Sunday, September 20, 2009

Fresh Peach Cobbler

made this one up myself.

5 cups fresh peaches, sliced
1¼ cups sugar
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1-1½ boxes yellow cake mix
1 stick butter, melted

Combine first six ingredients in large bowl. Dump into 9x13 cake pan. Top with dry cake mix. Drizzle melted butter over top. Bake at 350ºF for approximately 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.

Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

So my mom has for years doggedly professed her hatred for sweet potatoes... something stemming from a bad episode when she was a child... At any rate, she ate these and allowed she indeed liked them. (recipe found on Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen, then tweaked a bit)

4 medium sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground all-spice
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
3 Tablespoons butter
marshmallows

Boil sweet potatoes in salted water until tender; about 30 minutes. Drain potatoes and slip off skins.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix all ingredients with mixer, including potatoes.

Cook for 25 minutes, cover with marshmallows if desired, and cook until mallows are browned and melted (about 5 minutes).

Friday, September 18, 2009

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Cake

adapted from vanilla sugar and picky palate

Cake:
9 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder
1½ cups cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
4 ounces butter, at room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup chocolate milk
½ cup milk

Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Butter two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.

Sift together the cocoa powder, cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer beat together the butter and sugar about 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. (If using a standing electric mixer, stop the mixer as necessary to scrape down the sides to be sure everything is getting mixed in.)

Mix together the milks. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, the add the milk. Finally stir in the other half of the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter into the two prepared cake pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely.


Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Filling:
12 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 stick salted butter, at room temperature
1½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
A good pinch of sea salt
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
several chopped Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups (maybe half a bag)

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter together.

Slowly add in the confectioners’ sugar — don’t forget to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl. Continue to beat till nice and fluffy, then add in the salt and peanut butter.

Fold in the pb cups by hand, so they don't get ground up.


Ganache
24 ounces 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, chopped into cubes

Melt the chopped chocolate with the heavy cream in a double-boiler.

Stir occasionally until fully melted. Once melted, take off the heat and add in the butter bits.

Whisk very well. The more you whisk, the glossier and smoother the ganache.

Let cook for about an hour and a half.


To Assemble:
Remove first cake from pan and place on cake stand.

Spoon filling onto cake (you may not need all of it), then spread almost to edges.

Top with second cake.

Pour half of cooled ganache over cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let this layer cool, then repeat with remaining ganache. Before it cools completely, top with remaining bag of Reese's Mini Cups, either whole or halved.

Refrigerate cake - covered - for several hours, as this makes it easier to slice. Serve with MILK.

Amazing Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package onion soup mix
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ cup cider vinegar
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup honey
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup oil
¼ cup minced onion
½ cup apricot or peach jam

Place all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours, or HIGH 4-5 hours.

To FREEZE:
Place all ingredients in a large Ziploc freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal bag and freeze. To cook, thaw (overnight or in a sink of hot water for about 5 minutes) and dump into crockpot, then cook as above.

Crockpot Taco Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 small can diced green chiles
3 Tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1 teaspoon cumin
2 cups frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

Place all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours, or HIGH 4-5 hours. Shred chicken in pot.

Serve with tortillas or taco shells with assorted toppings (cheese, guacamole, sour cream, etc.)

To FREEZE:
Place all ingredients in a large Ziploc freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal bag and freeze. To cook, thaw (overnight or in a sink of hot water for about 5 minutes) and dump into crockpot, then cook as above.

Quebecois Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breats
½ cup maple syrup
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon black pepper

Place all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours, or HIGH 4-5 hours.

To FREEZE:
Place all ingredients in a large Ziploc freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal bag and freeze. To cook, thaw (overnight or in a sink of hot water for about 5 minutes) and dump into crockpot, then cook as above.

Bombay Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup yellow mustard
¼ cup honey, melted
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
½ teaspoon chili sauce
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Place all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours, or HIGH 4-5 hours.

To FREEZE:
Place all ingredients in a large Ziploc freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal bag and freeze. To cook, thaw (overnight or in a sink of hot water for about 5 minutes) and dump into crockpot, then cook as above.