Strawberry Bread

I forgot to mention that we went to a farmer's market this weekend and there were strawberries everywhere. Amelia chose the perfect box of strawberries and she helped me make this strawberry bread. It was really really good and I recommend making it as soon as possible because it's really really good.

Strawberry Bread 

(from Cookies and Cupcakes)

Week 8 2014 Menu

Helloooooooooo!

Sorry this is a day late. I'm moving at snails pace this week. Both girls are now sick. Last night, Annelise refused to sleep anywhere that wasn't touching me. At one point, I was sprawled on the bed, reaching down into the travel crib with my hand on her butt. As soon as I removed my hand, she screamed. I had her sleeping on my chest, and tried to roll her off me, onto the bed, in between me and Will, and she screamed. Finally, I took her downstairs and was resolved to let her cry, but she fell asleep right away! Then, two hours later, Amelia came busting into the room and climbed into bed, but it took her over an hour to fall asleep. It was a squeeze play and Will and I lost.

Last week's Chicken Marbella was AMAZING really recommend it!! Thanks Lou for sharing!

As far as meals go, this week is relatively easy.

Monday: White Fish Special
Tuesday: Irish Beef Stew with mashed potatoes and broccoli
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Pineapple Pork Shoulder (I'll put up the recipe later!)
Friday: Will and I have a black tie event that a friend invited us to. Should be fun to dress up!!
Saturday: Roasted Chicken. Amelia was invited to a sleepover at my uncle's house. She's pretty excited, although she thinks she's moving there, and excited about it. So I'm disturbed she thinks she's leaving for forever.

What are yall up to?? Miss you all so much! xo

Strawberry Almond Cake!

I saw this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and literally stared at it for two days straight. It looked super easy so I just had to make it. Plus, any almond flavored pastry makes my skirt fly up. Turns out, it was super easy and the end result was so delicious and so sweet. It was especially good this morning for breakfast with coffee.

For Cake:
1 c Butter
1 c Watter
2 c Flour
2 c Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1-1/2 tsp Almond Extract
1/2 c Sour Cream
2 whole eggs

For Icing:
1/2 c Butter
1/4 c Milk
3-1/2 c Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Almond Extract

Cake Directions:
* Preheat oven to 375
* In a small sauce pan, bring the butter and water to boil.
* While butter/water boils, mix dry flour and sugar in a large bowl.
* Pour boiling mixture into the bowl and mix well. Add baking soda, almond extract, and sour cream. Mix well.
* Add eggs. Mix well.
* Pour batter into 9x13 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes (note: I actually had to do it for closer to 30 minutes so just keep an eye on it and make sure it's not jiggly)
* Let cool for 20-30 minutes before icing.

Icing Directions:
* In a small sauce pan, bring butter and milk to boil.
* Add remaining ingredients to a large bowl. Pour boiling mixture into the bowl and mix well.
* Pour onto the cake and let sit for 20 minutes

You can then add any sort of fruit on top. The original recipe on Tasty Kitchen just added the blueberries on top of the slice before serving. As you can see, I covered the top of the cake with strawberries and it was AMAZING. You've been warned, though - it's super sweet. I might even reduce the sugar amount next time I make it just to see what that does to the cake. I would recommend this for sure though and the cake recipe seems like a good basic cake recipe that can be easily altered. Enjoy!!

Bananas Foster

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• ½ -1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup banana liqueur (can sub Triple Sec)
• 4 under-riped bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Directions:

• Melt butter. Over low heat, stir in brown sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or cast iron/deep skillet until dissolved.
• Stir in the banana liqueur, bring sauce to a simmer.
• Add bananas cooking for 1 minute on each side, carefully spooning sauce over bananas as they are cooking. (bananas should begin to soften/and caramelize)
• When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum.
• Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum.
• When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream.
• Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.

Serves Four

The Tres Leches

So, I did the unthinkable and I decided to tackle the Tres Leches recipe for Zoe's birthday weekend. This recipe is part of the Holy Trinity that truly made my dad successful, and ultimately put us all through college. The Holy Trinity (the Churrascos, the Tres Leches, and Plantain Chips) are the main reason people go to Cordua restaurants, and they make up over 50% of the sales.

This recipe is from Tia Patricia. She is now a principal at a school in Nicaragua. But when the first Churrascos opened in 1988, she was in the kitchen helping out as a pastry chef. So she is a pro and has bestowed her knowledge onto her daughter-in-law, Venessa, who graciously agreed to be my guide through out the entire journey! Thanks Vene!

