Tie Dye Birthday Cake

Ellen's Birthday cake 2009

I got the idea for this cake from a cookbook. The directions said to use a cake mix, then make the frosting from scratch, and decorate with icing gel. I did it backwards, making the cake from scratch and buying the icing. Here's the recipe for the cake.

White Cake

4 egg whites
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 ts. salt
1/2 c. shortening or butter, softened (I used butter flavor Crisco)
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla (I used the expensive kind from Williams-Sonoma)
1 1/3 c. buttermilk or sour milk

Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Grease and flour 2 9" cake pans or 13x9 pan. (Really coat both pans - I didn't, and my cakes stuck to the pan a little bit.) In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350.

In large mixing bowl, beat shortening at high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; mix well. Add egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add dry ingredients with buttermilk. Beat just until well combined. Spread batter into prepared pans.

(To get the tie dye effect, add a few drops of one or more colors of liquid food coloring. Use a toothpick to swirl the colors.)

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, longer for 13x9 pan, or toothpick test comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cake and let cool thoroughly.

Set one layer on bottom and spread with frosting. Top with second layer and frost.

To get the look on the picture, make concentric circles with several colors of gel frosting. Then make patterns using a toothpick. My cake was not as cool as the picture, since most of the colors were so dark that they looked black. But it was still pretty cool, and it tasted really good.

Cooking with Xylitol

If you are a gum chewer, you have probably tried the sweetener Xylitol. It is about as sweet as sugar, with a little bit of a fruit taste, and measures spoon for spoon the same. Since we are trying to cut carbs, I tried using some Xylitol in chocolate chip cookies. The recipe called for 1 c. sugar. I used about 2/3 c. Xylitol and 1/3 c. sugar, plus regular brown sugar, plus used fewer chocolate chips.

The cookies tasted good, but were a little different. Randy asked if they had banana in them. They didn't, but that sort of fruit taste was noticeable. The other difference is that these did not spread out when cooking, but puffed up a little. Otherwise they cooked about the same. I did undercook them slightly, so they would not be dry.

The main drawback to Xylitol, in my opinion, is the price. I paid about $8 for a pound, which is a lot more than sugar. However, I haven't had much success with Stevia or other natural sweeteners, and I don't really want to use Equal or something similar because of the laxative effect. Not what I wanted out of a cookie!

Of course, it would be better to just skip the cookies altogether, but that is hard to do, especially when we've been used to enjoying treats. I found the Xylitol in the health food store. It's also sold in individual packets for drinks.

Mormon Mommy Blogs

If you haven't taken a look at this website yet, it is a fun place to find other LDS folks, moms and otherwise, who have similar interests and similar blogs. I can't wait to take a look at all the yummy recipes out there. I always need new things that my kids will eat, especially now as we are trying to cut the carbs and still enjoy the food. Check it out at: http://mormonmommyblogs.blogspot.com.

Yellow Chicken

This was originally called Trinidad Chicken, but I didn't have one of the ingredients, so it wound up being Yellow Chicken. Despite a little hesitation on the kids' parts, we agreed it was good stuff.

Yellow Chicken

2 large chicken breasts, halved or 1 lb. chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

1 c. milk
2 Tb. butter or magarine, softened
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric (that's what makes it yellow)

In large bowl, combine chicken with milk; let stand 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400. Remove chicken from milk and place in 2 quart baking dish. Bake 10 minutes; remove from oven and reduce heat to 350.

In small bowl, mix softened butter with salt and spices. Spread over chicken pieces. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is tender and done. Great with couscous.

Cookbook Review: How to be a Domestic Goddess

How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Food by Nigella Lawson

First of all, I have to say this - this woman is nuts! She may be a great cook and a very nice person, I don't know, but honestly, she is nuts.

This book, in case you couldn't tell right away, is about baking. She sets it up in several categories: cakes, cookies, bread, pies, Christmas, etc. The pictures are wonderful. But the writing? Wow. It's hard to tell you just how bad it is. So here's an example.

