Carrot Cake

This is my mother-in-laws recipe.  It is easy, really moist and a favorite around our house.

3 cups shredded carrots

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

4 beaten eggs

2 tsp soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp all spice

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 cups flour

Shred the carrots with a food processor or you can do it by hand with a grater.

Mix together the carrots, oil, sugar and beaten eggs until well incorporated.  

In a separate bowl combine flour, soda, cinnamon, salt and all spice.  Add the fry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Chop the nuts and fold into the batter.

Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan or two 8 inch round pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the middle of the cake has set.  Remove from oven and let cool on cooling racks.  

Frosting:

4 ounces softened cream cheese

1/4 cup softened butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 pound of powdered sugar

Cream the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.  Add the vanilla and salt.  Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Braised Baby Back Ribs

I made these for Father's Day for my husband.  They turned out awesome and he loved them!! 

Ingredients

• 2 whole slabs pork baby back ribs

Dry Rub:

• 8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Braising Liquid:

• 1 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

 On the back side of your ribs there will be a thin membrane that needs to be removed. This is very important in you final outcome!

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Place each slab of baby back ribs on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, shiny side down. Sprinkle each side generously with the dry rub. Pat the dry rub into the meat. Refrigerate the ribs for a minimum of 1 hour. In a microwavable container, combine all ingredients for the braising liquid. Microwave on high for 1 minute.

Place the ribs on a baking sheet. Open one end of the foil on each slab and pour half of the braising liquid into each foil packet. Tilt the baking sheet in order to equally distribute the braising liquid. Braise the ribs in the oven for 2 1/2 hours.

Transfer the braising liquid into a medium saucepot. Bring the liquid to a simmer and reduce by half or until of a thick syrup consistency. Brush the glaze onto the ribs. Place under the broiler just until the glaze caramelizes lightly.

Green Chile and Chicken Enchilada Casserole

We love Mexican food at our house.  There usually is not a week that passes by that we do not eat it.  So here is one of our favorites. You do not have to make this in a casserole.  You can make individual enchiladas but I usually take the easy way out on this one!!

Salsa Verde:

• 12 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed and cut in half
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 TBS white vinegar
• Water
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno peppers
• 2 limes, juiced
• Salt
• 3 poblano peppers
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups canned chicken stock
• 1 deli roasted chicken, about 3 pounds, boned and shredded
• Leaves from 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 large corn tortillas
• 1/2 pound Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• sour cream

DIRECTIONS

Make the salsa: Put the tomatillos, jalapenos, and onion in a saucepan with the vinegar and water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook until the tomatillos are soft. Drain. Put the vegetables in a blender, add the cumin, and puree. Add the cilantro, pickled jalapenos, lime juice, garlic powder and salt. Pulse to combine. Set aside. (If you do not like your salsa hot, then taste before adding the pickled jalapeno peppers.  Add until it is the right heat for you.  Also, add enough salt and garlic to taste as well. The key for this to be good is taste, taste, taste!!)

Meanwhile, place the poblano peppers directly over the flame on a gas stove and cook, turning with tongs, until the skin is charred and blackened. (Or, if you have an electric stove, put the chilies on a baking sheet and broil, turning with tongs, until the skin is blackened.) Skin the peppers; then seed, core, and dice them.

Heat a 2-count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in the cumin and cook 1 minute. Then sprinkle on the flour and cook, stirring, 1 more minute. Gradually pour in the stock, stirring constantly. Bring to a simmer, stirring to make sure the flour doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan; the liquid will thicken. Fold in the chicken, diced peppers, and cilantro, and season well with salt and pepper.

To assemble the dish: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Dip 4 of the tortillas into the tomatillo salsa and layer it in a 9x13 inch pan. Put half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas and sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese.  Repeat with tortillas, chicken and cheese.  Top with the four remaining tortillas, pour the remaining tomatillo salsa over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Serve hot with sour cream.

Sauteed Potatoes

These potatoes add great flavor to any meal!  

Charlotte potatoes

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 sprig of rosemary

1 TBS butter

1 TBS olive oil

 Parboil the potatoes in boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes or until just tender. Drain the potatoes and set aside.

