Instant Chocolate Cake in a Mug

It worked! I found this recipe in a magazine and I just had to see how it turned out. Not the best photo but it was delicious, just like regular cake.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
5 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
dash vanilla extract
dash salt

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Pour mixture into a large, microwave safe mug and cook for a few minutes in the microwave until it puffs up (it will then go back down). Wait until for 2 minutes. Voila! You have a mini chocolate cake in a mug. Grab the frosting and a candle.

Dad's Tiramisu (A Short Cut Version)

My dad and I made this version of tiramisu together a couple of Thanksgivings ago. Tiramisu is a wickedly delicious Italian dessert. Have a salad for dinner but THIS for dessert!

½ cup strong coffee, cooled
6 tablespoons Kahlua (coffee liqueur)
8 oz mascarpone cheese (softened)
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
24 ladyfingers (the Alessi brand, which are more firm than the cake type)
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa

Combine coffee and 3 tablespoons Kahlua in an 8 x 8 baking dish.

In a large bowl, beat with a mixer the 2 cheeses until smooth. Add 3 (additional) tablespoons Kahlua and the sugars to the cheese mixture. Mix until blended.

Dip the lady fingers into the coffee/Kahlua mixture and transfer quickly into the 8 x 8 baking dish.

Spread ½ of the cheese mixture on top of the ladyfingers. Sprinkle with ½ the unsweetened cocoa. Repeat with another layer of dipped ladyfingers. Add the remaining cheese mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining unsweetened cocoa.

Cover and chill at least two hours.

Pico de Gallo

This salsa tastes so fresh and is packed with flavor. You can mix pico de gallo with mashed avocados to make guacamole, spoon it over fish or chicken before baking, or use it as a salsa for tortilla chips. Isn't it beautiful? 

3 large roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/2 large (5") jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/8 cup lime juice
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon (maybe more) Kosher salt

Mix everything in a medium bowl and refrigerate to chill if using as salsa.

Make Your Own Mojo: Garlic-Citrus Marinade

Until a friend of mine who lives in the South introduced me to mojo, I'd never heard of it. You may have seen it in your grocery store where it's bottled and marketed as a marinade. In Cuban cooking, mojo is a sauce made with olive oil, large amounts of garlic, and a citrus juice and in Puerto Rican cooking, cilantro is often added. Sour orange, lemon, or lime juice, or some combination thereof, can be used in mojo. Use equal amounts of fresh orange & fresh lime juice to make a substitute for sour orange juice. I use this homemade fresh lime juice version to marinate pork tenderloin. Mojo adds massive flavor and can also be used to marinate chicken, beef, or fish. 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
16 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 1/3 cups freshly squeezed lime juice
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, minced

Heat a sauce pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until it's a light golden color. Be careful, it cooks fast. Add the lime juice and stir, slowly bringing it to a boil. Remove pan from heat and add the salt, pepper, and cilantro. 

Put your meat of choice in a 13" x 9" baking dish lined with parchment paper. Let the mojo cool, then pour it over the meat to be cooked. Put the covered baking dish in the fridge overnight. 

Goat Cheese & Prosciutto Stuffed Sweet Peppers

This recipe makes pretty, red appetizers that you can pick up and eat in one or two bites. These sweet cherry peppers are found in the grocery store. This appetizer has a great crunch with a nice blend of flavors and textures, and goat cheese and prosciutto make a great combo on just about anything.

Ingredients:
2 slices prosciutto
4 oz. goat cheese
1 rib celery, cut into 1/2" pieces
8 sweet cherry peppers, tops removed, seeded, rinsed, and dried

Spread each slice of prosciutto with a thin layer of goat cheese. This is easier to do if the goat cheese is a bit soft. Cut each slice of prosciutto into four pieces, then wrap a piece of celery inside each piece. Stuff a prosciutto slice into each sweet cherry pepper.  Appetizer, anyone?

Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms

This dish makes a great appetizer and everyone loves it.

Ingredients:

24 medium mushrooms, about 1 pound
6 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (3-ounce) package low-fat cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, or 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 cup dry bread crumbs 

Remove stems from mushrooms. Chop enough stems to make 1 cup. 

Melt 2 tablespoons margarine in a medium saucepan. Brush mushroom cap tops with margarine and put them top side down in a shallow baking pan. Brush undersides of caps with margarine. Heat the remaining margarine in same saucepan. Add the chopped mushroom stems, onion, and garlic, and cook until tender. Stir in cream cheese. Add Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, and bread crumbs. Mix thoroughly. 

Spoon about 1 tablespoon stuffing mixture into each mushroom cap. Bake at 425 until heated through.

Tip: To make ahead, prepare, but don't bake. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Then bake as directed.

Easy Irish Soda Bread

EASY means there is NO kneading required. That's my kind of bread. The buttermilk give this slightly sweet bread that nice little tang, with the added olfactory benefit of your house smelling wonderful.

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup raisins

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Blend the egg and buttermilk together and add it to the flour mixture. Mix just until moistened. Stir in butter and raisins. Pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake at 325 for 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and wrap in foil for several hours or overnight. The bread tastes even better after it sits for a few hours. 

Vegan Peanut Butter Smoothie

My favorite smoothie of all time is fresh peach but this vegan peanut butter smoothie could be a tie for first! Just toss all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 cup ice
1 cup soy milk (or rice, almond, chocolate soy)
3-4 tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp raw sugar

Orange-Cream Cheese Tea Bread (Makes 2 Loaves)

You have to really like orange for this most delicious recipe found on www.justapinch.com. I modified the recipe-by using skim milk and low-fat cream cheese. It seemed appropriate to add the word "tea" to the title of this creamy bread, because the loaves are smaller than ones baked in your typical larger loaf pan. This bread is dense, similar to a pound cake. Tea (pinkies up), coffee, and especially a glass of cold milk hit the spot with this fragrant orange bread.

Ingredients:

1 8 oz package low-fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup skim milk

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons grated orange peel

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Combine cream cheese and shortening, creaming well. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating well after each addition.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition. Stir in walnuts and orange peel.

Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 8" x 4" x 3" inch loaf pans. Bake at 375 for 50-55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the orange juice over the loaves and transfer bread from pans to a wire rack so they can finish cooling.

Thai Butternut Squash Soup

I have a variety and abundance of squash in my freezer which I picked, sliced into small pieces (5"x5"), seeded, baked, and froze in quart size freezer bags. Over the holidays I've been thawing some of this beautiful squash for soups and pies (pumpkin--it's a squash). I peel off the skin once the piece of squash is thawed--very easy. I've made this Thai butternut squash soup twice now, once in the crock pot and once on the stove. I like the crock pot version a little better. It's silky smooth and luscious. The cilantro, red curry sauce, ginger, and lime provide an oh-so-lovely Thai flavor.  I don't know exactly how much squash I used but I'm estimating 5 cups. Enjoy. This is what winter soup is all about.

5 cups of cooked butternut squash

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 14 oz. can light, unsweetened coconut milk (Trader Joe's)

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped 

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

3 tablespoons red curry sauce (Trader Joe's)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (Penzey's is great)

A couple of good shakes of:

-black pepper

-paprika

-garlic powder

Put it all ingredients into a crock pot (slow cooker) and stir.  Cook on low for 4 hours.  To get the creamy, smooth, silky texture use an immersion blender to blend the soup until completely smooth.  You can also transfer the soup into batches to a food processor or blender, or use a potato masher to mash the soup until nearly smooth.  I used to food processor method.  Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with:  a) finely chopped cilantro, b) finely shredded lime peel, c) chopped nuts, d) a small dollop of sour cream, or, e) all of the above.