Mexican Chocolate Cake

A good friend of mine, who is a fantastic cook, once told me that putting cinnamon in a chocolate cake is common in Mexico.  I didn't know that, but grew up eating this chocolate sheet cake.  I've started calling it Mexican Chocolate cake, just to differentiate it from other chocolate cakes I make.  This one might be my favorite.

Mexican Chocolate Cake
2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
100 g. butter
1/2 c. dalda or vanaspati
4 T. cocoa
1 c. cold water
1/2 c. milk
1 t. vinegar
1/4 t. salt
1 t. soda
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
 2 eggs

Icing
1/3 c. milk
4 T. cocoa
1 t. vanilla
100 g. butter
3 1/2- 4 c. powdered sugar

Combine the milk and vinegar and let sit.  Combine sugar and flour in a large bowl.  Bring butter, shortening, cocoa and water to a boil in a saucepan.  Pour boiling mixture over flour and sugar.  Beat well.  Add the milk and vinegar combination, salt, soda, cinnamon, vanilla and eggs.  Grease a 9x13 cake pan and pour the batter in.  Bake for 20 minutes at 375/190.

To make frosting, put milk, cocoa and butter in saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Add vanilla and sugar.  Beat.  Pour it over the hot cake.  The icing will set very quickly.  

Bruschetta

I found this recipe in a Top Secret Restaurant recipes cookbooks.  It claims to be a Cheesecake Factory recipe.  Wherever it's from, it's great!

Bruschetta
1 1/2 c. chopped roma tomatoes
2 T. diced red onion
1 large garlic clove
2 T. chopped fresh basil (if you can't get this, substitute 1/2 t. dried basil)
1/2 t. red wine vinegar
1/4 t. salt
dash of pepper
loaf of French Baguette (use the Classic French Bread recipe!)
1/4 t. garlic salt

Combine the tomatoes, red onion, garlic, and basil in a medium bowl.  The tomatoes and onions should be chopped uniformly.

Add 1/2 T of oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and mix well.  Cover the bowl and let sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour. (Sometimes I don't do this because I don't plan ahead).

When you are ready to serve the dish, preheat your broiler and slice the baguette in one inch slices on a 45 degree angle.  Combine the remaining 1 1/2 T oil with the garlic salt. Brush the entire surface of each slice of bread (both sides) with the oil until the surface of the bread starts to turn brown.

Arrange the slices like a star or spokes of a wheel on a serving plate.  Pour the chilled tomato mixture in a neat pile onto the bread slices where they meet at the center of the plate.  Garnish with Italian parsley. 

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

These are just like Cinnabon.  Really, really good...  Don't be afraid of cinnamon rolls!  They're not as hard as they seem.  I always make these and roll them out, put them in a pan in the evening and put them in the refrigerator to do their second rise overnight.  In the morning, pull them out and set them on the counter for 30-45 minutes to get to room temperature while you let the oven pre-heat.  Then, bake them up! Cinnamon rolls are best eaten hot and fresh. (I'm sorry this picture is so terrible, it does NOT do these justice!) I've been wanting to post this recipe for a long time, but have been holding off for a picture... this is better than nothing, I guess! : )

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
2 1/4 t. yeast
1 c. warm milk (110 degrees)
1/2 c. castor or breakfast sugar
1/3 c. butter
1 t. salt
2 eggs
4 c. flour

Filling: (I almost always double this part)
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 1/2 T. cinnamon
1/3 c. butter, softened

Icing:
8 T. butter
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. cream cheese
1/2 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt

For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.   Add sugar, margarine, salt, eggs, and flour.  Mix well.

Knead the dough into a large ball.  Put in a bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approximately 21 inches long by 16 inches wide. It should be about 1/4 inch thick.

To make the filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.  Spread the melted butter over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.  You want the cinnamon mixture to go all the way to the edge of on three sides of the rectangle.  On the side that will be the outer edge, leave about 1/4-1/2 inch of dough uncovered by cinnamon.  Make sense?  You will roll toward this edge.
Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.  Cut the dough into approximately 2 inch wide slices, and play in a lightly greased baking pan.  At this point, you can refrigerate it over night.  OR
Bake ten minutes or until light golden brown. (It usually takes me a bit longer then ten minutes).

While the rolls are baking, combing the icing ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.  When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing.

Oh. My.  : )  Delish!

Keralan Honey Lemon Chicken

Recently, I found some lime powder at the grocery store.  A big huge bag of it. I thought I could find something interesting to do with it, so I bought it.  I found this recipe online, and even though it didn't call for lime powder, the whole family loved this.  It was really tasty! : ) 

Keralan Honey Lemon Chicken
4 Chicken breasts
1/2 c. corn starch/corn flour
4 garlic cloves, chopped
Oil – sufficient for frying
2 T. light soya sauce
2 T. hoisin sauce
1/4 t. red chilly flakes, optional
Salt to taste
2 T. lemon juice
4 T. honey
1 T. roasted sesame seeds 

Mix 2T cornstarch in 1c. of water and keep the remaining corn starch.  Finely chop or press the garlic.  Heat the oil over a high heat.  Cut the chicken breasts into one inch cubes.  Dredge the chicken pieces in the corn starch, coating them thoroughly.  Fry the chicken in the hot oil, 4-5 minutes.  Remove chicken and drain on a paper towel.  In a separate skillet, heat 2 T. oil.  Fry the chopped garlic, and add soy sauce, hoisin, chilly flakes, salt.  Stir to combine.  Add the fried chicken pieces to the sauce, and add the cornstarch/water solution and stir well.  Reduce the heat and add the lemon juice and honey.  Stir continuously until the sauce is thickened.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds to finish.  Serve over steamed rice or noodles. 

