This Cooking Light recipe earned such high marks from my husband that he said it could be a weekly meal. (That never happens in our house because there are way too many recipes to try to repeat that often.) You could easily leave out the chicken and amp up the broccoli in this recipe for a vegetarian dish.
Sweet Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Broccoli
8 oz. angel hair pasta
8 oz. broccoli florets
12 oz. chicken
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 green onions, chopped (optional)
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
Cook noodles in boiling water, adding broccoli the last 3 minutes. Drain noodles and broccoli. Heat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Cool 6 minutes on each side or until done. Cut into 1-inch pieces.
Combine remaining ingredients, except green onions and sesame seeds. Whisk together until well mixed. Stir into noodle mixture, and add chicken. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Serves 4.
June 22, 2014
French Toast Cake
Birthdays are an excuse for me to try some of the many cakes and desserts that have caught my eye, like this one from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. I made this and a TimTam cake from Raspberri Cupcakes for my mother and brother's birthday celebrations, along with Father's Day. Although the TimTam cake was good, it didn't wow me like I had expected.
This, on the other hand, lived up to my expectations for it. It tastes like breakfast, in cake form. It is incredibly sweet but wonderful. My cakes turned out a bit dry, so be careful not to overbake like I did.
No pictures due to the celebrations and devouring. Check out the original blog on Confessions of a Cookbook Queen for pretty pictures.
French Toast Cake
Cake
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 sticks salted butter, slightly softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup milk
Frosting
1 cup salted butter, slightly softened
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. maple extract
4 cups powdered sugar
drop of yellow food color
Ganache
1/2 cup cinnamon chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp. maple cream
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour two (8-inch) cake pans, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar and cinnamon. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla.
With the mixer on medium low, add flour and milk alternately, starting and ending with flour mixture and scraping the bowl as needed. Pour about 1/4 of the batter in each pan. Divide cinnamon/brown sugar mixture between the two cakes, sprinkling evenly over the batter and then topping with the remaining batter. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove cakes from oven, and let cool in pans for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove from pans, and finish cooling on a wire rack.
To make the frosting, beat butter, maple extract and heavy cream on medium low speed until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add powdered sugar, and beat on low until just barely mixed. Increase speed to high, and beat for one minute, until fluffy and smooth. Set aside a couple spoonfuls of frosting. Color the small amount of reserved frosting with a drop of yellow food coloring, and place in the refrigerator.
Place one cake top side down on a plate, and cover with frosting. Place the other cake on top, and frost entire cake. Chill for about 30 minutes before pouring ganache over the top, so it doesn't melt the frosting.
To make the ganache, heat cinnamon chips and cream in the microwave, stopping to stir every 15 seconds until smooth. Add maple cream, and stir until combined. Let sit until thickened and slightly cooled.
Pour ganache over chilled frosted, cake, spreading to the edges so it can drip down. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop chilled yellow frosting, so it looks like butter, and place it in the center of the cake.
This, on the other hand, lived up to my expectations for it. It tastes like breakfast, in cake form. It is incredibly sweet but wonderful. My cakes turned out a bit dry, so be careful not to overbake like I did.
No pictures due to the celebrations and devouring. Check out the original blog on Confessions of a Cookbook Queen for pretty pictures.
French Toast Cake
Cake
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 sticks salted butter, slightly softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup milk
Frosting
1 cup salted butter, slightly softened
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. maple extract
4 cups powdered sugar
drop of yellow food color
Ganache
1/2 cup cinnamon chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp. maple cream
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour two (8-inch) cake pans, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar and cinnamon. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla.
With the mixer on medium low, add flour and milk alternately, starting and ending with flour mixture and scraping the bowl as needed. Pour about 1/4 of the batter in each pan. Divide cinnamon/brown sugar mixture between the two cakes, sprinkling evenly over the batter and then topping with the remaining batter. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove cakes from oven, and let cool in pans for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove from pans, and finish cooling on a wire rack.
To make the frosting, beat butter, maple extract and heavy cream on medium low speed until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add powdered sugar, and beat on low until just barely mixed. Increase speed to high, and beat for one minute, until fluffy and smooth. Set aside a couple spoonfuls of frosting. Color the small amount of reserved frosting with a drop of yellow food coloring, and place in the refrigerator.
Place one cake top side down on a plate, and cover with frosting. Place the other cake on top, and frost entire cake. Chill for about 30 minutes before pouring ganache over the top, so it doesn't melt the frosting.
To make the ganache, heat cinnamon chips and cream in the microwave, stopping to stir every 15 seconds until smooth. Add maple cream, and stir until combined. Let sit until thickened and slightly cooled.
