CUPCAKES (yellow cake with penuche frosting)

Tonight I had a sweet tooth, and while I was quite busy babysitting the 9 week old puppy, and paying bills, I really wanted to squeeze in time to make something yummy.  My mom had told me about this frosting called Penuche Frosting.  But, to use frosting, you've got to have some sort of base.  I googled it, and found applesauce cake, spice cake, and a few other odd selections.  But I did stumble upon a recipe for a yellow cake, that I thought I'd try.  I'm NOT a huge fan of homemade cake.  To me it always is dry, not as tasty, and if Betty Crocker has it figured out, why reinvent the wheel, right?  But, with no Crocker on hand, I dug down deep to my colonial roots, and made one from SCRATCH!  The recipe was quite basic, and I had everything on hand.  I cut the recipe in 1/2, and made them into cupcakes.

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup evaporated milk (you will need a 12 oz. can if you make the frosting below)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar with mixer.   Add eggs, milk and vanilla and continue mixing. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt.  Pour into two 9 inch greased or sprayed cake pans or one 9 x 13 pan.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 20 – 25 minutes for round pans and 30 to 35 minutes for 9 x 13 pan.

Once the cupcakes were ready, I made the frosting!! This recipe came from my mom, and it was amazing, and very easy.  

1 c. packed light brown sugar

8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter

1/4 c. whole milk

2 c. confestioners' sugar, sifted

 

Place brown sugar and butter in medium size heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Simmer, stirring constantly, until well combined, 2 minutes.  Carefully pour in milk, stirring and bring mixture to boil.  Remove pan from heat and cool slightly.

 

Place confectioners' sugar in large mixing bowl.  Pour hot brown sugar mixture over the confectioners' sugar.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the frosting is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.

 

Use immediately (while still warm) to frost cake of your choice or the frosting will harden.  If it does harden while you are frosting the cake, simply place the pan back over low heat and stir until frosting softens up. 

So, the verdict is in, I made 2 mistakes with attempting to make cupcakes tonight.  1) I didn't use my good friend Betty's  mix for the cake.  The homemade cake was a bit dry, and more of a "cornbread" texture, but not to that extreme... But, it wasn't "cake" consistency.  2) I didn't sift the powdered sugar when making the frosting, hence I have a few little powdered sugar lumps in my yummy frosting.  It didn't affect the taste, but it did affect the appearance.  Kid B hasn't tried them yet, nor has the hubs, so it'll be interesting to get their take on the recipe.  Personally, I loved the frosting!! (The picture is altered so it's not a true color, but the frosting is a light brown) 

Happy Cooking, and I'll try not to be such a stranger to the blog!! 

Mexican anyone?

Tonight, I don't have a picture, but just the yummy reminder of dinner lingering on the tip of my tongue.  I had bought a rotisserie chicken a while back, and needed to eat it or freeze it.  I ended up taking the meat off the bone, and throwing the skin away, and freezing a little container of chicken.  I figured I could use it later for something.  Low and behold I stumbled upon a recipe for
Crispy Chicken Taquitos
But when the time came to make them, I couldn't find the dumb recipe.
Today's dinner was a challenge, but in the end I think I may have found a new dish to add to the regular rotation.  I started out with defrosting the chicken.  Guess What?  Of course, when I was ready to cook, it was still frozen.  But it was easy enough to pry out of the container and into the pan where I sauteed the meat with about 1/2 a packet of taco mix and about 1/3 cup of water.  I just estimated these amounts.  Once the meat started to look "shredded" I was ready to start rolling the Taquitos.  I've never been one to "roll" things, so needless to say, I was lacking skills in this department.  My corn tortillas continued to rip and break... Oh I was getting shall we say, FRUSTRATED!  But I pulled it all together before losing it completely and went to the internet.  I knew somewhere there had to be advice on how to do this without destroying the tortilla.  And, yep, it was easy advice.  I headed up a cast iron skillet and sprayed it well with Pam, then I cooked each tortilla individually.  I was careful with flipping and didn't want to overcook them.  Once the were more pliable, I was able to fill them with chicken and cheese.  I rolled them up, put them on the pan seam side down.  Meanwhile, my oven was preheating to 400 degrees.  Once I made 7 of these little guys, I slid them into the oven.  I didn't time them, but I watched them closely for the crisping effect.  The edges of the tortilla get a nice crispy brown when they are done.  And, everyone in the family ate them.  Devan wasn't thrilled, but is he ever?  I served them with a side of salsa, but would have preferred guacamole and sour cream too!
Happy Eating!! ( and um no editing done tonight either, sorry!)

