• Goat cheese, apple, and honey tartlets
• Chicken slovaki and tabbouleh
• Swordfish with pesto and fresh tomato sauce
• Taco stuffed shells
• Crijo-jo
• Pictures of our fledgling garden

And, just so this isn’t a post totally devoid of entertaintment, here is a picture of my friend John eating the turkey cake (funfetti cake in the shape of a turkey with blue food coloring spray and lots of icing…) that my husband made him for his birthday. 

• 1/2 lb fettuccine, cooked to package directions and drained (really, start cooking it as soon as you start the rest)
• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 c. chopped tomatoes (or use petite diced canned with a little juice)
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 3 Tbs sour cream (reduced fat)

Heat a little oil in a non-stick pan and add garlic and pepper flakes.  Sautee one minute.  Add shrimp and cook until outsides are no longer pink, about 3 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.  Add salt to taste, and then stir in pasta.

For dessert tonight, we had mini pineapple upside down cakes.  I just used a boxed mix and baked them in tart pans, for about 15 minutes.

• 1 lb turkey chops (or cutlets)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 c. self rising flour
• 2 shallots, chopped finely
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 c. red wine
• 2 Tbs flour
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 1 c. frozen cherries, thawed and halved
• Optional: 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbs sugar

Dip chops in egg and then flour.  Cook in a non-stick skillet with a little oil over medium high heat until lightly browned on both sides.  Remove and keep warm.  Add a little more oil to the pan, and throw in the shallots and thyme.  Let cook until shallots soften and start to become translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add flour and cook another 2 minutes.  Add wine and stir, it will thicken quite a bit.  Add broth, cherries, and vinegar and sugar (if using – taste and adjust as necessary – I needed both.)  Put chops back in, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.  I served ours with some rosemary roasted potatoes.

To continue with the decadent, rich and dark theme, we had chocolate mascarpone mousse for dessert.

And, since it’s “that time of year again,” we’re having some really fancy dinners over the next three days.

• Chocolate mascarpone mousse, revisited
• Cherry and wine sauce over turkey chops
• Spicy shrimp fettuccine
• Wasabi and mango salmon with forbidden rice
• Goat cheese, honey and apple puff pastry
• Personal pineapple upside down cakes

The chicken is stuffed with a mixture of shallots, garlic, goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar.  It cooks in a non-stick pan, and then rests while you make a quick sauce of thyme, more shallots, and a little more vinegar (and some broth.)  I served it over whole wheat pasta, but orzo, or even veggies could work.

Combine:

• 1 c. hot water
• 1/3 c. sundried tomatoes (not packed in oil)

Let stand until tomatoes are soft (about 20 minutes,) drain and chop finely

Over medium heat, cook

• 1/3 c. chopped shallots
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 3 cloves chopped garlic

with a little oil, until onion becomes translucent and mixture is lightly browned (about 4 minutes.)  In a small bowl, mix this with the sundried tomatoes and 4 0z. goat cheese.  Add 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar and mix well.  Set aside.

Take your 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and pound them until they are even in thickness, but be careful not to overpound, becuase you have to cut a pocket in them.  (I used two huge breasts, cut them in half, and then pounded them.)  Cut a horizontal slit in each breast to form a pocket, and stuff with about 2 Tbs of the cheese/tomato mixture.  Sprinkle the outside with salt and pepper.  I sealed mine with toothpicks, but I’m not sure it was necessary.  Cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes per side.  Remove from pan, and keep warm.

To the pan, add

• 1/4 c. chopped shallots
• 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 3/4 c. chicken broth

Bring to a boil, then mix in

• 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with…
• 2 tsp water

Whisk until thickened.  Serve with chicken and your choice of side dish.

• Chicken tamale casserole
• Sausage, peppers, and orzo
• Lemon chicken with satay sauce
• Baked potatoes and chili
• “Orange rosemary chicken thing”

But don’t worry!  I have some new recipes for you this week too.  This week might be a little rough for me (in teacher land, it is dreaded “state testing week,” so just be patient with me and it will all be okay.  I think I’m reassuring myself more here.)

• 6 oz. egg noodles, cooked to package directions
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 onion, diced finely
• 1 c. frozen peas, thawed
• 2 6 oz. cans tuna, drained
• 1/4 c. sour cream (optional, but I don’t find it so)

Mix all ingredients together and put into large casserole dish.  Top with seasoned breadcrumbs (about 1/2 c.) and some shredded parmesean cheese (I used the green can… gasp!) and bake for 30 minutes at 350

This is my mommy’s birthday cake.  I guess technically it was both of my parents’ birthday cakes, since their birthdays are only a few days apart, but it was made with my mom in mind.  She has this thing about mice.  Not real  mice, mind you (I think she’d scream and run away if she ever saw a real one in her proximity) but fake, collectible mice.  I made her a cheese cake.

