Ina's Lemon Yogurt Cake

I've recently discovered Barefoot Contessa on Food Network and I just love Ina! All of the recipes I've tried and tricks come out so well!

I made her Lemon Yogurt Cake this past weekend. I made blackberry sauce instead of blueberry. It's the same recipe, but just use a different fruit!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

1 1/3 cups sugar, divided

3 extra-large eggs

2 teaspoons lemon zest (2 lemons)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

BBQ "Pulled" Chicken Sandwiches

Another easy crockpot meal! If you're a fan of pulled BBQ pork sandwiches, this is even better!

Here's what you'll need:

1 bottle of Coca-Cola

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (frozen is OK)

1/2 jar of Jalapeno Jelly

Place all of the ingredients in a crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours. Once cooked, drain all of the liquid and shred the chicken.

Place the chicken back in the crock pot. Set the crock on 'warm'.

Add:

1/2 bottle of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce

1 Tablespoon of brown mustard

Stir and allow to warm. Serve on a Kaiser roll.

Rotisserie Chicken

If you don't have one, run out and get yourself a rotisserie set for your grill. It's the best $25 you'll spend. Probably the easiest thing to make is rotisserie chicken. You can find endless recipes for the chicken, but here's what I did this weekend.

Grab yourself a whole chicken. I know, it's kinda scary. Make sure you remove the bag of giblets from the cavity. Rinse the chicken and cavity with warm water.

Here's what you'll need:

One whole roasting chicken

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

4 garlic cloves

1 bottle of beer

1/2 cup of chicken broth

Place the chicken on a sheet pan. Sprinkle the Creole Seasoning all over the chicken and gently rub the seasoning all over the chicken. Place the garlic cloves in the cavity of the chicken. Tie up the wings and legs with kitchen twine and place the chicken on the spit rod.

Take a 9x13 metal baking pan and place it in the center of the grill. Pour the beer into the metal pan. Place the chicken/spit rod onto the grill. Turn the grill on...leaving the center burner off. Keep the temperature at about 250 degrees.

Let the chicken cook for about 1.5 hours. Baste the chicken with the chicken broth. Let cook for another 1.5 hours, basting every so often.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the spit and let it rest on a sheet pan for about 5 minutes before carving.

The Macaroni & Cheese Project: Recipe 003

When I was in Tennessee, I had this fabulous and macaroni and cheese made in a crock pot. I've tried emailing the lady who made it for her recipe, but to no avail. So, I did some searching and it seems like the ingredients for crock pot macaroni and cheese is basically the same throughout various recipes.

I must have a super-powered crock pot because after 5 hours, it was nearly burnt around the edges and a little dry. I suggest 3-4 hours.

Here's the recipe.

8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
4 cups(16 ounces) shredded sharp Chedder Cheese
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
Place the cooked macaroni in crockpot that has been sprayed with nonstick cookingspray. Add the remaining ingredents, all except 1 cup of the cheese, mix well. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and then cover and cook on low settingfor 5 to 6 hours or until the mixture is firm and golden around the edges. Do not remove the cover or stir until it has finished cooking.

THE VERDICT:
DIFFICULTY:
Easy. The most difficult step was boiling and cooking the noodles!

TEXTURE:
Dry and chunky. I blame this on my crockpot. I think if I shut it off around 3-4 hours, it would have been a lot creamier.

TASTE:
Again, with only 1 cheese, it's a bit on the bland side. Salt helped.

REHEAT FACTOR:
This gets dry once reheated. A small dot of butter is required to get the creaminess back.

OVERALL:
I'm indifferent on this one. I would like to retry it with the shorter time on the crock. I give this recipe 3 out of 5 stars.

A Cookbook...

I'm putting together a cookbook. I plan on selling it for $17.50. My cookbook will have bright, glossy pages, easy to follow instructions, and lots of ideas!

The cookbook will contain lots of photos and original recipes. If you're interesed in purchasing a cookbook or contributing a recipe and photo, please contact me.

Pre-orders must email me at:

aliveinthemoment@gmail.com

Food For Thought

Once again, I have my friend Andi to thank for another great food find! This time, it's the Ziploc Zip n' Steam bags.

At first I thought, well, that's not very "green" of me to use disposable steaming bags, but I got a free sample in the mail and gave 'em a shot. Turns out, they work perfectly! The veggies aren't overcooked (or undercooked) and you can season them any way you like.

Last night I made some zucchini and carrots and threw in a pat of some butter that I had mixed with fresh, chopped rosemary. Yum...so good! Josh made broccoli and carrots and then splashed on some soy sauce after they were cooked.

Spanish Beef Daube

This recipe is from the January issue of Cooking Light. I omitted the saffron...mainly because it's $16 for a tiny bottle. I tossed in a little cayenne pepper instead. I really liked how this turned out! The meat was very tender and the gravy/sauce was pretty flavorful. I served it with skin-on mashed potatoes.

Ingredients
Cooking spray
3 pounds bottom round roast, trimmed
2 cups thinly vertically sliced yellow onion
3/4 cup thinly sliced bottled roasted red bell pepper (I used fresh)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads (omitted)
1 cup of dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed (I used canned)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

Preparation
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan.

Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add bell pepper and garlic; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add salt and next 5 ingredients (through saffron); cook 30 seconds or until fragrant, stirring constantly. Stir in sherry and hot pepper sauce, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 4 minutes or until liquid is reduced by about half. Add beef and broth to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until beef is tender.

