In The Kitchen: Post The First

So this week was a rough week for various reasons, and I was to the end of my rope. I didn't think I could go any further and I was sad and indisposed. After much counseling I felt much better and came to this conclusion: when one is feeling sad, one must make cake. :)
So I did.

They have on TV this show called The All American Bake-Off, and after hearing "you need to watch it!" several (hundred) times, I figured that I should. The episode that I happened upon was all about cake. The contestants had to bake several different kinds of cake, which then got tasted by the judges and in turn were deemed "worthy" or "unworthy" according to several different things that all judges like picking on (taste, consistency, presentation...all that good stuff).
The last and most difficult one for the contestants was Chiffon Cake.
Now, although I had a slight recollection of hearing the name of this cake a long time ago, I knew almost nothing about it. I was horribly ashamed and at once was determined to learn all about this cake and, if I could, was inclined to make it (doing is the best way to learn, especially when making cake).

I found that Chiffon cake was a light, airy cake, with hundreds and hundreds of little tiny holes, making it very springy and spongy: in a word, like eating extremely delicious air.
Now, although the flavor of Chiffon cake varies greatly, the original version was intended to taste like pound cake, but with all the lovely lightness of  Angel Food cake.

And after seeing most of the competitors mess up this heavenly cake, I decided that I was going to make one, and that it was going to turn out better than the ones on the TV show (yes, I had a "challenge accepted" moment). ;)

I then set out to accomplish my endeavor.

The lightness of this cake comes from many, many egg-whites whipped into a frenzy and about as stiff as you can get them. Then you must fold them in the simple batter as gently as you can or they will turn into a wet sopping mess and you will never get your cake to rise....yeah, no pressure.

Luckily, I got them all folded in without too much trouble (the trick here is to use an EXTREMELY large bowl) and the batter was in the pan and into the oven before I could worry about any of it.
Well that wasn't too hard, was it?
The cake rose to amazing heights in the oven, and before I knew it, it was time to take it out.
Once out of the oven, the cake must be turned upside-down to cool (most Chiffon/Angel Food cake pans have three little tabs around the rim to rest on when you flip the pan over).
Now came the problem. I have this habit of being impatient with cakes and things, and once something is done being baked, the hardest thing is to wait for it to cool before you get to decorate it. Unfortunately, this particular cake takes AT LEAST an hour to cool before you can even think about taking it out of its pan. A whole hour. My life was over. I couldn't even fathom waiting that long for a cake....

Luckily, I had another cake that I was working on at the same time. This one was a gluten free carrot cake, and I was kind of excited, yet also worried about it.
You see, it was Father's Day and my dad's favorite cake of all time is none other than: carrot cake.
So I was kind of going out on a limb to try this recipe that I had never treid before. But I put my best foot forward and set to work.
The method for making gluten free cakes is pretty much the same as regular cakes (as far as I can tell, not having made many myself), and soon I had the batter ready and in its pans.

Then I made the big mistake. I tasted the batter. I don't believe I have ever tasted a cake batter that was so disgusting in my entire life. I was horrified! How was I supposed to give this to my dad, the king of carrot cake, for Father's day?
I just sighed and put them in the oven to see what would happen.
After some time I took them out of the oven and felt the top of one. It felt like most any cake would. I was surprised and was impatient to see what they would feel like once I turned them out of their pans, but I had to wait for them to cool. Luckily, they didn't take much time at all.

I turned them out and frosted them with some buttercream that I had ready, and then tasted a bit of the crumbs that had been left behind. It tasted just like regular carrot cake! The texture was almost the same and all the flavor was there. I don't have to tell you that I was most pleasantly surprised.

So, happy that one cake seemed to turn out fine, and it being all frosted and ready, I at once turned to my Chiffon cake and wanted to finish that as well. Only, it hadn't cooled long enough yet. I was very, VERY, upset. So I made my second mistake of the day: I took the cake out anyway.

It was perfect. All light and perfectly golden brown....I was a very happy girl.
I turned it onto a pretty cake dish, and spread some of the raspberry sauce that I had made earlier (just cook some fresh/frozen raspberries in a small pot with some sugar and lemon juice until reduced by half) over the top. I didn't like the look of it however, so I made a glaze with powered sugar and lemon juice and drizzled it over the top. It was perfect.

After dinner everyone tried the cakes and dad loved the carrot. He honestly couldn't tell that it was gluten free, and was most pleased to find out that it had no wheat flour in it.

