The way to a little boy's heart

Most folks know that I love to cook, have a serious addiction to chocolate and am mildly obsessed with a food blog called Annie's Eats.  So, it should come as no surprise that any post with triple chocolate dreamy looking pleasantries sends me into a compulsive frenzy.  There is but one obstacle adoring man who prevents my household from overdosing on sweets and entering a chocolate coma.  Tim has attempt to remove sugar from his diet and thus, from our house.  He does not use sugar in his coffee and attempts to avoid sweet treats. 

Boring!!  Especially for me, with my penchant for baking tasty deserts and my ability to take in an additional 500 calories daily since I am breastfeeding baby Jackson.  How many people can throw in an additional 500 calories each day?  I figure the very best use of those calories is through chocolate deserts!

This particular chocolate cupcake has three layers of chocolate.  It includes a chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, and a chocolate cream cheese icing.  The recipe, found here, contains 22 ounces of chocolate and 3/4 cup and 6 tbsp. cocoa powder.  That is a lot of chocolate!  Overall, the cupcakes were pretty good, although the cake part was a bit too dense and dry to be included on my list of favorites.  Next time, I think I will try another chocolate cake recipe!

They say that the way into a man's heart is through his stomach.  That old saying sure does apply to little boys, too.

 This is Dustin, enjoying his chocolate cupcake.  After he ate a few bites, he said, "I love you momma!" 

A Whole Lotta Sugar

During my pregnancy with Dustin, I found myself enjoying lots of Starburst candies. Jackson, on the other hand, had me craving chocolate--in any shape, form, size and color. Of course, don't let me mislead you into believing that it was the pregnancy with Jackson that created this obsession with chocolate.

Chocolate and I are old acquaintances.

Alas, my now post-prego state still seeks out the sweet comforts of that chocolate. The challenge--I live with a husband who, for some crazy reason wants us to be more healthy.

Lately, I've been convicted that I need to fully live my life in the here and now--enjoying today, creating special memories and not putting off for tomorrow the joy that might be experienced today. I read this message just last week -- aptly put. I certainly do not want to live the postponed life! And, on Sunday listened to a sermon in part about living out the abundant joy today that God has before us today.

How does that relate to chocolate?

Not so much. But, the way I see it, there are two ways to apply this message to my fond affection toward that smooth brown tasty treat--I can either begin to honor the temple (my body) that God has for this time granted me to perform his will on earth. Or, today I can enjoy that lovely piece of chocolate (I mean, why should I put off that joy for tomorrow).

And so, below is a photo of my recent chocolate endeavor (please pardon the poor i-phone quality photos that are all posted on this blog entry):

This recipe is from annies-eats.com. I recommend that you drop everything (after finishing reading this blog, of course), run to your kitchen and whip this up. NOW!!!




(Maternity leave has given me time and opportunity to bake some sweet little treats!)




And, what would a post be absent a few photos of the sweetest sugar in the Anderson household?

Jackson on his playmat--we tried some tummy time. He instantly passed out. Mommy quickly rolled him back over (after taking this photo).

My little funny face.



Dustin and Daddy. What you can't see is that Dustin shortly thereafter kicked his Daddy out of his chair.

Ace in the Hole -- In the Kitchen

Frosted pumpkin cupcakes get spiked with fluffy sweetened cream cheese.

I just love fall! Just a few of the great features that I enjoy about fall include the reds, oranges and magnificent yellows that appear as the green leaves release their moisture and turn color; cooler, crisper air; WVU football (!!); fresh apples from the orchard; and pumpkin!

And so, what would fall be without some recipes that include pumpkin? My November issue of Rachael Ray magazine included this delicious recipe!

















Don't let this photograph fool you--these little delights were super yummy!



Ingredients:

One 8 ounce package cream cheese--at room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 large eggs, plus 5 large egg whites
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup light brown sugar
Simmering water
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces and chilled

Instructions:

• Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking liners. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar for 3 minutes. Beat in 1 egg white and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
• In a bowl, whisk the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, 2 eggs, granulated sugar, oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture.
• Layer each muffin cup with some of the pumpkin batter, then the cream cheese mixture, then more of the batter. Bake until springy to the touch, 25 minutes. Let cool.
• Using the electric mixer, beat the brown sugar, remaining 4 egg whites and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Fill the medium saucepan with enough simmering water to reach a depth of 1 inch; place the mixing bowl on top. Whisk the mixture until it registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
• Transfer the bowl back to the mixer and beat at high speed until fluffy; lower the speed and beat to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, then beat at high speed for 5 minutes. Beat in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
• Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag; pipe large rosettes on top of the cupcakes.

