Sweet Treat Tuesday-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache {Repost}

Since it's National Chocolate Cake Day, I thought I'd repost this delicious chocolate cake I made last May. Enjoy!

Last night we celebrated my father-in-law's birthday with this cake. It turned out very yummy and was devoured by all! I had all of the ingredients in my fridge and pantry, which is always a plus. It is definitely a chocolate cake, so be prepared to drink a whole glass of milk or serve this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can either serve this with the chocolate ganache recipe I have listed or just dust it with powdered sugar. If the word ganache scares you, it's just a thin icing. This is easy and will impress. If you don't have a bundt pan, I have no doubt it would work fine in any other pan, it rises nicely. I might just have to try it as a layer cake with something in between. Do note that the batter for this cake is very thin, don't worry, it's supposed to be like that. Definitely make this cake, mmm good!

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache
from Food52 and Foodandwine.com

Ingredients:
For cake:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cups dutch process cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Cocoa Powder.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (make your own here.)
1 cup freshly brewed strong black coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

For chocolate ganache (optional):

3 ounces chocolate, chopped (I used semi-sweet chips, bittersweet is suggested.)

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 tablespoon corn syrup

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

For cake:

Preheat oven to 350.

Either spray a bundt pan with nonstick spray (this is what I did), or butter a bundt pan and dust the inside with cocoa powder or flour. Next, sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside. 

In a mixer on low add the milk, coffee,  oil, eggs and vanilla one at a time. Mix until all ingredients are smooth and incorporated. Then, with the mixer still on low speed, slowly add in the dry ingredients. Once all of the flour mixture is added, mix the batter for a full 4 minutes on medium speed.

After you've mixed the batter for 4 minutes on medium speed, pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester or tooth pick comes out clean. Allow cake to cook in pan for 5-10 minutes on a wire rack, and then invert onto serving plate (or keep on a wire rack) and allow to cool to room temperature.

Top cake with chocolate ganache (directions below) or dust with powdered sugar. This cake would also be delicious served warm with ice cream on the side. Mmmm.... good!

For chocolate ganache:

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. In a heatproof bowl, combine 3 ounces of chopped chocolate with the corn syrup and butter. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let the ganache glaze cool until thick but still pourable, about 5 more minutes.

Pour the ganache over the cooled cake.Let the cake stand until the glaze is set, at least 30 minutes, before serving.

Mexican Pizza

Last week, I was trying to figure out what we were going to have for dinner and after checking to see what ingredients we had, I decided to make a Mexican pizza. Have you ever had one of those from Taco Bell? I haven't, but I remember my mom getting them when I was little. All I remembered was that there were layers of tortillas, so I went from there. This turned out to be really good, and easy. You can keep it simple like I have, or add in onions, olives, jalapenos, etc. whatever you want. And the other fun thing you can do is top it with whatever you want too. 

Mexican Pizza
from This Mommy Cooks


Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef/turkey
1- 8ounce block of cream cheese
1- small can chopped green chilies
2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese, divided
1 can black beans
4 flour tortillas, burrito size
enchilada sauce (your choice, I used Trader Joes)

optional toppings:
salsa
lettuce
tomatoes
guacamole
sour cream
or anything else you like

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Brown hamburger meat, drain fat, and set aside. Wipe skillet clean and begin to soften cream cheese. Let cream cheese soften over low heat, stir often to keep from scalding. Add can of chopped green chilies to skillet with cream cheese. As cream cheese and chilies soften, add in hamburger meat. Stir to coat all of the meat with the cream cheese mixture. In another pot warm black beans. If you prefer refried beans instead, you may use them here.

Spray 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray. Place one of the flour tortillas in the bottom of the dish. Spoon one-third of the meat mixture on top of the tortilla. Next, spoon one-third of the black beans on top of the meat and then top the beans with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Repeat this process two more times and top with last tortilla. 

Pour enchilada sauce on top of Mexican pizza and top with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Place in preheated oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

Serve warm and top with your favorite toppings. 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake {in cast iron skillet}

I have been wanting to try this recipe for a couple of years. Actually, ever since I bought Ree's cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I am so glad I finally did! It was so very good and actually not too hard to make! I mean who doesn't love a pineapple upside down cake? My boys loved it, all of them. I love how it's made in a cast iron skillet, but I bet you could use a regular baking pan and it would be just as good. The original recipe calls for shortening, but you know I don't like that stuff all that much, so I replaced it with butter, and it turned out fine. 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake (in cast iron skillet)
slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks


Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 stick plus 1/4 cup butter
1-1/2 cups milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
1- 20oz can sliced pineapple, 2 tablespoons juice reserved
1-1/3 cups brown sugar
Maraschino cherries, optional

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, make the cake batter. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, 1/2 stick of the butter plus 1/4 cup of butter, milk, eggs, vanilla and the 2 tablespoons pineapple juice. Mix until well combined.