My lovely Chiffon cake came next, and although he liked the flavors, my dad didn't particularly like the texture (don't ask me why, but he just doesn't like light, spongy textures when it comes to cakes/pastries).

I loved it. It was deliciously light and lusciously, yet subtly lemon. I was eating a cloud.
Only, I noticed that something was wrong. My cake looked lopsided. I was horrified!
As it turns out, there is a very good reason for cooling the cake for over an hour....the sides will collapse if it is even the slightest bit warm when taken out of the pan. Oops. :P

So my cake didn't turn out perfect, but it was pretty good for a first try, and over all I was very pleased. :)

Lemon Chiffon

 Yield 1- 10″

 Egg Yolks 6 Lg (108g)
 Vegetable Oil 4 fl oz (1/2c)
 Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice 6 fl oz (3/4c)
 Lemon Zest from 1 large lemon
 Lemon Extract 1 tsp
 Cake Flour 2c (260g)
 Sugar 1 1/4c (250g)
 Baking Powder 1 Tablespoon (15g)
 Salt 1/2tsp (3g)
 Egg Whites 6 Lg (180g)
 Sugar 1/4 c (50g)
Cream of Tartar 1/4tsp

Mix Method:

 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

In the bowl of the Kitchen Aid mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the first 8 ingredients and blend well. About 1 minute on medium speed.
Transfer this batter to a large mixing bowl and clean the Kitchen Aid bowl well to be sure there are no traces of oil left in the bowl.
You will then use the whisk attachment to whip the egg whites and cream of tartar to foamy on medium speed.
Gradually increase the speed to high and slowly add the sugar to the meringue. Continue whipping to medium peaks.
In 3 additions, fold the meringue into the reserved batter in the large mixing bowl.

Pour the batter into your ungreased chiffon pan and baker for approximately 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

Makes one 2-layer 8-inch round cake

Ingredients

3 cups (about 15 ounces) gluten free flour mix

1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated peeled carrots (about two large carrots)

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

For the cake: Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 350ºF. Generously butter two 8-inch round cake pans and set aside. Combine gluten-free flour mix, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Add sugar, oil, and eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or add to a large bowl and use a handheld electric mixer. Beat until smooth, about one minute. Add vanilla and beat for another minute. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat at medium-low speed for 1 minute. Fold in carrots, walnuts, and coconut with a spatula.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Transfer pans to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Use a small knife to cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Invert cake layers onto rack, peel off paper and allow to cool completely.

So now that you have heard my story and have learned of my mistakes, perhaps you will try one (or both) of these recipes at at home. :)

Happy baking!

The sweet flavors of summer....

Fruit is one of my greatest joys in summertime, and although they are very good plain, I love to bake with them! Baking with fruit is (for the most part) simple to do, and I love adding fruit to pound cakes, and bunt cakes, as well as pancakes and tarts. But one of the more tricky things to make with fruit is jam. And as I have a bad habit of changing recipes and substituting ingredients to make it the way I want, they don't always come out as I would like: especially with jam. So I guess I could be a good girl (as Nona says), and make the recipes the way I am supposed to and they will most always turn out perfect every time.....but where's the fun in that?!? I love to experiment with new ideas and flavors, and come up with many delicious ideas in the process.

So the other day I decided to make peach jam. We had ordered two big boxes of peaches from a friend, and although we were eating them as fast as we could, and I was baking with them in almost everything, we still had a whole box left and they were starting to go bad.

It took me well over two hours, but I finished the
whole box. And the total count for one, 25lb
box of  peaches was: 36 jars! I had never made so much
jam in my life. And the one thing that was cool, was
it was fun! (although I was really, REALLY sick of
peaches after that....) ;P

So having finished the peaches, I decided to try a new
recipe that I have had on my list for the longest time:
Pop Tarts.

So I set up my station and got to work. A friend had given me a recipe for peach jam with Earl Grey tea steeped in it. It sounded really good, so I decided to try it.....

I decided to use strawberry jam for the
filling, and they turned out really well!
(I'll try to post the recipe on here
sometime soon.)

 They turned out nice and flaky, with just the right amount of jam in them. (Similar to a regular pop tart, but with flavors that delight your taste buds, giving you the delusion that you have your very own personal pastry chef....)  ;)

And these are made with whole wheat--thus making them healthy for you too! :D

The peaches were done, and the pop tarts out of the oven, and I was just getting ready to clean up the kitchen when mom reminded me that we had three packages of grapes sitting in the fridge.....and you know what that meant.....

