Eggless Chocolate Cake - Moist and Delicious

In honor of my 'baby' who is now 18 and is moving out of the house and into her new dorm room at college on the other side of the state, today's post is for a deliciously simply and moist chocolate cake with a marshmallowy Seven Minute Frosting to top it off. I used a pre-packaged European Chocolate Mousse that mixes with milk just like pudding to pull together a cake that looks like you slaved away all day on it.

The reason I am choosing this recipe in honor of my daughter's move to college today is that when she was 8 years old she secretly made this cake for my husband and I, from scratch, while we were out to dinner for our 11th wedding Anniversary. Our neighbor was babysitting for the three children in her home across the street and my daughter convinced her that we allowed her to bake in our home 'all the time' (truth: never) so my friend let her go back home to make us a surprise cake. Just a second grader, she baked her first cake, from scratch, all by herself and even found a frosting recipe in my cookbooks and made tinted frostings to decorate it.

Eggless Chocolate Cake

2 c flour
1 c sugar
1/4 t salt
1/3 c cocoa
1 t baking soda
1 c cold water
1 1/2 t vanilla
2/3 c mayonnaise

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the water, vanilla and mayonnaise. Beat 100 strokes with a wooden spoon until smooth. Grease 2 - 8" layer pans, line the bottoms with wax paper and pour half the batter in each. Bake at 350 degree's for 25-35 minutes until done. Cool in pans 5 minutes before turning out to cool completely.






I like to freeze the layers which makes it easy to assemble the cake later.

For the center use frosting, mousse, or even a light layer of raspberry or cherry jam. Another delicious filling we've used is hot fudge sauce.



I used a Seven (7) Minute Frosting for the top but you can use your favorite frosting.


Spread the frosting over the cake



 

Vegetable Cheese Soup

Our oldest daughter will soon be leaving for college and because she balked and put off having her wisdom teeth taken out last Christmas because she didn't want to recover during break, and the Spring because of Spring Break, and in April because of prom and May because of graduation... she ended up having surgery last week.

Her wisdom teeth were buried deep and hadn't started moving yet, but due to her braces, her tiny mouth and a history of her permanent teeth coming in at difficult angles, her orthodontist and her dentists wanted to get all four removed.

It's in honor her and her week of pain, swelling, bruising and inability to eat that I'm posting the first 'real' food she had in three days; Vegetable Cheese Soup. The 'cheese' part for her, the 'vegetables' for me... because I'm a Mom.

This is one of those recipes where you start with a basic idea and then you add to it and turn it into what you want. I preach this often but I mean it... use a recipe as a GUIDE and make it your own. Play with your food! Add what you want, leave out what you don't like.




Vegetable Cheese Soup

4 T butter
1 lg. onion, chopped
3 T flour
1 lg. carrot, chopped or grated
1 lg. green pepper, chopped fine
3 c chicken broth
2 c whipping cream, half and half or milk (it just won't be as thick or rich)
2 c cheese (Velveeta, swiss, mozzarella, cheddar... use what you have on hand for different flavors each time)

In a saucepan melt 2 T butter. I like to add about 1/2 - 3/4 cup water and cook onion, carrot and green pepper over medium heat until tender. Remove all from saucepan. At this point you can put the vegetable mixture into the blender or a food processor and process until smooth or you can leave them diced for a nice texture. Melt 2 T butter, stir in flour and cook 2 minutes while stirring or whisking smooth. Gradually add the broth and cream. Whisk, increase heat and bring to a very brief boil. Reduce heat immediately and simmer on low 10 minutes until thick and creamy. Add the mixture of cheeses and the cooked veggies. Serve!

* You can leave out the cheese, you can leave out the vegetables if you like. You can add jalapeno's or spinach or even cooked asparagus. Another delicious version I've made with this base is a red pepper and shrimp bisque. Play with your food!

Grilled Shrimp and Green Bean Salad

Southern Living comes through again!

It's 5:00 pm, I just got home from work and I'm wondering what to make for dinner. Checking my email I see this delicious looking (and sounding) recipe from them and yet again am totally in love with their magazine.

I do believe that when I finally get back down to the South and call it 'home' again I am just going to stack up my magazines and systematically go through and make every single recipe them. They never let me down.










Basil Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
4 large shallots, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup olive oil

Whisk together balsamic vinegar and next 6 ingredients in a small bowl until blended; gradually add olive oil, whisking constantly until blended.