Pour ganache over chilled frosted, cake, spreading to the edges so it can drip down. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop chilled yellow frosting, so it looks like butter, and place it in the center of the cake.
Rainbow Thai Salad
Periodically one of the (dessert) blogs I read links to someone's healthier recipes. That's how I discovered this salad from Gimme Some Oven. Even though I'm not sold on mangoes, I thought this sounded intriguingly delicious.
I thoroughly enjoyed it several days in a row. When I made it the following week, the mangoes and the avocados didn't work for me as much. I'm not sure why. Still, this was really good and worth repeating even without the chicken.
Rainbow Thai Salad
3 cups shredded cooked chicken (optional)
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
1 cup shredded green cabbage
1 avocado, diced
1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1 (large) carrot, julienned
1 red pepper, cored and julienned
1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup chopped green onions
Dressing
1/4 cup chopped cashews or peanuts
1/2 cup peanut butter
2-3 Tbsp. hot water
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of red pepper flakes
To make the salad, combine all the chopped ingredients together. Combine dressing ingredients, and stir until well blended. Pour over salad immediately prior to serving. Serves 3 to 4 as a meal, more as a side dish.
I thoroughly enjoyed it several days in a row. When I made it the following week, the mangoes and the avocados didn't work for me as much. I'm not sure why. Still, this was really good and worth repeating even without the chicken.
Rainbow Thai Salad
3 cups shredded cooked chicken (optional)
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
1 cup shredded green cabbage
1 avocado, diced
1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1 (large) carrot, julienned
1 red pepper, cored and julienned
1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup chopped green onions
Dressing
1/4 cup chopped cashews or peanuts
1/2 cup peanut butter
2-3 Tbsp. hot water
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of red pepper flakes
To make the salad, combine all the chopped ingredients together. Combine dressing ingredients, and stir until well blended. Pour over salad immediately prior to serving. Serves 3 to 4 as a meal, more as a side dish.
Mushroom Walnut Turnovers
I was pleasantly surprised my husband enjoyed these savory Cooking Light turnovers. The mushroom filling was quite delicious (enough so that I made more the following day for an omelet). I made a slightly more kid-friendly version for our son.
I would definitely repeat these turnovers, but I also like the idea of using a similar crust for other savory meals.
Mushroom Walnut Turnovers
Filling
2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
8 oz. mushrooms, chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp. fat-free cream cheese
2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
Crust
3 Tbsp. chopped walnuts, toasted
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter, chilled & cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water
2 large egg whites, divided
1 Tbsp. skim milk
Prepare the filling by cooking onion and mushrooms in a pan coated with cooking spray. Cook 6 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring often. Add in wine, and cook 5 minutes or until the liquid is almost evaporated. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining ingredients.
Set aside to cool to room temperature, and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grind walnuts until smooth in a food processor. Add remaining dry ingredients and butter, and pulse until mixed. Add ice water and one egg white to flour mixture. Stir by hand until moist and mixed. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, and divide dough into 18 portions. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll balls into a 3-inch circle. (Keep remaining dough covered while rolling out the individual doughs.) Spoon about 2 tsp. of mushrooms into each crust, and fold dough over filling. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal, and set on a lined baking sheet. Repeat until all dough and filling is used.
Combine remaining egg white and milk in a bowl. Brush the egg wash over all the pastries. Bake for 16 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 9 appetizer servings or 4 entree portions.
I would definitely repeat these turnovers, but I also like the idea of using a similar crust for other savory meals.
Mushroom Walnut Turnovers
Filling
2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
8 oz. mushrooms, chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp. fat-free cream cheese
2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
Crust
3 Tbsp. chopped walnuts, toasted
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter, chilled & cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water
2 large egg whites, divided
1 Tbsp. skim milk
Prepare the filling by cooking onion and mushrooms in a pan coated with cooking spray. Cook 6 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring often. Add in wine, and cook 5 minutes or until the liquid is almost evaporated. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining ingredients.
Set aside to cool to room temperature, and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grind walnuts until smooth in a food processor. Add remaining dry ingredients and butter, and pulse until mixed. Add ice water and one egg white to flour mixture. Stir by hand until moist and mixed. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, and divide dough into 18 portions. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll balls into a 3-inch circle. (Keep remaining dough covered while rolling out the individual doughs.) Spoon about 2 tsp. of mushrooms into each crust, and fold dough over filling. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal, and set on a lined baking sheet. Repeat until all dough and filling is used.
Combine remaining egg white and milk in a bowl. Brush the egg wash over all the pastries. Bake for 16 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 9 appetizer servings or 4 entree portions.
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