chocolate cake

350 degrees (basically from bakerella) 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour  (180g)

2/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa (29 g)

1 1/2 cup sugar (300 g)

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 eggs 

1/2 cup vegetable oil 

2 teaspoons vanilla 

3/4 cup buttermilk 

2/3 cup hot water(or coffee)

Buttercream Frosting: 1 1/2 cups butter 1 teaspoon vanilla

6 cups powdered sugar 4-8 Tablespoons milk

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels, if desired

Chocolate Ganache: 3/4 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup butter 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

For the cake:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease the bottom of two 9-inch cake pans. Then place parchment paper cut to size on the bottom of each pan and grease paper. Dust pans with cocoa.
• Sift dry ingredients together and place in a large mixing bowl.
• Add eggs, oil, milk and vanilla and beat for a couple of minutes until combined.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add hot water and mix together.
• Pour into prepared pans and bake for about 28-30 minutes. Batter will be very liquid.
• Cool for about 5 minutes in the pan. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

For the frosting:

• Beat the butter in a mixer until smooth.
• Add vanilla and mix until combined.
• Add the powdered sugar in several additions, scraping down the sides after each addition.
• Add milk a tablespoon at a time and mix together until you achieve a smooth consistency.
• Note: If you want your frosting whiter without using shortening, add a little white icing color to tint.

For the ganache:

• Heat cream and butter in a saucepan until melted and remove before it starts to boil.
• Place chocolate morsels in a small bowl and pour cream on top. Let sit for a few seconds and whisk by hand until completely incorporated and smooth.
• Let cool until thick and pourable.
• The ganache can take a bit to thicken. You can make it before the buttercream, to save time. Just use a wire whisk to stir it every few minutes and keep it smooth

To assemble: trim tops off of cake layers with a long serrated knife so they have a nice, flat top. Place one layer bottom side up on cake stand. Mix about 2/3 cup morsels with about 1 cup of the frosting. Spread frosting on top of bottom layer. Place second layer on top. It helps to have a crumb coat on the outside of your cake first. Simply apply a thin coat of frosting to the entire cake to catch andy excess crumbs. Then place cake in freezer for a few minutes to firm up frosting and cover the entire cake again with a thick layer of buttercream. This will help you keep all those crumbs from getting caught in your pretty work. Slowly, pour ganache over center of cake. Pour just enough to start dripping down the sides.

roman stew

2 lbs top round - cubed
1/2 c seasoned flour
1 T olive oil
6 oz chopped bacon
1 medium onion- chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery - sliced
1 T marjoram
1 c red wine
1/2 c beef stock
2 T tomato sauce

1- dredge meat in flour, brown in olive oil
2- cook bacon
3- use fat to saute vegetables
4- add meat and remaining ingredients (sans tomato sauce)
5- simmer 30-40 min to 1 hour with no lid
6- after meat is tender, add tomato sauce and simmer additional 30-40 min

notes: i generally don't have tomato sauce and use marinara or tomato soup concentrate

stupid turkey noodle bake

350 degrees
brown 1-2 lbs ground turkey
2 c shredded cheese
1.5 c uncooked noodles
1 can condensed cream onion soup
1 c milk
8 oz frozen peas

1- brown turkey, season with s + p, paprika, garlic powder, thyme
2- boil egg noodles
3- mix all in bowl. grease 2 qt casserole dish and bake
30-60 min covered

4- uncover and top with last 1/2 c cheese for 15-20 min

crock pot chicken burrito

3 or 4 chicken breasts (frozen or not)
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can ro-tel (undrained)

put in crock pot and cook on LOW for 5 hours

with about 1 hour/30 min left
use forks to shred chicken
throw in frozen corn
15oz can rinsed & drained black beans

when time is up, stir in 1 block of cream cheese

potato soup

--5 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced in 1 to 2-inch chunks
--1 teeny onion, diced
--4 cloves garlic, minced
--1 teaspoon seasoned salt
--1/2 teaspoon black pepper
--1/2 teaspoon red pepper
--2 quarts chicken broth
--2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, to add at the end
--crumbled bacon and green onion or chives as garnish (optional)

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Peel and dice the potatoes, and put them into the stoneware. Add onion and garlic. Sprinkle in the seasonings, and pour in the broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4. The potatoes should be fork-tender. You can use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the soup, or a hand-held immersible blender. I suppose you can also leave the potatoes in chunks, if you really wanted, but I wanted a smooth soup.

After smashing the potatoes, crumble in both packages of cream cheese, and put the lid back on. Cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is completely dissolved. Stir a few times during the 30 minutes.

Garnish with crumbled bacon, green onion or chives, and I'd assume cheddar cheese would be just delightful.

gingerbread

from bakerella

Gingerbread Cookies

5 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 cup butter, slightly soft
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses

• Sift flour, soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add egg and mix until combined.
• Add molasses and mix until combined.
• Gradually add in flour mixture and mix until combined and a dough forms.
• Divide dough into four sections and shape each into a flattened disc.
• Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
• When ready to bake preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll out each disc between two sheets of parchment paper using a rolling pin.
• Flour the sides of the paper that will touch the dough to make it a little easier to release.
• Cut out shapes and remove excess dough to reuse.
• Leave cutouts on parchment paper and transfer to cookie sheet.
• Bake for 8-9 minutes. Cool on cooling rack.

For the icing, mix together four cups confectioner’s sugar and four tablespoons meringue powder with about four tablespoons water. If it’s too thick, add more water a teaspoon at a time. Or if it’s too thin, add more confectioner’s sugar. Decorate using a #2 to outline and #3 tip to fill in.

turke meatballs

• 1 small onion, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground dark turkey meat
• 3 tablespoons olive oil