Grilled Shrimp and Green Bean Salad

8 (12-inch) wooden skewers
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
2 pounds peeled, medium-size raw shrimp
Basil Vinaigrette, divided
6 cooked bacon slices, crumbled
1 1/3 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup chopped roasted, salted almonds


Soak wooden skewers in water to cover 30 minutes. Cook green beans in boiling salted water to cover 4 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain, pat dry, and place in a large bowl.

Combine shrimp and 3/4 cup Basil Vinaigrette in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and chill 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove shrimp from marinade, discarding marinade. Thread shrimp onto skewers.

Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 2 minutes on each side or just until shrimp turn pink. Remove shrimp from skewers; toss with green beans, bacon, Parmesan cheese, almonds, and remaining 3/4 cup Basil Vinaigrette. Serve over hot cornbread, if desired.

Turning your Large Zucchini into Apple Pie! It's time for Zapple Pie!

My 13 year old has been waiting oh-so-patiently for me to make her favorite 'vegetable' pie... one that actually is mistaken for a fruit pie. Apple Pie. But that's ok, because it's supposed to be!

It's Zapple Pie - made with zucchini and it's so good that you could probably bake in bulk and sell them!

Unfortunately work has kept me at the office until 7:pm a few nights this week and coupled with errands, meant sometimes not getting home until 9:00 and thus; no pie. But it's the weekend, with no plans in place, a husband working and kids otherwise occupied, so guess what she finally got?

Zapple Pie! And now you can too! Grab those zucchini's that you have sitting on the counter that you've run out of idea's to make things with, and get ready to serve your family apple pie... errr, make that Zapple Pie.

Zapple Pie

6 c peeled, scooped out, quartered and thinly sliced zucchini
1 1/4 c sugar (3/4 - 1 1/4, adjust to your own taste)
1 t vanilla
4 T real butter
2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/3 c lemon juice + water to make 1/2 c
1/3 c flour
1 pie shell with top crust


Preheat Oven: 450.

In a saucepan over medium heat combine the zucchini, sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add 2 T lemon juice. Stir to mix and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Mix the rest lemon juice and water with the flour in a cup and stir into the zucchini mixture to thicken. Remove from heat.

Spoon the zucchini filling into the pie shell. Place the top crust on and crimp the edges to seal. Put the pie into the hot oven and close the door. Then reduce the heat to 350. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is browned and the filling is bubbling.

Cool completely or slightly warmed to serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Yes, you really use Zucchini

Scoop out the seeds and quarter the larger vegetables, halve the smaller ones

When it's simmering, your family will start to converge in the kitchen
and ask you what smells so wonderful

Don't forget the vent holes to let steam escape!

Letting it cool... the hardest part!

 

Chicken Souvlaki or "Grilled Chicken on Pita's with a creamy cucumber sauce"

Souvlaki. Growing up in the heartland of the Midwest I can guarantee that I never once heard this dish uttered not only in my own household, but my friends, extended family or even saw it in any of the cookbooks that I surrounded myself with. Now, a couple decades later it very well has made it's way to the bread basket of America and small town life. It's even served at local county fairs... but you probably haven't heard it called Souvlaki.

If I asked you if you've had it you might say 'no'. If I ask you if you've had grilled chicken on pita bread with tomatoes, onions, and a cool yogurt and cucumber sauce you might say "Oh! Yes I've made that!" or "I just had that at the local fair last week!"

And you would be right.

We are possibly having guests from out of town both Wednesday night and Sunday. If the sunshine holds out and the weather is perfect for grilling this is going to be a delicious summer meal to serve with a glass of wine or even a non-alcoholic raspberry or cranberry drink.


Chicken Souvlaki

2 cups plain yogurt
1 cucumber, halved lengthwise, peeled, seeded, and grated
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 clove garlic, minced
Fresh-ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4), cut into 1-inch cubes
4 pitas
6 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, cut into thin wedges
2 tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
1/3 cup black olives or Kalamata, halved and pitted


First make the delicious cucumber/yogurt sauce; Put the yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter and set it over a bowl. Let drain in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. In a medium glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the cucumber with 1 teaspoon of the salt; let sit for about 15 minutes. Squeeze the cucumber to remove the liquid. Put the cucumber back in the bowl and stir in the drained yogurt, the garlic, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and the dill.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, oregano, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Toss the chicken cubes in the oil mixture and thread them onto wooden skewers you have soaked in water or on metal skewers. Grill the chicken over high heat, turning once, until done, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Spread both sides of the pitas with the butter and grill or broil just a couple minutes,turning once, until golden. To serve, put the pitas on plates and top with the onion, tomatoes, and chicken skewers with any accumulated juices. Serve with the tzatziki and olives.