Red Velvet Cake Balls

 

Are you making Valentine treats for someone special?  Well, put these on the Tippy Top of your list. OH! MY! GOSH!  These are amazing beyond belief.  I made these totally from scratch but you can easily make them with a cake made from a box and a tub of premade cream cheese frosting. They were so flippin delicious I would encourage you to try it from scratch too, if at all possible.  I made the cake and frosting the day before I formed the cake balls and did the dippin. I liked how this worked out time wise. Honestly, I don't think I would have enjoyed making them as much if I 'd jammed it all into one day.  The rolling and dipping is fairly time consuming, although pretty simple. This would be a great project to make with kids!  Can you say Hello teachers gifts!

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Velvet Cake Balls 

1 baked red velvet cake,  recipe follows

1 3/4- 2 cups cream cheese frosting,  recipe follows

1 package chocolate flavored bark (regular or white)

Instructions:
1. When cake is cooled completely, crumble into a large bowl.

2. Add frosting to bowl and mix thoroughly with a hand held electric mixer.  (Mixture will be completely smooth and there will be no white flecks left from frosting.)

3.Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet lined with a silpat.

4.Place the cookie sheets in the freezer until the balls have a frozen exterior.

5.Melt bark in microwave per directions on package.

6. Dip or roll balls in melted chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (I used a plastic fork with the two interior tines broken off to dip with then tapped off extra chocolate.)

7. If you're going to decorate with sprinkle, apply them immediately after each ball is dipped in chocolate and the chocolate is still wet.  

Red Velvet Cake: slightly adapted from Cakeman Raven

Ingredients

Vegetable oil for the pans

2   1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine salt

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 2 ( 9 by  1 1/2-inch round) cake pans.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

3. Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.

4. Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

5. Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely. 


Cream Cheese Frosting:
This recipe makes approximately 2 cups of frosting. Perfect for the cake ball recipe.  You may choose to add the entire amount or cut it bake by 1/4 cup depending on how moist you want the finished product to be.
 
Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened 
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 
1 stick unsalted butter, softened 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Direction: 
1. In the bowl of a standing mixer, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.) 

2.Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.
 

Creamy Artichoke and Chicken Pasta

Are you looking for a new, delicious, and comforting pasta dish?  Well, here it is!  I soooo loved this pasta.  It has a refreshing, not too heavy, fairly light sauce.  It's loaded with chunks of chicken , bacon, artichokes, and capers. Come on!  How good does that sound?  I saw this recipe on another blog and tweaked it by adding more goodies and adjusting the ingredients of the sauce. The whole fam went crazy for this and asked that it go into our permanent dinner rotation.  Love this one!

Creamy Artichoke and Chicken Pasta: adapted from So Tasty, So Yummy

12 ounces spaghetti
2 slices bacon, chopped
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/4 cup capers, drained
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
zest of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

2. In a large Dutch oven, cook the chopped bacon over medium heat until done. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving bacon drippings in Dutch oven.

3.In a bowl, stir together flour, salt, and pepper( I used about 1/2 teaspoon each). Lightly coat chicken cubes with flour mixture. Without crowding, carefully place chicken in the bacon grease. Fry until cooked through and golden brown on both sides. Remove the chicken to paper towels.

4. Add olive oil and mushrooms and cook the mushrooms until soft. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add artichokes, and capers to the pan and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and lemon juice, cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in the cream to the sauce, stirring until completely incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.  Add the cooked chicken, bacon, pasta and lemon zest and heat through. Serve.

Kelley's Original-Original Toll House Cookies

These are some of my favorite chocolate chip cookies! They are my darling friend Kelley's signature dish. Anytime there's a bbq, birthday party,or get together of any kind, everyone begs Kel to make these. The recipe is very similar to the currently published Nestle Toll House Cookie recipe (recipe here.) But, the recipe published when she first started making these, also included baking powder which isn't in the current version.  Kelley also uses a butter-margarine combo instead of all butter.  She says the margarine makes the cookies a little softer in texture.  These are like a taste of home. Sometimes the original is the best!

My Friend Kelley!

 

 Kelley's Original-Original Toll House Cookies: very slightly adapted from Nestle

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened 

1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in small bowl. 

3.Beat butter,margarine, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

4. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

The BEST Turkey Chili

I know. I know.  I posted another turkey chili recipe fairly recently.  What can I say...I have a thing for chili!  This recipe is totally different from, Holy Mole Turkey Chili (the last one I posted).  This is a recipe I've wanted to try for a loooong time.  I heard about it from a friend of mine named Jackie.  She raved about it.  She said it was probably the best chili she's ever had.  So you know I was dying to get this baby cooking in my kitchen.  Well, I'm so glad I did.  We loved, loved, loved it.  I adapted the original recipe to cut down on the heat (remember, my family's wimpy with heat) and it was still pleasantly spicy.  I also switched the type of bean just for our preference.  I was thrilled with how quick this was to prepare.  It had that old fashioned chili flavor that I associate with a chili that has cooked away on the stove for hours.  I was also really happy that it is relatively low in fat and pretty darn healthy.  The corn seemed to give this a bit of an update from standard chili that was nice. Although skeptical, I added the instant hot chocolate, as the original recipe called for.  It seemed to me to be a bit of an odd ingredient.  It didn't add a mole character like Holy Mole Chili had, but  the overall spicing was absolutely wonderful. I'm not sure what exactly it contributed but I wouldn't dream of ever leaving it out.  I hope you give this chili a try!  I know it will be making many repeat performances at my house often!!!

