Chocolate Speckled Orange Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

My. Goodness. The combination of orange and chocolate is a match made in heaven, and often found in Italian desserts. This cake is moist, fragrant, and DELECTABLE. Seriously. This was one of those rare instances that I had to pat myself on the back after tasting this cake. I merged my grandmothers coffee cake recipe with a few ideas of my own, and developed this superb bundt cake.  I have to give the rest of this cake away because I find myself going back for "just a little sliver" of cake.... And those slivers add up!

Ingredients:

For the cake:
1 Stick softened unsalted butter
1 C. white sugar
2 eggs
1 C. buttermilk
1/2  tsp. Vanilla extract
1 tsp. Orange extract*
Zest of 1 large naval orange
2 C. AP flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
 6.8 ounce bar Hershey's dark chocolate (divided)**

*I used orange extract because the acidity of fruit juice can sometimes change the texture of a cake and make it tough. The extract was very cheap at Walmart. 
**Use whatever brand you like, as long as it's dark chocolate. I bought Hershey's because it was the most affordable and I am a poor college student. 

For the Ganache:
Remaining dark chocolate
1/2 C + 2 tbsp. heavy cream
Pinch of salt

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350.  In large bowl or standing mixer, combine and beat butter, white sugar, eggs, buttermilk, orange extract, orange zest, and vanilla for 2 minutes. 
2)In separate bowl, gently combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. 
3) Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix until completely combined. 
4) Take about 1/5 of the dark chocolate bar and chop it up finely. Fold chocolate into the cake batter. 
5) Pour batter into greased bundt pan.  Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs or clean. Let the cake cool completely. 
6) Chop up remaining chocolate and put in a small bowl. 
7) Heat up heavy cream on the stove-top until it comes to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is completely smooth. Add a pinch of salt and set aside until needed. 
8) Top the cooled cake with dark chocolate ganache.

Serves at least 8

Here you can see the orange zest peeking through the cake, and the rich, decadent ganache. 

The batter should be smooth with the exception of the chocolate speckles!

Jewish Coffee Cake

My Grandmother has been making this Jewish Coffee Cake for decades. Unfortunately, I learned about this recipe after she died, and I never got the chance to ask her where she learned this recipe, or who she got it from. She wasn't Jewish, and my mother and I don't know why this recipe is called "Jewish Coffee Cake". All we know is that it's DIVINE! It's moist, sweet, indulgent, and impressive enough to serve to any guest popping in for a chat and cup of tea. Recipes like this make me wonder why I ever purchased box cake mixes. Cakes are easy to make, and so cheap! Baking from scratch is a sweet way to show someone that you care enough about them to take the extra 15 minutes to make something special. 

Ingredients:
1 Stick softened salted butter
1 C. white sugar
2 eggs
1 C. buttermilk
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 C. AP flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda


For the streusel: 
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. chopped nuts
1 tsp. cinnamon 

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl or standing mixer, combine and beat butter, white sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla for 2 minutes. 
2)In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. 
3) Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix until completely combined. 
4) In a small bowl, combine streusel ingredients, and set aside. 
5) Pour 1/2 the batter into a greased bunt pan. 
6) Add half the streusel mix on top of batter. 
7) Top with remaining batter, then sprinkle remaining streusel mix on top. *
8) Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs or clean.

Cool, cut, serve, and enjoy!
Serves at least 8

*It may seem like a small amount of batter for a standard sized bunt pan, but don't worry! The cake expands a great deal when baking in the oven.*

Look at that crumbly topping. God Bless America.

Butterscotch Blondies

Where do I begin? Blondie's are the white version of a brownie. They have a fudgey texture, are incredibly moist, and decadent beyond belief. Ever imagine what a brownie would taste like without the chocolate? This is it! This recipe is super adaptable. If you don't like butterscotch, use chocolate chips, mixed nuts, pieces of toffee, candy bar, you name it! Put whatever the heck you want in these bad boys! I'm actually having trouble typing right now because I have a batch of these Butterscotch Blondie's sitting on my counter, and I'm trying to resist going back for another one. 

Ingredients:

½ cup salted butter (one stick)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 ¼ C. AP flour

¾ C. Butterscotch morsels

Optional: ½ C. chopped nuts

That's it! Seriously!

Instructions:

 1) Preheat oven to 350. Mix VERY soft or melted butter and brown sugar together in a bowl until they are well combined, and no chunks of butter are visible. 

2) Mix in vanilla and egg until fully incorporated

3)Gradually add in flour, and mix until you can't see any flour anymore. Don't over-mix. 

4) Add in your butterscotch morsels and/or nuts. 

5) Spread mixture in greased 8x8 pan. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs or clean. If batter is attached to the toothpick, bake longer. 

6) Let cool, cut into approximately 20 small squares, and serve!

Absolutely perfect texture. Fudgey and creamy, yet firm enough to cut into squares without falling apart. 