Melt the other 1/2 of the stick of butter in a 10 or 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Make sure that the butter is melted and covers all of the pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter evenly and let the butter soak into the sugar and start to bubble.

Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the heat. Put the pineapple slices on top of the brown sugar and the cherries in the center of the pineapple slices if using them. Slowly pour the cake batter over the pineapples.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean of the center of the cake. (I would place skillet on top of a cookie sheet in case any bubbles over as mine did.)

When the cake is done, run a knife around the edge of the pan and place a cake plate upside down on the skillet and turn everything upside down. Remember the skillet is hot, so use oven mitts. If any pieces stick, just    use a small knife or fork to scrape them off the pan and put them back on the cake, nobody will notice.

Honey Sesame Chicken

This was so easy and so yummy! I love almost all Chinese inspired dishes. My kids loved it and so did I. It would have been even better if I had time to make fried rice, but the brown rice went perfectly with it. 

Honey Sesame Chicken
from Skinny Mommy


Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
Flour
1/2 cup honey
1 Tablespoon of sesame seed oil
1-2 teaspoons of siracha or other Asian hot sauce
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400. 

Place flour in a bowl. Dip the chicken into the flour, covering it completely and shaking off the excess. Line a baking pan (with high sides) with parchment paper and add the chicken making sure they don't touch each other. Bake for 15 minutes. 

While the chicken is baking, mix together the soy sauce, sesame seed oil, honey, and siracha. Take out the chicken and pour the sauce over it, stirring to coat each piece. Put the chicken back in the oven and bake for 10 minutes more, stirring a few times to be sure every piece is glazed evenly. Toss with the sesame seeds if you desire and serve over rice.

Homemade Fortune Cookies {Cooking Club}

Here is my last recipe to share from our Chinese New Year cooking club. Tianna brought homemade fortune cookies to go along with our steamed pears. They were delicious! I love fortune cookies. I think these would be a fun treat to make for kids and put fun notes inside. One note, if you store these in an airtight container, they will more than likely become soft and not remain crunchy like a traditional fortune cookie. They still taste good, but are chewy. So, I recommend letting some air get in to keep them crunchy. You will also need to make these only a few at a time, because they need to be hot in order to form the cookies into actual fortune cookies. Enjoy!

Homemade Fortune Cookies
adapted from All Recipes


Ingredients:
1 egg white
1/8 teaspoon almond extract (You can use vanilla extract if you prefer.)
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 

Write fortunes on strips of paper about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Generously grease 2 cookie sheets.

In a small bowl, mix the egg white and vanilla or almond extract until foamy but not stiff. Sift the flour, salt, and sugar and blend into the egg white mixture.

Place teaspoonfuls of the batter, forming a circle about 3 inches in diameter on one of the prepared cookie sheets at least 4 inches apart. Tilt the sheet to move the batter around if the circle isn't filled. Be careful to make batter as round and even as possible. Do not make too many, because the cookie has to be really hot to form into a fortune cookie, and once it cools it is too late. Start with 2 or 3 per cookie sheet and see how many you can do.

Bake for 10 minutes or until cookie has turned a golden color 1/2 inch wide around the outer edge of the circle. The center will remain pale. While one sheet is baking, prepare the other.

Remove from oven and quickly move cookie with a wide spatula and place upside down on a wooden board. Quickly place the fortune on the cookie, close to the middle and fold the cookie in half. Place the folded edge across the rim of a cup (any cup will do) and pull the pointed edges down, one on the inside of the cup and one on the outside. Place folded cookies into the cups of a muffin tin or egg carton to hold their shape until firm.

