School's back in!

Summer is officially over in my neck of the woods. There are a few people in this house that are quite excited about it.

Take a look.......

 

And that my friends, is what the end of summer looks like :)

 

Ok, a confession. I actually kind of like summer. Sleeping in (or trying) no homework, projects or sports, and spending too much  genuine time with my kiddos.

But I also love back to school time- means more time to cook, make cakes and do the things I enjoy- like clean the house!

 

Tomorrow I'll be posting a Thai inspired summer meal to help you celebrate back to school in your house. Stay tuned!

Pumpkin Cobbler- Perfect for fall!

Whoa! It has been a while since I've been able to post. Life happens so quickly sometimes! It zooms and it zims and then all of a sudden you find yourself so far from where you used to be. Literally.

Over the past few months we decided to delve into a new career. A new ministry career. It brought with it an enormous move- over 1,000 miles from where we were and on the opposite coast from where I was born and raised.

I'm not complaining, per say. I mean, with this move also comes endless sunshine and warm weather. Not the bitter-cold of the North, which we had called home for 2 years.

This move also brought about more work. Different work. Emotionally draining work at times. And baking. We have a group of volunteers that I've spend every week baking for....it's been a way of healing for me, and hopefully the cause of great joy for them.

Something about mixing, beating, the loud whir of my kitchen-aid put my heart and mind at ease. Never mind the fact that it took 2 months to figure out my way to the grocery store and back. Sometimes, a quick trip for eggs has taken me on a journey that lasts an hour as I attempt to navigate the new and unknown waters of this city.

But the baking.... the baking is a breath of fresh air. It fills my new house (which doesn't quite have that "cozy" feel of home just yet,) with the aroma of sweet, sweet smells. It makes everything seems OK when nothing is friendly or familiar anymore. When you miss those midday meetings with girl friends and the neighbor who took the time to visit when you were down. Being in the kitchen stays familiar. The warmth radiating from my oven, the cracked eggs on the counter..... makes this my home, and soothes my lonely soul. Truly, this is "baking up joy".

What makes it even better (for my waistline!) is that it all  most goes out the door, and the joy continues!

Today a recipe from long ago. I'm trying to mimic my favorite season of fall- which doesn't exist in these parts- by making all things pumpkin. No gorgeous trees of burn orange, red and yellow span my lawn, but inside, in my kitchen, fall is here! (Well, that paired with all my artificial leaves out for decor)
I stumbled upon this recipe  via a friend, who must have given out 20 copies the day she brought it for us to enjoy. I'm telling you now, you WILL want to eat it all, yet you will also want to take it to your next fall get together. And be prepared with the recipe, because you WILL be sharing it. It's that good!

Pumpkin Cake Cobbler
Cobbler:
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 lrg can of pumpkin (29oz) or 3 Cups fresh
1 1/2 C sugar ( I lessen this amount to 1 C)
1 tsp. EACH salt, cinnamon, ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1 lrg can evaporated milk
Topping:
1 box white or yellow cake mix
1 1/2 C chopped pecans
1 C melted butter

I bake my own pumpkins every year. It's not hard! Just slice in half, gut them, place face down in an inch of water, and bake at 400 for about 1/2 hour. When they are cooked, scoop them out into a blender, add about 1/4 C water and blend until smooth.

Combine all ingredients in the order given above for cobbler. Mix until well blended.

Pour into a greased 9X13 pan.

If using fresh pumpkin, your batter will be runny! And don't mind the broken spatula... anybody want to get me new ones for Christmas? Feel free :)

Once you've poured the cobber into the pan, it's time for the topping. EASY!

Sprinkle the dry cake over the cobbler. Add the nuts to that. Last, pour over the melted butter (I use unsalted.) Pop it in the oven preheated to 350F. Bake for 1 hour and check. If a knife comes out clean it's done. If not, keep baking. (It can take from 1 hr to 1 1/2 hrs.)

 

Serve cooled or cold with whipped cream. En-joy!

Fresh and Healthy Thai Pizza

Good afternoon! I've been MIA lately as some mini family crisis's have kept me away from my usual computer time, but I'm back! And make no mistake, I have still been collecting and cooking while I was away!

Today's recipe was given to me via a great friend, who gives me loads of great recipes. I'll be featuring more of her delightful dishes in the future. Since it is now summer break in many parts of the country, I thought I'd feature this delish pizza that loaded with fresh veggies and chicken, and only a little bit of cheese.

Now, as I've mentioned in the past, I'm not keen on making my own dough. I seriously mess it up every time. I think it's because I'm pretty impatient. well, that and I'm not one to follow recipes exactly- so when it says "put yeast in water between such and such temperature", I tend to throw it in too hot (or cold) and yeast does not work that way my friends! Thank goodness for frozen dough balls in the store!

