October 24, 2012

Tres Leches Cake with Banana Whipped Cream

Unknown Wednesday, October 24, 2012 0 Comments

Tres Leches Cake with Banana Whipped Cream

Ingredients

For the Tres Leches Cake Recipe:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened (4 oz.)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
5 eggs
12 oz. can evaporated milk
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup heavy cream

For the Mango Cream:

2 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 ripe bananas
2/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt

Directions

For the tres leches cake recipe: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8-9 inch cake pans and set aside.
Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Then add the vanilla.
Crack the eggs into a measuring pitcher. Then with the mixer running, alternate adding the eggs and flour mixture until just combined. Scrape the bowl and mix again for 30 seconds.
Divide the cake batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 20 minutes, until golden on top.
Remove the cakes from pans and cool for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the evaporated milk, condensed milk and cream together. Set aside.
Once the cakes are cool, place one on a cake platter and the other on a sheet of foil with the edges turned up to form a shallow bowl. Poke both cakes with a fork thoroughly, to help the milks absorb. Slowly pour half the tres leches mixture over each cake and allow them to sit and soak it all up while you make the Banana Cream.
For the Banana Cream: Peel both bananas. slice one into thin strips and set aside as the garnish. Cut the second off the pit and place in the blender with 2/3 cup sugar and a pinch of salt. Puree until smooth.
Pour the puree into a small sauce pan and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer. Stir and simmer for 3-5 minutes until thick. Then place in the fridge to cool.
Using a clean bowl and electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until firm peaks form. Then gently fold in the chilled mango puree.
To assemble: Scoop about half the Banana Cream on the cake that’s on the platter. Spread the Banana Cream evenly, then carefully flip the second cake layer on top and remove the foil. Spread the remaining Banana cream on the top and decorate with fresh banana slices.

Preparation time: 45 minute(s)
Cooking time: 25 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield):8 – 12

spaghetti with broccoli cream pesto

Unknown Wednesday, October 24, 2012 0 Comments

Spaghetti with Broccoli Cream Pesto

1/2 pound broccoli
1/2 pound dried spaghetti
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (or, more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper or pinches of red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons heavy cream
A heap of grated Parmesan (about 1/2 cup), to serve

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for your pasta.
Remove broccoli florets from stems and chop into medium florets. Peel stems with a vegetable peeler (I do this so that they cook quickly, plus, I prefer their taste without the tough stem skin.) and slice them into 1/2-inch segments.

Use your pot of future pasta water to steam (by suspending a mesh strainer over your pasta pot and covering it with a lid for 5 to 6 minutes)) or par-boil (for 3 to 5 minutes) your broccoli florets and stems until just tender, then drain if needed and set them aside.
Add pasta to water and cook until al dente, or about one minute less than fully cooked. Before draining pasta, reserve a cup of pasta cooking water and set it aside. Drain pasta.

Wipe out pot so that you can use it again. In the bottom of pot, melt butter and olive oil together over medium heat. Add onion and reduce to medium-low, sauteing it until tender, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add steamed broccoli, salt and red or black pepper and turn the heat back up to medium-high, cooking it with the onion and garlic for a few additional minutes. Pour cream over mixture and let cook for 30 seconds.

Transfer broccoli mixture and all of its creamy bits at the bottom of the pan to a blender or food processor and blend in short bursts until it’s finely chopped and a little sauce. Don’t worry if it looks dry; that reserved pasta water will give it the sauciness it needs in a minute. (Theoretically, one could also use an immersion blender here inside their pot to make the broccoli sauce, but it might be a bit messy with all of the chunks and small bits.)

Add the broccoli sauce back to the pot with the drained spaghetti and a splash or two of the reserved pasta water. Cook over medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing the mixture so that it evenly coats. Add more pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Adjust seasonings to taste, adding more salt or pepper, and scoop into a serving bowl. Shower spaghetti with grated parmesan and dig in.

October 22, 2012

General Conference October 2012

Unknown Monday, October 22, 2012 0 Comments

Happy General Conference weekend

I truly enjoyed General Conference this October. Pacer and I have been so busy with life, the beach house, and church responsibilities. So it was nice to wake up and turn on the computer to watch it in my jammies on the couch, with a bowl of Lucky Charms. *don't judge I love my Lucky Charms.*

There were so many amazing and inspiring talks but my absolute favorite was I know it, I live it, I love it, by Ann M Dibb *Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency.

what struck me the most about it was the fact that I am a blogger and I love to share things about my religion and my beliefs. I wish all my friends could feel the joy and happiness I feel daily because of the gospel. I am grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

October 15, 2012

The happy stick figure couple

Unknown Monday, October 15, 2012 1 Comments

Life is so hard for a stick figure couple.

Its true the hardest part was just keeping our faces on.

Halloween's a comin'

before the creation

aren't we just the cutest couple??

Slow Cooker Chow Mein

Unknown Monday, October 15, 2012 0 Comments

Slow Cooker Chow Mein

boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 lb)

tablespoon vegetable oil

medium carrots, sliced diagonally (1 cup)

medium stalks celery, coarsely chopped (1 cup)

medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

cloves garlic, finely chopped

can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained

cup Progresso® chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)

tablespoons soy sauce

1/2

teaspoon finely chopped gingerroot

tablespoons cornstarch

tablespoons cold water

cup sliced fresh mushrooms (3 oz)

cup snow (Chinese) pea pods

Chow mein noodles, if desired

I used rice noodles you can use any kind of chinese noodle

Remove fat from chicken. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil about 5 minutes, turning once, until brown.
In 3 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker, place carrots, celery, onion, garlic and water chestnuts. Add chicken. In small bowl, mix broth, soy sauce and gingerroot; pour over chicken.
Cover and cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.
In small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into chicken mixture. Stir in mushrooms and pea pods. Increase heat setting to High. Cover and cook 15 minutes. Serve over noodles. Sprinkle with hard chow mein noodles.

October 13, 2012

a 5$ fast food, rainy day date

Unknown Saturday, October 13, 2012 0 Comments

Jack in the box, Arbys, McDonalds, Taco Bell, Artic Circle

We had such a wonderful afternoon. We decided to not go down to the beach house this weekend and just have it to ourselves. Friday we did nothing, we slept in and then we ran a couple of errands. We got hungry and had a $10's between us so we could only spend 1 dollar a piece at each fast food joint we stopped at. We then brought it all home and laid out our spread and had a wonderful feast. It was tasty. Then we played family games on the xbox, like Clue, Mousetrap, Life, Jenga, and many more. It was the perfect way to spend the first fall rainy day.