Sunday: Pork Egg Rolls and Coconut Lime Cake

Sunday dinners usually consist of some meat feature. What can I say it's how I was raised. Growing up we would almost always have some roasted beast, be it moo, oink or cluck, with a nice potato side (we're Irish). So coming up with Sunday dinner menus I usually follow a similar template.


Every once in a while I do shake it up. Spaghetti with Meatballs and Italian Sausage. Chicken Pot Pie. Everything Jambalaya.


But this week I opted to make one of my weeknight dishes on a Sunday.


Chicken Vegetable Stir Fry.


Since I consider Sunday dinners kind of a special occasion I decided to dress it up a bit with some homemade Egg Rolls.


My husband made them for me once years ago when we were dating, you know back when my husband cooked for me, I kid, I kid. Anyway, he made them and I remember them being pretty tasty so I dusted off my husband's one cookbook and got frying.


They are surprisingly quick to make. The biggest time eater is the chopping and grating needed to get the ingredients prepped. After that is saute, assemble and fry. Delish!

Pork Stuffed Egg Rolls

8 egg roll or won ton wraps
1/2 lb ground pork
1 tsp grated fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced or put through press
1/2 cup cabbage or bok choy, finely chopped
1/2 carrots, shredded
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup water chestnuts, chopped (optional)
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
pinch of salt and sugar to taste

Cook ground pork, ginger and garlic together in a skillet over med/high heat until meat is no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes. Drain fat. Add cabbage/bok choy, carrots, onion and water chestnuts (if using) and cook for a few minutes until veggies are fragrant. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, cornstarch, salt and sugar then add to skillet. Cook and stir for about a minute more then remove from heat and cool slightly before assembling egg rolls.

Use a 1/4 cup of filling for each egg roll. Place the filling diagonally on the wrap. Fold the bottom corner up over the filling, then fold in side corners. Brush the top corner with water and then roll wrap up tightly to close.

To deep fry: Bring canola oil up to 350 degrees. Place 2 or 3 egg rolls in frying basket at a time. Fry in oil for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a towel lined plate.

To bake: Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place rolls on a baking sheet coated with non-stick cooking spray. Lightly brush the tops of the egg rolls with olive oil and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm with Spicy Mustard or Sweet and Sour dipping sauces.

Bailey's Irish Cream Cake

Since St. Patrick's Day falls during the work week this year I decided to do an early Irish feast with the family this last Sunday.

I made some great stand by's Guiness Beef Stew and my Aunt Cathie's Irish Soda Bread, but I wanted to keep up with my New Year's resolution to try a new recipe weekly so I threw in a traditional Irish dish I'd never made called Colcannon ( a yummy mix of mashed potatoes with sauteed cabbage) and a recipe of my own devising for dessert, Bailey's Irish Cream Cake.

When it comes to desserts, Ireland doesn't have a ton. This isn't to say that the ones they do have aren't delicious, I love a good bowl of fresh berries and cream or a nice freckled scone. But I was looking for something a little richer. Now I don't know about most households, but ours ALWAYS seems to have a bottle of Irish Cream in the cabinet. Either purchased or gifted I can't remember which, but since I was old enough to remember my house has always had a bottle of the milky spirit on hand to offer guests, stiffen a coffee or celebrate a special occasion. It's delicious, but unlike vodka, whiskey or gin which can be mixed and matched, Bailey's is kind of a one trick pony.

So I started thinking, how about making a dessert with it.

I found a few recipes for mousses and puddings, but I didn't have any cream in the house and didn't want to make a special trip out to the store for just one ingredient when I had everything else under the sun.

Then I found a few recipes for cake, but they either started with boxed cake mix that I didn't have on hand (see above reason for elimination) or they were made with chocolate, which I gave up for Lent. Some may say what's the point of sacrifice if you aren't tempted and that's all well and good until you have to make said temptation from scratch. So for purely selfish reasons I ruled out the chocolate. But reading through all these different recipes got me thinking, "Why don't I just create my own Bailey's cake recipe?"