"Coconut Macaroons. These are a very English kind of macaroon, the sort you always used to see displayed in bakers' shops alongside the madeleines (those sponge castles dipped in luminous strawberry jam and dredged in throat-catching grated coconut, and so very different from those that inflamed the memory of Marcel Proust). The difference with coconut macaroons is that you need neither to be ironic or self-consciously retro-cool to enjoy them."

What?

I have SO many problems with this paragraph. First of all, I am reading a cookbook. I do not need references to Marcel Proust. Second, don't just assume I am English. I'm not. I have no idea what you are talking about. Third, I have never in my life worried about being ironic when I ate a cookie. (My daughter wondered if perhaps she referred to the IRON CONTENT of the cookie. But no.) And finally, I don't have any idea what 'self-consciously retro-cool' means.

So the writing is bad. Horrible. But if the recipes were good, you could just skip the writing and get straight to the recipes. Well, the recipes aren't bad exactly, but every recipe assumes that you already know what she's talking about. She doesn't explain things for a beginner.

Then there are some rather weird recipes. I don't plan on ever making persimmon or passionfruit curd. And I definitely will not touch a gin and tonic gelatin mold. Several of the recipes, most, in fact, call for ingredients that I would have a hard time tracking down. Like rosewater and some specialty jams. She also uses special equipment, but doesn't give you a picture of it or really describe well how to use it. I know most English cooks know what a pudding basin is. I don't.

And then I am never, ever going to make lavender milk. (You know, get a bowl of milk, put 5-6 lavender sprigs in it, boil, then strain. Yeah.) She skipped an important step there - make sure the lavender in question is pesticide free and has been washed thoroughly. But really, where am I going to find lavender sprigs?

This was without question the most self-important, preciously droll cookbook I have ever read. Wait, is that too close to self-consciously retro-cool? Maybe I should have said vain and complacent. Either way, I would not recommend reading it at all. I've never seen the author's show or read any of her other cookbooks, but after reading this, I heard from a relative that she is just the same on her show. Maybe that appeals to someone. Maybe it's meant to be funny and I just don't get it. But it was just awful.

Raspberry Danish Coffee Cake

Either raspberry, blueberry, or sweetened cottage cheese/cream cheese mixture would be good in this. I used raspberry. I also cut it into two loaves, as it was too big for my baking sheet.

Raspberry Danish Coffee Cake

Dough:
3 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 pkgs. yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp.)
2/3 c. warm water
6 Tb. butter, softened
1 large egg

Filling:
2 c. raspberry (or blueberry) jam

Combine 1 c. flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Beat in water and butter. Beat for 2 minutes more. Add egg and 3/4 c. flour; beat 2 minutes. Add remaining flour. On lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic. Shape dough into ball. Place dough in large greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.

Punch down dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface; cover, and let rest 15 minutes. Grease a large baking sheet.

On lightly floured surface, roll dough out into large rectangle. Spread jam down the center of the dough, leaving 3 inch border on all sides.

Use a pastry wheel to cut dough on both sides of filling, started on outside edge, into 1 inch strips, just touching the jam. Fold dough down, alternating sides, to make a braided design. Place on baking sheet, cover, and let rest 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake until golden for about 20 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes, then serve warm.

Serves 12

Salisbury Steak

Not the nasty thing in the TV dinner!

Alton's Salisbury Steak

4 (1/2 pound) beef cube steaks
Flour
Salt and pepper
3 Tb. butter
2 Tb. canola oil
1/2 medium onion, sliced at an angle
2 Tb. minced garlic
1/2 lb. brown mushrooms, sliced
3/4 c. broth or juice
1 Tb. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tb. dijon mustard
3/4 c. stock

Preheat oven to 275. Lightly season steaks and flour with salt and pepper, then dredge steaks in flour and shake off excess. Add 1 Tb. each of butter and oil to hot saute pan. Brown the steaks, 2 at a time, adding more butter and oil if needed, about 4 minutes a side. Remove the steaks to a plate.

Pour off any grease from pan and add remaining butter. Add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms to pan and saute until nicely caramelized, then deglaze the pan with the broth. Mix in remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Return the steaks to the pan, cover, and cook in the oven for 25 minutes.