More jam! :)

This time, I didn't add enough pectin, and I had to empty the jars back into the pot and re-do it, but even though it frustrated me, I didn't give up: and now we have 50 jars of jam! That's all in one day, and it only took about four hours (which could seem like quite a long time, but put some of your favorite music on, and just loose yourself in the sweet flavors and aromas of fruit, and it will go by much faster than you would think!) You can add most any flavors that you like to jams, and its super easy to play around with them, so just have fun with it, and I wish you happy jamming! ;)


Simple Peach Jam:

10 cups fresh peaches (pitted and chopped)
4 cups sugar
2 tbs lemon juice
2 packages dry pectin (or- 6 or 7 tbs)

Mix the peaches, sugar, and lemon juice together in a large heavy pot (cast iron works best, but just about any pot will do), and turn the burner on med./low. The mixture will seem a bit dry, but keep stirring and the natural juices of the peaches will come out. Higher the heat to a little over med. You can pretty much leave it alone (stirring occasionally), until it starts to boil. Meanwhile, sterilize your jars and lids (either put them through the "sanitize" setting of your dishwasher, or fill a large pot with water, set them in there, and heat the water to just about boiling.) After the mixture starts to boil, keep an eye on it, and continue to stir it occasionally. Once it starts to boil rapidly (like a rolling boil....where it boils even when you stir it), add the pectin and stir it in. Let it boil with the pectin for two min., stirring two or three times (just so it doesn't splatter or anything). While you are waiting, get a wide-mouthed cereal bowl and fill it with ice and a little water. Take a smaller bowl and put it on top (the ice should be touching the bottom of the top bowl). Once the two min is up, turn off the heat, and with a small spoon, take a bit of the soon-to-be peach jam and put it in the top bowl. Wait about a min, and then with your finger or another spoon, test it to see if it has jelled. If it doesn't jell, then put the heat back on med,/high, and wait for it to boil again. Once it gets back to a rolling boil, add one or two more tbs pectin (or 1/2 to a whole packet). If it DID jell, then fill your jars to about 1/4th inch to the top, and put the lids on. Once they all are full, place them upright in a water bath (a.k.a.= the pot of water that you sterilized your jars in) for 7 min. When they are done, take them out and stet them on a towel or wooden cutting board (cooling racks tend to be a bit wobbly) and let cool completely. Do NOT touch them until they are completely cool! By touching or moving them, you could mess up the seal (BTW, the lids on the jars will give a loud pop when they seal, so don't be alarmed--it is completely normal). Once they are cool, you can store them in your pantry for up to a year, and refrigerate after opening. Enjoy! :)

Friends, Fireworks, and Food!

I hope you all had an amazing Fourth of July! :)

We had a fun day planned, and we were busy all day planning and getting ready to go to our friends house for a Fourth of July party later that evening.

And since we live down here in "Sunny Florida" it decided to rain for us here about noon. You can be sure that we were incredibly disappointed, and my brothers were in the lowest state of despair.
"How can we light fireworks in the rain?"
"Will the party be canceled?"
These and other questions came from the boys as they sat on the living room floor listening to the rain pelt our house.
Everyone was upset, and dad went to check the weather report on the computer.
I had planned on making some yummy goodies to bring to the Fourth of July party, and I decided that I would still make them. Yummy eatables taste just as good at home as they do at a party, so I got my favorite measuring cup out (I can't quite bake happily without it), and set to work.
I was planning on making an appetizer and a desert, and mom was making salsa.
The desert was a berry buttermilk bunt cake with a lemon glaze that I had found online, and I had tweaked the recipe a bit. I actually hadn't planned it, strawberries and blueberries being the only berries in the house, but when cut into, the cake was red, white and blue! (I love when things work out like that....)

The cake turned out really well except for the fact that it could have been cooked a little longer, but it actually tasted really good!

So I had decided to try something savory for a change as I don't normally make things like that, so the appetizer was a Ratatouille Tart. I found the recipe on one of my favorite blogs: Smitten Kitchen. You can find so many great recipes on there, and they are relatively simple to try too.

 The tart was surprisingly easy, and it called for frozen puffed pastry from the store, so you don't even have to make your own crust (although you definitely could if you wanted to).

