and always get compliments.

Ingredients
4 ripe Haas avocados
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
8 dashes hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded, and small-diced

Directions
Cut the avocados in 1/2, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. (I use my hands.) Immediately add the lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper.

Cheers!

Better than Chipotle bowl

I went to Chipotle for the first time a couple of weeks ago and wasn’t impressed. I loved that their menu had a vegetarian option, but it was peppers and onions. That’s a topping, not a vegetable offering. I also loved that they had their nutritional information listed on the back of the menu, but I nearly fainted when I read the facts. Then I saw that the only rice they offered had cilantro in it. Yuck! I hate cilantro! Although my experience left a lot to be desired, I still appreciated the concept of my dish. I ordered a bowl, because no one should ever order a burrito. Seriously, 9 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 290 calories, 44 carbs and 670 mg of sodium IN JUST THE TORTILLA. Gross. I knew that I’d be making a healthier version of this dish in the very near future.

There are two things that make this dish a great meal. First, you can put whatever you want in it. Don’t have or like the veggies I used? Who cares. Put whatever you have. Eat meat? Throw some in there if you’d like. But the night I made this, the hubs had a huge steak while I enjoyed my fresh and colorful bowl. At the end of the meal, he said he’d just have what I was having next time 🙂 So maybe you could try it without meat first. It’s filling and has protein, I promise. Second, it’s great for leftovers. I’ve been taking some to work with a HEALTHY burrito shell and making a wrap at lunch. I figured out that maybe I don’t absolutely hate cilantro. I hate the cooks that are too heavy handed with it. I broke this menu down into 3 parts. to hopefully help make it easier to follow.

To serve: place a scoop of the Cilantro Lime rice in the bottom of your bowl. Top with some black beans and grilled veggies. Add some Roasted Corn Salsa and sour cream, cheese or maybe this guacamole if you’d like.

Yields at least 5 servings.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked white rice
4 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbs FRESH cilantro, chopped
3 Tbs butter
Juice of 2 limes & zest of 1 1/2 limes
Salt & pepper to taste
Additional water if necessary

Directions:
Cook rice with 1 tsp of salt according to package. I used a rice cooker, but you don’t have to. You could even use the boil-in-a-bag stuff. 2 cups of uncooked rice is about 4 cups cooked. Once the rice is almost finished add the cilantro, butter, lime zest and juice. Add salt and pepper and additional water if needed. My rice was a little dry, so I just add a little water and let it sit.

Roasted Corn Salsa:

Ingredients:
2 ears of corn
2 tomatoes
1 Tbs Fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
Juice of 1 lime
1/8 tsp salt
Dash of pepper

Directions:
Grill the 2 ears of corn. Lots of ways to do this. I removed the husks and silk and grilled them on my indoor grill pan with a little bit of olive oil. It took at least 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them, and keep turning them to prevent burning. You want a little bit of char, but not burnt. You could also grill them on an outdoor grill. Ask Google about that method. While the corn is grilling, dice your tomatoes and onion. Remove the wet inside of the tomato to prevent the salsa from being too watery. Add the tomatoes, onion, cilantro and lime juice to a bowl and toss. Cut the corn off the cob and add to the bowl. Add salt and pepper, toss again, and you’re done.

Beans, veggies and toppings

You need protein. Thoroughly rinse a can of black beans and put them on top of your rice when building your bowl. Like I said, use whatever veggies you have. I tossed some zucchini slices on my grill pan while the corn was working and sauteed some mushrooms with a little butter. I used 2 zucchinis (quartered and sliced lengthwise) and 1 small package of sliced white mushrooms. The additional toppings are up to you. I added a very small amount of shredded cheese to mine, but it wasn’t enough to make a flavor difference. I wanted to keep it healthy, but you could also use sour cream or this yummy guacamole.

This was a long recipe for me, but it was worth it. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it as well!

Israeli Couscous with yummy stuff :)

Ask my husband and he’ll tell you my favorite ingredients are mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. That’s my version of the holy trinity! Forget onions, celery and bell pepper! Add those 3 to almost anything and it will make it better. So the other night I was stumped on what to make for dinner. This vegetarian thing has been tough, hence the reason for blog failure. I never know what to cook and figuring out what to make so that Andrew can add meat is another level of difficulty.