Serves 4

Chicken Piccata

Alton's Chicken Piccata

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut in half
salt and pepper
Flour
2 Tb. oil
3 b. butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 scallions, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 c. broth
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 Tb. capers, rinsed and lightly crushed
2 Tb. chopped parsley
1 lemon, sliced thinly

Place chicken breasts between plastic wrap and pound until 1/4 inch thick. Season chicken with salt and pepper, dredge in flour, and shake off excess. In heavy skillet, heat oil and 2 Tb. butter. When oil is hot, add chicken and cook, turning only once, until brown on both sides. Remove chicken to plate and set aside. Pour off remaining grease, then add remaining Tb. butter.

Add onion and saute until transparent. Add garlic and scallions and saute 1 more minute. Sprinkle 1 tsp. of flour over vegetables and toss to combine.

Deglaze pan with broth and lemon juice. Add capers and toss to combine. Return chicken to pan, cover, and reduce heat to low, simmering until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Garnish with parsley and lemon slices.

Serves 2.

Savory Savoy Wraps - Alton Brown

Also from his cookbook, I'm Just Here for the Food.

Savory Savoy Wraps

8 large Savoy cabbage leaves
1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 c. peeled apple slices
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. finely diced potatoes
Salt and pepper

Lightly blanch cabbage leaves by immersing them in boiling salted water for 30 seconds, then immerse in ice water to cool. Drain and pat dry with a towel.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except cabbage leaves and season with salt and pepper. Lay out a cabbage leaf, inside down, and make a small pile of filling in the center. Roll into a tight package. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling, placing the rolls in a steamer basket, seam side down. Put enough water in a pot to come almost to the bottom of the steamer and bring to a boil. Put the lid on the pot slightly askew to allow steam to escape. Steam for 8 to 10 minutes.

Makes 2 main dish servings or 4 appetizers.

Chicksicles

Alton Brown's Chicksicles

1 Tb. coriander seeds
2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. peanuts
2 Tb. sesame oil
2 Tb. vegetable oil
2 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

Toast the coriander and cumin seeds over high heat. When the seeds just start to smoke, remove from heat and let cool. Then grind seeds, and combine with other spices and sugar. Chop the peanuts in a food processor. Add spices and process them too. Add the oils and process to form a paste.

Rub the past onto chicken. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Thread the chicken onto skewers. Heat the broiler and cook, turning often until paste is dark and chicken is cooked through.

Baked Potatoes, a la Alton Brown

I am a big fan of Alton Brown's show on The Food Network, Good Eats. So I looked forward to reading his cookbook. But I have to admit this is not what I expected. The book is organized by cooking method, which seems a little strange to begin with. Then there are no pictures of any of the recipes. There are fun little sidenotes, and interesting tips, but the recipes are constructed in a rather strange way.

Still, I did find a few recipes and note a few tips I plan to try. Here's the most basic one, and yet, the easiest to try!

A Perfect Baked Potato

Preheat oven to 350. Wash and dry potato. Poke holes in it with a fork. Then rub lightly the entire potato with a little canola oil. This makes a crunchy skin on the potato. Sprinkle the outside with salt. Place the potato directly on the rack in the oven. Cook for about 1 hour.

I haven't tried it yet, but since I love baked potatoes, I will try it soon!

Mexican Corn and Cheese Stuffed Peppers

Also from the Moosewood Cookbook.

Mexican Corn and Cheese Stuffed Peppers

2 Tb. oil
1 c. chopped onions
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander seeds
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 c. corn, fresh or frozen
3 eggs
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/4 c. milk or half and half
1/4 c. chopped olives
6 medium green or red bell peppers
1/4 c. tomato juice or water
Salsa
Rice

Saute the onions, garlic, cumin, coriander, and cayenne in the oil until onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, corn, and salt. Simmer until the corn is barely tender. Lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add cheese, milk, olives, and vegetables.

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Leave the stems on. Stuff pepper halves with egg-vegetable mixture and place on an oiled baking dish. Pour tomato juice onto bottom of dish. Bake tightly covered at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more. Serve on a bed of rice topped with salsa.