Ratatouille Tart:

 18 oz. frozen puffed pastry 1 Asian eggplant

1 small zucchini 1 small yellow squash

1 bell pepper (any color you like) 1/3 cup tomato puree (I used crushed tomatoes)

2 Tbs olive oil Salt and pepper

A few sprigs fresh thyme (I used dried) 1 cup crumbled feta

Defrost the puffed pastry overnight. The next day: heat oven to 375F. Lightly flour a work surface, lay one sheet of the pastry out (there should be two sheets in the box), and gently roll out until it measures about 11x15in. (the dough looked like it was going to just unfold, but it didn't. You just have to roll out the folded piece--just how it is.) Slide the pastry onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (we didn't have any at the time, so i just sprinkled a little flour on the pan, and it worked fine).

Poke the pastry all over with a fork. Spread the tomato puree evenly over the dough, leaving a one-inch border around the edges. Trim the ends off the veggies; for the pepper, you have to cut the ends off carefully, then hollow out the middle, leaving the edges intact, like a tube. On a mandolin, adjustable-blade slicer, or with a very sharp knife,* slice the veggies into very thin slices (about 1/16 of an inch thick). Arrange slightly overlapped slices of vegetables in rows over the puree, alternating vegetables (don't forget to leave the 1in border around the edges). You will probably have a few left over (I ended up with a BUNCH left over, so make sure your veggies are small when you get them at the store.....or just use half). Drizzle olive oil over the top of the tart, and season with salt, pepper and thyme leaves (no stems). Bake in a heated oven until the pastry is puffed and browned (including the bottom), and the veggies look softened, 25 to 30 mins. Slide onto cutting board, sprinkle with feta, and cut into squares or strips (a pizza wheel works really well for this). Serve warm or at room temperature.

*For the peppers, I found that the mandolin wouldn't slice it well, so I filled the pepper with paper towels (so it would hold its shape), and sliced it thinly with a steak knife. :)

Now since the pack of puffed pastry came with two sheets of dough, and it was still raining, I decided to make another tart: a sweet one this time.

I rolled out the dough exactly how it said in the first recipe, and made a sauce-like base to go on the bottom:

2 or 3 med. size spoonful's of ricotta cheese (this would be amazing with mascarpone cheese too.)
a few tbs lemon juice
about 1 tsp lemon zest
3 or 4 tbs sugar (just keep adding and tasting until you get the sweetness you want--it doesn't have to be very sweet.)**

And just mix it all together and spread it evenly on the crust (just like in the last recipe).

I then sliced a bunch of strawberries roughly: 1/8 to 1/4 inch. And I laid them in rows on the tart (remembering to leave the one-inch edge). When I had the tart covered with strawberries, I sprinkled some blueberries over the top (I think it would be best with fresh blueberries, but i used half-frozen ones and it was really good).

Then I made a really simple crumb topping:

2 or 3 handfuls of flour (depending on your hand size)

1 med. size handful brown sugar

a few tbs soft butter

Just mix it all together with a fork. For the butter, just add it 1 tbs at a time until it is crumbly, but will stick together if you squeeze it with your hand. For the brown sugar, you can taste a little bit of the mixture (after everything is mixed in) to see if you have to add more **(note: the crumb topping should be sweeter than the ricotta mixture, so make sure not to make the ricotta mixture extremely sweet, as the crumb topping shouldn't be really sweet either.) Then sprinkle the crumb topping over the fruit in little pieces (the butter should have made it stick together a little bit).

Then, to just add just a little bit more lemon, I mixed 3 or 4 tbs sugar with a few tsp lemon zest, and sprinkled it on the top--only this I also sprinkled on the edges of the crust as well (just so it didn't' get left out.....and so it wouldn't be quite so flavorless).

And that's it! This wasn't the first time I had tried to make something like this without a recipe, but it was the first time that I did and it turned out really good!! :D

So I am sorry that I couldn't give a better recipe, but I actually was in a rush when I made it, so the fact that I actually got pictures was surprising. :}

And by the time I finished the last tart, it had stopped raining and it was time to go to the party! We got to hang out with a bunch of friends, played games, and afterwards we all went down town to see the fireworks. I don't have any pictures, but you can take my word for it--it was one of the best Wednesdays ever! ;)

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday Julia Child!! You have been an inspiration to many of us girls, and I don't think that we will ever forget what you gave America: The inspiration to cook! :)

In honor of Julia Child's birthday today, I have a recipe that I want to share with you all!! :D
This is a cookie recipe from my aunt Colene, and let me tell you it is AMAZING!! (well the eating part at least...) ;)

Note: If you have braces, or are allergic to nuts, or chocolate (God forbid!), I would advise you not to eat these cookies! They are full of nuts and chocolate, and will mess up your wires! (ask me how I figured that one out!)