So a couple weeks ago, I stood in the pantry doors again stumped with what to make. I saw a pretty purple box of couscous, which I’ve never cooked before, and decided to give it a try. Mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic will work….right? There’s always a moment after I’ve finished making a dish where I’m absolutely terrified to try it, especially if I wasn’t following any sort of recipe. That moment came and quickly passed as I sampled the first bite. WE’VE GOT A WINNER! This one is great. I hope I’m not over selling it because I was really hungry, but I was still impressed the next day so I think we’re good.

Like I said, I wasn’t following a recipe, so these are very -ish quantities. Also, I followed the preparation directions on the box for the couscous. So you should do that too. Make sure to toast the couscous in the pan with olive oil before adding the water. It took about 5 mins for mine to toast up.

Ingredients:

1 box of Israeli Couscous, follow package directions for cooking (I used Trader Joes)
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil for the garlic, plus any extra needed for package directions on couscous
1 small can of mushrooms, rinsed well and drained (I use the pieces and stems cans from Costco)
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, not packed in olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt & white pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare the couscous according to the package (I’ve said that 3 times now). Add the sun-dried tomatoes to the couscous pot after you’ve added the water. They’ll plump up nicely. While that’s cooking, saute your minced garlic in the olive oil in a separate pan. Make sure to keep an eye on the garlic. No one likes bitter burnt garlic. Once the couscous is finished (it will have absorbed all of the water), toss it with the garlic and olive oil mixture. Throw in the mushrooms, parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. You’ll notice I mentioned white pepper. I love its flavor, but you could easily use black pepper. Add additional water if necessary. Mine seemed a little dry, so I added a little water until it was a little less sticky.

That’s it! So easy and we really loved it. Andrew added some grilled chicken. Don’t tell my trainer. She’ll be angry that I didn’t have protein. I took this for lunch the next day and it was just as good. I hope you enjoy it! I’ll have some more recipes posted soon.

Roasted Shrimp with Orzo and Feta

Oh. My. Goodness. This was absolutely delicious. I was in the mood for a fresh dish that didn’t involve chicken. This recipe is like green eggs and ham. I would eat it anywhere, anytime. It was good hot and cold. It could be a summer or winter treat. It can be eaten the day you make it, or make it in advance for a gathering. Seriously. This was good. I have 2 key pieces of advice for this dish. First, don’t over cook the shrimp. Keep an eye on them. When they’re pink, they’re done. Once you pull them out of the oven, they’ll continue to cook a little bit more. Second, buy a really nice quality feta. I picked up a block of Boar’s Head from Publix, and it was divine.

Ingredients:
1 pound orzo pasta (small rice shaped)
2 lemons
1/2 cup chopped, fresh dill (this is about 1 whole package of fresh dill)
1/2 cup chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1/2 cucumber, unpeeled and diced
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp (or more if you would like)
6 oz. good feta cheese
Kosher Salt
Fresh ground pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 Tbs olive oil, 1 Tbs of Kosher salt, and pasta. Cook pasta until al dente (approx. 8 minutes). Once finished, drain and pour into a large bowl.

Place the shrimp on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss the shrimp well, and place in the oven for 5 minutes. Just remember to keep an eye on these guys. Once they’re pink, they’re finished! They’ll continue to cook once you pull them out of the oven.

While your shrimp and pasta are cooking, prepare the sauce and remaining ingredients. Whisk together the juice of 2 lemons, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Pour this sauce over your pasta and toss it once the pasta is drained and in your large bowl. Next, you’ll want to chop all of your fresh herbs and add them to the bowl. Add your chopped parsley, dill, scallions and cucumber.  Finally, add your shrimp and crumble the feta over the top! Toss all of the ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. I added a few extra feta crumbles to the top of each bowl 😉 . It’s best if you can let it hang out for 30 minutes or so for all of the flavors to really develop. I let sit in a 150 degree oven with aluminum foil over it during this time so that it would still be warm for dinner. Enjoy!! (Yields 4 servings)

Orecchiette with Mixed Greens and Goat Cheese

I started making this dish when I was in college, and I had completely forgotten how amazing it is. It combines 3 of my favorite foods: pasta, goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. You could easily toss in some grilled chicken, sauteed shrimp or crisp panchetta to suit your taste.

