Easter baking: Egg Shaped Cakes and Pretty Pastel cupcakes

Help!!!!! I've started baking and I can't stop!!!!!

Okay, if you follow my blog, you know that baking is a relatively new concept for me. I get so much inspiration from other blogs though, it has really encouraged me to do more of it.

Since Joe and I stayed in the city for Easter and didn't have a lot planned, I found myself baking on multiple occasions this weekend!



It started on Friday night, I decided to whip up some cupcakes and make a bunch of different pastel colors for the frosting.



I used the much raved about Hershey Chocolate Cupcake recipe (let me tell you, this is my go-to chocolate cake recipe now!) and just a standard buttercream frosting.

Since it was just Joe and I, logically I only made a dozen cupcakes. Uh yeah, I was seriously regretting that decision 24 hours later, after we had an impromptu dinner party (Joe got his Omaha steak order on Friday and we had to share!) but only had one cupcake left! Yeah, you do the math, but the two of us took down quite a few cupcakes.

Anyway, Joe caught me sneaking the last cupcake into the bedroom while our friends were still over because I was "too tired" to play another game of Yahtzee. Bad host!

So because we didn't get enough sweets, I decided to make these egg shaped cakes for us on Sunday.

I found this via Tastespotting.com on The Kitchen. This was such an easy process to follow, thanks to the step-by-step pics on the Kitchen.

I was pretty impressed with my novice carving technique!



So I took the author's suggestion on recipes and used Lemon Poundcake from Gale Gand and Swiss Buttercream from Smitten Kitchen for the egg coating and a basic buttercream for the decorations.

OH. MY. GOD. SWISS BUTTERCREAM.

This stuff is amazing! I re-read SK's post a few times before deciding I was brave enough to attempt this. It really was not that difficult, her tutorial is very helpful, and this was just delicous.

I am a big frosting fan and when I tasted this I realized it was my favorite frosting, I just never knew what it was called! If you don't like super sweet, immediately feel like you need to brush your teeth frostings, you have to try this, it is truly amazing.

Decorating these was so much fun and I was quite pleased with the result.

Happy Easter!

Chicken with Carmelized Onions and Gruyere Cheese

Sooo...I saw this on Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations a couple of months ago, and have been meaning to make it ever since.  I love Mary Ellen's blog because her cooking style is very similar to mind (LOTS of pasta and risotto, not a lot of baking).

OH. MY. GOD. This was so good.  If I had known how good it was, I would not have waited 2 months to make it!  

This is definitely a great meal for a cold night, good thing since we are having some especially cold weather in Chicago for the first week of April.

I followed Mary Ellen's recipe with a few modifications:

• I used sage instead of thyme (Not buying an $8 jar of dried thyme in this economy!) and dredged the chicken in flour and sage.
• No cheese on the inside of the chicken ( I was lazy)
• Again, had to add a carb.  Joe is quick to notice if one of the food groups in missing from the meal.  Actually the mashed potatoes I think really made the meal.

I whole-heartedly agree with Mary Ellen though; spinach, gruyere cheese and carmelized onions are a fantastic combination!

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; trimmed and pounded out a bit
2 onions, sliced
Salt and pepper
Pinch of thyme
Pinch of sugar
Paprika
Approx 3 tbsp flour
Olive oil
1 tbsp butter
Approx 1/3 c white wine
6 slices Gruyere cheese
Fresh spinach
Directions

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium heat

Add onions, pinch each of salt, pepper, sugar, and thyme. Let cook, stirring often, for approximately 30 minutes until the onions are brown and caramelized. Remove from pan.

Add another tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter to pan

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and paprika. Dredge in flour, shake off excess.
Place chicken in the pan; cook approximately 4 minutes on each side.

When the chicken is done, top each piece with 2 slices Gruyere cheese.

Place under the broiler in your oven for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Top each chicken breast with some of the caramelized onions, and place under the broiler for another 2 minutes.

Serve over sauteed spinach (saute spinach in olive oil with salt and pepper for 3-4 minutes, until just wilted).

Parmesan Breaded Pork Chops, Spinach and Tomato salad, and my new backsplash!

Another weekend, another renovation project. While our master bath is at a standstill until the professionals can help with important things like plumbing, Joe couldn't let the weekend go by without another project, this time it was the kitchen backsplash.

While my mom asked the obvious question - "Why are you starting another project when you're not done with the first?" (we are sooo alike sometimes) - what can I say? The man is in a tiling mood.

