Cake in a cup!

Ever have a craving so badly for chocolate cake, but too tired to make it?  That's how I was last night after a day of working (a class assisting with cake pops nonetheless).  Anyway, after dinner my husband and I both had a craving for chocolate cake topped with ice cream.  However, first of all, I was too tired.  Second, I didn't feel like waiting another hour for my dessert.  Third, I didn't want leftovers.  I then remembered a recipe in my Food Network cookbook "Great Easy Meals" that made instant chocolate cake in the microwave.  I made some minor changes and made it in a cup, and what do you know:  chocolate cake!

This is ideal for kids (I'm sure they would love to eat cake out of a cup) or when you just want a simple one serving cake.  It also has a molten center which makes it ooey gooey and moist- almost like a molten chocolate cake.  It's wonderful with a scoop of ice cream because the cake is warm and it slowly melts the ice cream so it becomes like a sauce on your cake (reminded me of soufflé cake).

The best part is that it's incredibly easy, you probably have the ingredients in your pantry, and it's delicious when you need a quick dessert (or a late night snack or when a chocolate cake craving hits you).  Enjoy!

                            (I wanted to make sure you can see the yummy molten center mmmmm)

Cake in a Cup
1/4 cup flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 egg (or you can just use the egg white)
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or you can use unsweetened applesauce which is what I did.  Still turned out great)
Dash vanilla
Pinch of salt

Whisk all of the above ingredients together in a large mug
Place in microwave and cook until puffed, about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes

No Bake Cookies

I found this incredible nonbake cookie recipe on another foodie blog (bakergirl) and she found it from the Picky Palate.  Anyway, these treats are a cross between cookies, rice krispy treats, s'mores, marshmallows with chocolate chips, and everything else simple and sweet.  They would be great to make on a hot summer day when you don’t want your oven on or for a quick treat for the kids and their friends.  They are sticky, sweet, crunchy, gooey, and yummy.  Better yet, they are simple and have only 3 ingredients.

                                            yummy yummy goodness... 

1 16 oz. package of crispy chocolate chip cookies (use any variety you want.  I used a double chocolate chip cookie since I love chocolate, but any crispy cookie would be fine)

5 cups (1 bag) marshmallows (I used chocolate marshmallows for mine)

4 tablespoons butter

Place cookies in a food processor and process until crumbly, but not ground (or put cookies in a Ziplock baggie and crush with a rolling pin). Place aside

In a large bowl, put marshmallows and butter in it and soften in the microwave for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes until puffy

Combine the cookies with the marshmallows and stir quickly

Pour into an 8x8 pan, lined with foil and greased with cooking spray

Allow to set for 10-15 minutes, remove from pan, cut into squares, enjoy!

I'm also going to test a version of this using Oreos and maybe other types of cookies.

Cooking Myths

I received the book "Lobsters Scream When You Boil Them" by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough a few months ago.  It's a funny, witty book about popular myths that many of us buy in to while cooking.  The book has 101 popular cooking myths that they debunk.  Here are my top 10 most surprising cooking myths:

1.  Food prepared at home is safer than food prepared in a restaurant.
Restaurants have to keep up with a strict cleanliness code and if they don't, they will be fined or even shut down. I know that my kitchen is nowhere near as clean as a restaurant (this is referring mainly to fine dining- not fast food joints)

2.  All the alcohol cooks out of a dish.
Nope, not true.  85% of alcohol is still left after 1 min. of a full simmer, 25% is left after an hour, and 3.75% is still left after 7 hours.

3.  Store coffee beans in the freezer or the refrigerator.
I buy into this one and still keep my beans in the freezer.  However, to get the best coffee, buy whole beans, store in an air tight container away from sunlight, and ground right before you brew.

4.  To eat better, shop the perimeter of your supermarket.
I've heard this one a lot from various diets because the perimeter is where you find the fresh fruits, veggies, dairy, and fresh meats.  However, the inside of the aisles contain healthy beans, oatmeal, olive oils and vinegars, so don't be afraid to venture inside the aisles.

5.  Eating turkey makes you sleepy.
Turkey contains L-tryptophan and that's often blamed for people feeling sleepy after a large turkey dinner.  However, eggs, soybeans, chicken, cheese, and edamame all have it too and we never blame these foods for making us fall asleep.  We often feel sleepy after Thanksgiving due to the amount of food consumed, not just the turkey.

6.  Range free chickens are range free.
I wish that this were true.  However, chicken farmers can get away with saying that they're range free if the chicken even has 1 inch of outside space and is allowed access to that space.  It doesn't mean that the chickens are frolicking in the sunlight like we all wish.  However, if you can get quality truly free range chickens from a local farmer, then do it and feel less guilty.

7.  You crave sugar, fat, and salt because you're addicted to them.
Addiction has turned into the cop-out for everything.  Most food "addictions" are food dependencies that we have come to rely on.  Our palates are used to sweeter/saltier things and therefore, we depend on our food to taste a certain way.  Addiction is too harsh of a term to use for food.