Pinterest has sparked my curiosity on the cauliflower crust though. I'm pretty sure it's yeast free and I'm super excited to try it sometime in the future. Plus it's more healthy. I'll bet it's still delicious when piled high with these topping too!!

Although I'm not a huge fan of making my own crust from scratch, I am a huge fan of Thai food. I love coconut everything, and Thai food uses plenty of it. I like their mix of sour and salty and their use of cool veggies that I have to trompse (is that even a word?!) through town hunting down ll kinds of cool oriental shops to find ingredients. I feel like I'm a kid on a treasure hunt and I love it!

I do however recognize that not everyone is up for this kind of food fun treasure hunt, so you'll be delighted to know that all the ingredients can be found at your friendly neighborhood market.The original recipe is from Rachel Ray, but I have altered it a bit to make it easier and tastier.

So, get cooking, and invite a few friends over for dinner! They'll love this gem of a pizza!

 Thai Pizza

• 1 pizza dough, any brand- thawed if frozen
• 1/2 jar duck sauce or plum sauce(I've even used hoisin!)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 package (2 cups) shredded provolone or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 rounded tablespoonful peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons grill seasoning
• 4 chicken breast cutlets, or already cooked chicken (like rotisserie- or leftovers!)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 C shredded carrots
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 2 cups fresh bean spouts
• Palm full cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, 2 ounces

Preheat oven to 430-440 degrees F.

Form pizza crust on pizza pan or cookie sheet.(I roll mine out on a baking stone. I don't need to use extra flour or oil!) 

Top with duck or plum sauce(here I used 1/2 jar of hoisin as that's all I had. It's a bit spicier and a little heavier than duck or plum) - spread it around like you would pizza sauce. 

Sprinkle the pizza with some crushed red pepper flakes then top with cheese and peppers.


Preheat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Combine vegetable oil, soy sauce and peanut butter with hot sauce and grill seasoning. Use the microwave to loosen up peanut butter if it is too cold to blend into sauce, 10 seconds. Add chicken and coat evenly with mixture. Let stand 10 minutes then cook chicken cutlets 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until firm. Slice into small chunks.
**(If using rotisserie or leftover chicken, as I did, skip the cooking part and just chop chicken into chunks and coat with peanut butter mixture.)

Add the chicken to your uncooked pizza and bake for 15-18 minutes. check it after 11. Pop any bubbles in the dough.


While pizza cooks, mix honey and vinegar and add the carrots. Turn to coat evenly. 

 (fresh out of the oven- so delicious looking isn't it?!)

When Pizza is a nice brown and bubbley color pull it out. Let stand just a couple of minutes, the pile on all your fresh goodies. I start with the bean sprouts, then I add the green onion, the carrots (drain them of the liquid they've soaked in), and finally the cilantro and peanuts.

 (It's a feast for the eyes and for the tum!)

Now, get ready to become addicted! I'm sure this will become a regular on your menu just like it is on mine!

Hunger Games cake

Do-DO-do-Do.

That my friends, is the sound of the hugely popular Hunger Games theme song. Or at least that's how I type what I hear in my head.

Knowing how popular the books and movie are, I decided to take today to show you this cake, and describe how I made it. Just in case you have a fan out there who wants one for their special day.

First, I do this as a business. So I do have skill (sometimes!) and tools. But many people could pull this off. Beware! It's gonna take some time if you plan to make it. I would set aside about 6 hours from start to finish. Yes, 6 hrs. I know on all the cake movies they just make stuff happen, but that's after editing out hours and hours of artistic prep work. Ever look at a cake and wonder how they did it? TIME! They took lots of time :) That's why they both A)Look so good and B) cost so much money!

So, now let me begin by saying I didn't take one photo of the process. I wasn't planning to post it- but I loved the way it turned out- so I have to share.

You'll need:
A 2 layer cake, filled, iced, and covered with black fondant or icing.
Gumpaste
2 sizes of circular objects to fit your cake (to trace)
A print out of the Hunger Games pin sized to fit the top of your cake
A small sharp, sharp knife or exact-o knife
Chopstick or something to detail your gumpaste Mockingjay
Gold luster dust
Grain Alcohol
Paint brushes
Red, orange, yellow food coloring
A spaghetti noodle

I begin with a nice 2 layer cake. I overfill my cake pans (using a box mix? Use 2 to fill 2 8" pans- one mix isn't enough. You'll have leftovers, but make cupcakes! Or cake balls!)

When cakes are cold, fill and ice them. Make sure you ice them cold. Like fridge cold- it'll help with the crumbs.