So I did.

I took a recipe I had for a very tasty Yellow Cake and did some modifying and this is what I came up with. It's quick and easy to make and while St. Patrick's Day is a great time to enjoy some Irish spirits, this cream cake can be great any time of the year. Enjoy!

Bailey's Irish Cream Cake
Makes 1 two layer 9" round cake

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour, sifted
4 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 Bailey's Irish Cream

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter and flour two 9" round cake pans and line with parchment paper.

In medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt then set aside. Combine milk and Bailey's in measuring cup and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until lightened. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the mixing bowl occasionally.

Alternately add flour and milk mixture to cake batter, ending with flour.

Divide batter between cake pans and smooth our tops with spatula. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown and the cake tester comes out with moist crumbs. Transfer cakes to wire racks to cool. After 15 minutes, run a knife around the edge of the pans and then turn the cakes out onto the racks to finish cooling then frost.

Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted sweet cream butter
1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
5 cups powdered sugar
splash of milk

In a mixing bowl combine butter and Bailey's a cream until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Check the consistency of the frosting to make sure it is spreadable, add a splash of milk to loosen things up if it's too dry. Alternately, add more powdered sugar if the frosting seems too loose. Frost cake and serve.

A funny thing and German Chocolate

And no the funny thing isn't the German Chocolate which I will get to in a moment.


The funny thing is I didn't think I posted my last post. By either lack of tech savvy on my part or some glitch on the part of my computer, my post was, well, posted. I had written about missing the blog, but wanted to hold off on putting it on line until I felt more confident with keeping to the commitment of blogging again. I didn't want to start all fired up only to find out that I didn't have the time to do the job properly.


Then came an email alert that a poster by the name of Our Family had commented on my recent entry. I slowly realized that I was "active" again. Soooo, here I am. Back again.


I'm excited to get talking food. I made a New Year's Resolution to try a new recipe every week and I am happy to report I've been sticking to it (unlike my plan to completely reorganize my office and read through back issues of about 50 food magazines, yikes! Well, there's always 2012.)


One of my experiments was for a recipe called German Chocolate Brownies. I came across it in Bon Appetit magazine's Reader's Favorite Restaurant Recipes section. The original recipe made about 54 brownies so I halved it and boy am I glad I did.


So delish, but soooooooo rich. I am not usually someone who believes in dessert in small quantities; it's dessert of goodness sake, live it up! But I would definitely say a little goes a long way when it comes to these brownies so have some guests to share it with.

It's a quick easy recipe that I highly recommend. The only labor intensive step is making the frosting, but I think an easy short cut would be using a can of store bought German Chocolate frosting instead.

German Chocolate Brownies

Brownies:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs

Frosting:
3/4 cup half and half (I blended equal parts whole milk and cream)
1/2 & 1/8 cups sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes, room temperature)
3 large egg yolks
12 ounces sweetened flaked coconut (about 3 1/2 cups)
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 8x8 inch pan with aluminum foil, leaving enough extra foil for a 2" overhand on 2 sides. Butter and flour the foil.
Whisk flour and cocoa in small bowl. Using a mixer, beat sugar and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add flour mixture and beat until just blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread to edges using a spatula.
Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs attached, about 23 minutes or so.
Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

To make frosting, stir half and half, sugar, butter, egg yolks and vanilla in large saucepan over medium heat until mixture thickens and instant-read thermometer registers 180 F, stirring CONSTANTLY, about 15 minutes ( do NOT allow the mixture to boil) **this is why you may want to opt for the store bought frosting as a short cut!
Fold coconut and pecans into topping. Chill 1 hour. Spread over brownies. Cut into small squares and ENJOY!!

DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving, if desired.

Lobster Bisque

Recently it was my husband Peter's birthday and according to family tradition he got to pick the menu for his Birthday Dinner.

In addition to New York Strip Steak, Baked Potatoes, Homemade Onion Rings and Red Velvet Cake Peter asked for Lobster Bisque.