Aunt Colene's Nut-Chip Cookies~

1 cup pecans
1 cup unblanched whole almonds
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups raisins

~Preheat oven to 375F

~Place pecans and almonds on two separate cookie sheets, and bake them, stirring occasionally, for about 7 min., or until they begin to have a toasted aroma. (I normally can't smell them myself, so if you can't, don't worry and just take them out after 7 or 8 min.) Cool completely. Chop the pecans and almonds into very coarse pieces.

~Cream butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg, and vanilla until well blended.

~Sift together flour and baking soda. On low speed, mix into butter and sugar mixture until incorporated.
Mix in the nuts, chocolate chips, and raisins. (Note: there will be very little dough.)

~Drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. (You can use wax paper, and you can also use a 1 1/2" ice cream scoop.)

~ Bake for 12--15min or until golden brown and barely soft. (These cookies are meant to be hard, but if you like them soft, you can take them out a little sooner.) For even baking, you can rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom, halfway through baking time.

~Allow cookies to cool for a few min. on the baking sheets, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

~Store in air-tight container at room temperature or in the freezer. Will keep for 1 month at room temperature, and several months in the freezer. (If they last that long!!) ;)
Enjoy!

Mmmmm.....doughnuts!

Yesterday, I had the thought to try to make some doughnuts. I have been wanting to try my hand at it for the longest time.
I found this recipe in a cook-book that I found, called: The New England Cookbook by Eleanor Early.  Her book is written in the coolest way: she tells how the dishes were made, and then tells you how to make them today. She has many funny story's about when she was younger and learning how to cook, and the recipes that she gives are very authentic.

Now with this recipe, I have found that when she tells you to sift the flour, she means SIFT THE FLOUR!! In some other recipes that I have made, when it said to sift the flour, it meant to fluff it up and get all the lumps out; but not in this recipe. I realized that this recipe was probably passed down from generation to generation, and when it was written, they did not go to the grocery store and pick up a bag of flour. Some of you will probably be wondering, What on earth is she talking about? And I will explain. I always use flour that I grind myself, which means that the bran is still in it. Now when this recipe was written, they probably had the same kind of flour, home ground with all the bran. The flour you buy at the store, might have some of the bran in it (depending on what kind you buy), but it will NOT have as much as if you ground it yourself. So my point is: you need to make sure that you get at least most of the bran out of the flour before you make these doughnuts.

                                            ~Wonders or Doughnuts~
  3/4 cup butter (12 tbs. Melted)                           1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  3/4 cup sugar                                                      6 eggs, beaten
  1/2 tsp. salt                                                         1 tsp. baking soda
  1 tsp. lemon juice                                                2 tbs. boiling water
       (or vanilla extract)                                          5 cups flour (approximately)

1.  Mix butter together with the sugar, salt, lemon juice, nutmeg and eggs. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Add to egg mixture.
2.  Add sifter flour until dough is stiff enough to handle. Amount of flour will depend upon liquid content of eggs-- 4 to 5 cups is usually about right. Mix well. Chill in refrigerator at least 30 min.
3. Flour board well (with some more sifted flour). Pat out a little dough at a time to 1/4-inch thickness. Keep remainder in refrigerator. (It is easier to work with chilled dough) For Wonders, cut with floured knife into pieces about 2 by3 inches. Score with jagger wheel, lengthwise and crosswise. (this is where I had some trouble. I gad no idea what a jagger wheel was; so I just made the strips like she said, and scored them with a knife, criss-crossing to make little squares, but not going all the way through. When you fry them like this, you have to make sure to put them in, scored side up, and wait until the top puffs up before flipping them.)
For doughnuts, cut with a floured doughnut cuter. (I used the rim of a glass) NOTE: you can also twist two strips of dough together to make the cute little twists that you see in the picture above.
4. Fry 3 or 4 at a time in oil (I used peanut oil) heated to 360 to 370F.  Cook for 2 to 3 min., or until lightly brown. Dry them on paper-towels and then roll them in cinnamon and sugar. (make sure to roll them in the sugar mixture while still hot or it won't stick well.)  And enjoy! :)

P.S.
 This is not a regular doughnut. It is more like a cake doughnut. I will try to put a regular doughnut recipe on here sometime, if I ever get around to making some! :}