At this point, I roll out and cover my cakes in fondant. You always have the option of just icing them well. Make it as smooth as you can either way!

For the logo on top, you'll need gumpaste. I make mine, but you can buy Wilton brand at most Walmart's. Micheal's, Hobby Lobby. Use as directed! 

Roll out and cut a circle shape- as big as your cake. For mine, I used the cake pan that I baked it in. I use a sharp exact-o to cut. Then find a smaller circle and cut the middle out. Carefully place it on your cake.

Find a hunger games logo on Google. Size it to your cake. Print. This will be your "bird pin" template- so cut out the bird. Roll out some more gumpaste to fit you bird, lay your paper template on top and carefully cut it out. Quickly make all the feathers and details before it dries. Use a chopstick or anything like it if you don't own gumpaste tools to "draw" the details on.

Use the same template to cut the pieces for the arrow. Use a piece of angel hair pasta as your arrow, ad use icing to "glue" the arrow together.  

Now, pain the whole thing gold. I carefully painted the outer circle while it was already on my cake. But the bird/arrow needs to be done before adding it. I use a mixture of petal dust and grain alcohol to paint. After it's done and paint is dry, carefully place it on the cake.

I used a shimmery rouge color to add some dimension to the "pin" in spots.

Now for the flames. You'll roll and cut these also out of gumpaste. I did a few "flames" at a time, then added them to my cake. After all the flames are cut and applied to the sides, paint them! I used liquid food coloring. You could use wilton gel colors and just make them thinner with grain alcohol, or you could buy that simple 4 pack of food coloring sold in the baking isle.

Using a small and med. brush, paint red on all the flames edges. After they're all done, go back and paint orange on the inside of the red, followed by yellow. Blend the edges a bit and voil'a! They really look like they're on fire!

I used a food coloring pen to write on the outer ring of the pin, but proceed with however you'd like to finish it. 

Yummy Chicken Salsa Salad

I've been working hard at staying healthy lately. I'm not going to lie, it's been mostly for vanity reasons. Our recent spring break trip to the sunny state of Florida, was a huge motivator.  My goal was simple: feel better than last year.

I have a confession.I'm not a big breakfast person. I drink green tea or coffee every morning, and consider that my meal. Not very healthy I know. It usually means that by lunch time, my blood sugar has dropped and my hyperglycemia self starts to get crazy and then I grab the nearest carb loaded quick junk food I can find to show down on.

Not the best thing to do when you're working on looking good for a trip!

Enter: The chicken salad. It's quick, it's super easy, and it's loaded with great things for your body.  I could seriously eat this every meal and be satisfied. (Which is saying something since I get bored with food easily!)

I got this recipe from a friend who made it for me for lunch one day. After tasting it, I knew I had to have it, and I've done well to pass it on the same way when I invite girlfriends over for lunch dates.I'm forever indebted to my friend for passing on such an amazing meal :)

I usually serve it over a bed of lettuce, but to make it more fun for the kids, this time I put it on lettuce leaves, for them to roll and eat themselves. I won't lie: it was a messy meal. But they had fun, and they clean up pretty well with water.

Chicken Salsa Salad

2/3 C Salsa (any brand- but if you use a "fresh" variety make sure to drain some of the liquid!)
1/2 C fat free Mayo (I actually use something called Veginase that I get from the health food store, it's like Mayo but made out of grape seed oil!)

1 C. halved grapes (I use red)
1 C celery, chopped
1 lb chicken, shredded. I usually use a rotisserie
Salt/pepper


Slivered almonds for topping
Salad or lettuce leaves


Combine all ingredients except the salad and almonds. Mix well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Serve over lettuce and sprinkle with almond slices.

Enjoy!

Gauva Coconut cupcakes

Oh yum. That's about all I have to say about this easy and delish recipe I have for you today.

I know the cupcake scene came in fast and furious. I've heard it speculated for the last couple of years that cupcakes shops are on their way out. But, as a baker, I can tell you that I still have loads of people interested in these tiny, perfect bite sized treats!

Who doesn't smile when they see a cupcake? They just look so cute!

With summer around the corner, I've been working on some special summer combos for my cake business.
Since my family and I took a trip last summer to do mission work on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, I've fallen in love with tropical... well... everything!

When I saw this recipe for Guava cake over at Kuki's Kookbook, I knew I had to try it. I mixed it up ever so slightly, and made it into mini cupcakes instead of a sheet cake like in her original recipe, which is here.

Now here's my version:

Guava Cake


Preheat oven to 325.