  Take a clean pan and heat with olive oil. Place the potatoes in cut-side down and season with salt and pepper. Leaving their skins on, lightly crush the garlic cloves and add with the sprigs of rosemary. Once the potatoes have begun to colour toss with the butter and cook for a further 1 -2 minutes.

Super fast and super yummy!

Steak Diane

This is such a fast and easy way for Steak Diane.  It took me about 35 minutes from start to finish.  It also had great flavors.  I hope you enjoy!

4 sirloin steaks

3 shallots peeled and sliced

6 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced

1 TBS salted butter

1 garlic clove, minced

2 TBS Worcestershire sauce

1 TBS Dijon mustard

1/2 cup brandy

1 cup heavy cream

flat leaf parsley, minced

Using a meat pounder or rolling pin, pound out the steaks to about 1/2 inch thin and trim off any excess fat.  Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper.Heat about 1 TBS of olive oil in a pan large enough to hold all four steaks.  Quickly saute the steaks for 1 minute on both sides and remove from the pan.

In the same pan add the shallots and saute briefly.

Then add the mushrooms and butter.

 Then add the minced garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes and then add the Worcestershire sauce and the mustard.  Stir and heat through.  Turn up the heat and tilt the pan away from you.  Pour the brandy into the far end of the pan and ignite.  Once the alcohol has burned off, stir the the content of the pan to combine.  Then add the cream and turn down the heat.  Put the steak back into the pan and cook a little further, depending on how well done you like them.  Add the chopped parsley to the pan.

I served with sesame green beans and sauteed potatoes.

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Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler

Those of you who know my husband can agree with me that Dan does not cook much!  I am hard pressed for him to make his own toast in the morning, but he does occasionally through down some awesome dutch oven recipes. This is Dan's famous peach cobbler.  I have decided that there is no way to eat peach cobbler better than this!  I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

2 large cans of peaches, (I use bottled peaches that I can in the summer)

1 box of yellow cake mix

1 cube of butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 TBS of cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:

MAKE SURE YOUR CAMPFIRE HAS PLENTY OF HOT COALS. THESE ARE IMPORTANT FOR PROPER BAKING.

 

Coat the inside of your dutch oven with cooking oil. This helps prevent the cobbler from sticking and will greatly help you when serving.

Pour the entire contents of the can (peaches and juice) into the dutch oven.

Dump the cake mix on top of the peaches.

Slice the butter into sections and put them on top of the cake mix.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Put the lid on and place over hot coals.  Place hot coals on top of the lid as well.

LET THE COBBLER BAKE FOR 35 TO 45 MINUTES. CHECK TO SEE IF IT IS DONE BY INSERTING A CLEAN KNIFE INTO ITS CENTER. IF THE KNIFE COMES OUT CLEAN, THE COBBLER IS FINISHED. IF IT DOES NOT COME OUT CLEAN, ADD MORE COALS AND WAIT 5 TO 10 MORE MINUTES. REPEAT UNTIL THE COBBLER IS DONE. 

Mustard and Peppercorn Crusted Ribeye

I tried this the other night and really liked it. So, I though I would share it here. I am in a major grilling mood.  It has been sunny and hot and I am ready to through down my BBQ skills.  

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large rib-eye steaks (about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick, at least 6 ounces each)
• 4 tablespoons brown mustard
• 4 tablespoons black peppercorns, crushed
• 1 to 2 tablespoons finely ground black pepper, optional
• Kosher Salt

DIRECTIONS

Brush rib-eyes with mustard on both sides. In a shallow bowl, or on a plate with a deep center, combine crushed peppercorns, ground pepper, if using, and salt, to taste. Pat pepper mixture onto steaks and crust thoroughly on all sides.

Prepare your grill by lightly spraying the grate with non-stick cooking spray and then preheat the grill. When the grill is hot, place the rib-eyes on the grate and cook until desired doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side for rare. Add 1 to 2 minutes for medium-rare and so on. The best way to test steaks for doneness is to poke it with your index finger; rare will be soft, medium-rare will be slightly less soft, and so forth. Never flip a steak more than once; let it cook for half the total cook time before flipping. Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes in a warm place before serving.

Recipe and Picture Courtesy of Food Network