________________________________

Not only are there three milks, and not only is the Tres Leches part of the trinity, BUT it also has three distinct parts to the process.
First! If you can get a DJ for the event, it's best. "If you're lucky... you'll have a DJ"

Okay now, gather your ingredients:

THE CAKE:
2 cups Flour (sifted)
2 cups Sugar
6 teaspoons of Baking Powder
1/2 cup of Whole Milk
6 eggs (room temp)

THE TRES LECHES:
2 cans Condensed Milk
2 cans Evaporated Milk
1 pint Whipping Cream
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 shot of Baileys (optional, but encouraged)

THE MERINGUE FROSTING:
6 Egg Whites
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Water (approximately; see notes)
____________________________________________

Recipe for the Cake:
1. Turn the oven to 375 degrees
2. In a medium bowl, mix all your dry ingredients together (the sifted flour, sugar, and baking powder)











3. Next, in your standing mixer add the 6 eggs











4. Turn the mixer on and continue until the eggs are foamy and pale yellow. Like so...











5. Little by little add your dry mix to the egg mixture. As it starts to dry up, and a little bit of milk. Repeat this process until youʼve used all the milk and dry mix.












6. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 9X12 pan.











7. Bake for about 40 minutes or until fork is clean. (Do not open oven until after 30 minutes have passed or cake will sink.) (If you are using a glass pan, it will cook much faster than when it's in a foil or aluminum)
8. After 30 minutes, you can begin testing the cake with a knife. Once it comes out clean, the cake is ready!










Recipe for the Tres Leches:
8. While the cake is in the oven, gather your ingredients for the Tres Leches











9. You may need to blend these ingredients in two batches because they may not all fit. Have a large bowl ready where you can combine both blender batches.
10. We filled the first blender with 1 can of condensed milk, 1 can of evaporated milk, half a pint of heavy cream, and the vanilla extract. Blend until mixed thoroughly. Then poured the mix into a large bowl. In the second blender, we combined the remaining ingredients (the rest of the heavy cream, 1 can of evaporated milk, 1 can of condensed milk, and a shot of Bailey's).











11. Set the milk mixture aside until the cake is ready and out of the oven.
12. While the cake is still hot, poke a bunch of holes with a fork, and begin pouring the milk mixture onto the hot cake. Keep piercing the cake as you pour. (It helps to pour the milk mixture in a pitcher-like-container or something with a spout).












13. The finished product will look a little messy. But remember the icing is beautiful, and will cover the puncture holes.











14. Set the cake aside. It needs to cool and soak up the milk.












Recipe for the Meringue:
15. The safest thing to do is to leave the cake in the fridge covered over night. And then make the icing right before you serve the cake.
16. First, get all your ingredients ready for the icing. I would recommend using fresh egg whites (not like I did).











17. Mix the 6 egg whites in your Kitchen Aid or a hand held blender. (I have neither at my house, so I got a real work out mixing those egg whites!) Mix egg whites a "punto de nieve-" It has to look thick yet fluffy like fresh ice cream. In the picture below, it's almost ready, but not quite.

* Add 1/4 teaspoon of Cream of Tartar to hold the meringue if you're not serving cake right away 











18. Meanwhile, add 1/2 cup of sugar into a small sauce pan.











19. Then, pour just enough water to cover sugar. You may not need the entire amount but do not go over 1/2 cup if it is not covered.
20. Heat in medium-low heat and stir frequently.











21. Keep testing it by dipping a fork and lifting it up in the air. Once it is, an "hilo” or string will form as you lift the fork. Then you are ready for next step. It might take a while but it is important to get the right consistency. And you need to move quickly with this next step before sugar cools.

22. Now, while the sugar is hot go back to your egg whites. Add sugar mixture a little at a time while mixing. Once it is all blended in, add a little more. Donʼt do it too fast or it wonʼt mix right but donʼt do it too slow or sugar will cool down. Keep mixing until bowl is cool.

23. Frost your cake and enjoy!!!!

*Tonight, I'll post a picture of the finished product with candles and everything*

Zucchini Bread

Makin' zucchini bread for Ryan tonight. He has been making an effort to help me cook really healthy meals now that it's summer, so when he asked for zucchini bread, I said ok. I usually hate having baked goods around b/c I have no self control. But I'm really not going to eat this stuff cause it's Paula Deen's recipe- so you know it's pretty much the worst one (and most delicious one) out there!

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

Yoly's Atolillo

This Niaraguan pudding recipe wraps up my childhood in a warm blanket. When I made this for the first time last year, my first sniff of the pudding cooking in the saucepan warped me back to being 11 years old and in the kitchen with Yoly. It's the easiest thing to make and, quite frankly, is good hot, right off the stove, or cold after a day or two sitting in the fridge. It's never lasted more than a couple of days in my fridge... I eat it all.

I couldn't wait, so I took a couple of spoonfuls (see lower right quadrant of bowl). Sorry 'bout it.