Cake:

• 1 package yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines is my favorite)
• 1 1/3 cup guava juice-(found in my grocery store in the "Mexican food" section)
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 box instant cheesecake pudding
• red food coloring- add until you get the color you want

Make the cake together for 2 minutes, then scoop into mini cupcake lined pans. Bake at 325 for 11-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. While those bake make the filling.


Guava Filling:

• 2 cups guava juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• a few TBSP COLD water
• red food coloring
• Pinch of salt

In a medium saucepan, bring guava juice and sugar to a boil. In the meantime, make a paste out of the cornstarch and the small amount of cold water. It's going to resemble cement Keep mixing adding water a drop at a time until it resembles runny elmer's glue. Remove guava juice mixture from heat and whisk in cornstarch paste. return to heat and bring back to a boil. boil for one minute stirring frequently. Cool in the fridge, or if in a hurry, in the freezer. Once cooled, stir in red food coloring until gel is the color you desire. 

Icing:
2 Pkg. Cream Cheese, soft
2/3 C white sugar
3 TBSP.coconut milk (the canned kind! Use the thick, part that is usually on the top after you open it)
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 TBSP, salted butter, soft


Mix all ingredients together until light and fluffy.

Toast 1 C. coconut by spreading sweetened coconut out on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 and check every 5 minutes to stir until most of it is brown. Make sure to cool it before dipping your baby cupcakes!

By now, you've baked lots of minis. After they are cool, use a Boba tea straw (they're perfect for cutting holes in mini's!) Or anything small that you could punch a hole with. Fill the hole with some of the filling, then smear just a tiny bit on top of each cupcake. Put your icing in a piping bag (or a ziplock with the corner cut out) and ice them.

After they are iced, turn them over and "dip" them into the toasted coconut.

Even my husband, who hates guava, loved these. Enjoy!

Broccoli baguette pizza

Hi again! I'm getting a little behind in this whole blogging thing- not that I am surprised. It seems that sometimes I like to pretend that I'm superwoman, whilst forgetting that I am, in fact, not. Ha!
Then I get behind in pretty much everything. Like right now.
We've been home from spring break for over a week and I just now put the last load of laundry in from that- am I pathetic or what?!

This recipe today is one that I've been making for my family for years. It's unbelievable how the flavors meld together to create something unexpected yet delicious. I think I started making it when we went on a vegan kick many years ago. It didn't last long. I discovered I really have a hankering for meat and cheese  :) This isn't really pizza if you only count pizza as toppings on a rolled out crust. But here in our home, I've found that if I call anything pizza, I entice the kids to try it at least!

My family really loves it and the kids have been begging me to make it for them. You should have heard the squeals of excitement flowing from my kitchen after I told one of them. It traveled down the line of kids in a domino affect, and I had 4 giggling, crazy kids helping me before I knew it. Over broccoli. Someone pinch me!

You won't need much time for this recipe. I like to keep most of these things stocked in my pantry anyway.

Broccoli Baguette Pizza


1 baguette split down the middle from top to bottom
2 cloves garlic- crushed
Olive oil
Kalmata Olives- diced (be careful, these have pits! I use a cherry pitter to de-pit them or you can buy them already sliced- which is obviously the better route here.) You find these in jars in the olive section!
1 1/2 small onion- sliced very, very thin.
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary (try fresh in the summer- just add more!)
1 1/2 bunches of fresh broccoli crowns. Washed and cut small

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 


Place baguette on a cookie sheet and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with crushed garlic- 1 clove for each half. (I use the back of a large spoon to spread it around more evenly)

In non-stick skillet, combine 1 tbsp olive oil, all the onions, and the rosemary.. Cook a few minutes on high, then reduce heat- but still keep it towards the hottest setting. Add sugar to the onions and stir frequently until they start to caramelize. 

Remove them from the heat once they are brown and caramelized. Put in a separate dish as you still need your skillet! 


Add broccoli to your skillet. No need to wash it out, and you shouldn't need any more oil either. Cook on high heat for a few minutes. Put a dash of salt and pepper on them. and then add about 1/4 C water. It will help "steam your stems" :)

Cook for a few minutes more, just until you see your greens getting greener- don't overcook! When they turn bright green remove them from the heat!

Now assemble your goods. 


Sprinkle olives evenly down the bread. You want the pretty thin, but you also want the bread mostly covered.

 Next do the same with your onions. Sprinkle them evenly as well.

 Last, add the broccoli, in the same manner. Don't worry if some falls off. You can put it back on later.
I like to pour a tiny amount of olive oil over the top before cooking.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.


Usually I make this as our main dish. However, I have also made it as an appetizer for company, and it's always a hit. I do recommend slicing the bread into 5 pieces before assembling if you plan to use it as an appetizer. It's just easier to cut before it's put together!