Culinary Goods

So, I made up this cake (with the help of a previous vanilla cake recipe). It’s awesome. If you like berries, you will love this cake. It could be improved in some ways, I’m sure, but as is, it’s a solid 9.5. The second picture gives you a better view of how I decorated the top. Anyway, here you go: Vanilla Cake (I used the one from cookingclassy.com I blogged last spring) Vanilla Cake 3 cups (370g) cake flour I measured this by weight and just put 1/3 cup of cornstarch in the bowl and then dumped flour in until it reached the right number of grams 1 Tbsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened next time I might use 25% OIL   1 3/4 cup (390g) granulated sugar I only did 1 1/3 cups and it was plenty sweet, you could likely decrease to 1 1/4 without any problems 3 large eggs 2 large egg yolks 1 1/4 cups milk (anything but skim) I used 2% 2 tsp vanilla extract I increased this to 1 Tbs. http://www.cookingclassy.com/fresh-strawberry-...

I first tried these at a dinner at the Blairs house. I like these, and I think they are a nice change from veggie burgers and/or hamburger (my kids also like them, so they get about an 8). For ours, we put them on ciabatta rolls. I made a pesto mayo, and then I put dijon mustard, red onion, lettuce, tomato, and avocado on mine. She found the recipe on Pinterest: Feta Basil Turkey Burgers 1/2 lb ground turkey (I used 94% lean ground turkey) 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles I was generous with this 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil We probably increased this a bit 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce I was a bit generous with this 1/4 tsp salt I did seasoned salt instead black pepper recipe retrieved from: https://www.fifteenspatulas.com/feta-basil-turkey-burgers/

So, I modified this recipe a bit, and it ended up pretty great for Pi day. It probably gets a 9, and it came from annies-eats.com. I put my changes below in bold: Strawberry Lemon Cream Pie For the crust: I just used my own pie crust recipe · 1¼ cups (150 grams) all-purpose flour · 2 tbsp. (25 grams) sugar · ¼ tsp. salt · 8 tbsp. (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened but still cool · 2 oz. (55 grams) cream cheese, softened but still cool For the lemon cream:* · ½ cup plus 2 tbsp. (155 ml.) freshly squeezed lemon juice I also added the lemon zest of 3 lemons when it was done · 3 whole large eggs · 1 large egg yolk · ¾ cup (170 grams) granulated sugar I only did 1/2 cup · Pinch of coarse salt · ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cool I melted mine For the filling: · 1 cup sliced strawberries · 1 tbsp. (12.5 grams) granulated sugar I only did about a tsp., and I wonder if it even needs that · 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice · 1 cup lemon cream (above) · ¾ cu...

Ok, I loved this. I give it a 9, hands down. People either loved it or weren’t a fan of the churro topping. I love chocolate and cinnamon together, so this was fantastic for me, and totally one of my faves. I got the recipe from annies-eats.com, and I put my changes in bold. For the churro crumble: I bought a churro from Costco and skipped this part—highly recommend buying one instead 1 cups plus 1 tsp. granulated sugar, divided 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon ½ cup milk 1 tsp. kosher salt 2 tbsp. (1 oz.) unsalted butter ½ cup all-purpose flour 2 large eggs 3 cups canola oil (for frying) For the tart dough: 1 large egg yolk 1 tbsp. heavy cream ½ tsp. vanilla extract 1¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar I cut this in half and it was plenty sweet ½ tsp. ground cinnamon ¼ tsp. salt 8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes For the ganache: I doubled the entire thing 3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finel...

This has lovely flavor and is fresh and healthy. It would be great with grilled fish or chicken, as well as feta, though that might make it more a  Greek salad than an Italian salad. We'll just call it a Mediterranean salad. It gets a 7.5 and the recipe came from the harvestkitchen.com. Also, I added beets to this the second time I made it, and it made it that much more awesome. INGREDIENTS: Half of a small red onion, halved through the core 1 large head romaine lettuce 1 medium head radicchio I left this out 1 pint small sweet cherry tomatoes, halved through the stem ends 1 large cucumber, peeled and seeded then cut in half and sliced 1-1/2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (or 4 ounces aged provolone, sliced into strips) 5 pepperoncini, stems cut off and discarded, thinly sliced I use a whole bottle of sliced  pepperoncinis 1/2 cup kalamata olives I use the whole bottle 1/2 cup Oregano Vinaigrette Juice of 1/2 le...

This cake did not disappoint. It gets a 9. I put my changes below in bold, and I found this on thecakeblog.com. This chocolate cake is good enough to stand on its own. S’mores Cake by Tessa Huff For the Chocolate Buttermilk Cake: 2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups sugar I only did 1 1/2 cups 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 eggs 1 1/2 cups buttermilk 1/2 cup hot water For, this, you beat the oil and sugar, and add in eggs and vanilla. Then, you alternate the sifted dry ingredients with the buttermilk. Finally, you had the hot water and beat at most like 20 seconds. You bake this in 3 8-inch pans at 350 for like 20-25 minutes. For the Graham Frosting: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 4 tablespoons cream cheese, softened I did 6 tbs. or so 2 – 2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar I only did 2 cups, and you could easily do 1 1/2 cups 1 – 2 tablespoons mi...

This is something we made a ton as kids, and originally got the recipe off the back of the Hershey's cocoa powder box. We loved it, and it's something I've modified over the years, and now my kids love it. This originally called for 1/2 C. of sugar, so it's no wonder we all have blood sugar issues now. Anyway, if I die tomorrow, I would want my kids to know my recipe, so here it is. It's basic, but a classic. 1/4 C. cocoa 2 1/2 TBS sugar 1 can evaporated milk (this is about 1 1/2 C.) About 2 1/2 C. milk. Basically, I add 4 cups of liquid total including the can of evaporated milk and regular milk. dash of salt 1/3 C. water 1 tsp. vanilla Mix cocoa powder, sugar and salt together and heat over medium-low heat. Add milk and evaporated milk and whisk occasionally over medium-high heat. Once it reaches desired temperature, turn heat off and add vanilla.