So while the project was relatively easy, it wasn't until Sunday night that I actually got my kitchen back - and I love my new backsplash! Since Joe's been working so hard, I indulged him by combining his two favorite foods: cheese and pork.

I got this recipe from the Food Network, and was surprised because Nigella Lawson has never been one of my go to girls like Ray Ray or Giada, I may have to start trying her recipes more often.

This was very tasty and I'll definitely be making it again. The salad is very light and fresh, a great compliment to the heavy pork chop.

Source: Nigella Lawson, Food Network

Ingredients

Pork chops:
2 pork chops, approximately 8 ounces each
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup ground nut oil or similar, for frying

Garlicky spinach and tomato salad:
3 medium tomatoes
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cups baby spinach leaves
Salt and pepper

Directions

Trim the thick white fat off the pork chops, cutting carefully around the outside edge. Lay the chops between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and, using a mallet or a rolling pin beat them until the meaty part of the chop is half as thick. You will need to beat around the bone, so turn them over once as you go.

Beat the egg in a shallow wide bowl with the mustard, oregano, and salt and pepper. On a large plate or platter, combine the breadcrumbs with the Parmesan.

Press each of the chops into the egg mixture, coating either side. Then dip the eggy chops into the bread crumbs, covering them evenly. Let them lie on a cooling rack to dry slightly while you heat the oil in a large frying pan. When a small cube of bread sizzles if dropped into the oil, then the oil is hot enough. Cook the chops until they are a deep golden color, about 5 to 7 minutes a side (depending on how thin you've managed to get them and how cold they were before going in the oil).

Meanwhile, quarter the tomatoes and take out the seeds, then cut the shells into strips and dice them. You can take off the skins, too, if you prefer, by steeping the tomatoes first into a bowl of just boiled water for 3 to 5 minutes. Combine the diced tomato, minced or grated garlic, oil, and lemon juice in a bowl, and season well with salt and pepper.

When the chops are ready, toss the spinach in the tomato mixture until well coated and divide the salad between 2 large plates, putting each chop alongside.

***I followed her recipe closely, but of course had to add a carb, and also when breading the pork chop, I dredged in flour before the egg.

Lemon Cupcakes and Bathroom Renovation

So Joe and I have been in the midst of a  (1.5) DIY bathroom renovation  for the last few weeks, so things have been a little messy around our place lately.  This weekend, Joe's brother and his family (his wife and 3 kids) came up so he could help Joe tile the shower.

That means there were 4 adults and 3 kids in our 2 bedroom condo with no shower!

So what do you do to entertain kids when your place looks like this?

Make cupcakes!

I was all set to make some good old chocolate cupcakes when 6 year old Noah politely said "Um, Aunt Mel, I really like lemons.  Do you think you could make lemon cupcakes?"  Luckily, I had lemons, and really, how could I say no?  Plus, I've seen them on a few blogs lately and have been wanting to try them.

So I found a couple of recipes online, I used a cake recipe from epicurious, and found a non-cream cheese (since I didn't have any) lemon frosting recipe here.

I doubled the cake recipe (since it only made 4 cupcakes!) and omitted the cream part. 

Joe, who was initially upset that he lost out to a 6 year old and was not getting chocolate cupcakes, said they were the best cupcakes ever, even better than the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes I recently made.  I don't know about that....but they were pretty darn good, and very light and fresh tasting for cupcakes.

Me with my helpers, note we did not have a working shower so please excuse the greasy hair : )

So  - here's some pics of the bathroom status so far.  

The master bathroom is not yet done, and I also didn't think to start taking before pictures until after we had taken out the hideous green tile and ripped out the toilet.

Pseudo-before shots:

I came home early from work one day and was surprised to see our shower ripped down to the studs.  Joe didn't want me to see it : )  Poor guy is a little afraid of me during this project.

But the original owner put regular drywall in and it was all moldy, so of course we had no other choice so Joe had to re-drywall with cement drywall.

Finished shower and floor tile and toilet:

LOVE the new shower tile.....

So, we've still got some more projects in the master, new countertops, sinks and shower door but its coming along.

Onto the guest bathroom, formerly known as Joe's man-room (when you live in the city your options are limited, one day we'll have a basement and he can put all his crap up again).

Before shots:

UGLY countertop

Sports jerseys, memorabilia, etc.