If you store these in an airtight container, they become soft and not crunchy, so I recommend not doing that, just let them be open to a bit of air.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps {Cooking Club}

We had two appetizers at our Chinese New Year cooking club. Charissa brought chicken lettuce wraps. They were so good and easy to make! I've always wanted to make the knockoff P.F. Chang's lettuce wraps but they have so many ingredients and look labor intensive. But, after hearing that these weren't too hard to make, I'll be putting them on our dinner menu plan soon because they were so good!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
slightly adapted from epicurious


Ingredients:
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons clear rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/3 cup minced red onion
1 cup chopped canned button mushrooms or fresh
1/2 cup water chestnuts, minced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, minced
8 to 10 inner leaves iceberg lettuce, edges trimmed and chilled
Handful of fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup unsalted roasted cashews, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, salt, and sugar in a small bowl and mix together until the sugar dissolves.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok over high heat. (If you don't have a wok, just use a big pan.) Stir-fry the garlic and ginger for 10 seconds. Add the onion, mushrooms, and water chestnuts and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Remove the contents of the wok.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok. Swish the oil around, add the chicken, and brown for 1 minute, or until no longer pink. Add the cooked vegetable mixture back to the wok, decrease the heat, and stir in the sauce mixture. Stir for 1 minute, or until the sauce is heated and the chicken is cooked through.

Spoon the filling in equal amounts into the lettuce cups. Top each lettuce cup with cilantro and sprinkle with chopped cashews if desired. Serve warm.

Steamed Pears with a Surprise {Cooking Club}

So for dessert we will continue with the Chinese theme. We had steamed pears with dates in the middle and it was so delicious! I was surprised how good it was. The addition of honey adds just a hint of sweetness that is perfect. The date in the middle is a perfect addition. We also had homemade fortune cookies that I will post later this week. We weren't able to have actual Chinese pears or Chinese dates so we used regular ones that tasted just perfect. 

 

Steamed Pears with Surprise

adapted from about.com

Ingredients:
2 Asian pears (any pear is fine)
4 teaspoons honey, plus more for sauce
2 dried Chinese dates, softened in cold water, slitted, and the pits removed (any date is fine)
lemon juice to brush on the pears to prevent discoloration, optional
yogurt

Directions:

Wash the pears and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the top off the pears and set aside (these will become the lid). Remove the core. If desired, cut off a small slice at the bottom so that the pear will stand straight during steaming.

Spoon 2 teaspoons honey into each pear. Add 1 date. Place the top back on the pear. Brush the lemon juice over the skin of the pear if using.

Set up a steamer, or place a rack for steaming inside a deep pot. Place the pears on a plate and steam, covered, for 30 minutes, or until the pears are tender. 

In a small bowl combine yogurt and extra honey. Place in the bottom of a bowl and place pear on top of yogurt/honey mixture.

Serve warm.

Baked Crab Rangoons {Cooking Club}

Last week, my cooking club met and our theme was Chinese New Year. It was so much fun! Our host, Lisa, is such a neat person and put a lot of effort into making the night fun! The table was decorated beautifully and the food was amazing. I have officially decided that I am going to start transitioning all my dinner plates, bowls, etc. to fiestaware. It is so beautiful! I can't wait to share some of our yummy dishes with you this week. First up, one of the appetizers. These were so easy to make and absolutely yummy. I can't wait to have another excuse opportunity  to make these!

Baked Crab Rangoons
from Some Kitchen Stories


Ingredients:
1 can of 6 oz. white crab meat, drained
4-6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 Tablespoons mayo
1/2 teaspoon Siriacha hot sauce
2 teaspoons green onions/chives, plus more for garnish
Ground pepper to taste
Wonton wrappers

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine first six ingredients in a bowl.

Spray muffin tin with oil. Push wrappers into muffin tins, making a well in the center. Spoon in some of the crab/cream cheese mixture into each wrapper.

Place in oven and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes until the edges of the cups are golden.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Yet another recipe I found on Pinterest. I actually changed the sauce because I didn't want to use cream of chicken soup, and it turned out really well. I had a hard time getting the crumbs to stick, so make sure you press the cracker crumbs on when dipping them. I'm wondering if using an egg in the dipping process will help that. I'll try it out next time.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken
inspired from Jamie Cooks It Up


Ingredients:
Chicken:
2 large chicken breasts
1 sleeves Ritz crackers
1/8 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons white flour
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper
2 T sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks. Grind up the Ritz crackers in a small food processor or crush them in the package.

Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the salt and pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture to combine.

Dip each piece of chicken into the milk then the cheese and finally the cracker crumbs. Make sure you press the crumbs on or they will fall off.

Place chicken pieces in prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken.

Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat then add the flour. Cook, stirring rapidly, until the mixture is thick. Add the chicken stock and whisk until smooth, then add the milk. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add in sour cream with a whisk. Stir it over medium heat until the sauce is heated through. 