What the Birthday Boy wants the Birthday Boy gets!

So after a lot of preparation Peter got his beloved Lobster Bisque.

A word of warning...preparing the soup is rather time consuming. So unless you just have a load of free time to fill I would save it for those special occasion meals (like Birthdays) when you can share the richly flavored dish with friends and family.

Lobster Bisque
Serves 8
Total cost: $46.00 (appox. $5.75/person)

1 2lb. live lobster (or two 1 lb. lobsters), be sure to leave the claws bound
3 quarts water
1 cup white wine
3 tarragon sprigs or 1 TBSP of dried tarragon
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 2" pieces
2 celery ribs cut into 2" pieces
2 medium onions peeled and quartered
2 garlic cloves peeled
4 TBSP unsalted butter
3 TBSP brandy
1 TBSP tomato paste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 TBSP cornstarch
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp of lemon juice

Combine water, wine, tarragon, bay leaf and salt in an 8 quart pot and bring to a boil. Put the lobster in the boiling water head first and cook for about 10 minutes with the pot loosely covered. With tongs remove the lobster from the pot and set aside in a shallow baking dish to cool. Pour the cooking liquid into a large bowl.

Once the lobster is cool enough to handle, crack the shell and remove the meat from the tail, claws and joints. Reserve the shells, but discard the lobster body. Pour any left over juice into the bowl with the cooking liquid. Cut the lobster meat into 1/2 inch pieces, cover and refrigerate.

Wrap the claw shells in a sturdy kitchen towel and pound with either a mallet or rolling pin until they broken up into 1/2 inch pieces. With kitchen shears cut the remaining shells into 1/2 inch pieces as well.

In a food processor pulse the carrots, celery, onions and garlic until finely chopped. Melt the butter in a clean pot over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes or until they are soft. Add the lobster shells to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add brandy and simmer until it has evaporated. Stir in tomato paste, reserved cooking liquid and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring every once in a while until the liquid has reduced by about half, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Once the soup has reduced, discard the bay leaf and then with a slotted spoon put the solids (even the lobster shells) in small batches into the food processor. Puree until as smooth as possible. Force the solids through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing hard on the solids. Pour some of the cooking liquid through the sieve to extract as much liquid as possible from the solids. Discard the solids and return soup to a clean pot.

Bring the soup to a boil. Stir together 1/2 cup of soup and cornstarch in small bowl until smooth then whisk the mixture into the pot of soup. Simmer, whisking constantly until the soup gets slightly thickened. Then add the cream, lemon juice, salt and lobster meat and heat through, do NOT boil. Serve.

**The bisque can be made up to 2 days in advance. Cool the prepared soup uncovered then cover the cooled soup and refrigerate. When reheating the bisque do so over low heat, do NOT let the soup boil.

Goat Cheese and Prosciutto Egg Strata

I owe my friend Nikki full credit for this super yummy casserole recipe.

When I told her I was looking for a new egg dish to serve at my Book Club meeting, Nikki came to the rescue with one of her classic tasty go-to dishes.

You assemble all the ingredients the night before so all you have to do the morning you want to serve it is pull it out of the fridge 3o minutes before you plan on putting it in the oven and you are good to go.

As easy as it is delicious.

Goat Cheese and Prosciutto Egg Strata
Serves 8-10

18 slices firm white bread (such as English muffin bread), crusts removed
6 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
4 ounces provolone, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
6 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
5 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Line bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish completely with 1 layer of bread, cutting some slices to fit. Arrange half of prosciutto evenly over bread. Sprinkle half of goat cheese and half of provolone over. Sprinkle with half of green onions and half of basil. Top with second layer of bread. Layer remaining prosciutto, goat cheese, provolone, green onions, and basil atop bread. Cut remaining bread into 1/4-inch cubes. Sprinkle over top.

Whisk eggs, milk, mustard, and salt in bowl. Season with pepper. Pour egg mixture over strata; press down on bread with spatula. Drizzle melted butter over strata. Cover and refrigerate overnight. 6

Preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover strata and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake until center is set, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Preheat broiler. Place strata under broiler until top is golden, about 30 seconds.

