Coconut Cream Pie, as if the cake wasn't enough...

I have been on a baking spree! I can't get enough now that all my homemade goodies are actually eatable. Crazy right? I know! They're not catastrophes. I'm so excited!
My grandfather requested a coconut cream pie, sugar free. I was like, "how?" But it was easy and so was the recipe I found. Super simple to make. If I can get it right surely everyone else can. It's not rocket science, just don't scramble the egg yolks. And if you want to make your pie sugar free just use any sugar substitute in place of the sugar!
I hand delivered the pie to my grandparents and they immediately cut into it. My grandfather looked like a kid on Christmas with his slice :)

Here's what you'll need:
(Adapted from Emeril Lagasse's "Coconut Cream Pie")

• 1 blind-baked 9-inch pastry shell 
• 1/4 cups 2% milk
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon coconut rum
• 1 3/4 cups coconut, plus 2 tablespoons toasted 
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

In a saucepan, whisk the 2 cups of the coconut milk and 3/4 cup sugar together. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the liquid up to a simmer. Whisk the egg yolks together. Temper the hot milk into the egg yolks. Whisk the egg mixture into the hot milk mixture. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining milk, making a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the hot milk mixture. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until the filling is thick, about 4 to 6 minutes. Fold in the vanilla, coconut, rum and butter. Mix well. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and cool the pie completely. 

Now, I do not like meringue. So I topped my pie with whipped cream. You can certainly choose whichever you like. To make the whipped cream you will need:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together in a bowl with an electric mixer until the cream has thickened and stiff peaks form. 

Spread evenly over the pie and top with the toasted coconut!

Another Coconut Cake!

In my quest to be a better "from scratch" baker I've been looking up new recipes to try. The only requirements I have for new recipes: short and sweet. Both literally and figuratively. White cake recipes are hard to find, easy ones anyway. They're all so complicated. I don't have time for complicated. This one was a piece of cake, pun intended! It will definitely be going into my recipe book. My coconut cake turned out better than expected. And, for the first time ever, I was happy with it when it came out of the oven.

Classic Coconut Cake w/ Vanilla Butter Cream (recipe follows)
Here's what you'll need:
(Adapted from, "Nick Malgieri, Classic White Cake")

Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 large egg whites (3/4 cup)
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut rum
• 2 (9-inch) diameter by 1 1/2-inch deep layer pans or 1 (13 by 9 by 2-inch) pan, buttered and floured

Directions

Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Combine egg whites, milk and vanilla extract. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to butter mixture then add half the milk mixture. Continue to alternate beginning and ending with flour mixture. Scrape bowl and beater often. Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and smooth top with a metal spatula. Bake cake(s) about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and let cool completely.

Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting:

1 stick of softened butter

4 cups confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup of milk, as needed

2 cups of sweetened, flaked coconut

Cream the butter and the vanilla together until smooth and fluffy. Add the sugar one cup at a time, mix in the milk as needed to create a smooth, spreadable consistency.

Use about 1/4 of the frosting on the bottom layer of cake. Once frosted, cover it in coconut and put the top layer on. Ice the top and sides of the cake using the remaining frosting. Carefully using your hands, coat the sides with coconut, then sprinkle the remainder on the top of the cake. 

Southern Peach Pound Cake

This is the perfect cake for summer.

Here's what you'll need:

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 cups white sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour,

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups fresh peaches, pitted and chopped

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Reserve 1/4 cup of flour for later, and sift together the remaining flour, salt, and baking powder. Gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Use the reserved flour to coat the chopped peaches, then fold the floured peaches into the batter. Spread evenly into a 10-inch tube pan that has been buttered and coated with white sugar. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes in a 325-degree oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cook in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Late Night Munchies

Got home from work, starving! But there's nothing in the house to eat without turning on the stove or microwave. Not trying to cook a meal at 1:00 in the morning. Trusty, trusty jar of peanut butter in the cabinet. No grape jelly... But I gotta spoon! :)

Buttermilk biscuits w/ blackberry jam

I had some leftover buttermilk from the cake I made the other day and well, I couldn't just let it go to waste. There are a lot of things you can do with buttermilk but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to make some homemade biscuits. They're so worth it. Light and fluffy, smothered with creamy butter and sweet blackberry jam... Ah, there's nothing better.
My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

(Recipe courtesy of The Food Network. Tyler Florence, Buttermilk Biscuits)

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup vegetable shortening, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk, plus additional for brushing

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in the shortening using a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add 1 cup buttermilk. Using your hands, quickly fold the dry ingredients into the buttermilk until a sticky dough forms. You may need to add more buttermilk.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Gently fold the dough over itself 3 or 4 times to create layers. Press the dough out to 1 1/2-inches thick and cut with a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter. Lay the biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with buttermilk. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until risen and golden brown.

Table for two please!

So there wasn't a large man with an accordion singing Bella Notte table side, and my dad didn't nose the last remaining meatball over to my mom. They didn't share a string of pasta, but the atmosphere was still romantic. Even with me sitting across from them. Well maybe romantic isn't the best word. Regardless, I think my parents enjoyed their anniversary dinner. I thought my platter of spaghetti and meatballs looked just as appetizing as the one in Lady and the Tramp.
Like my fresh tomato sauce, I made my meatballs from scratch. They're perfect for a romantic pasta dinner or just by themselves. Homemade meatballs are so easy to prepare! Just don't be afraid to get your hands a little dirty. They are your best tools.