Remove beef from pan; cool slightly. Cut beef across grain into thin slices; cover and keep warm.

Add peas, parsley, and vinegar to pan; cook 5 minutes. Combine cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl; stir cornstarch mixture into broth mixture. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Add sliced beef; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.

Sloppy Joes

Okay, I know...who needs a recipe for sloppy joes, you say. Well, this is *my* recipe. I have converted Manwich lovers with this recipe, so it must be good. I can't take credit, this is actually my mom's recipe...although, I don't think she uses onion. The choice is yours.

1 pound of lean ground beef
1 small onion (finely diced)
3/4 cup of Heinz Chili Sauce (NO SUBSTITUTIONS!)
1/2 cup of Heinz Ketchup (NO SUBSTITUTIONS!)
salt/pepper
olive oil

In a skillet, sautee the onion in about a tabespoon of olive oil until transparent. Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Sautee until beef is fully cooked and browned. Turn the heat to low and add the chili sauce and ketchup and mix. Once sauce is mixed and thoroughly warmed, serve on your favorite roll.

Air Fries

I really hate making french fries. The fat, the grease, the mess. Plus I never buy those frozen fries that you can just throw in the oven...who knows what's in those things, plus they're usually pretty bland. Here is my recipe for "Air Fries".

4-5 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes
olive oil
salt
pepper
Old Bay Seasoning

Cut up the potatoes into strips, as thick or as thin as you like. Toss them in the olive oil, salt, pepper, and Old Bay seasoning. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and place the fries on the cooling rack, to allow the fries to cook on all sides without having to turn them. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minues.

Coming this week...

Spanish Beef Daube

Sloppy Joes

Air Fries

French Onion Soup

After 7 years of Josh asking, I finally made French Onion Soup. It wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought! The secret is in the simmering....the longer, the better! Definitely restaurant-quality!

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 onions, sliced (I used 2 vidalia onions and 1 white onion)

2 shallots, sliced

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup sherry wine

4 cups of beef broth

2 cups of beef stock (Iused the boxed one)

1/4 teaspoon thyme

2 tablespoons butter

french baguette, sliced

gueryre cheese, sliced

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven and satuee onions for 5-8 minutes on medium-high heat.

Stir in sugar, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Increase heat to medium-high and sautee for 5 minutes or until onions are golden brown.

Stir in wine and cook for 1 minute. Add broth/stock and thyme and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1-2 hours. Add butter and allow to melt into soup.

Preheat broiler. Toast baguette slices for 2-3 minutes.

Place soup in oven-safe crocks. Place toasted baguette slices on top of soup. Place a slice of cheese on top of the baguette. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese has melted.

What's better than a cupcake?

A filled cupcake!! The best part is the top of the cupcake, so why not make the middle as good as the top? I used these recipes:

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake

Wilton Buttercream Frosting

Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting

All you need to do is fill two pastry bags with the frosting and use a star-tip. Poke the tip down into the center of the cupcake and squeeze! Decorate the top and you're done!

Pizza Night!

Last night, we decided we wanted Pizza but didn't want to drive 30 minutes to get some. So, we made our own! Josh is rather traditional and stuck with pizza sauce, mozzarella, and cheddar cheese. I went with my favorite - white pizza - with riccotta cheese, fresh mozarella, spinach, garlic, and tomatoes.

Pizza Crust

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 package of dry yeast

2/3 cup warm water

1 1/2 cups bread flour

1 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour, cornmeal, oil, and salt to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons bread flour, as needed, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; shape into a ball. Lightly respray bowl; place dough in bowl, turning to coat top. Cover; let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, for 30 minutes.

Stuffed Peppers

There are so many variations on these, but this is an old family recipe.

4 green peppers, tops removed and seeded

1 pound of lean ground beef

1/2 cup of rice (I use brown)

1 tablespoon of olive oil

salt/pepper

2 quarts tomato juice

Mix the ground beef, rice, oil, and salt/pepper in a bowl. Stuff 1/4 of the meat mixture into each pepper.

Place the peppers in a crock pot and cover with the tomato juice. Season with salt/pepper. Cook on the low setting for 8 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes.

My Famous Stuffed Mushrooms

This recipe was the very first one I created on my own. Gosh, I think that was probably back in college...over 10 years ago. I had stuffed mushrooms in a restaurant and knew I could recreate them. The ingredients are so simple, it's hard to imagine that they taste so gosh darn good! So good in fact, that a friend of mine offered to mow our lawn if I paid him in stuffed mushrooms! Plus, if you're feeling adventurous, I suppose you could experiment with the filling on your own!

1 8oz. package of white button mushrooms

1/2 cup of ricotta cheese

1/2 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 shallot, finely minced

1/2 cup of melted butter, divided

3 tablespoons of shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese

salt/pepper

Carefully wash the mushrooms. Remove the stems. Place the mushroom caps in a baking dish. Dice the mushroom stems and place into a mixing bowl. Add the riccotta cheese, breadcrumbs, shallot, 1/4 cup of the melted butter, and salt/pepper to the bowl. Mix well.

Stuff the filling into the mushroom caps. Go ahead, pile it on high!

Take the remaining 1/4 cup of melted butter and pour over the top of the mushrooms. Sprinkle the parmigiano-reggiano cheese on top. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.