Turkey Chili: slightly adapted from Smokin' Scovilles Turkey Chili. Original recipe HERE


Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic

2 small green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

2 pounds lean ground turkey breast

2-3 teaspoons salt-divided

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (1 ounce) envelope instant hot chocolate mix

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

2-15 ounce can diced tomatoes with chiles

1-15 ounce can tomato sauce

2 -15 ounce cans pinto beans, drained

1 cup beer

Optional:

Cooked Rice

Shredded Jack Cheese

Red Onion

Cilantro

Instructions:

1. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the ground turkey and salt.  Cook turkey until there is no longer any pink. Remove turkey to a plate and set aside.

2. In the same pan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and add onion, green peppers, jalapeno and garlic.  Cook until veggies are very soft, 10-12 minutes. Add the turkey back to pan then  add the chili powder, red pepper flakes, paprika, cumin, oregano, pepper, hot cocoa mix and seasoned salt. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, diced tomatoes with green chilies, tomato sauce, pinto beans and beer.  Partially cover the pan and simmer gently , stirring occasionally, for about one hour.  Check seasoning (saltaholic that I am, I wanted a bit more salt).  Serve

 

Red Wine, Mushroom and Artichoke Chicken Skillet

I love this dinner.  It's really delicious and it's one of those dishes that has a richness that belies it's ease of preparation.  The key to it's wonderful flavor is to take a bit of time and cook the ingredients correctly to get the most flavor out of them.  The chicken cooks quickly so that it browns and you create those lovely little brown bits in the pan.  The veggies cook in stages but all of them cook low and slow. The sauce simmers for a turn then everything goes into the pool and cooks a bit more.  All these stages build levels of yummy flavors.  The ingredients are all wonderfully flavorful as well so, as batman would say, KAPOW!  You end up with a dish that is fabulous.  The original recipe for this dish came from a blog called Dinners for a Year and Beyond.  I've adapted it for my fam so that it has more sauce (My favorite part) and more garlic and herbs.  It may seem like lots of garlic but it becomes pretty mellow in the sauce.  I served it over spaghetti but also with a loaf of good Italian bread so that we could sop up the incredible sauce. I'm talking Serious Yum!


If this wonderful skillet dinner appeals to you, please press the Stumble button. Thanks you friends!


Red Wine, Mushroom and Artichoke Chicken: adapted from Dinners for a Year and Beyond

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic
2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
1 can-14 ounce diced tomatoes (or fire roasted diced tomatoes with chilies if you like more heat. Trader Joe's has a great version btw)
1 cup tomato sauce
pinch of sugar
1/3 cup Merlot wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 can (14 ounce) artichoke hearts, quartered
3/4 cup green olives stuffed with pimientos, sliced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

1 pound of spaghetti, cooked and drained
Parmesan cheese, shredded, for serving

1.Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan to medium high and add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken and quickly saute until just browned. Remove to a plate.
2. In the same pan, add another tablespoon of olive oil and saute the onion until they just are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute until the are soft. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, wine, balsamic vinegar, basil and oregano and simmer the sauce for about 10 for flavors to marry. Stir in the artichokes, olives, and the chicken and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through (It took me about 10 minutes. The exact time will depend on the size of your chicken chunks.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3.Serve with hot spaghetti and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. And LOTS of Italian bread ;)

Chicken and Barley Soup

 

Sometime I crave a simple, wholesome, nothing fancy dinner.  Do you ever feel like that?  You know, the weather is cold and damp and your looking for an easy, comforting dinner to warm you up and fill you up in a healthy, sort of, feeling way. This soup is a great example of that kind of dinner. It's pretty quick and easy to make and it tastes homey and very comforting.  The chicken and barley go together really well and it's a unexpected change from the more common combos of chicken and noodle soup or beef and barley soup.  I really liked the addition of vermouth.  It gives the soup a little extra spunk while keeping it's homey personality. 

I brined and roasted a chicken for this soup but you can always take a short cut and buy a roasted chicken from the market.  It would also be great with 4-6 poached chicken breasts.