Cut into large squares and serve.

Regent's Punch

This weekend I hosted the ladies of my Book Club for brunch. And what brunch worth it's weight in assorted pastries doesn't have a nice accompaniment of punch.

In this case, champagne punch.

Ever since the arrival of my December issue of Saveur magazine I have been compelled to try 2 of the recipes I found within.

One being their preparation of Filet Mignon with Bordelaise Sauce, which by the way I did make and it was D-E-licious.

The other being the recipe for Regent's Punch.

Seeing as up until this weekend I have never had occasion to whip up a champagne concoction in my household (my husband is a straight Heineken/Jameson man) I jumped at the opportunity to host a group of ladies who not only shared of my love of books, but also my fondness of champagne.

And seeing as I had decreed 2009 the Year of the Punch, I had to get my punch year rolling. So here it goes.

http://www.saveur.com/article/Drink-Recipes/Regents-Punch

Instead of using arrack or cachaca liquor I just added extra rum, in this case not dark Jamaican rum but spiced rum as it was what I had on hand. As for the use of a seville orange, I didn't use one. I couldn't find that specific variety of orange at my produce market so I just used the addition of a regular orange instead.

Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry

I love stir fry, but unfortunately when I order any for our local take out places there are just never enough veggies and I'm usually worried that my sodium intake will be off the charts. So I devised my own version of stir fry based on Chinese menus' Beef and Broccoli. It's quick enough for a weekday night and healthier (and more inexpensive) alternative to delivery.

Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry
Serves 4
Total Cost: $11.00 (approx. $2.75/person)

Sauce:
1/4 cup oyster sauce
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp white wine
1 Tbsp Thai style chili sauce
1 tsp hot chili paste (optional)
1 tsp corn starch
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside to add to the stir fry pan later.

Stir Fry:
3 bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, green or any combination), sliced
1 bunch of broccoli, cut into florets
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
1 lb top sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced into strips against the grain
2 cloves garlic, minced or put through garlic press
1 inch ginger, grated
3 Tbsp soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil

In a bowl combine the steak, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, jalapeno, salt and pepper and let marinade for about 10 minutes.

In a microwave safe dish with a lid cook the broccoli florets with a couple of Tbsps of water until tender, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

In wok or large frying pan over high heat add a few Tbsp of olive oil and heat until very hot. Add the peppers and onion and cook until caramelized, about 8-10 minutes. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside. Bring the pan back up to high heat and then add more oil, then the steak (add the steak in batches if it will over crowd the pan). Cook beef until browned then add the broccoli, peppers and onion into the pan along with the reserved sauce and cook until the sauce thickens.

Serve with rice or noodles.

White Bean and Escarole Soup with Turkey Meatballs

I added mini turkey meatballs to this vegetarian soup. My husband Peter also suggested adding leftover Oregano Chicken reheated and shredded up. The two flavors really meld well together. Serve this up with some shredded Parmesan cheese and crusty bread and it is a delicious guilt free meal.

White Bean and Escarole Soup with Turkey Meatballs

Serves 6
Total Cost: $12.00 (approx. $2.00/person)

1 lb escarole, tough white ribs removed and thinly sliced
2-4 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery ribs, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 15oz. can of white beans (cannellini, northern)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 bay leaf, crushed
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 cans chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water

In a large pot over medium-high heat add 2 Tbsp olive oil and saute carrots, celery, onions and garlic until tender. Add escarole and saute until wilted. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil, white beans, salt, pepper and spices to pot and saute. Add broth and water and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Turkey Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey1 egg
1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 Tbsps olive oil for sauteing

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients and using your hand knead mixture together until evenly mixed. Taking Tbsp. size pieces of the turkey mixture roll into mini meatballs and set aside.

In a frying pan over medium-high heat saute the mini meatballs in 1-2 Tbsps. of olive oil until browned. Add browned meatballs to soup and allow to simmer for at least an hour so they are cooked through.