Jackalope, dogs playing poker, must haves for every man room.

I was out of town for work this week and when I got back on Friday, Joe surprised me with a finished guest bathroom!

Notice no dogs playing poker in the reflection?  We need to get some gender neutral art now....

Aren't I lucky to have such a handy husband?

Speaking of renovations....like the template change?  I think the white background looks much cleaner.

Greek Feast - Mamma Mia Style

So....first a few facts about to me to explain this madness:

1. I love 80's music
2. I love musicals
3. I love Meryl Streep

Every year at Christmas, my family gets one movie that we become obsessed with and watch it all week long - this year it was Mamma Mia.

Two of my brothers (who have a healthy appreciation for musicals), my sister, a reluctant Joe and I spent 4 days straight watching Mamma Mia over and over, while eating olives and feta (much to the chagrin of my mother when she went to make her Greek salad for a family Christmas party) and drinking wine.

Somewhere along the line, the idea was born for me to throw a Mamma Mia party back in Chicago and make a whole bunch of Greek food and force my friends and my brother who lives in Chicago to sing along with me! They were reluctant.....but it worked:

This was probably our 10th rendition in a row of "Winner Takes it All"

So as for the food, a BIG THANK YOU to Elly, of elly says opa. Elly's blog is chock full of authentic greek recipes, many of them handed down for generations - so if you want to make some legit Greek food, this is a good place to start. I asked Elly for help in planning my menu and she had so many great ideas. Most of the recipes I used came from her blog too.

Menu:

Olive Tapenade, Hummus, Melitzanosalata with Pita and Veggies

Olive Mix

Spanakopita

Tomata/feta/cucumber skewers

Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki

Baklava




Tomato/cucumber/feta skewers

Pretty self explanatory, just drizzle on a little e.v.o.o., red wine vinegar and oregano.



Olive Tapenade, Hummus and Melitzanosalata with Pita and Veggies

Tapenade

Ingredients:

• 20 pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp rinsed, drained, and chopped capers
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp anchovy paste (optional)
• Fresh cracked black pepper

Just mix everything together in a food processor or blender.

Source: About.com

Melitzanosalata

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 4 teaspoons of wine vinegar
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• sea salt
• freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Pierce the eggplant with a fork and char on the grill, or over an open flame (alternatively, broil for 10-15 minutes) until the eggplant turns black and is very soft. Set to cool and drain on a rack with paper towels underneath.

Source: About.com

Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans (15 oz.)
• 2 tablespoons roasted garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano

Preparation:

In a food processor, process beans, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and oregano until desired consistency. If hummus is too thick, simply add olive oil in small increments(i/2 teaspoon) until desired consistency.

Source: About.com

Spanakopita



From Elly's blog. I love this "cheater" recipe that uses puff pastry rather than phyllo dough. After making baklava, I was happy not to have to use phyllo again!

These were a hit, and are for sure going to be one of my "go to" appetizers.


Chicken Gyros:

Also from elly says opa!

These were so delicous and easy, I just set up a little "gyro bar" for everyone to make their own!



Baklava:



From Elly, on bakespace.com.

So, yeah, this was a little difficult, but I expected as much. I've worked with phyllo before, but due to some poor planning on my part (regarding defrosting the phyllo) it was more difficult to work with than I've experienced before.



I ended up with one less layer than Elly's recipe calls for, but it still turned out delicious!

Thanks to my dancing queen friends, and my brother for being a good sport. We'll get Chiquitita out of our heads at some point....

Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon

I wanted to do something a little different with salmon the other night and found this recipe on allrecipes.com. Usually we cook salmon with cajun seasoning or other very savory flavors, so this brown sugar glaze was definitely something different.

So, this was extremely delicious for the first few bites (Joe thought so too), but after about 5 bites, I think the glaze was just way too sweet to eat for a whole meal, we were dousing our plates with salt!

I'll definitely make it again, but with a few changes:

1) Add about a tsp of salt to the glaze

2) Add more lemon (and maybe some white wine too?)

3) Make a little bit less of the glaze - Joe commented that there was so much glaze it overpowered the whole dish - and made it sticky!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 4 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 1/4 teaspoons dried dill weed
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 pound salmon fillets, with skin
• lemon pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and mix in the brown sugar, lemon juice, dill, and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until the brown sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer until ready to brush onto the salmon.
3. Season salmon with lemon pepper, and place directly on the grill grate, skin side down. Brushing frequently with the butter and brown sugar glaze, cook the salmon 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork. Reserve some of the glaze for serving.