Marriot Meusli

A few months ago, a new Marriot hotel opened in our city.  They have a buffet breakfast that is a great price, especially considering kids eat free.  We tried it out a few weeks back, and of all the amazing food they had, one of my favorites was their homemade meusli.  I've thought off and on about attempting to make granola or meusli, but I didn't really know how I would like it until I had the meusli at the Marriot. I studied and took note of what was in it, and came home and re-created it today.  This is the best meusli I've ever had!  I could eat it every day. : )

Marriot Meusli
2 c. Oats
2 c. Cornflakes
1 c. Dessicated Coconut
1 c. Chopped Pistachios
¼ t. Salt 
½ c. Coconut Oil
¼ c. Maple Syrup
¼ c. Honey
½-1 t. Cinnamon
½ t. Vanilla Extract
1 c. Golden Raisins


Combine oats, cornflakes, coconut, pistachios, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together coconut oil (or butter), syrup, honey, and vanilla.  Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until it's all evenly coated.  Bake in a 300/145 oven on a lined/greased baking sheet for 20-30 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack.  After completely cooled, stir in raisins.  YUM! This makes about five cups.  I think I'll double it from now on. : )


Note: After eating a big bowl of this with milk, I think next time, I will not add the dessicated coconut until after it's baked.  It had a strange after taste, which I think was from the cooked/baked coconut.  


 If there's an element in here you don't care for, you can easily swap it out.  Like almonds for pistachios, or nutmeg for cinnamon.  Also, I used just regular oats, (I think the quick cooking kind) because to my knowledge, you can't easily find rolled oats here.  It worked fine.  You can also substitute butter for the coconut oil, but I would do coconut oil if at all possible. : )  If you do butter, melt it on the stove top first, then stir in the honey, syrup and vanilla.  It's easy to make this your own!

Three Cheese Chicken Pasta Bake

I got this from my friend Terra's blog.  Quick and easy pasta dinner!

Three Cheese Chicken Pasta Bake

3 c. uncooked ziti (I used penne)

1/4 kg spinach leaves

1 lb. of chicken, cut into pieces

1/2 t. each of oregano, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, garlic powder

3 diced tomatoes

2 oz. cream cheese

2 T. parmesan cheese (you can substitute cheddar)

1/2 c. mozzarella

2 boxes tomato puree

1/4 c. bacon bits (optional)

oil

Cook pasta according to package directions.  One minute before it’s done, add spinach leaves.  Drain.

Heat oil in a skillet. Add chicken and all seasoning and saute in skillet until done. Add tomato puree and tomatoes, bring to a boil.  Simmer 3 mins.  Stir in cream cheese.  Toss in spinach and pasta.  Toss in 1/2 c. mozzarella. Pack into baking dish.  Bake 20 minutes.  Remove and sprinkle with parmesan and remaining mozzarella.  Bake at 375/180, covered lightly for 15 minutes.  Remove foil for the last five minutes. 

Make Your Own Maple Syrup

Simple recipe, but you do need maple flavoring from the states.  It comes in a small bottle and is usually found in the baking aisle with the vanilla and almond extracts.  Have someone stick a couple in your next package!

Make Your Own Maple Syrup
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar (you can totally use homemade brown sugar!)
1 c. water
1/2 t. maple flavor, or more, as you like
1 t. vanilla extract

Combine the sugars and water in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, then reduce to low and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the syrup coats the back of a wooden spoon.  Be careful, it will thicken as it cools, so you don't want to wait too long and get it too thick in the pot.  If it's not getting thick enough, add 1/4 c. more brown sugar at a time. Turn the gas off, and add the maple and vanilla, give it a good stir.  You're done! :)  I usually do this as I'm cooking pancakes, because I never plan ahead. : )

Perfect Pancakes

These are our favorite Saturday morning pancakes!

2 c. all-purpose flour
4 T. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
2 c. buttermilk (2 T. vinegar, fill to 2 c. with milk)
2 T. vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.  Combine buttermilk, oil, and eggs. Add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth.

Spoon about 1/4 c. of batter onto a hot nonstick griddle.  Turn pancakes when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked.  Makes about 15-16 pancakes.

Sometimes, I add 1/4 c. flour if the batter looks too runny. I like a nice thick batter that will set up into thick, fluffy pancakes.  You also want your pan nice and hot, so that the batter starts cooking immediately instead of running all over the pan.  But not too hot that they burn before cooking through! : )