Well, not a cheesecake.  Actually, it’s a yellow buttermilk cake with chocolate pastry cream and buttercream icing.  (Can we use the words butter or cream any more, possibly?)  It was delicious, but best of all, it was adorable, and that’s what I was going for.

I followed the directions here for making chocolate covered cherry mice.  They were not as easy as they sound, although I’m sure some have mastered it.  Unfortunately, I neglected to take pictures of them (and all of their mutant relatives) so you’re just going to have to figure it out on your own.

The cake and it’s innards come from “Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours” cookbook of Tuesdays with Dorie fame.  First, let’s make the pastry cream so it has some time to cool down before we need it.

• 2 c. whole milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 6 Tbs sugar
• 3 Tbs cornstarch, sifted
• 7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 2 1/2 Tbs butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature

Bring milk to a boil (in the microwave, if you like.)  In a large saucepan, mix egg yolk s with sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended.  Continue whisking as you add 1/4 c. of hot milk.  If you add it all at once, you’ll cook the egg yolks to make egg drop soup.  Then, while whisking constantly, add the remaining milk.  Bring to a boil, whisking continuously.  Boil for 2 minutes.  Remove pan from heat, and whisk in chocolate.  Let stand 5 minutes, then whisk in butter one piece at a time.  Press plastic wrap to the surface and refrigerate about 2 hours, or until ready to use.

For the cake:

• 2 c. cake flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 sticks (10 Tbs) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 c. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. buttermilk

Butter two 9″ round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.

Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Mix butter on medium speed until soft and fluffy.  Add sugar and beat for 3 minuts.  Add eggs and then yolk one at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition.  Beat in vanilla.  Reduce speed to low, and alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk (beginning and and ending with flour, 3 additions of flour and 2 of buttermilk.)  Divide batter between cake pans and smooth tops.  Bake 28-30 minutes at 350 or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool 5 minutes in pans, then invert, remove parchment paper, and turn right side up to cool completely.

To assemble:

Using a long serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half so you have four layers.  Place one on a serving platter lined with wax paper and use 1/3 of your chocolate pastry cream.  Spread evenly.  Repeat until layers and cake are done, trying not to get too close to the edges.

Now, here is where Dorie and I differ.  She used a white chocolate whipped cream for the center layer and the outside frosting.  Wanting to make this look like cheese, I had to go a different route.  So I cut out a big wedge of cake and “taste tested.”   And then I made super yellow icing.

• 1 stick butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 c. vegetable shortening (Crisco)
• 1/2 Tbs vanilla extract (if you want white frosting, you’ll have to get clear, but I was dying mine yellow, so I didn’t care)
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 3-4 Tbs very cold whole milk

Beat butter and shortening together.  Add vanilla.  Slowly add sugar, mixing well before adding more.  When sugar is fully incorporated, add milk until the mixture is the consistency you want.  (If it gets too runny, add in a little more sugar.)  Color with gel food colors.

Then, frost your cake with insane amounts of yellow frosting.  I used fondant cutters to make tiny circles so it looked like cheese, and then I topped it with those cute chocolate mice.  Happy Birthday mamasita

• 1/4 c. cocoa powder
• 1/2 c. boiling water
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 4 Tbs butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 c. flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Mix cocoa powder and boiling water together until smooth.  Set aside and cool to room temperature.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg, beat 1 minute.  Add flour, baking powder, and salt, mix until just incorporated.  Add cooled cocoa/water, stir until smooth.  Pour into 8 greased or lined muffin tins.  Bake 16-20 minutes at 375, or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove and cool to room temperature.

• 1 stick (8 Tbs) butter, at room temperature
• 2 – 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 4 Tbs Bailey’s Irish Cream liquor
• 5 drops green food coloring, 2 drops yellow food coloring

Beat butter until light and fluffy.  Add powdered sugar 1/2 c. at a time, mixing well after each addition until it clumps together and is thick.  Add liquor, and beat until smooth.  (If you need to, you can add more sugar or Bailey’s at this point to make it a spreadable consistency.)  Add food coloring and mix until color is uniform.  Spread over cooled cupcakes.  This will make more frosting than you need for 8 cupcakes.

• 4 c. flour
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 Tbs butter, cold
• 1 c. dried fruit (I used currants, but more traditional recipes use raisins.  You can use whatever you like.)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk + 1 Tbs buttermilk, mixed

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking stone with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Cut in butter using a pastry cutter until mixture resembles sand.  Stir in currants until evenly distributed.  In your overly large measuring cup, mix buttermilk, egg, and baking soda.  Pour this all at once into the flour mixture, and stir with a fork until well combined.  Form into about an 8″ dome on the parchment paper, and brush with egg yolk and buttermilk mixture.  Cut a deep cross (about 1/2″) with a sharp knife through the dough.  Bake for 60-65 minutes, rotating pan at 30 minutes.