Sigrid’s Carrot Cake

So, LAST Thursday was my SuperHero husband’s birthday, but I was so miserably sick we didn’t do anything!  But I made up for it today, and made him a carrot cake…his favorite! (seriously, that’s what our wedding cake was because his Mom knows how much he loves it!)  This is a yummy recipe that I’ve doubled and made for catering events. 

This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.  Lots of yummy recipes (and tons of pictures!) there.  Go check it out!

FOR CAKE:
2 cups Sugar
1 cup Vegetable Oil
4 whole Eggs
2 cups All-purpose Flour
½ teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 cups Grated Carrots
For Icing
1 stick Regular Butter, Softened
1 package (8 Oz) Cream Cheese
1 pound Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 cup Pecans, Chopped Finely

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix together the sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl. In another bowl sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add to first mixture and combine. Then add carrots and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured (Baker’s Joyed) pan (bundt, sheet cake, 9 x 13 pyrex) and bake at 350F until done, 25 (sheet cake) to 50 (Bundt pan) minutes, depending on the pan you use.

Cool completely.

Icing:

In larger bowl, cream butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and vanilla and blend, then mix in the nuts. Spread on cooled carrot cake.

PZ Pancakes

My Girlie was quite happy to sample this experiment. And she loved these!

Last night, after making the Pumpkin and Sausage Penne, I still had half a large can of pumpkin left.  I also had about 2 cups of grated zucchini left from zucchini bread I made a week ago.  I was thinking of ways to combine them when I ran across this yummy looking pumpkin pancake recipe on High Heels & Grills blog.  Perfect!  So, following is the pumpkin pancake recipe.  And below that, I will include my additions/substitutions to make PZ (Pumpkin Zucchini) Pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes

  • 3 cups flour
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. ginger
  • 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 (15 oz) can Libby’s pure pumpkin
  • 3 cups buttermilk
  • 3 eggs
  1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and brown sugar, combining well.
  2. Add pumpkin, buttermilk, and eggs to dry ingredients and mix gently. {If batter seems stiff, add water until it can be easily spooned onto a griddle.}
  3. Heat griddle to medium heat and grease lightly.
  4. Scoop about 1/3 cup of batter onto griddle and let cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
  5. Let other side cook again until lightly browned.
  6. Repeat these steps until all the batter is gone.

and now, my tweaks for PZ (Pumpkin Zucchini) Pancakes:

  • Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
  • For this morning, I replaced the buttermilk with soured milk (a mix of 2 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup lemon juice) but if I have plain yogurt on hand, I substitute the buttermilk with 2 cups milk and 1 cup yogurt (may need more milk if the batter seems too thick)

Pumpkin & Sausage Penne

We had this for dinner this evening and it was enjoyed by all. It was liquidy enough to serve in bowls, but very thick and filling. Some of us used spoons, some used forks, all cleaned their bowls!! Wonderful autumn meal!

Photo courtesy of my SuperHero who said, “You gotta stage these things!”

3 cup uncooked penne pasta
8 Italian sausage links, casings removed
2 cup chopped sweet onion
4 garlic clove, minced
1 1/3 Tbs olive oil
1 1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth
4 bay leaf
3 cup chicken broth
1 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup minced fresh sage, divided
1/2 tsp each salt, pepper and ground cinnamon
dash ground nutmeg
3/4 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper
towels. Discard drippings, reserving 1 teaspoon. Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil and reserved drippings over medium-high heat until tender. Add wine and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the remaining broth, pumpkin, 1-1/2 teaspoons sage and remaining seasonings; cook 1 minute longer. Add the cream and sausage; heat through. Remove bay leaf.
Drain pasta; transfer to a large bowl. Add sausage mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining sage.

Servings: 8

Source: Taste of Home 2012

Bulgolgi (Korean BBQ Beef)

I had never had bulgolgi before moving to UT, where we met a Korean lady at our church.  She made this for us and we all LOVED it so I came right home and googled the recipe.  Oh yum!!
  • -1.5 lbs. of thinly sliced rib-eye steak purchased from a Korean market. Or you can slice your own rib-eye or sirloin steak across the grain in paper thin slices. Partially freezing the beef helps with cutting clean slices.
  • 1/3 cup of soy sauce or for a Gluten-Free variation, use San-J Organic Tamari Wheat Free Soy Sauce found in the health food section of your local grocery store.
  • 3 Tbl white sugar
  • 1 Tbl sesame oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 of a medium yellow onion, halved and sliced into medium moon shaped slivers
  • 2 green onions including the white parts, finely sliced into small pieces
  • 2 Tbl toasted sesame seeds
  • 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
  • 2 pinches of black pepper
  • optional 1/4 tsp. of ginger, finely minced
Instructions
  1. Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl except beef and onions. When most of the sugar has dissolved, add beef and onion slices to the bowl and massage the marinade with your hands into each slice of beef. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. To pan fry, place a few slices of beef in single layers and completely flat on a hot oiled frying pan and fry each side until cooked. Some people prefer to cook the bulgogi until some of the edges have turned dark brown and crispy. Serve with a bowl of hot rice. Enjoy!