Here's what you'll need:

1 pound ground beef  

1 pound ground pork

4 garlic cloves, minced or grated (I grate mine into the bowl)

1 shallot, minced

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan and romano cheese

1 1/2 cups italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup of whole milk

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil            

Add all the ingredients, except the meat and oil, to a large mixing bowl. Stir everything together so that it all becomes moist. Add the meat, and using your hands, mix until it's just combined. Don't over mix or you will get tough meatballs. 

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil. Start making your meatballs. They can be as big or as little as you want them. I make mine into about 1 inch rounds. Add them to the hot oil. Brown each side, gently turning them with a pair of rubber tongs. Once each side is browned put the lid on the skillet and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until cooked through, turning them occasionally.

If you're making them to go into a sauce add the sauce to the pan just before you put the lid on your skillet.

Bread with homemade garlic butter adds that little something extra to your meal

Buon Appetito!!! 

When life gives you tomatoes... make sauce.

Does this look like summer in a bucket or what? 

My tomato plants have not been looking to spiffy. I do not have a green thumb. Honestly, I just assume that since they are outside my dad will water them. No so much... So I went picking today. The pickings were slim but I got a small bucket filled. But what to do with a bucket of tomatoes? I don't preserve them. I'm not that talented. But I do make some pretty tasty sauce and my mother requested spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Since it was my parents anniversary how could I deny her?

Homemade sauce is simple. Really, you should never have to buy store bought sauce. Store bought is convenient, and yes, it's delicious but there's something rustic and cozy about a homemade sauce. It's comforting, it soothes your soul. You probably already have everything you need to make it in your pantry.

Here's what you'll need:
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
3 cups pureed tomatoes, strained to remove seeds
1 heaping tablespoon each: dried parsley, basil and oregano (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake (more or less if you like)
salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Clean the tomatoes, quarter them and put them in a food processor. Pulse until desired smoothness. Strain through a mesh sieve to remove as many seeds as possible. 

Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and saute until the shallot is just translucent. Add the tomatoes, the herbs, red pepper flake and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered. 

Toss with your favorite pasta and enjoy! 

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

I loooove chocolate and this cake is what dreams are made of. And I've been dreaming of chocolate. Mostly I dream of dark chocolate but semi-sweet made due for me today. Ina Garten's Beatty's Chocolate Cake is moist, über chocolaty. You're gonna want two slices.

(Adapted from: Ina Garten's, "Beatty's Chocolate Cake")

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing the pans
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
• Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

• 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

This should come with a warning.

Here's the original recipe: Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Seconds? Yes please! Bacon & Tomato Risotto

This is just ridiculously mouth watering. Super simple to make, super simple to eat. Why wouldn't you make this? I'm not sure there's a logical answer to that question. I looove risotto and I can't get enough of the fresh out of my back yard tomatoes. They've been sitting on my counter for a few days and well, I just have to eat them. But I needed something extra special for dinner today and I was in the mood to stir so I decided risotto needed to be on the menu. I had bacon so I threw that in the mix too.

Here's what you'll need:
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 lb bacon, diced
1 cup chopped tomatoes, take out the seeds
1 1/2 cups uncooked arborio rice
3 tablespoons of butter
2 cans low sodium chicken stock
1 can low sodium beef stock
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
1 cup parmesan and romano cheese

In a sauce pan add the stocks and heat just to warm thru. In a large skillet over medium heat cook the bacon until it's crispy then set aside on a paper towel to drain off any excess grease. Take out some of the grease if there is a lot and add the butter. When that is melted add the onion. Cook until just translucent. Add the rice. Stir it around a bit and let it toast just a few minutes.  Begin adding the broth one ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Let each addition absorb before adding the next. This should take about 20 minutes.
You want a creamy risotto, not firm and dry. It should also be al dente, like pasta. Give it a taste-test to make sure. When it's done take it off the heat and stir in the cheese, tomatoes, bacon and parsley.

Give yourself an extra spoonful and dive into it. It's so creamy and nutty from the cheese. You get the brightness from the tomatoes and some crunch from the bacon. It's the perfect bite.

Shrimp & Avocado Pizza

YUMMMM!!! This was just what my pizza craving called for. It was so good, healthy and inexpensive. Who says you have to get take out to get a great pizza? The best thing about pizza is you can add what you like! Whatever puffs your crust! It's so versatile and doesn't have to be a cheese covered greasy mess that you blot with a paper towel before every bite. So here's mine and it's my new favorite food. I want it everyday!

Here's what you'll need:
1 avocado, diced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 pound pre-cooked shrimp, tails off
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup crumbled feta
juice of 1 lemon
1 store bought (pre-cooked) pizza crust of your choice
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Preheat your oven per the directions of your pizza crust package. Add the minced garlic to the olive oil and let that hang out for a bit while you prepare the rest of the veggies. Toss the diced avocado with the lemon juice. When everything is prepared brush the pizza crust with the olive oil. If some garlic bits happen to jump on board that won't hurt. Evenly distribute the mozzarella cheese over the oil glazed crust. Add the rest of the toppings finishing with the feta, sans parsley. Pop it in the oven long enough for the pizza to heat thru and the cheese to get melty, about 10 minutes.
Remember! your shrimp is already cooked so be careful not to over heat it. It will become rubbery and that is not yummy. Garnish with the parsley and slice it up!

Comfy Food

 I have been sick. Yuck! I want some comfort food. But instead of chicken noodle soup or mom's pot roast this is what I was craving. It did hit the spot!

Bruschetta w/ tomatoes & shallots

Chicken saltimbocco with artichokes and capers in a lemon butter sauce.