Key Lime Cream Cake

Recipe found HERE

Cake or Cupcakes - Makes 24 cupcakes, Bake 16-18 min

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup key lime juice (fresh or bottled, I've done both and they both taste great)
3/4 cup sour cream

No Food Coloring added

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 8-inch cake pans. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into mixer. Add eggs, oil, and lime juice. Beat until smooth using whisk attachment. Add sour cream and beat until smooth. Pour in prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool and frost.

Frosting (halve the frosting for cupcakes, should be able to frost them all)
1 cup butter, softened
2 – 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
2 – 16 oz boxes confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup key lime juice

Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla. For really creamy frosting, mix in 1/4 cup of key lime juice. Add a small amount of green food color if you’d like the frosting tinted.

Whipped Cream (I used my strawberry corer to take the middle out of the cupcakes and filled with whipped cream, you can also halve this recipe to fill 24 cupcakes)

16 oz. heavy whipping cream
3 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

When ready to whip, add ingredients to the bowl and beat until stiff peaks form (whisk attachment).

Divide cake into four layers and frost. Pipe top with whipped cream or add crushed graham crackers to the side of the cake if desired. Keep refrigerated.

The Best Sugar Cookies

No Chill cookie dough recipe! This can easily be doubled for a larger batch. 

2 cups Butter (softened)
2 cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2 Eggs
4 teaspoon Baking Powder
5-6 cups Flour

1. Cream butter and sugar in a mixer until well mixed and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla and eggs, mix well.
3. Add baking powder, mix well.
4. Incorporate flour one cup at a time until well blended. You may only need 5 cups. Add the last cup as needed, without getting the dough too dry. 
5. Do not chill cookie dough, roll out with rolling pin and use cookie cutters to create desired shape.
6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 6-8 minutes depending on cookie size. Bake only until the bottoms of the cookies get a golden brown.

Recipe found HERE

Breakfast Potatoes

Recipe Found Here

4 whole (to 5) Large Red Potatoes
1 whole Onion
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Or Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon butter (more if pan needs it)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Red and Green Bell Peppers, Diced (optional)

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover entirely with water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender (20 min or so). When they are ready, place the potatoes on a cutting board and dice them into 1-inch pieces.

Next cut up an onion into a large, rough dice.

In a large skillet heat oil and butter. Put the onions in the skillet and sauté until they start to turn brown. (You can also use red and green bell peppers diced up. If you do, throw them in at this point).

Next, throw in the diced potatoes. Stir well and then slightly press/pack then. Now you will cook them without stirring for several minutes. You want the pan to be hot enough to crisp the potatoes but not hot enough to char them. (Optional step: sprinkle a bit of flour over potatoes as they cook). Cook for several minutes and then flip them with a spatula. Salt and Pepper them as they cook. Cook until desired brownness.

tempering chocolate notes

Just temper the chocolate!

Foolproof method (they taught us this in school AFTER we mastered the hardcore old-school French methods):
-bring a pot of water to a boil
-turn it off, put the chocolate in a bowl over it, and ignore for about 10 minutes
-when all the chocolate is melted except the middle, remove from the heat and stir to melt the rest
-stirring vigorously is important, and by the time the chocolate reaches the holding temperature, there should still be a few unmelted pieces
-the holding temperature for dark chocolate is 86-90, for white or milk it's 83-86 (as in, it should stay in that range while using)
-you can test if it's tempered by smearing a bit on a cool surface...if it sets up quickly and without streaks, you're good. if not, stir some more and maybe rewarm, then bring the temp back down with some new pieces of unmelted chocolate.

another guide:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/155/Tempering-Chocolate

The Ultimate Cheesecake

Recipe found here 

 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, combine the ingredients with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour the crumbs into the pan and, using the bottom of a measuring cup or the smooth bottom of a glass, press the crumbs down into the base and 1-inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.

For the Filling:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed for 1 minute until smooth and free of any lumps. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to beat slowly until combined. Gradually add sugar and beat until creamy, for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. The batter should be well-mixed but not overbeaten. Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Set the cheesecake pan on a large piece of aluminum foil and fold up the sides around it. Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan; the foil will keep the water from seeping into the cheesecake. Bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should still jiggle (it will firm up after chilling), so be careful not to overcook. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours. Loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the inside rim. Unmold and transfer to a cake plate. Using a spatula spread a layer of Warm Lemon Blueberry topping over the surface.

Slice the cheesecake with a thin, non-serrated knife that has been dipped in hot water. Wipe dry after each cut.
Warm Lemon Blueberries:

In a small saucepan add all the ingredients and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or so until the fruit begins to break down slightly. Leave to cool before spreading on cheesecake.

Yield: 6 servings

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/the-ultimate-cheesecake-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Righteous Hash

Inspired by lunch at Sister's in Gainesville Florida

Hashed Potatoes
Onion
Scrambled Egg
Turkey Sausage
Tomato
Gruyère Cheese
Roasted Red Pepper Hollandaise Sauce


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/grilled-skirt-steak-hash-with-roasted-red-pepper-hollandaise.html

***Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs***

Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dry mustard

3-5 chicken breasts (I used 3 fairly thick ones)
2 green peppers
2 onions
2 red peppers
1 container of cherry tomatoes
1 pineapple cored and cut into cubes
Wooden skewers
Seasoned salt and pepper to taste (I used Lowry's salt and a pepper grinder)

Combine all marinade ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Cut off fat on raw chicken and cube. Place chicken in a 9×13 pan and pour marinade over top. Cover and put in refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours (or overnight). I turned the meat once to make sure both sides were well marinated.

Prep/cut all veggies up and place in another 9×13 and refrigerate until you are ready to “kabob”. I salt & peppered the peppers, onion, and tomato in the pan, but not the pineapple. Run water over wooden skewers so they do not catch fire on grill (I soaked mine for about 30min to help food slide on better and not splinter). Alternate chicken with veggies and pineapple. Heat grill to med-high heat and cover with grill foil (or regular foil with cooking spray). Grill covered approximately 6 minutes on both sides, until chicken is cooked through.

Recipe found here