Black Pepper Crusted Roast Beef

Fall is here which means it's time to start roasting some meat.

My friend Ed passed this tasty recipe on to me and now I, in turn, share it with all of you.

I made it just the other night for Sunday dinner and was impressed with how juicy and tender it came out.

*Keep an eye on any sales at your grocer's meat department. Just this week at Hy-Vee they have an assortment of beef roasts on special.

Black Pepper Crusted Roast Beef

Serves 4
Total Cost: $10.00 (appox. $2.25/person)

3 lbs. boneless rib eye beef roast
6 garlic cloves (4 minced and 2 thinly sliced)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
3/4 Tbsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. cracked black peppercorns
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. rosemary

In a blender, combine the minced garlic, olive oil, soy sauce, salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary and process until the consistency of paste. Make 15 one inch cuts in the top and bottom of the roast and insert a slice of garlic in each cut. Set the roast on a rack over a roasting pan and rub the herb paste all over the beef. At this point either refrigerate the roast for 2 to 4 hours to let the flavors set in. Be sure to let the meat stand at room temperature for at least an hour before cooking.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the beef. Roast the meat for about 10-15 minutes to allow a crust to form.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook the roast for about 1 1/4 hours longer, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of about 160 degrees for medium (about 130 degrees for rare).

Transfer the roast to a carving board and let it rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Carve and serve.

Oregano Chicken

In the latest issue of Saveur magazine there is a recipe for chicken that is absolutely out of this world.

According to the article "Stretch's Chicken Savoy" is a New Jersey favorite and I can see why. My friend Liz made it for our last Book Club meeting and served it with some roasted root veggies and a mixed greens salad, clean plates all around.


Stretch's Chicken Savoy (aka Oregano Chicken)

Serves 4
Total Cost: $9.00 (appox. $2.25/person)


3-4 lbs chicken breasts, with bones and skin
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup red wine vinegar


Preheat oven to 500. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.


In a small food processor finely chop garlic, cheese, 3 Tbsp. olive oil, oregano and thyme until the consistency of paste.


Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until browned, about 6-8 minutes. Turn chicken over and smear the cooked skin side with the garlic herb paste.


Transfer pan to oven and cook until well browned, 20-25 minutes. Make sure the chicken is cooked through before removing it from the oven. Remove pan from the oven and pour out fat. Add vinegar to pan and spoon over the cooked chicken.


Serve chicken with vinegar sauce.

Buttermilk Spice Cake

This is my new favorite fall cake recipe.
Cream cheese frosting is the perfect topping for these light spiced treats.

Buttermilk Spice Cake
Serves 8-10
Total Cost (including frosting): $6.00 (appox. $.60-$.75/person)

2 cups brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 eggs, separated
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
pinch of salt
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper.

Cream sugar and butter. Slowly add oil into mixture. Add egg yolks one at a time. Sift together flour, spices, salt, baking soda and powder. Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk to the batter.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and then, in batches, fold into the batter.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake come out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream together butter and cream cheese until combined. Add vanilla. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until thoroughly incorporated. For a thicker frosting add more powdered sugar until you get your desired consistency.

Butternut Squash Soup

I couldn't be more excited for fall.

Just the other week I picked up a pair of pumpkins at Stanley's. I want it to be October so bad I can almost taste the Halloween candy and Carmel apples.

Since summer is still holding on with tender hooks I'll have to put off menus filled with roasted meats and root vegetables. But I was able to break the seal on the first soup of the season.

It's easy and healthy, but most importantly it's great.

Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 6-8
Total Cost: $5.50 (approx. $.61-$.91/person)

1 shallot, minced
1 medium onion, diced
3lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
2 TBSP olive oil
8 cups chicken stock
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste
pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

In a large pot over medium heat add the oil and saute the shallot and onion until translucent. Add the squash to the onion mixture and saute for about 2 minutes.

