Red Velvet Cake

Happy Birthday to me!!! I decided to make a red velvet cake for my birthday cake this year because I had never had one before. At first I was a little surprised when I tasted it because it was so different from any other cake I've had. The taste has grown on me and now I really like it. Plus it's such a beautiful red color!

Red Velvet Cake

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 oz. red food coloring
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

4. Make sure you have cake pans buttered, floured, and nearby. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Add it to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Working quickly, divide batter evenly between the cake pans and place them in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check early, cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. To remove the cakes from the pan, place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, then gently lift the pan. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting. Frost with cream cheese icing (recipe below).

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt

With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Frost cake.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

This recipe is from Jessica Seinfled's book Deceptively Delicious. It is a book teaching how to incorporate fruits and vegetables into kids food without them knowing. This is one of my favorite recipes and is soooooo good. The bread is very moist and my kids gobble it right up. I don't feel bad about them eating a lot of it because it is low in sugar and has all the whole grain in it. Give it a try!!


Whole Wheat Banana Bread

3/4 C. Whole wheat flour
½ C. All-purpose flour
½ tsp. Baking soda
1/4 tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Cinnamon (optional)
½ C. Firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 C. Vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1 ½ C. Banana puree
½ C. Cauliflower puree
1 tsp. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan, or 2 mini pans with cooking spray.

In a bowl mix the flours with the baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon (if using). Set aside. In a large mixing bowl mix the sugar and oil with a wooden spoon until well combined (or in a Kitchen Aid mixer) Mix in the eggs, purees, (if I don't have cauliflower I just add another 1/2 C. bananas) and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake until the center comes out clean, 55-60 minutes for the large loaf, 25-30 for the mini loafs. Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn bread out of the pan to cool before serving.

(Sometimes I add nuts or 1/2 c. chocolate chips, makes it even better)

Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy

Southern Livings

Best Buttermilk Biscuits

1/2 cup cold butter (1 stick real butter)
2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
additional Self-rising flour
(for counter surface to knead dough)
2 tablespoons melted butter

Cut butter with a sharp knife or pastry blender into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Sprinkle butter slices over flour in a large bowl. Toss butter with flour. Cut butter into flour with a pastry blender until crumbly and mixture resembles small peas. (I used my hands) Cover and chill 10 minutes. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3 or 4 times, gradually adding additional flour as needed. With floured hands, press or pat dough into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle (about 9 x 5 inches). Sprinkle top of dough with additional flour. Fold dough over onto itself in 3 sections, starting with 1 short end. (Fold dough rectangle as if folding a letter-size piece of paper.) Repeat entire process 2 more times, beginning with pressing into a 3/4-inch-thick dough rectangle (about 9 x 5 inches). Press or pat dough to 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut with a 2-inch round cutter, and place, side by side, on a parchment paper-lined or lightly greased jelly-roll pan. (Dough rounds should touch.) Bake at 450° for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; brush with 2 Tbsp. melted butter.

Prep: 20 min., Chill: 10 min., Bake: 13 - 15 min.

Southern Chocolate Gravy
(pour over homemade biscuits)

3/4 cup white sugar
2 heaping tablespoons flour
1 heaping tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Add all the dry ingredients to a medium sized pot. Add the milk, using a whisk combine the dry ingredients with the milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and stir constantly to prevent the mixture from scorching. The mixture will start thicken up. When it thickens remove from heat and add the butter and the vanilla extract. Pour over biscuits, I tear my biscuit up in a bowl first and then pour the gravy all over it.

* If by chance your gravy is not at the consistency that you want. You can mix a bit of flour and milk together and add it to the boiling chocolate to thicken it as much as you like. Some people like their chocolate gravy a bit thin and some a bit thicker.

Avery was in chocolate heaven. The biscuits weren't the best I've ever had but they were good. This was my first time making homemade biscuits so that could have had something to do with it as well. The chocolate gravy was yummy though!

Three Cheese Tortellini Casserole

1 lb. Hamburger
1 jar alfredo sauce
1 (8 oz)can tomato sauce
1 pkg dry spaghetti seasoning mix
1 pkg family size three cheese tortellini (fresh or frozen)
1 C. grated Parmesan Cheese (fresh)

Brown hamburger, drain grease. Mix alfredo sauce, tomato sauce, and spaghetti seasoning together. Boil tortellini for about 6 minutes if using fresh, or about 3 minutes less than package directions for frozen. Mix tortellini, meat and sauces together. Pour ino greased pan and top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Easiest Homemade Salsa

1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
6 green onions, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt

Place all ingredients into a food processor, or blender, and process until desired consistency is reached. Refrigerate a few hours before serving to blend flavors.

Tortilla Pinwheels

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. sour cream
1 c. grated cheese
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
1/2 C. chopped olives
1/2 c. chopped green onions
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
8-10 flour tortillas

Mix first 8 ingredients until well combined. Spread over tortillas and roll up. Place all rolls in refrigerator overnight for best flavor. When ready to serve cut into about one inch pieces. (I usually cut the ends of and save them for a snack, they don't look as nice as the center pieces). Serve with salsa.

Corn and Crab Bisque

We tried this Emeril Lagasse recipe and really liked it. We had to make a few changes because we couldn't find fish stock or Zatarain's Concentrated Crab and Shrimp Boil and because we accidentally bought minced crab meat instead of lump crab meat (oops!), but it turned out good. I've never had a soup like it before so it was fun to try. As follows makes 4 to 6 servings (we doubled it when we made it).

3 T. vegetable oil
3 T. bleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1 cup corn kernels
2 T. minced shallots
2 T. minced celery
1 T. minced garlic
1 t. salt
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1 cup chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 t. Cajun seasoning (I use Louisiana Fish Fry, Inc's seasoning)
1/2 pound minced crab meat
1/4 cup minced green onion (green part only)

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the flour a tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until blended. Continue stirring to make a light brown roux, 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the onions, corn, shallots, celery, garlic, salt and cayenne and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, about 4 minutes. Slowly stir in the stock. Add the bay leaves and bring to a boil. Add the milk, cream, and the Cajun seasoning. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Stir in the crab meat and green onions and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves.

Serve hot ladled into bowls.