These cupcakes were moist (a key for me and Tim) and truly delicious. The only part I will change when I make them next time is the icing. Using 3 sticks of butter for 12 cupcakes made my stomach hurt. It did not turn out to be the yummiest icing and was very tedious to make. The next time, I will use a cream cheese icing, instead. I will also use a larger tip to make larger, fluffier rosettes.

I hope you enjoy!

A Zesty Italian, a Chocolate German and the sweetest little American!

Once again, I am getting behind in my blogging!! At this point, I have several posts (including photos of our trip to Lake Cumberland) that will take me a little bit to catch up! Where does all of the time go?

There are several recipes that I have wanted to post for well over a month or so now. Since I already had the photographs loaded to the computer, I thought that this would make for a quick post!

But first, a photograph of Little Man (the sweetest little American):



















He is not walking yet, but it is only a matter of a very short period of time. Given that Dustin is extraordinarily mobile, without walking, Tim and I are perfectly content with him taking his time to walk. I am not a huge fan of overalls, however; I did think that the overalls in the photo above were adorable!

A Zesty Italian:















Tim tried his hand this past summer at square foot gardening. For the first season of growing, it turned out fairly well! One of the more abundant crops was zucchini. I found several new recipes in which to use the veggie. Growing up, I enjoyed fried zucchini and squash. I found a little bit of a variation that makes a yummy appetizer:


Ingredients

Olive oil, for frying
1 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1 1/2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3 medium zucchini, cut into 3-inch long by 1/2-inch wide strips

Directions

• Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat.
• Stir 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, the Italian breadcrumbs, and salt in a medium bowl to blend.
• Whisk the eggs in another medium bowl to blend.
• Working in batches, dip the zucchini in the eggs to coat completely and allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Coat the zucchini in the breadcrumb mixture, patting to adhere and coat completely. Place the zucchini strips on a baking sheet.
• When the oil is hot, working in batches, fry the zucchini sticks until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried zucchini to paper towels and drain.
• Arrange the fried zucchini on a platter. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and serve. (We enjoy serving this with marinara sauce.)

Adapted from recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

A Chocolate German:
















This German Chocolate Cake absolutely tasted even better than the photographs possibly show. This recipe is from annies-eats, a blog that I have become quite fond of for finding new recipes to prepare for my family. The dishes on annies site typically involve multiple steps and are thus not your thirty minute meals, but they are quite fun to prepare and usually pretty tasty, too!

So far, the cakes that I have selected to bake from annies site have been a bit dry. So, I elected to shave 10 minutes off of the cooking time on this cake, to help keep it moist (the original recipe called for a baking time of 45 minutes). This helped, but the cake could have ideally used a cooking time of about 30 minutes (at least in my oven). For me, the general rule is that the cake needs to come out of the oven when it begins to pull away from the side of the pan. This time, I was not paying close enough attention while preparing the frosting and missed the cake pulling away!

The syrup in between the layers did add some moisture to the cake. The original recipe called for rum. I used the water substitute, since Peanut would surely not favor rum! In any event, if you love chocolate (as I do), you will most certainly love this cake!
















Ingredients

For the cake:
2 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 tbsp. water
4 large eggs, separated
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the syrup:
1 cup water
¾ cup sugar
optional--(2 tbsp. or dark rum)

For the filling:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
6 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
½ tsp. salt
1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1 1/3 cups coconut


For the icing:
8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream


Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• Line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Butter and flour the sides of the pans; set aside.
• Using a double boiler (or the microwave in short bursts), melt the bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate with the water, stirring until smooth. Set aside until the mixture cools to room temperature.
• In the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until they form soft droopy peaks. Slowly add ¼ cup of the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Transfer the egg whites to a separate bowl and return the mixer bowl to the mixer base.
• In the bowl the electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with 1¼ cups of the sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate. Mix in the egg yolks one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.
• In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture on low speed just until incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk and vanilla extract until combined. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients just until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold about a third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining egg whites just until incorporated.
  Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the cake pans for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• While the cakes are cooling, make the syrup. Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.
• To make the filling, combine the cream, sugar and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Put the butter, pecans and coconut in a mixing bowl; set aside. Heat the cream mixture and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon. Pour the hot custard immediately into the pecan coconut mixture and stir until the butter is melted. Cool completely to room temperature. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
  

• To make the icing, place the chopped chocolate in a bowl with the corn syrup and butter. Heat the cream just until it begins to boil. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator or freezer until firm enough for decorating.