Two for one

Well, while Kid B was away for the weekend, we certainly broke all the rules and ate out more times than I care to share with you.  Jon and I were complete opposites 15 years ago, but now we've become each others partner in crime.  If he wants to shop and spend money, so do I.  If I want to eat out, so does he!  LOL... It actually has made for a wonderful marriage, but not so great for our budget.

But on Sunday, I was determined to get back on the cooking wagon.  I had a great birthday celebration to attend, but assumed I'd be back early enough to cook some ribs.  I had watched Dr. Oz, earlier in the week and saw a recipe I was hoping to try.  I actually had picked up some ribs at the store a week or two ago when they were on sale, and they were in the freezer, so it worked out quite nicely.  I took them out to defrost them, and started cooking at about 6:00, and had the ribs on the grill by 6:15.  They had to cook an hour and 1/2... so um, dinner was served at 7:45 LOL.  Oh well, sometimes things like that happen.   These are Chef Rocco DiSpirito's BBQ Ribs 

As the ribs came off the grill

Ingredients
1 rack baby back ribs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, sliced
12 garlic cloves
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp liquid smoke
3/4 cup reduced-sugar ketchup

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Directions
Take 1 rack of baby back ribs and trim all visible fat.  Then, season with salt and pepper and place on a 2-foot long piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet.  

In a separate bowl, combine the paprika, liquid smoke, ketchup and red wine vinegar.

Pour sauce over ribs and turn to coat completely. Scatter onions and garlic over the top. Place the foil over the ribs so it’s tightly sealed. Place on the grill for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Or, to enjoy all year round, place in the oven at 425°F for 1/2 hour and then lower to 275°F for another hour, until meat is tender.  

Well when they were done, the verdict was in.  They weren't seasoned well enough, personal careless error on my part.  But they weren't very BBQish, more saucy.  I can't imagine that BBQ sauce is that bad for you, but I'm going to just have to walk an extra couple of miles to make up for it, because using real BBQ sauce is so much better.  What I did like is that they were cooked in foil for a long long time, and were practically falling off the bone.  That's a good thing with our 13 year old and his braces.  So, I would say it's a keeper but altered with just BBQ sauce, more seasoning on the meat prior to cooking, and then sticking with the same cooking method.  

Tonight I had to make a quick dinner.  I knew that I was going to my very first dance class, and wanted to be able to feed D'ster quickly.  So, I chose an old standby that I learned from Slidell High's Food and Nutrition class I took back in the day, Biscuit Pizzas.  So not healthy, but at this point, who cares!  :-) 

These are the easiest things to make.  You need a can of biscuits, pizza sauce, any toppings of your choice, and mozzarella cheese.  Smash the biscuit, put on the sauce, toppings, and cheese, and back in the oven following the biscuit directions.  So easy, a kid could make them... If that's so, why do I slave over the pan when D could make them?? Oh well, I asked Kid B if he wanted a side of green beans and he did, so I went with our good ole standby.  And that my friends was dinner!  

See you on the flip side for yet another dinner selection tomorrow.  PS I'm not editing this so, please forgive the errors.  I'm way too tired. 

Interesting for sure

While at my favorite little meat shop yesterday, I purchased some "Asian marinated pork".

not very appealing huh? 

It was pink, very pink just like the meat you get at your local chinese restaurant.  In my mind I was thinking... I can make that same stuff at home?  And of course, purchased a pound of it.  Tonight for dinner, I sliced an onion, a green bell pepper, and the meat.  I then sauteed all of these things together in a little olive oil.  As recommended by the butcher lady at the meat shop.