Happy St Patricks Day! And Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes....

I know, I know. Its March 17th and this is my first March post! I have excuses of course! I was in Mexico the first week of March and last week, well last week was just crazy getting caught up.


So I'm done being a blog slacker and making excuses though so let's move on.



HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! I did all my celebrating on Saturday at my brother's party, where my contribution was these Irish Car Bomb cupcakes.

I saw these on Smitten Kitchen a few months ago and knew I had to make them for my favorite holiday. These were, needless to say a huge hit. I actually doubled the recipe (gasp!) because I knew I'd want to bring some to work today too. I brought about 30 cupcakes to my brother's party (which started at 7 AM) and they were gone by noon, if that gives you any indication.


I froze the rest of the batch and frosted them last night to bring to work today, I'm hoping they will help me motivate some software developers!

These little devils consist of a chocolate cake with Guinness in the batter, chocolate ganache center with Irish whiskey, and a rich buttercream frosting with Bailey's.

Since I followed the recipe exactly, here is the link to the original from SK's blog. The only change I would make, as also noted in Cooking This and That, I would add more whiskey to the filling next time, because these cupcakes just don't have enough booze in them! Seriously though, delicious as it was, it was hard to taste the whiskey so I'd add a little more.



Also, as noted on CTT, a paring knife worked just fine to get the centers out for the filling.



All in all, these were a huge success, and a pretty big accomplishment for me since I'm new to baking. I don't think I'll be able to wait a year to make them again either!

Cheesy Beef & Shells Bake

Yum num yumm......Really can you go wrong with pasta, cheese, tomatoes and beef? Especially when you get the cheese really toasty under the broiler.

The inspiration for this came from the cinnamon in the Pasta al Forno I made recently, and the fact that I had leftover shells from the Venetian Mac & Cheese.

Ingredients:

1 pound medium shell pasta
1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can, crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 pinches ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Italian seasonings

- Brown beef over medium heat for about 10 minutes, add garlic about halfway through with salt and pepper.

- Pour in tomatoes and seasonings (Italian and cinnamon) and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

- Meanwhile, cook the shells to al dente

- Pour in the milk or cream to the sauce and stir, let simmer for about 5 more minutes.

- Pour pasta and sauce into a greased casserole dish and top with cheese. Broil for about 3 - 5 minutes until the cheese gets toasty.

Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Risotto with Spring Vegetables

Yum, yum, yum, I LOVE this flavor combination! I found these two (separate) recipes in my William Sanoma Essentials of Italian cookbook when I first got it, and now I make them together and combine into one dish.

Its a great warm weather dish because of the flavors and the fact that you can grill the shrimp for added fantastic flavor, but also great in the dead of winter (made on a grill pan) when you are dreaming of warmer weather!

The recipes are adapted from WS, I have made it so many times I'm sure I am not following it exactly.



Shrimp

Ingredients:

Raw shrimp, peeled and deveined - about 12 pieces for 2 ppl
1 lemon
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup of parsley, chopped
salt
pepper

- Whisk together the lemon juice, wine, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley.

- Add the shrimp and let marinate about 15 minutes.

- Grill the shrimp on a grill pan or directly on the grill



Risotto

For the risotto, just use a basic risotto recipe, using white wine and chicken broth as your liquids.

For the vegetables, add in whatever fresh spring vegetables you can find. All I had this time were green beans, but I've used peas and asparagus before too.



If using green beans or asparagus, blanch for about 4 minutes and shock in an ice bath while the risotto is cooking. Then add at the last minute, with parsley and parmesan cheese.

Cheesy Spinach Stuffed, Bacon-wrapped Chicken

If you've read this blog before, you know that Joe is a fan of anything stuffed with cheese or wrapped in bacon. When I can both of those things into one dish, its a no-brainer - and healthy too. I kid...I kid!

This was inspired by Racheal Rays Florentine Prosciutto wrapped chicken.

I didn't actually use the recipe though, I just remembered seeing it on TV, so I used what I had on hand, which was bacon, spinach and shredded mozeralla.

I just pounded out the chicken breasts, spread the spinach on, sprinkled with the cheese, rolled em up and wrapped them in bacon! Cooked at 350 for about 25 minutes. I turned on the broiler for the last few minutes to crisp up the bacon.