Pour the broth into the pot with the sauteed vegetables also adding the rosemary and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Reduce the heat and let the soup simmer for at least 30 minutes until the squash is very soft. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes, if using.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth.

Mexican Chocolate Cake

On the back of every Hershey's Cocoa container is a recipe for their "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake.

It is one of the best, easiest and fool proof chocolate cake recipes I have come across. With a few simple modifications what was once a delicious cake is now a crowd favorite.

Just recently I was looking for a good Mexican Chocolate Cake recipe for a dinner party I was throwing. The simple addition of a teaspoon of cinnamon transformed this regular chocolate cake to one with a south of the border twist.

Mexican Chocolate Cake
Serves 10-12
Total Cost: $6.75 (approx. $.56-$.68/person)

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup hot coffee

**Frosting Recipe to follow

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9 inch round baking pans and line with parchment paper (an important step to help remove the cakes after baking).

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Use a whisk or a spoon to thoroughly combine. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until all incorporated. Stir in hot coffee, at this point the batter will be very thin. Pour into pan, filling only about halfway.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then remove the cakes from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Cupcake Variation: Line muffin pans with paper cupcake liners. Fill each about halfway with batter. Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 30 cupcakes.

Chocolate Frosting
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
2/3 Hershey's Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine melted butter and cocoa. Beating on medium speed, add vanilla, then alternately add powdered sugar and milk until the frosting is spreading consistency. If too stiff add more milk as needed.

Summer Vegetable Gratin

My favorite food magazine right now is Cook's Illustrated.

When it comes to food they really mean business. They will work a recipe from every angle to streamline and perfect it.

So when I saw that they took on Summer Vegetable Gratin I was thrilled.

I remember my Aunt Kate making a wonderful Zucchini Tomato Bake in the summer, but when I attempted to recreate it's veggie glory I was a failure.

When Cook's Illustrated July & August 2008 issue arrived and had a veggie bake similar to Aunt Kate's I had to try it. It was so successful, I've already made it twice.

Summer Vegetable Gratin
Serves 6-8
Total Cost: $6.00 (aprox. $.75-$1/person)

6 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb zucchini, ends trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/4 thick slices
1 lb summer squash, ends trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/4 thick slices
***2 lbs of only zucchini or only summer squash can be substituted***
2 tsp salt
3 large ripe tomatoes sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 yellow onions, cut in half and then thinly sliced from pole to pole
black pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves minced
***1 1/2 Tbsp dried thyme can be substituted***
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 minced shallots (about 2 medium)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 400. Place the oven rack in the upper middle position. Brush a 9x13 pan with 1Tbsp of olive oil and set aside.

Combine sliced zucchini and squash with 1tsp salt in a large bowl and then transfer the salted veggies to a colander set over the bowl. Let stand for about 45 minutes, the veggies will release about 3 Tbsps of liquid.

Arrange tomato slices in a single layer over double layer paper towels and sprinkle evenly with 1/2 tsp salt and let stand for about 30 minutes. After that time, place a second double layer of paper towels over the tomatoes and press firmly to dry them.

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and dark golden brown, about 20 minutes. Set onions aside.

Combine garlic, 3 Tbsp olive oil, black pepper to taste and thyme in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mix the zucchini and squash in half of the garlic oil mixture.

Pour zucchini and squash in the greased 9x13 pan. Arrange the caramelized onions in a single layer over the squash. Place the tomato slices slightly overlapping in a single layer over the onions. Spoon the remaining garlic oil mixture evenly over the tomatoes.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes, tomatoes will have started to brown around the edges and the vegetables are tender.

Mix breadcrumbs, 1 Tbsp oil, Parmesan and shallots in a bowl. Remove baking dish from the oven and increase heat to 450 degrees. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top of tomatoes. Bake about 5 to 10 minutes more, the gratin will be bubbling and the cheese will be lightly browned.

Sprinkle with basil and let rest for about 10 minutes are room temperature before serving.