8.  French women don't get fat.
Remember the book "French Women Don't Get Fat"?  I read it too and thought is was pretty much BS.  A statistic says that as of 2007, "42% of French women were obese" (however, 65% of American women are obese).  Their diets are probably better than ours with heart healthy fats and including red wine with meals, but they're getting to be a society of overweight people, just like here in America.

9.  Sugar leads to hyperactivity.
I liked how the book debunked this myth.  They said that people think this because when children are at a party and consume a lot of sugar, they are more hyper.  The authors point out that while there's sugar involved, there's also a lot of playing, games, singing, and toys.  Furthermore, I know plenty of adults that eat large amounts of sugar and they just sit on the couch- they're not running around like crazy.  So, don't blame the sugar.

10.  An open box of baking soda in the fridge absorbs odors.
I also still buy into this one even though I know better now.  Before I read this I did an experiment.  I cut 2 onions and placed them in my fridge, uncovered, by the brand new baking soda I just bought.  A few hours later, my fridge smelled like onions and pretty bad.  The authors state that the baking soda isn't acidic enough to absorb the many odors flying around in your fridge.  Bummer.  The best solution to make your fridge smell good?  Keep it clean and don't keep nasty smelling foods in there in the first place.

Eating well when all you do is eat

I eat a lot.  I recipe test when I'm home and that involves tasting (the horror!!) and eating the final product.  I'm also employed where food is abundant and always available.  My weight has had ups and downs, but I've managed to keep it in check.  I've learned how to do this with a few simple tricks and advice from experts.  (However, I will admit that having Crohn's disease is a diet within itself.  My body gets rid of a lot of food that doesn't agree with me without digesting it, so I have a built in diet plan so to speak- however, I would never wish this disease on anyone.)

Crohn's disease aside, here is what I do to maintain a healthy weight:

1.  Wear jeans, with a belt, when you eat.  You want to feel yourself growing out of your pants when you eat too much.  No spandex or elastic waists.
2.  No snacking after dinner/dessert.  I try not to eat past 7-7:30.  I hate going to bed full- I want to feel satisfied when sleeping and wake up hungry.
3.  Make water (not flavored water) your beverage of choice.  I steer clear of soda, tea, and sports drinks.  I drink coffee (decaf) on weekends.
4.  Include lots of vegetables with lunch and dinner.  Include fruit with breakfast.
5.  Try to limit baked goods like cookies, pie, and cake from grocery stores or bakeries.  I try to only eat homemade goodies (not only can you control the quality, you can control the fat).
6.  No fast food- anything with a drive through is off limits (for the most part) for me.
7.  Bring your lunch to work.
8.  Eat what you crave, but use portion control.  For example, I had a huge craving for fudge a few weeks ago.  I didn't ignore the craving.  I gave in and ate a portion of fudge everyday until the craving was satisfied.
9.  Enjoy chocolate or dessert everyday.  You won't feel deprived and go crazy when you never have it.
10.  Limit carb heavy meals and pasta to once a week- it feels more like a special treat this way.
11.  Work out, be active, lift weights, walk everyday as much as you can.
12.  I only eat out only once or twice a month.  This includes weekends and pizza restaurants and take out.  I cook all of the other days.
13.  Try to eat mostly whole foods in their natural form or roasted.  (Think raw fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, and roasted veggies.) Cut out or cut back on prepackaged foods.
14.  Read food labels.  I really look at calories, fat, sodium, and sugar.
15.  Sometimes reduced fat or nonfat = bad.  They won't satisfy you as well and you'll end up eating half the carton of reduced fat or non sugar ice cream.   A couple spoonfuls of the real stuff will satisfy you more and you won't eat as much.
16.  Carry a water bottle with you wherever you go and sip often.
17.  Lastly, life is short and remember that food is supposed to be enjoyed and consumed- just do it in moderation.  Listen to your body, and fuel it with the healthiest options you have.  Try to live by the 80-20 rule- eat right 80% of time and treat yourself 20% of the time.

Pictures of Christmas Goodies

No recipes in this post, but I wanted to share pictures of treats that we had this Christmas.  The first is a birthday cake that my mom has been making my brother probably since his 1st birthday.  It's a chocolate buttermilk cake (made with the best cocoa powder in the world this year- Valrhona- totally worth the price in taste) with her famous white yummy icing.  She would always decorate his cake with M&Ms and animal crackers.  However, the decorations disappeared as he got older, but his request this year was to make the cake exactly the way he remembered it as a kid.  I think it's still appropriate as an adult and  it's still a classic that never disappoints.