Atolillo
- 3 cups of 2% milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 sticks of cinnamon
- water
- Ground cinnamon for garnishing

* In a saucepan, place 2 sticks of cinnamon in water that just covers the bottom of the saucepan. Simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
* In a blender, mix together milk, sugar, egg, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla. Pulse until just blended.
* Add milk mixture to saucepan with cinnamon and water. Keep heat on med-low (never actually boiling or rumbling). Stir continuously for approximately 10 minutes.
* All of a sudden, you'll notice the mixture thicken and becoming pudding-like. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, still stirring.
* Pour into serving dish (or individual dishes if serving individually). Lightly sprinkle ground cinnamon on top.

That's it! Super easy. It's important to keep the heat low because you don't want the milk to curdle or the egg to cook too quickly. Keeping it low will give you the perfect pudding consistency.

To store, you can either just put the saran wrap over the serving dish or put it in a tupperware.

Peanut Butter Cookies

This recipe is very easy, and very guilt free. There is no flour, or flour substitute. In all their simplicity these cookies taste so good. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
- 2 cups of Peanut Butter (its best to use the not too runny kind, a bit runny is okay)
- 2 cups of sugar (white or brown is fine)
- 4 beaten eggs
- If desired, add 1 1/2 cups of pecans (chopped) or semi-sweet chocolate


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease cookie sheet
3. Combine peanut butter, eggs, & sugar. Mix until smooth
4. Add nuts or chocolate or both :)
5. Spoon dough onto sheet
6. Bake for 12 minutes, or until edges are brown
7. Let stand for 5-10 minutes

I need your help!

Goddesses in Training, I'm enlisting your help. Here at FINS, we've started a quarterly cook-off. I won the first cookie competition (thank you red velvet whoopie pies-- these things are ridiculously delicious if you're looking to bring a little Valentines Day cheer to your loved ones.) Since the first cookie competition things have gotten a little more competitive. The last competition in the Fall was Iron-Chef style with a secret ingredient. I made these puppies, Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, which were so fun to make and tasted delicious, but I came up short with the win (for the record some girl made some ridiculous thing called "Butter Cake" that was filled with sugar, butter, and a dash of pumpkin. No wonder she won--Butter Cake-- come on.)

Anyway, on Monday, I'm trying to regain my the crown and I need your help! Here are the details of this cook-off:

Monday, 2/14, is the day when fellow FINS colleagues come together in a competition of wits, creativity and strategy:

The FINS Winter Cookoff, 2011: Cooking With Spirit!

FINS and friends will bring in specially made dishes to be judged by a specially selected panel of in-house foodies; a secret ingredient has been selected for use in all dishes:

ALCOHOL

This includes spirits, wine and beer.

The dishes may not be intoxicating. Cocktails are not allowed. Alcohol is only meant to be used as an ingredient.

The Rules:

1. Alcohol must be used as an ingredient in every dish.

2. Judging criteria:
-- Taste
-- Presentation
-- Use of alcohol (Iron Chef style)

3. Every competitor must bring in enough of the dish to be tasted by all three judges.

4. Only a certain amount of sweet and savory dishes will be allowed into competition. There is a signup sheet in the FINS Area.

5. Each competitor can only enter one dish into the competition.

6. No cheating. (AKA, the Louise Rule) (*I may or may not have entered 2 cookies into the first competition which BOTH came in #1 and #2 respectively. It wasn't a written rule then so they have made it one now)

7. There are only 8 signup spots for each category (savory and sweet). Extra food brought in will be welcome but only 16 total dishes will be judged.

Winners will get the respect and admiration of their colleagues and earn their place in the pantheon of FINS Iron Chefs.



So girls, I've signed up for a "sweet dish" (any excuse to bake and eat sweet things I'll take)-- I need your help in finding a winning recipe. Do you have anything that will win?! It must contain a spirit of sorts...

XOXO,

Cooking Girl

You're Telling me this doesn't look appealing...

Worms in the Mud Pies

Worms in the Mud Pie
(makes one large pie or can be split into 4-6 individual serves, adapted from this chocolate cream pie recipe)
1 1/2 cups Oreo Cookie Crumbs (about 1 1/2 packets of Oreos, white centres removed and crushed)
115g (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup pouring cream, plus 1/2 cups
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
A pinch of salt
4 egg yolks
4 ounces (115g) good-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tbsp icing sugar
To decorate: Gummi worms (snakes), Flake chocolate

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Combine cookie crumbs and butter well and press into a single pie dish or 4-6 individual dishes. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes to set the crust, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a small saucepan combine sugar, 3/4 cup cream, buttermilk, cornstarch and pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, whisking from time to time for the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking at a low boil for an additional 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour the egg yolk mixture back into saucepan with the remaining hot mixture and whisk over the heat until thoroughly combined and very thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Continue whisking until thoroughly combined (mixture will be very thick). Cover the mixture with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Place the 1/2 heavy cream in a chilled mixing bowl and add the icing sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cool chocolate pudding mixture, then spoon the chocolate mixture into the prepared pie crust. Using gummi worms and chocolate, decorate the top of the pie. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours. Can be stored for a couple of days in the fridge.