Red Pepper Variation: Replace 3 roasted red peppers, skinned and cut into 1 inch pieces for 1 lb of the squash (do not SALT the roasted peppers). The Parmesan cheese can be substituted with one cup shredded mozzarella.

photo from Cook's Illustrated

Mini Blackberry Cobblers

Stanley's on North and Elston in Chicago had blackberries priced to move, two 6oz. packages for 98 cents. So I scraped my original dessert idea and decided to go with a quick cobbler.

Something of note...

depending on the time of year berries can be on the expensive side. So when you see a deal like this take advantage and buy extra.

Then all you have to do is clean them up, put them in a sealed freezer bag and put them in the freezer for another time.

And when you go to use them later you don't even need to defrost them, you can throw them in a smoothie, stir them into muffin batter, bake them in a pie. The beauty of frozen berries is they can be worked into most recipes straight from the freezer.

And of course there is the extra added benefit of their antioxidant power. Though peaches and plums have their fair share, berries lead the disease fighting antioxidant pack.

Mini Blackberry Cobblers

Serves 4

Total cost: $2.80 (appox. $ .70/person)

Filling:

4 cups blackberries (could substitute blueberries, strawberries or combination)

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Crumble Topping:

2/3 cup flour

1/2 cup oats

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) COLD unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine berries, sugar and cornstarch in bowl and set aside. In a small food processor or in bowl combine the Topping ingredients. If using a food processor pulse until mixture becomes crumbly. If using a bowl, work the butter cubes into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or 2 knives until the mixture becomes crumbly. When

Pour the berries into four 1 cup ramekins*. Press the topping mixture into clumps and crumble over filled ramekins and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until crust is browned and the filling is bubbling. The cobbler can be served hot from the oven or held for later.

*If you don't have ramekins you can use a small baking dish. You could even try oven safe bowls or teacups of a similar size.

**This recipe can be doubled. Use a 9x13 glass baking pan and increase cooking times to about one hour.

Moon Peep Bars

As a tribute to my wonderful Peep-lovin' professor, I created the Moon Peep Bar.

John Mullin and DePaul Niche Reporting Summer Session One class, this one's for you. Enjoy!

Moon Peep Bars
Serves 15
Total Cost - $13.85 (appox. $.93/person)

1 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups chocolate chips, melted
15 marshmallow Peeps
1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut

Line a 9x9 (or 8x8) pan with aluminum foil, have enough foil to leave about an inch overhang on each side.

In the microwave melt the butter. Stir in the peanut butter, powdered sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Pour the mixture into the foil lined pan. Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour until the crust is set.

When the crust has set, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir and pour to cover the peanut graham crust. Spread and smooth out the surface of the melted chocolate with a rubber spatula.

While the chocolate is still hot place the Peeps onto the bars. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut and let the bars set, they can be put back in the refrigerator to speed it along. Cut and serve.

Photo courtesy of Michele Vaccarello of www.studyabroadtraveltips.blogspot.com

Red Pepper Rice

Serves 4
Total cost - $1.50 (appox $.38/person)

1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup white rice
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped or put through a garlic press
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
2 cups chicken stock (about 1 14.5oz can)
2 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
salt

Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
Add oil and when hot, but not smoking, add rice and toast for a couple of minutes.
Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno (if using) and cook for a few minutes to begin to soften the veggies.
Add the stock and raise heat to bring pot to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for 18 minutes.
Season with salt to taste.

Variations:

Asian Red Pepper Rice
Add a Tbsp. of freshly grated ginger in with the veggies and cook as usual. Add 1-2 tsps. of soy sauce with the chicken stock. If using soy sauce omit salt at the end.

Latin Red Pepper Rice
Add the jalapeno with the veggies and cook as usual. Add 1-2 tsps. of hot sauce with the chicken stock. Substitute 2 Tbsps. of finely chopped cilantro for the parsley.

Grilled Paprika Chicken

Last year Martha Stewart's Living Magazine did an entire section in its June issue on grilling chicken.