The second treat was a ridiculous cheesecake that I made for Christmas Eve.  It was a Paula Deen recipe and I expected it to be none other than incredibly rich, easy to make, and so good that you'll keep eating it. It was a 6 layer cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, a layer of chocolate ganache, caramel, chocolate chip cookie dough (homemade please), cheesecake, and another layer of chocolate ganache.  Almost stupid  to make an already sinful dessert more sinful, but Paula does it every time.

The third treat (well, some may not consider this a treat) was a vegetable tian from Ina Garten's "Barefoot in Paris" cookbook.  It was fanned layers of potato (I used blue potatoes for their color and texture), tomato, and zucchini.  The vegetables sit in a bed of sautéed onions and garlic and topped with plenty of thyme and Gruyere cheese. Enough said.  It was an incredible side dish.

(this picture was taken before the addition of the cheese)

The final treat was Ina's black and white angel food cake in her "At Home" cookbook.  I have made this a lot and it's my favorite cake.  It's a classic angel food cake with the addition of semi sweet chocolate shavings in the batter.  Then, once it's cooled, chocolate ganache acts as icing.  So good and you won't feel guilty about eating it.

New Year's Pasta

My husband and I have developed a tradition for making homemade pasta for our new year's eve dinner.  We make homemade pasta a lot throughout the year, but always try to make an extra special dish on new year's eve.  This year was no different, but I expanded outside of Ina's recipes and experimented with a Giada recipe (found on food network.com).  Her's was called "fresh pasta rollatini with spinach and ricotta" and while mine is similar, I added my own twists on it.  However, the pasta dough is all Giada and it's a light and fluffy pasta- not the usual dense dough that we're used to pasta being (the addition of cake flour makes it fluffier).

It may seem like a lot of steps, but you can make the pasta in advance and the filling in advance, so you don't have to start dinner at 3pm.  Enjoy!

(the pasta before the addition of tomato sauce and cheese)

(the finished product)

Pasta Rollatini 

Pasta:

1 cup cake flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour (plus more for dusting)

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4-1/2 cup water 

Filling:

1 package frozen spinach, thawed, and squeezed dry

3 oz. prosciutto (or sliced cooked chicken or sausage- they are all good- or leave meat out)

2/3 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup Parmesan 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

For the pan:

cooking spray

Parmesan cheese 

2 cups tomato sauce (any flavor/any brand or homemade)

cheesecloth

kitchen twine 

Pasta:

In a food processor, pulse the cake flour, all purpose flour, egg yolks, olive oil, and salt

With the processor running, add the water in a steady stream until mixture forms a ball (if it's too wet, add more flour, if it's too dry, add more water)

Place dough on a floured surface and knead for about 2 min. until smooth

Cut the dough in half, shape into discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 min.

Filling:

Place dried spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, olive oil, prosciutto (or meat of your choice), salt and pepper in a bowl and mix lightly until combined 

On a floured surface, roll out chilled dough with a floured rolling pin into 2 (8 inch) circles 

Place the filling in the center of each and spread evenly leaving a 1/2 inch border of uncovered dough

Crack 1 egg into a small bowl and add a splash of water. Mix with a fork 

Use a pastry brush and brush the uncovered border of the pasta with the egg wash

Roll the pasta into logs, jellyroll style, and pinch the ends together to seal

Roll each log into double lined cheesecloth and tie the middle and ends with kitchen twine 

Preheat oven to 475

Bring a large pot to the boil and place the pasta logs into the water

Lower the heat to medium and cook logs for 15 minutes 

Remove the pasta logs and place on a baking sheet until cool enough to handle

Spray an 8x8 glass baking dish with cooking spray 

Unwrap each log and slice into 1/2 inch slices 

Place the slices in 3 rows in the baking dish, overlapping a little 

Put tomato sauce over the top and sprinkle with Parmesan 

Bake for about 10 min. until the cheese and sauce is bubbly 

Peanut Brittle

I apologize in advance for not taking a picture of the incredibly delicious peanut brittle that my mom made this year for Christmas.  I had very good intentions of taking a picture, but ate it all before I got around to it.  However, take my word for it, it is foolproof peanut brittle that comes out perfectly every time and you will not be able to resist it!

This recipe actually comes from my mother in law and she finally gave me the recipe a few years ago.  My mom also loves peanut brittle, so she's in charge of making it every holiday season.  You NEED a candy thermometer for the brittle to come out right- you want it crunchy, but not so that it sticks in your teeth.  Overdone or underdone peanut brittle is awful, so rely on your candy thermometer and will be perfect every time.

Peanut Brittle

1 1/2 cups peanuts (you can add 2 cups if you like it really peanuty)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup light corn syrup (karo)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 300
Place peanuts on a baking sheet and roast for a few minutes until browned and roasted and the smell of peanuts fills your kitchen
Meanwhile, in a medium size saucepan, combine sugar, water, corn syrup, and butter
Cook until the candy thermometer reads 300 degrees
Add peanuts and bring to a boil
Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda
Stir until combined
Pour mixture onto a buttered baking sheet
Cool and crack into pieces