Serve sauce over the chicken.

Homemade Waffles {Sweet Treat Tuesday}

So after a couple of years of seeing other bloggers post recipes for waffles, and me having to skip over them because I didn't have a waffle maker, I can finally go back and check out the recipes! I bought a waffle maker for myself for Christmas. I only bought a small cheap one because I didn't want to invest in a more expensive one and then not use it. So, I tried my hand at homemade waffles on New Year's Day. It was a definite success! They were delicious and everyone loved them. I was going for the Waffle House waffles, and these are close, but not the same. I changed the copy cat recipe a bit, so maybe that had to do with it. I hate using shortening unless I have to, so that was omitted and I used different amounts of the milk and creams. These were great though. Homemade waffles are SO much better than frozen ones. Who knew what I was missing?

Homemade Waffles

inspired by Mommy's Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 1/2  cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2  teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup heavy cream (half and half will work too)

1/4 cup milk

1/2  cup buttermilk

1  teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Combine flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and stir to combine and set aside. In a large mixing bowl (I used my mixer.), lightly beat the egg adding in sugar and butter and mixing well until smooth. Add the cream, milk, buttermilk and vanilla and mix well. Add the dry flour mixture to the wet mixture while beating and mix until smooth. Cover and chill overnight, or use the batter right away.

To make waffles, spray nonstick spray on a waffle iron, and preheat it. Leave the batter out of the refrigerator to warm up a bit as your waffle iron is preheating. Spoon batter into the waffle iron and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the waffles are light brown. The amount you put on the waffle will depend on your type of waffle maker. This makes 5 large round waffles or 10 smaller square waffles.

Roasted Salmon with White Wine Sauce

I found this recipe in pinterest. It was so easy and delicious! The sauce on top is really good. I love cooking with fish because it usually cooks so quickly. So here's another good weeknight meal!

Roasted Salmon with White Wine Sauce
from Martha Stewart


Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds skinless salmon fillet (I used 3 frozen salmon fillets.)
Coarse salt
ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Place salmon on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt. Roast until opaque throughout and flakes easily, about 15 minutes.

While the fish is baking, in a small saucepan, melt butter over medium. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Add wine, and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in chives; season with salt and pepper. 

With a fork, gently break salmon into large chunks, and serve topped with white-wine sauce.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Have I mentioned my love for Jason's Deli before? I love it. I love salad bars and I love muffins. So Jason's Deli is one of my favorite places. My kids love it too, mainly for the muffins and free ice cream. Well sometime back before Christmas, we went to dinner there and I saw a soup that look amazing. I had to try it. It was the chicken pot pie soup. And let me tell you, it was delicious. I love chicken pot pie, so why wouldn't I love the soup version? This recipe so good! I changed some things about the original recipe to make it easier to prepare, because we all need that right? I have made it twice and I will say that I enjoyed cubed chicken better than shredded and we liked both the homemade cheesy crescent rolls and just rolled out pie crust baked for topping. Enjoy this  on all of the cold nights that are about come along!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

inspired from back to the cutting board

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed or shredded

2 cups chicken broth or stock, divided

1 chicken bouillon or better than bouillon

3 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream (use milk instead if you prefer.)

1/2 cup flour

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 bag (16 oz) frozen vegetable blend (peas, carrots, green beans, corn)

2 potatoes, cubed (red or russet, I used red.)

1/2 teaspoon Thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions:

Put potatoes in a pot with 1 cup of chicken broth and enough water to cover them. Cover and cook until fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.

While potatoes are cooking, melt butter in large pot. Add in garlic, onions, and frozen vegetables. Cook over medium-high heat until vegetables are starting to look cooked, maybe 7-10 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally so the vegetables won't stick to the pan.

Once cooked, sprinkle the vegetable mixture with 1/2 cup of flour evenly. Stir to combine with a large spoon, I love my spoonula for this! Add in remaining cup of chicken broth, bouillon or better than bouillon, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth.

Gradually add in milk and cream, stirring constantly to keep it smooth. Bring the mixture to a low boil until it begins to thicken. Now add in potatoes and chicken. Reduce heat and simmer on low-medium for a couple of minutes. If you want to make it thinner, add more broth or milk, if you want it thicker, add a bit more flour. Salt and pepper to taste. (Remember to make sure there is enough salt, the potatoes with absorb a lot of it.)

Serve with puff pastry, baked pie crust, or homemade cheesy crescent rolls rolled out flat.

This post has been linked to Everyday Mom Meals.