Sunday, July 22, 2012

Texas Cake

I'm so excited to finally have a cake recipe to post...but I'm even more excited that it's a chocolate cake. I ran out of cocoa powder about two or three months before my planned departure from Beijing, and being that it's very expensive out there I chose not to buy any more. That meant no baking with chocolate. For over two months. It was a very dark time in my life.

Now that I'm back in the states there has been a lot of chocolate consumption in this household, this texas cake being the most recent, and yes, the most delicious. We had this cake all the time growing up, and I can't remember the last time I had it. I've been helping out at home with a garage sale all weekend, so meals weren't really a priority. I actually had this cake for lunch today, along with some watermelon...I know...weird.

I'm not sure why we always called this cake Texas Cake, but the pioneer woman thought it was because the cake is the size of Texas (hellooo 13x18!!). We used her recipe, because it looked the closest to what we've always done, but did it in a 9x13 instead.

In other news, this week I'll be moving yet again, back to Cincinnati. I'm so excited to just be in one place for a while, and to see some of my old friends again. Maybe another cake should be in order? I think so!


Texas Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

4 heaping tablespoons cocoa
2 sticks butter
1 cup boiling water
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk (you could also give sour cream a try!)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla

For the frosting:

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 stick butter
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
1 pound minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar. This is kind of a loose measurement, add bits at a time until it's the desired consistancy. Any lumps will eventually break up, no need to sift.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a saucepan, boil water, then add butter and cocoa. Bring back to a boil, and let it boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Mix in the sugar until combined, then add the flour and salt, stirring lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, wisk together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. Pour into the chocolate mixture.

Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 pan, and bake for 25 minutes. Cake should look just set, but not jiggly.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and add the powdered sugar in batches until it reaches the desired consistancy. Stir in the chopped pecans, and pour over warm cake.

So easy, so addicting, SO delicious.

Recipe Source: The Pioneer Woman

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Summer Vegetable and Potato Salad

I am officially on staycation. I made it back to the states safe and sound last Sunday, and have thoroughly been enjoying my time at home. There's been swimming, cuddling with puppers, and of course eating. I've also done a little car shopping, am still figuring out my cell phone situation, and oh yeah, I'm sick. Thankfully I'm not the kind of sick where I have body aches and chills, but the pain in my lungs when I cough cannot be overlooked.

Though I've been eating well since I've been home, I haven't been doing any cooking. Call me lazy, but when my mom asks me if I want her to make biscuits and gravy, I let her. Needless to say, this salad is perfect for a lazy dinner. My mom and I made this together, so it took zero time to make, and was fresh and satisfying. Actually, it was doubly satisfying, as many of the veggies were homegrown. The corn was grown in a friends garden, and my mom grew the tomatoes and basil. Oh basil, I love you.

As we were eating, we were brainstorming about other additions or changes. I think grilling the corn would add some lovely char, and maybe even some grilled zucchini. Either way, this recipe is highly adaptable. We ate it as a main dish, and for me, it was quite filling. My sister was still a little hungry after, while I couldn't quite finish my serving. I was already thinking about my favorite chocolate chip cookies I was going to make, so maybe I was subconciously saving room for those. There will be ice cream sandwiches in my near future. I love summer.

*Update: I'll be submitting this recipe to a monthly food blog event No Croutons Required. This is a monthly event featuring vegetarian soups and salads. I've been following for a little while, but this is my first entry. This month's challenge was to come up with a dish that is especially suited for summer. I think this dish fits the bill perfectly!

Summer Vegetable Potato Salad

Ingredients

1 pound small yellow or red new potatoes, sliced
2 fresh ears of corn, cooked, or 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
4 roma tomatoes, cut into thin wedges, or you can use 12-15 halved cherry tomatoes like we did
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot or red onion
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup feta cheese
Fresh basil leaves

Directions

In medium saucepan cook potatoes, covered, in enough boiling salted water to cover for 5 minutes, or just until tender. Drain and cool. Cut corn from cob. On large serving platter arrange the potatoes and tomatoes. Sprinkle with corn and 1/4 cup basil.

For dressing, in a screw-top jar combine oil, vinegar, shallot, mustard, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and shake well. Pour dressing over potato mixture. Sprinkle salad with feta cheese and basil leaves. Makes 8-10 servings.

Serves 4 as a main, 8-10 as a side.

Recipe Source: All-Time Favorite Recipes from the 2012 Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, a supplement to the Better Homes and Garden magazine.
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