Carrot Cake

Hi, team! A couple of you asked for this recipe of the carrot cake we had for Easter this year. This comes from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, which I love and highly recommend!

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 lb. carrots (about 5 large-ish for me...I used a kitchen scale), peeled and grated
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Grease and flour a 9X13-inch baking pan or 2 9-inch round pans.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in large bowl; set aside. In a food processor fitted with large or fine shredding disk, shred carrots (you should have about 3 cups); transfer carrots to bowl and set aside. You can also shred by hand on a box grater if you don’t have a food processor.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in large bowl and using hand-held mixer), beat granulated and brown sugars and eggs on medium-high until thoroughly combined, about 45 seconds. Reduce speed to medium; with mixer running, add oil in slow, steady stream, being careful to pour oil against inside of bowl (if oil begins to splatter, reduce speed to low until oil is incorporated, then resume adding oil). Increase speed to high and mix until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 45 seconds to 1 minute longer. Turn off mixer and stir in carrots and dry ingredients by hand until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.

Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 32 minutes for 9-inch round pans and 40 minutes for a 9X13-inch pan. Let cakes cool for about 10 minutes in the pan and then invert them onto a cooling rack to cool completely (the 9X13-inch cake can be cooled completely in the pan if you don’t plan to invert and ice all the sides). Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting and enjoy!

Chicken Rice Bake

Well my good women, it's time for another recipe to break up our January a little bit. Woah, January is almost over? When did this happen? Well, what do you know. Anyway, this recipe is quite delicious. Try it! You're gonna like the way it tastes, I guarantee it. ;)

2 c. white long grain rice
2 1/2 c. cooked, shredded chicken breast
1 (15 oz) can mild green enchilada sauce
1 (4 oz) can sliced black olives
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 c. sour cream
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 t. Ground Cumin
1 (15 oz) can ranch style pinto beans w/ jalapenos
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Cook rice according to package directions. Place chicken, enchilada sauce, olives, tomatoes, sour cream, salt, pepper and cumin into a large bowl, mixing to combine. Pour cooked rice into prepared baking dish and layer beans on top of rice. Pour chicken mixture over rice and top evenly with cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until cheese is melted and rice is hot.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.
*If you like your food a little milder, the actual recipe just calls for black beans, drained and rinsed, but Kasey and I found we like a little more kick to ours. :)

Chicken Curry

This is such an easy recipe, and I think it tastes just like the curry dishes I've had at Thai restaurants. I usually substitute evaporated milk for coconut milk, since that is usually what I have on hand. I think it still tastes great that way. I've never added lemongrass, either. And I usually leave out the pineapple (David's preference). 


1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger 
1 -2 teaspoons red curry paste (I usually put 2 teaspoons in)
1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk (unsweetened)
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 stalk lemongrass, first outerlayer removed and cut in half
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 cups boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
chopped green onion


Directions: 

Heat the oil in a large wok, add the garlic, saute. Add the curry, ginger, and the thicker cream on top of the can of coconut milk to the wok, whisk. Now add the rest of the coconut milk in along with everything else but the chicken and pineapple, whisk. Bring to a slow boil for 7 minutes, then discard the lemongrass. Add the chicken and pineapple and cook until the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 7 - 9 minutes. Serve over Jasmine rice and top with green onion.

Butternut Squash Soup

While all these soups are being posted, I thought I'd add this one. I've made it quite a few times this season...I think it's a great Autumnal soup! :)

- 1 large butternut squash, about 3.5 lbs.
- 1 large leek
- 2 T unsalted butter
- 4 tsp. grated fresh ginger (you can use ground ginger – I think about 1 tsp should do it)
- 5-6 cups chicken stock
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper

With a large heavy knife, cut the squash in half through the stem and discard the seeds. Place cut sides down, on a greased, foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 until the skin can be easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 1 hour. Remove the squash from the oven and cool. With a large spoon, scoop the flesh from the squash and discard the skin. (I've also just roasted some cut pieces of squash purchased at Costco, wrapped in foil at 375 for 40-50 minutes).

Cut off most of the tough green top from the leek. Cut the leek lengthwise and wash under cold running water to remove any dirt trapped. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add leek and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until the looks are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and carefully add the squash. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Puree the soup, in batches in a blender. Return soup to saucepan. If it seems thick, use remain stock as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

I made this soup the other night, and it really tastes like Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana! The soup was a tad bit on the spicy side, so you may want to wait till the end to add the crushed red peppers to suit your level of spiciness. I also added the kale when I added the potatoes, since kale actually takes a while to cook.

• 1 lb ground Italian sausage
• 1 1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
• 1 large diced white onion
• 4 Tbsp bacon pieces
• 2 tsp garlic puree (or just minced garlic)
• 10 cups water
• 5 cubes of chicken bouillon
• 1 cup heavy cream (I've used evaporated milk before and that works, too)
• 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
• 1/4 of a bunch of kale

Saute Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients. In the same pan, saute bacon, onions, and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour. Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve. 

From tuscanrecipes.com

Becky's Favorite Chicken Noodle Soup

That's right. I'm posting for Becky. The girl just won't blog. So, I must take matters into my own hands. Ahem. Now, here are her words:

Hello family!
You may already have a homemade chix noodle soup recipe that you like, but if not, this is a good (and easy!) one. I used leftover rotisserie chix from costco, and I left out the marjoram because I had none. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 cups chopped, cooked chicken meat
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped carrots
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup butter
• 8 ounces egg noodles
• 12 cups water
• 9 cubes chicken bouillon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley

Directions

1. In a large stock pot, saute celery and onion in butter or margarine.
2. Add chicken, carrots, water, bouillon cubes, marjoram, black pepper, bay leaf, and parsley. Simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add noodles, and simmer for 10 more minutes.

(Taken from allrecipes.com)

Delish Potato Soup

I love this time of year. Everything just tastes better. So, in the spirit of Soup Season, I have a deeeelish recipe for ya:

6 cups chicken broth
6 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into chunks, room temperature

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional, but makes it really good)

Combine broth, potatoes and spices. Boil on medium heat until potatoes are tender. Smash a few of the potatoes to release their starch for thickening. If you like it smooth smash more, if you like it chunky just smash a little of it. You can decide the texture of it. Reduce to low heat. Add cream cheese. Heat, stirring frequently, until cheese melts. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle a little bacon over each bowl of soup.