Barbecue Cake

Jeffrey said he wanted a barbecue for his birthday.  So I decided to go all out.

Not only did he get a T-bone steak, corn on the cob and grilled pineapple, he got a barbecue cake.

It was very simple to make.  The hardest part was finding a rack small enough to go on top of the cake.  Next time I think I will just make my own out of wire.

I made two cake mixes.  Once they were cooled down a little, I popped them in the freezer.  A frozen cake is always easier to frost.  Once they were good and frozen, I pulled them out.  I plopped one cake on a tray (I just used a large piece of cardboard with tin foil over it) upside down, and frosted the top.  I then plopped the other cake, right side up (so the two bottoms were touching), measured where I wanted my "pit" and then cut it out, cutting down to the top of the first layer.  I set the cut out part aside.  I then proceeded to frost the top layer and the sides.  I then crumbled up part of the saved cake, and spread it in the bottom of the hole.  I placed marshmallows on top to act as the coals.  I got a pastry brush and wet them.  I the sprinkled black, red and orange sprinkles on top of the marshmallows.  The water made them sticky so the sprinkles would stick.  I also had some white crystal sprinkles that I spread all over in the "pit" so as to look like ash.  I placed the cooling rack over that.  I then got some water, and added red food coloring to it.  I again used a pastry brush, and brushed the red all over some rice cakes so as to look like raw hamburger patties.  Place them on the rack, and you have yourself a barbecue.

Hamburger Cookies

I made these for Jeffrey's birthday. He said he wanted a barbecue for his dinner, and I found these and decided to go all out.  Besides, they are just too cute, and so easy!

What you need:

Vanilla Wafers

Grasshopper cookies

Frosting

Coconut 

What to do:

• Scoop out frosting into three bowls.  Leave one bowl white and add red food coloring to one, and yellow food coloring to the other.
• Take a vanilla wafer and spread white frosting on the bottom.  Make it sloppy.  You want the white to spill over the edge a bit.
• Put one of the grasshopper cookies on top of the white frosting.
• Spread yellow frosting on half the grasshopper cookie.
• Spread red frosting on the other half of the cookie.  Remember, you want it to be sloppy and spill over the edges.
• Put your shredded coconut in a bag with green food coloring and mix it all around to coat evenly.
• Sprinkle some of the coconut on top of the red and yellow frosting. 
• Put another vanilla wafer on top of the whole ensemble. 
• Eat.
• Repeat.

See?  Easy peasy.  Now go make some for your next barbecue!

Banana Bread

 

I have been on a quest for a great banana bread recipe.  It was a long time of searching and tasting and being slightly dissapointed.  I just couldn't find one that made me happy.

 

Until now.  And boy oh boy did I find it!  I love this recipe.  It is sweet enough, and bananay enough and it sort of melts in your mouth.  Try it and you wont be disappointed.

 

Banana Bread

What You Need:

1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
1 cup plus a little more mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
3 T milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 350*. Cream sugar, egg, and butter together in large bowl. Beat until fulffy. set aside. combine bananas, milk and vanilla in small bowl. Set aside. combine flour, baking powder, and bking soda together in small bowl. Alternate adding flour and banana mixutre into reserved creamed mixture stirring by hand until flour is just moistened. Do not over stir. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans if desired. Grease one 9x5x3" loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.

Horchata

While in California on my mission, I fell in love with a little drink called Horchata (pronounced Or-cha-ta).  It is a Mexican rice milk drink that is absolutely delicious!

When I am feeling ambitious, I sometimes make it.  It is so soothing and delicious on a hot summer day.

What you need:

• 1 cup uncooked white long-grain rice
• 5 cups water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup white sugar

What you do:

• Pour the rice and water into the bowl of a blender; blend until the rice just begins to break up, about 1 minute. Let rice and water stand at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours (or overnight)

• Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard the rice. Stir the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar into the rice water.  Let sit for three hours and then strain through a coffee filter.  Chill and stir before serving over ice.

Cinco De Mayo Meal, Baby!

Today is Cinco de Mayo. What that means is the Mexicans beat Napolean's army and drove the French from their lands on this day in 1862.  Pretty amazing since the French army had not been beaten for over 50 years!  Go Mexicans!

As it is well known, I find any reason I can to celebrate.  No, I am not Mexican, but I do love the people, culture, and food. 

Today in honor of the Mexican holiday, we ate in style.

We had Cafe Rio style burritos.  They are Jeffrey's favorite and I quite like them as well.  I found the recipe at Favorite Family Recipes and adapted it a little to suit our tastes.  Enjoy!

CILANTRO-LIME RICE:
1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.


BLACK BEANS:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro. (**NOTE** we added a can of corn, drained, to the beans with a dash of cumin and chili powder, it was AWESOME! We recommend doing this even though it's not "traditional Cafe Rio")


CILANTRO RANCH:
1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (we like it SPICY so we kept the seeds in it, if you like it mild, just remove the seeds)

I also bought some enchilada sauce and poured it over the burritos, sprinkling Tapatio hot sauce and cheese over the top and popped them in the broiler (the oven turned to broil).  When the cheese was melted, they were done.  Add some pico de gallo and a little bit of crema and it is ready for the eating!

Chayote Soup

I received a few veggies in my Bountiful Baskets a while back, and I had no idea what they were.  After much research, it was discovered that they were chayote squash.

Not knowing what to do with them, I followed a friend's advice and made this soup.

Love.

It is so yummy! 

The only change I would make would be to add less pepper flakes.  Other than that, it is delicious, and I may buy chayote regularly just so I can make it again.

This recipe was found on All Recipes.

Enjoy.

What You Need:

• 2 cubes chicken bouillon, crumbled
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 chayote squashes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

What To Do:

1. Dissolve the bouillon in the hot water.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir the onion, garlic, and red pepper in the butter until the onion is soft. Add the squash, 2 tablespoons cilantro, salt, and pepper and stir continually for 5 minutes. Stir in the bouillon mixture and 1 tablespoon cilantro; cover. Simmer about 20 minutes.
3. Pour the mixture into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into bowls and garnish with a sprig of cilantro to serve.