Ingredients:
1 bag Orecchiette pasta (small ear shaped pasta)
1 cup pasta water (reserved after pasta is finished cooking)
4 oz plain goat cheese
1 bag julienned sun-dried tomatoes
1 bag mixed baby greens
2 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Don’t forget to add some salt to your cooking water! Once the pasta is finished cooking, reserve 1 cup of the pasta liquid before draining. While the pasta is cooking, combine greens, sun-dried tomatoes, and crumbled goat cheese in a large bowl. Add the cooked pasta, 1/2 cup of the pasta water, salt and pepper, olive oil and toss. Add more water as needed to melt the cheese which will coat the pasta. Enjoy! (Yields 4 servings)

Eggplant Parmesan

After seeing a screening of Forks Over Knives, I have tried to prepare more vegetarian dishes. There’s nothing wrong with eating more vegetables, right? Eggplant Parmesan has always been one of my all time favorite dishes, so I figured I’d start there.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick pieces (about 8 )
2 eggs, beaten with a fork
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 (25 oz) jar pasta sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cups shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven with a baking sheet inside to 375 degrees. Coat eggplant slices with beaten egg, then bread with panko crumbs. Spread oil on hot baking sheet and place eggplant slices on it in a single layer. Bake 15 minutes, flip and bake another 10 minutes. Remove eggplant from oven and increase oven temperature to 475. In an 8×10 inch ovenproof dish, layer pasta sauce, then eggplant, and top with cheeses. Repeat finishing with cheese. Bake until the cheese melts and turnes golden in spots (about 15 minutes). Yields 4 servings.

Note: When I made this, I ended up with 4 stacks of 2 pieces of eggplant. It worked well for serving, but it wouldn’t have had I not had 8 slices of eggplant.

Balsamic Chicken with Quinoa and Mushrooms

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE balsamic vinegar, especially when it’s reduced. I decided to throw this together last night, and it turned out really good. This makes a great dish for those of you who are looking for something on the healthy side 🙂

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water or 2 cups chicken stock
1 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
10 baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb chicken tenders or breast, cut into bite sized pieces

Directions:
Rinse the quinoa and place in a saucepan. Add the water or stock and cook according to package directions. Add balsamic vinegar to a small, non-stick sauce pan. Place on medium-high heat and allow it to reduce until syrupy. Stir occasionally. Heat olive oil in a sautee pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper and chop to bite sized pieces. Add chicken and sliced mushrooms to sautee pan. Sautee until chicken is cooked and mushrooms are tender (about 8 minutes). Top a portion of the quinoa with the chicken and mushroom mixture and drizzle with the balsamic reduction. Healthy, yummy and easy! Serves 2, or makes great leftovers for lunch the next day!

Honey and Cider Collard Greens

These were absolutely delicious! They did take forever, but we had a ton of left-overs.

READ ME FIRST: This recipe called for 1 large bunch of collard greens. After lots of research online, I found that 1 large bunch should be about 1 lb of collards. I purchased 2 16oz bags of prewashed and trimmed greens. I did use both bags, which is 2 lbs, but they still tasted great. I think if you were to only use 1 bag, the flavor might be a bit too much. Also, I did not cook these for 3 hours like the recipe recommended. I allowed the water mixture to boil for one hour, added the greens, and then started on my bacon mixture (cut the bacon into strips before putting them in the pan). It probably took me 15-20 mins to finish the bacon mixture and get it in the pot with the collards. I then boiled them for another 45 minutes and tested. They were perfect at that point (1:45 minutes). Just try them along the way to make sure they don’t turn to mush 🙂 I adjusted the recipe below to reflect the cooking times I used.

Ingredients:
1 smoked ham hock
3 large yellow onions, divided
3 whole bay leaves
1 gallon water
1 large bunch collard greens, washed, stems removed, chopped into strips (see notes above)
8 ounces apple-wood-smoked bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 cup honey
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)

Directions:
In a large pot, boil ham hock, 1 onion, roughly chopped, and the bay leaves in 1 gallon water for 1 hour. Remove the bay leaves and add the collard greens (Do not adjust stove temperature). Dice the remaining 2 onions into 1/4-inch pieces. In a separate large pan over medium-high heat, saute the chopped bacon until crispy, about 5 minutes, then add the onions and garlic. When the onions begin to brown, add the honey, vinegar, salt and pepper. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the mixture to the pot with the collards. Cook for about 45 additional minutes, or until collards are tender but not too soft, adding water as necessary. Cool slightly before serving.

Source: http://projects.eveningedge.com/recipes/agaves-signature-honey-and-cider-collard-greens/