Martha's recipes can be a bit hit or miss. A number of her culinary creations can be rather labor intensive and on the expensive side with spotty results.

Just recently I made Martha's Chocolate-Caramel Cream Pie from the recipe published in Living's June 2008 issue. Thankfully I was doing a test run because in addtion to the ingredients being costly and its preparation taking most of a Sunday afternoon, the final product was tasty but visually a disaster, unservable.

But what Stewart sometimes lacks in understanding the home cook, especially the home baker, is made up for with recipes like the Smoky Grilled Butterflied Chicken or what I like to call Grilled Paprika Chicken.

The recipe is simple and inexpensive. And in my experience, a crowd pleaser.

Serves 4

Total cost - $5.80 (appox. $1.45/person)

1/4 cup red wine or sherry vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon coarse salt
3-4lbs. skin-on, bone-in chicken, rinsed (I use chicken breasts, but use any combo you like)

Combine vinegar, oil, garlic, paprika, and salt in a nonreactive baking dish or large resealable plastic bag.

Add rinsed chicken to the marinade. Cover dish or seal bag, and refrigerate at least 1 - 4 hours (or overnight), turning occasionally.

Preheat grill to medium. (If you are using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for just 5 or 6 seconds.)

Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Place chicken, skin side down, on grill. Close cover, and grill 15 minutes.

Flip chicken, and close cover. Grill until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the breast registers 165 degrees, about 20 minutes more.

* You can use either sweet or hot paprika. I use the hot variety and it gives the dish quite a kick. Stores most often carry the sweet version, which contrary to the name is not sweet at all, but merely milder in heat compared to its hot counterpart.

I like to serve this chicken with Red Pepper Rice (recipe follows).

Summer Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Serves 8-10
Total cost - $7.50 (approx. $.75-$.95/person)

Crust:
1 cup ginger snaps, ground
3 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. sugar

Batter:
2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, strained

Blueberry Sauce - recipe follows

Preheat oven to 325

Line a 8 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, with the ends of the foil hanging over the sides of the pan.

Mix crust ingredients and press into the bottom of the foil lined pan.

Bake 10 minutes.

Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Once well blended mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice and sour cream. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each egg just until blended.

Pour the batter over the crust.

Bake 40 minutes or until the center is almost set.

Cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate the cheesecake in the pan for 4 hours.

Use the overhanging foil to lift the cheesecake out of the pan before cutting to serve.

Any leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator.


Blueberry Sauce:
1 cup blueberries, divided
1 Tbsp. vanilla sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
juice of one lemon, strained
2-3 Tbsp. water

Combine 1/2 the blueberries and the rest of the ingredients in a small sauce pan. Heat over medium flame. The blueberries will begin releasing some of their juice and once the sauce begins to thicken remove the pan from the heat.

Stir the remaining blueberries into the pan.

The sauce can either be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator for later use.

Sauteed Potatoes with Carmelized Onions

Serves 4
Total Cost of Dish - $2 (appox. $.50/person)

* 1 lb small white potatoes, cut crosswise into 1/4" slices
* 1 yellow onion, halved cut pole to pole into 1/4" slices
* 2 Tbsp. olive oil
* Salt and Pepper
* Splash of white wine
* 1-2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
* Parsley

Bring a medium sized pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add sliced potatoes to water and cook for 8-10 minutes until the potatoes can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife. When the potatoes are cooked through, strain them from the water and set them aside in a bowl for later use.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. Once the olive oil is hot, but not smoking, add the onions to the pan, salt and pepper to taste.
Saute the onions for about 15 minutes until they get a nice golden color. Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine to get up all the stuck on brown bits. Remove the onions from the frying pan and set aside.

Add the remaining Tbsp of olive oil to the frying pan and then the reserved potatoes. Cook the potatoes until golden brown, adding more olive oil as needed.

Once the potatoes are browned add the reserved carmelized onions back into the frying pan along with the butter. Stir to combine the potato/onion mixture.

Cover the pan and drop the heat down to low and cook for an addtional 5 minutes.

Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.