Chicken and Barley Soup- adapted from The Daily Soup Cookbook

Ingredients:

1- 3-4 pound whole chicken, cooked and shredded into bite size pieces
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and diced fairly small
4 celery stalks, chopped fairly small
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1-1 1/2 teaspoons salt (will depend on how salty your stock is)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon hot sauce
64 ounces chicken stock
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
1/3 cup dry vermouth
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Instructions:

1. In a large stock pan heat the oil over high heat then add the onion, carrots and celery.  Cook, adjusting the heat lower as needed, until the veggies are soft.
2. Add the thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper, stock and barley.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer for 1 hour, until the barley is tender.
3. Stir in the vermouth and add the chicken.  Continue to cook until the chicken is heat through. Add water if soup becomes too thick.
4. To serve, remove the bay leaves, ladle into bowls and top with chopped parsley.

Almost Zov's Mac and Cheese

 

I LOVE mac and cheese.  It's such a wonderful comfort food.   Especially, when the weather is blustery and cold, macaroni and cheese seems to not only warm up your belly, but somehow it seems to warm up your soul.  I realize that I deprive myself of this magical comfort food because, let's face it, it's not the lightest dish.  Well, I've decided I no longer care.  I've decided that I'm going to treat myself to my beloved mac and cheese at least once a month.(Who am I trying to kid? This is going to mean lots more time on Mr. treadmill!!!)  How's that for a New Years resolution! 

  

So, for my first m and c of the 2011, I present you with Zov's Silky Macaorni and Cheese.  Zov is a local, Orange County, restaurateur and celebrity chef.  I saw this recipe posted in the Orange County Register by Cathy Thomas before Christmas and knew that I had to give it a try.  I was immediately impressed with the quantity of white sauce this recipe contained because I knew it would produce a very thick finished dish.  I also liked that Zov added hot sauce.  I always add hot sauce to my white sauce.  It seems to me to add more depth of flavor.  I thought her cheese mixture seemed delicious!  Well, this was indeed, a thick, creamy and yummy mac and cheese. The cheese combo made a mellow, mild sauce that would suit kids and people who don't like a strong cheese flavor. Zov adds heat with the hot sauce, cayenne and black pepper.  You can adjust that to appeal to your audience.

The first time I made this dish, I followed the recipe exactly.  You can find a copy of the original HERE.  I made it again for New Years Day and made a few minor changes.  The only thing I didn't love about the original recipe was the panko addition to the bottom of the casserole and topping.  Can you believe it?  I honestly thought the topping was going to be the Pièce de résistance.  Well, it wasn't for me.  Instead of the delicious crunchy buttery topping I expected, I found it more soggy than anything.  There was a very thin layer of crunchiness, but most of the panko came into contact with the sauce and it ended up being just soggy and unpleasant.  So,  the second time I made this I replaced the panko with homemade breadcrumb topping. My family likes a more dominant cheddar flavor so I bumped up the quantity of cheddar and took out the Parmesan. I also cut the hot sauce down cuz my fam is, frankly, a wee bit wimpy with spiciness.  With just a couple minor tweaks, I think the recipe is still true to Zov, and slightly customized to suit my fam. 

I hope your New Year is off to a great start!

Almost Zov's Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

 Topping

1 1/2 cup toasted, chunky bread crumbs  3-6 slices depending on the size of your slices)

1 stick of butter-melted

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese-grated

2 Tablespoons Italian parsley-chopped

salt and pepper to taste

  Mac and Cheese
2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided use 
1 pound large elbow macaroni 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
9 cups whole milk 
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter 
1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
6 ounces Fontina cheese, cut into small cubes 
9 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 
4 ounces finely shredded Asiago cheese 
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco 
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper



Note from Zov: It may seem like there is a lot of cheese sauce, but the pasta will absorb all of it.

Instructions:

1. Mix all topping ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Adjust oven rack to lower third position and preheat oven 325 degrees.

3. Combine 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add macaroni and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Drain in a colander; toss it in the colander with the oil to coat; set the macaroni aside in the colander while preparing the cheese sauce. Reserve the pot to make the sauce.

4. Prepare sauce: Warm milk in a large saucepan until it is hot but not boiling; cover and set aside. Melt butter in reserved large pot over medium heat until foaming. Add flour and whisk until mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in color, about 4 minutes. Gradually whisk in the hot milk. Increase heat to medium-high and continue whisking until mixture comes to a boil, about 3 minutes. The mixture must reach a full boil to fully thicken. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally, until sauce thickens to the consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes.

5. Remove sauce from heat and gradually add cheeses, whisking until they melt completely. Mix in the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, black pepper, and remaining 1 tablespoon of salt. (Can be refrigerated for up to 7 days. When ready to serve, heat the sauce in a large saucepan before proceeding.)

6.  . Butter a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish. Stir the cooked macaroni into the warm cheese sauce. Spoon the macaroni and cheese mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top casserole with prepared bread crumb topping.

7. Bake until the macaroni and cheese is bubbly around the sides and heated through, about 30 minutes. Turn the broiler on and broil the macaroni and cheese until the crumb topping is deep golden brown, rotating the baking dish for even browning, about 2 minutes.