~Triple layer Chocolate Mint cake~

I have been wanting to put this on here since Saturday...and just now found the time!
This is a recipe that I kinda mixed up to make it better and esier. The cake is from Christmas with Southern Living 1994, as is the mint cream, but the pudding frosting I got from Aida Mollenkamp's Mocha Blackout Cake. (from Food Network)

The Cake:

6 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate          2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter, softened                                        1/2 tsp. salt
2 2/3 cups sugar                                              1 1/3 cups milk
4 eggs                                                             2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups cake flour                                    

Butter and flour 3 9in cake pans.(you can also use parchment paper on the bottom of the pans, but I don't)
Melt chocolate squares in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally.Set aside.
Beat butter at med. speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar,beating well.Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; add to chocolate mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.Stir in vanilla.Spoon batter into prepared pans.
Bake at 350F for 25 min. or until toothpick comes out clean.Cool in pans on wire rack 10 min. ; remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Mint-cream:
 
 1 3/4 cups whipping cream
 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
 1/4 tsp peppermint extract

Beat whipping cream at med. speed with an electric mixer until foamy.Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form.Sir in extract.

Pudding Frosting:

2 cups sugar                                       2 tbs vanilla extract
6 tbs cornstarch                                  6 egg yolks
4 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder       1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 tbs instant coffee powder                 4 tbs butter, chilled and cubed
5 cups whole milk

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder,and coffee powder in a large heavy saucepan (I like to use cast-iron, but remember that it will take longer to heat up.), and whisk to evenly combine. Whisk in the milk and vanilla until completelly incorporated and the mixture is smooth.Whisk in the egg yolks until combined.
Cook over med-low heat,stirring constantly,until mixture thickens and bubbles.Reduce the heat a little lower and cook,stirring constantly, until completely thickened. Note that it won't thicken gradually, but it will happen suddenly...like you look away, and them look back and it's thick.
Remove from the heat and immediately (like within 3 min. Don't break any bones trying to get it in there as soon as possible),add the chocolate and the butter, and stir until melted and evenly combined. Cool slightly, then place in another dish, and place plastic-wrap directly on the surface of the pudding.
Chill for at least 1 1/2 hours.

For the filling:
 Take half of the chilled pudding and mix it with the mint cream.Add more mint if desired(to your taste).
Use this mixture for the filling, and use only the pudding for the frosting.

Enjoy! :)

P.B.& J.

This is one of the coolest ways I have ever eaten peanut butter and jelly. I find that it tastes best if you eat it with vanilla ice-cream,or a tall glass of milk...........yuuuuummmm! :)

         ~Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars~
  3 cups all purpose flour                           2 eggs
  1 tsp baking powder                               2 tsp vanilla extract
  1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter             1 1/2 cups jam or jelly(I like to use srawberry)
  1 1/2 cups (packed) brown sugar           1 1/2 cups salted dry-roasted peanuts
  1 cup (2 sticks) butter

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9.5x13.5 (or 9x13) glass baking pan.Whisk flour,and baking powder in a small bowl.Using electric mixer,beat peanut butter,sugar,and butter in a large bowl until smooth.Add eggs and vanilla;beat on low speed until smooth.Add flour mixture,and mix just until blended.Transfer half the dough to the freezer for 10min. Using your hands,press the remaining dough onto the bottom of the baking pan evenly.Spread jelly or jam onto the peanut butter layer,evenly.Remove dough from freezer;using your fingertips,break dough into grape-size pieces and scatter over jelly layer.Sprinkle the chopped nuts over all.Bake bars until top is golden brown,about 30min. Cool bars completely before cutting.

Cake,cake,cake!!!

I made this for my dad and my little brother,and everyone loved is so much that I thought I should share it!
         
                 ~Mom's Carrot Cake~
2 cups sugar                                 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups flour                                  4 eggs
2 tsp baking soda                         3 cups grated carrots
1 tsp salt                                      1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 tsp cinnamon
20 oz can crushed pineapple
  (drained)                               


Preheat oven to 350f. Butter and flour two 9in. cake pans. Mix sugar,flour,baking soda,salt,and cinnamon in a small bowl.Set aside. Mix oil,eggs,pineapple and carrots.Beat in dry ingredients.Fold in pecans. Pour evenly into both cake pans,and bake 30 - 35min. or until center is done.Frost when cool.

Frosting:
 2 sticks butter                                 4 tsp vanilla extract
 2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese          1 cup pecans
 24 oz powdered sugar

Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.Blend in powdered sugar,and vanilla.Fold in pecans.

Enjoy!! =)