On the side I made some fried rice with a recipe from Allrecipes.com.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fried-Rice-I/Detail.aspx

I used brown rice to make it, and it was pretty good.  Overall dinner didn't look appealing at all, and we were all mildly skeptical to eat it.  However, once we tasted it, everyone agreed that it was good. So, you might ask your self, is that a successful dinner?  I'm still on the fence.  I think that had I broiled the meat on skewers in the oven I might have enjoyed the meat a little better.  Had I used white rice, I would have enjoyed the fried rice more too.  But in the scheme of things, everyone ate it, and Jon even had seconds.  Some nights are just not proud chef moments, and I'd say tonight would certainly fit into that category.  Hoping for a less interesting dinner tomorrow, that looks a bit more appealing.  You know, curb side appeal is everything!  LOL.

Dinner on Tuesday- Steak Tips anyone?

Today was a good day.  I accomplished much at work, saw a dear friend, and did a lot of packing.  As the days tick on, I'm getting more and more excited about my new school next year, AKA July 5th!  Ahhh, the year round schedule is stressing me a bit, but I'm trying to not focus on that. Everything else about the position is heavenly.

Jon texted me earlier today to tell me that he was working from home, so that meant I was free to wonder a bit.  I loaded up my car, and followed the road that led to Cary's butcher shop called "The Meat House".  This is a little place that I don't go to very often, and consider it a splurge.  While I was there I viewed many different types of meat, and decided to grab not only tonight's dinner, but two other items too!  I'm prepared for this week of cooking.  I didn't get home until a little after 5, then I unloaded my car, FB, and checked paperbackswap.com.  Finally, I was ready to make dinner, but I was also starving!

I started dinner with a piece of dessert.  I enjoyed the very last Cajun Blondie that I had made on Saturday for the book club. It was delicious.  I savored every morsel by cutting off tiny bite size pieces and making that one last piece last for a while.  The recipe is listed below, and if you ever need a yummy easy dessert, this is a keeper! Thanks to my mom that passed the recipe on to me.

 
Cajun Blondies 

Mix by hand and press into a buttered 9" x 13" pan:

 

1 pkg. yellow cake mix (lemon is good too)

1 c. chopped nuts

1 stick butter

1 egg (beaten)

last cajun blondie

 

Mix with electric mixer:

 

2 eggs

8 oz. cream cheese (I used fat free)

1 lb. confectioners sugar

 

Pour on top of pressed mixture.

Bake @ 325 degrees for 60 minutes.

 

Excellent but rich!

Cut in small squares.

yummy dinner roll

While I was enjoying that fantastic flavorful delight, I started the rest of dinner.  I literally pulled three rolls out of the freezer (the straight from the freezer to the oven type) and got them ready on a pan, and slid those babies into the oven.  

good ole stand by

Meanwhile, I had the hubs start the grill.  I opened a can of green beans, and mixed those with some olive oil and vinegar, an old stand by that Kid B enjoys.  

Just placed on the grill

I was finally ready to throw the yummy MARINATED MEAT HOUSE STEAK TIPS on the grill.  The rolls need to bake for 20-25 minutes.  While they were baking, the meat was grilling.  I just checked on everything and it's all just about ready!  Dinner was quick, and easy, and very very delicious!  And, I have enough for lunch tomorrow, another plus.  Off to do some other mommy chores and then maybe, just maybe I'll get to bed a little early so I can read my book.  

Cooked Meat tips 

Tonight was Burger night!

Tonight was the first time I've cooked in a hot long time.  I've been sick, and before that busy, so I've just gotten completely away from cooking.  Number one, that is extremely bad for our budget.  And Number two, it's extremely bad for my body.

So, I've got high aspirations for this week.  Tonight's dinner was moderately to mildly tasty.  The problem is that I started with frozen burgers (Laura's Lean burgers).  I've made them one other time, and as expected they continue to be very blah.  The burgers are very thin, very lean AKA dry, and not very fresh.  My advice is to get yourself some yummy lean ground meat from the store, and make your own burgers on the weekend.  Freeze those babies, and then they are at your fingertips whenever the burger urge hits you.  I should have just made 4 fresh burgers, but should of, could of, would of.... But, it was dinner, and it was quick.

As a side I made oven broiled diced potatoes.  They were delicious, but stuck to the pan.  :-) I mean, don't you understand why I might not cook again for another 10 days LOL.  But, regardless, I bought 2 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced them.  Coated them in a tablespoon of olive oil, seasoned with garlic salt, fajita seasoning, and paprika.  Popped them into the oven at 450 for 15 minutes and they were just about done.  Nice and crunchy, with a little soft center.  Perfect!  OK almost perfect, if it weren't for them sticking to the pan.