YUMMY SCONES

We used to attend this neat church in Louisiana that actually served breakfast before the first service every Sunday. And it wasn’t just donuts and coffee, but a full-fledged breakfast! And me, with my love for baking? How could I resist? So these scones are one of many of the baked goodies I would bring. And believe me, they’re easy enough that I could make them in the morning before heading to church!! The recipe is from Taste of Home, the Dec./Jan ’03 issue.

4 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbs sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup cold butter (no substitutes!)
1 egg, separated
1 1/2 cups flavored non-dairy creamer, or half and half, (or, in a pinch, I’ve used a can of evaporated milk)

Your choice of extras.
We like::
Orange zest and dried cranberries
Finely chopped pecans and/or mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients; cut in the butter (I actually do this first part in a food processor and then dump it in a bowl once the mixture is crumbly). In a separate, smaller bwl, whisk egg yolk and creamer; add to dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in the extras of your choice. Knead in the bowl 10 times. Dough should be slightly sticky. Divide dough in half. Pat each portion into a 7 inch circle on a greased cookie sheet. Cut into 8 wedges, but do not separate them.

Beat egg white, brush over dough. Sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly and serve.

Mango Salsa

We LOVE mango salsa!!  I got this recipe from a grocery store (where they had samples….my first taste of mango salsa and I was hooked!)

4 medium mangoes, peeled, pitted and cubed
12 medium red onion, minced
2 green onions, sliced thin
1/2 med jalapeno chili, stemmed, seeded, minced
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro leaves
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients, including salt & pepper in small bowl. Transfer to airtight container & refrigerate at least 1 hour. May be kept 4 days.

Chocolate Harvest Bread recipe

It’s that time of year again!!  🙂   I found this yummy recipe in Sesame Street Parents magazine in the summer of  2000 (so you know it’s good, I’ve had it a while!)

Yield: 16 muffins, 1 large loaf or 2-3 small loaves
1 med. Zucchini, washed and stems trimmed
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
¾ cup milk
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup walnut pieces (optional)
********************
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously grease and flour the loaf pans or line the muffin pans with cupcake liners.  Peel and grate zucchini until you have about 1 cup.  Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and baking soda.  Using a fork, toss the ingredients until they are well blended.  In a separate, smaller mixing bowl, combine the milk, butter, eggs and almond extract.  Add them to the dry ingredients and stir until blended.  Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Kenny Rogers Fire−And−Ice Chili

I entered this into a chili cookoff with about 10 other chili’s.  This one is very different from what you expect, but everyone LOVED it.  It was a tie for first place between this recipe, and my friend, Alex’, recipe (hmmm, guess I should request his too)  I’m making this for dinner tonight and decided to throw in a can of beans as well.

1 20−ounce can pineapple chunks in syrup
2 lbs lean boneless pork roast cut into 1−inch cubes
2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion chopped (1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic minced
1 28−ounce can tomatoes cut up
1 6−ounce can tomato paste
1 4−ounce can diced green chili peppers drained
1 green pepper chopped 3/4 cup)
1 medium yellow onion chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
1 to 3 Tbs seeded and finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Chili toppers: sliced onions, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese

1. Drain pineapple, reserving syrup.

2. In a Dutch oven, cook pork, half at a time, in hot olive oil till brown.

3. Return all the meat to the pot. Add the first chopped onion and 1 clove

4. garlic. Cook over medium heat till onion is tender, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the reserved pineapple syrup, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, green

6. chili peppers, the green pepper, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, chili powder,

7. cumin, jalapeno pepper and salt.

8. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer the chili for 1 1/2

9. hours, stirring occasionally. Add the pineapple chunks. Cover and simmer for

10. minutes more.

11. Let diners add their own toppers.

Servings: 8

Greek Chicken Salad Wraps

Well, I guess the secret’s out….I really like the recipes on Kittencal’s Kitchen blog.  So here’s another one that’s guaranteed to put a big smile on my hubby’s face! Her Greek dressing is word for word, the rest is my words but her idea.

Greek dressing
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1 or 2 whole lemons
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Greek oregano)
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar

Mix all ingredients together in a jar or container with tight fitting lid. Shake well to mix. Best if made and refrigerated 2 hours ahead (but if you’re like me and only think of it last minute, oh well! it still works, but will have more flavor later)

I put olive oil in a frying pan, placed chicken in the pan and sprinkled it with salt and lemon pepper. I then let it cook, turning it, so that it was just starting to brown (but insides are cooked really well….I start with frozen chicken, so I put a lid on it and let it cook a good long time….that’s just how I roll). When the chicken is done, let set for about 5-10 minutes (while you prep the other ingredients) and then slice into think slices.

the rest of the ingredients
layer everything like this:

tortillas
red onion, coarsley chopped
tomatoes, sliced thin
cucumbers, sliced thin
salt and pepper (to taste)
romaine lettuce, chopped
Kalamata olives (yeah, seriously, spring for the good stuff….you’ll thank me)
sliced chicken
crumbled feta cheese
Greek dressing