• To assemble the cake, cut the two cake layers in half horizontally to yield four layers. Set the first layer on a cake circle, cut side up. Brush well with the syrup. Spread ¾ cup of the coconut filling over the cake layer, making sure to reach the edges. Set another cake layer on top of the filling. Repeat, using the syrup to brush each cake layer, then spreading ¾ cup of the coconut filling over each layer, including the top. Ice the sides of the cake with the chilled chocolate icing. Pipe a decorative border around the top layer, encircling the coconut topping.

Source: adapted from annies-eats.

Happy eating!

Turkey for a Turkey

We recently celebrated Tim's Birthday! I will spare him the humiliation of stating how old he is on the blog. Let's just say that the number of gray hairs have certainly increased this week. My man, for the most part, likes his meals to be fairly simple. At the same time, he does not enjoy repetition and seeks variety. As for me, I love complicated. The problem--there is simply no time!

And, so as his birthday approached, I fervently tried to discover his favorite foods so that I could slave away in our kitchen making him the most very special meal, for such a special man on his special day.

He wanted turkey and stuffing.

I thought it was an unusual spring meal, particularly given that the pasture was wide open for the picking. But, I (of course) obliged and made the turkey and stuffing meal. I must say, it was one of my best meals yet!! (And, to boot, it was not complicated at all!!)
















Crockpot Cornbread Dressing

This dressing is quick to fix, moist, and easy to cook in the slow cooker. It is now one of my dear husband's new favorites!

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
8 ounces ground pork sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 package (16 ounces) seasoned cornbread dressing crumbs
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage, optional
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins (I substituted dried apples, and it was yummy!)

Preparation: Spray a slow cooker with nonstick baking spray.
In a large skillet melt butter and add sausage, cooking and breaking up, until sausage is lightly browned. Add onion and celery and continue cooking until vegetables are tender. Add parsley poultry seasoning, and sage, if using.
In a large bowl, combine the sausage and vegetable mixture with the crumbs. Stir until blended; add chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste and blend well. Blend in the lightly beaten egg and stir in the cranberries or raisins. Spoon into the prepared slow cooker; do not pack. Cover and cook on HIGH for 45 minutes. Reduce heat to LOW and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours longer.

Crockpot Turkey Recipe

Ingredients:
--4 to 6 pound turkey breast (bone-in or out. your choice)
--2 cups broth
--1 stick of butter
--1 onion
--salt and pepper
--garlic
--carrots
--celery

Preparation: Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Unwrap the turkey breast and pat it dry with paper towels. If desired, cut off the skin with poultry shears, and discard. Salt and pepper the breast liberally (I also put some thyme and oregano on our bird breast). Plop it, breast-side down into the crockpot. Wash your hands well. Cut up the onion, celery and carrots coarsely and push some pieces down next to the turkey and put a few in the rib cavity. Add the stick of butter. Pour the broth over the top. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-6. Use a meat thermometer to test doneness--it should register at 170

In the Kitchen

Yesterday marked the tenth straight day that I cooked a meal for my family!

I realize that this may not seem like such an accomplishment and is probably not so exciting to most (I mean it is really work, after all), but in the Anderson household and for me, it has been quite a feat!

Las night officially marked the end of the brief cooking spree. The grand finale was stuffed green peppers, and they were yummy!

Stuffed Green Peppers

4 green bell peppers
salt to taste
1 pound lean ground turkey

1/3 cup chopped onion

one garlic clove--minced

one tablespoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 can diced tomatoes

1-2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (depending upon your tastes)
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup beef broth or water
1 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cans condensed tomato soup
water as needed

DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers, and remove the seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes (submerging with a spoon); drain. Sprinkle salt inside each pepper, and set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, saute onions and minced garlic in olive oil, add ground turkey and cook until turkey is brown. Drain off excess fat, add the oregano and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, 1/2 cup beef broth or water and Worcestershire sauce. Cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, and stir in one cup of the cheese.

3. Stuff each pepper with the beef and rice mixture, and place peppers open side up in a baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine tomato soup with just enough water to make the soup a gravy consistency. Pour over the peppers.

4. Bake covered for 25 to 35 minutes, until heated through. During the last five minutes, remove cover and sprinkle remainder of cheese on top of the peppers. Cook until the cheese is melted.