 Dinner was served, and consumed by 6:38.  That is a good deal.  I'm not sure what we'll have for dinner tomorrow, but I'm certainly cooking!  Be on the lookout for an updated dinner blog then.  Happy Monday everyone!

So, I missed a few nights :)

Well it's been a busy week here at our house.  So, dinner's sort of taken the back burner, no pun intended.  Reg made frozen pizza for the family on Tuesday night.  It was so wonderful having her home, and then making dinner on top of that, let's just say I felt a little bit spoiled.

Wednesday, Reg went with me to work.  It was quite a day, some therapy in the morning, and followed by a marathon of meetings in the afternoon.  Oh, did I mention that there was a bear loose in the city I work in?  No bear sightings for us, but it was quite an eventful day.  On the way home, we had to stop at the teeter to drop off some prescriptions.  While we were there, we decided dinner would be ribs, salad, and noodles.  My dad has a wonderful recipe for slow grilled ribs, but I have yet to successfully duplicate the recipe, so I stuck with what I know.  I bought a rack of baby back ribs, and seasoned them (fajita and garlic salt) after rinsing them.  Put them in the oven on a long pan at 350, flipping the rack every 15 minutes, and re-seasoning.  After 1 hour, I decided to kick the temperature up to 400 degrees.  I did this for he last 15 minutes to get them crispy and brown.  Of course, when I took them out and cut them they were just almost done.  So, we microwaved them for about 30 seconds to make sure they were "done".  It was a yummy meal, fairly quick for the sides, and the actual cooking of the meat was as simple as a timer, and some tongs that needed attention every 15 minutes.  No picture, and I'm sorry that it wasn't more gourmet-like.

Blogging about my menu is beginning to make me aware of the numerous unhealthy foods that we eat.  I must do something about that soon. 

But, today was not the day.

I went to work again today, and today was my Friday.  So, on that note, it was a good day, seeing as I'm off tomorrow for Kid B's oral surgery.

(SIDE NOTE) Currently with my job, there's a level of unknown as to where or what I'll be doing next year.  I've been offered a position, and I am contemplating that.  However today, another position or option landed in my inbox.  I felt just like Alfalfa from the little rascals when he is frantically trying to do something, and all of a sudden the heavens open.  The quote from the movie is "Then the clouds opened up and God said, "I hate you, Alfalfa!"".  I sort of felt this way at first, when I realized "on no, another decision", but as the day progressed things began to feel a little bit more manageable.  For whatever reason, God does love to give me options.  I'd rather not choose the path, just tell me which way to go (follow the yellow brick road), but I suppose he's got other plans.  Many thanks to the counselors at my school, my friends, and my mom.  I'm able to now at least visualize this second option and do not feel quite so stressed.

So, back to the dinner menu right?  I decided that since D'ster will not be able to eat for a few days, I'd make fried fish.  I'll go ahead and say it's definitely a luxury for us.  I HATE frying food in my house.  It make the place smell like fried food, it makes the range top messy, and it's just a pain.  But, oh the taste!  If it's anything, fried fish is a comfort food.  So tonight, on the eve of Kid B's surgery, and the ending of quite a day, I decided fried fish would do just fine.  I know you're surprised, but it was in my freezer.    So, um, I had the fun battle of defrosting those little filets. Nonetheless, it was accomplished.

(see below for recipe)


Mom and Dad's Fried Fish

Dinner is served! 

Catfish filets (fresh is best, but it's ok to freeze the fresh yourself)
peanut oil
Zatarains Seasoned Fish Fry
a cooking thermometer

As I attempt to make this recipe healthy :) I never "deep fry" the fish(Am I kidding myself?).  I pour about 1-2 inches of oil
in a pan(Maybe 3 inches), and heat it to 350 degrees.  I place a little of the fish fry into a doubled brown paper lunch bag, and then shake the fish into that once I've washed the fish, and cut it into bite size pieces.  Once the oil is ready, I put the fish in, cook until crispy and brown on one side, flip and repeat.  It took me no more than 20 minutes to get this little dish together.  I also made a side salad to go with it, D had tomatoes, I had an avocado and a 1/2 of tomato.

Happy Dinner Everyone!! And I'm tired don't judge my errors :)