Macaroni and Cheese

    I'm pretty sure it doesn't get any better than homemade macaroni and cheese on a cold winter day! This is my usual go-to recipe, except I had to omit the bacon, as I only had impostor turkey bacon on hand ( which is a no-go for me).   Mac and Cheese is very versatile, and you may sub out the cheddar cheese for whatever kind of cheese you prefer. I find that the sharp cheddar variety gives the mac and cheese a more traditional flavor, and it's usually pretty cheap. Another great combination of cheese is white cheddar, Gruyere, and Fontina. Make this dish with what you have on hand, and with ingredients that you enjoy!
Ingredients: 
2 tbsp. salted butter
2 tbsp. flour
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch red pepper flakes
pepper, to taste
2 cups elbow macaroni ( I used mini elbow macaroni that I found in Little Italy)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Fried thick cut bacon- technically optional... but very delicious

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350. Boil macaroni until al dente. (the pasta should not be mushy. It should still have a slight bite to it)
2)In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add flour, and mix for about 2 minutes on medium-low heat. 
3)Add cream, salt, red pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic powder,  and pepper to pan. Stir until a slight boil develops. Cook for 1 minute.
4)Add cheese, and stir until completely melted into the sauce. 
5)Add cooked pasta to cheese sauce and stir until combined. 
6) Pour pasta mixture into a greased oven-safe dish (any size will work as long as the pasta is in at least a 1.5 - 2 inch thick layer) Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top.
7) Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the sides are bubbling and the top is a golden color. 
8) Optional: add chopped up, fried bacon to the top of the macaroni and cheese

My Pink Gooseberry Pyrex ( I used two small baking dishes instead of one large dish)

Next Day Chicken Casserole

I apologize for not posting in a few days- I had a stomach flu that literally kicked my butt and lasted a WEEK! I have never gotten hit that bad with a stomach bug in my life! Okay, enough excuses. Today I made this recipe with some leftover roast chicken, and it was very well received. My dad told me twice that I can make that recipe anytime. This casserole is very versatile. Roasted red peppers and peas would be a delicious way to incorporate more vegetables into the recipe. Almost any vegetable would taste wonderful! You could use any type of precooked chicken, and any kind of small pasta.

Ingredients:

1 ½ C. leftover chicken, cubed

1 pkg. cream cheese

1 c. milk

1 c. chicken broth

1 tbsp. diced pimento

4 tbsp. salted butter, divided

1 ½ c. cooked macaroni (I used little wagon wheels)

½ tsp. salt 

pepper to taste

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Instructions:

1) Over medium heat, melt 3 tbsp. butter in pan. 

2)Add cream cheese, milk, broth, seasoning and pimento.

3)Boil for three minutes

4)Mix in cooked macaroni and leftover chicken

5)Pour mixture into greased baking dish and flatten mixture with a spatula so it will cook evenly

6) Top with breadcrumbs. Melt 1 tbsp butter and pour over breadcrumbs

7) Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are golden brown and casserole is bubbling. 

Serves about five 

Served in my grandmothers vintage snowflake pyrex dish!

Classic Roast Chicken Leg Quarters

I love buying leg quarters when they are on sale at the grocery store. They have plenty of meat on them, as they include both the chicken leg and thigh. Dark meat, in my opinion, is more flavorful, juicy, and filling than white meat- and it’s cheaper! This is an easy week-night dinner, and can be served with a green salad or any vegetable.

                I am recovering from a nasty stomach flu, so this recipe was a no-brainer when I saw a package of leg quarters sitting in my fridge. My wonderful mother was nice enough to assemble the recipe while I talked her through it (as I didn't want to contaminate any food with my icky flu germs).  If you would like to drizzle gravy, dressing, or cranberry sauce over the chicken it would taste fabulous, but I prefer eating it plain on top of dressed greens because the skin keeps the meat moist and flavorful.

Ingredients:

4 Leg quarters

1 ½ tsp. Herb de Provence*

½ tsp. Poultry seasoning

4 Tbsp butter

1 onion cut in slices  (Vidalia, white, or yellow)

1 Lemon cut in slices

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt & Pepper

*Herb de Provence is a combination of french herbs such as rosemary, sage, lavender, savory, thyme, etc. It adds a delicious flavor to the chicken. If you can't find Herb de Provence, feel free to use any herbs you would use on a roast. Rosemary, thyme, and sage are a lovely combination as well. 

Instructions:

1)      Preheat oven to 350. In a foil-lined roasting pan, make a bed of lemon slices and onion slices. Drizzle with olive oil.

2)      Season leg quarters on each side liberally with salt and pepper.

3)      Loosen the skin on leg quarters, and slide a tbsp. butter under the skin of each leg quarter, massaging the butter under the skin.

4)      Arrange chicken on top of onion and lemon slices, making sure the chicken pieces aren’t touching each other. (This will allow the chicken to cook evenly).

5)      Top chicken with Herb de Provence and Poultry seasoning.

6)      Bake in 350 oven for about 1 hr. 5 minutes. A meat thermometer should read at least 165.

7)      Pop under broiler for additional 1-2 minutes for extra crispy skin. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

Parmesan Vegetable Soup

 If you feel guilty for over-indulging this holiday season, give this Parmesan Vegetable Soup a try! The Parmesan rind makes the soup flavorful and rich, and the cayenne pepper gives a bit of heat. If you can’t find real Parmesan still on the rind, feel free to add ¼- ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese to the pot of soup the last 5 minutes of its cooking time. This is the perfect soup to keep in your fridge for lunches, and it’s guilt free!

     I recommend tasting your stock before you add any salt to the soup. Some stocks are already salty, and some are bland as can be. It is very important to taste your soup and adjust for seasoning as it cooks. My soup was very flavorful because I added extra cayenne pepper, but if you don't like spicy food, use only a little bit, and add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end for extra flavor. A little bit of acid will do wonders for soup!

    Also, I am sorry for the quality of the pictures of my soup. I haven't got a great camera, and I have terrible luck when taking pictures of soup.You will just have to take my word for it- it's a delicious, guilt free meal!

Ingredients:

12 Cups chicken or vegetable stock*

14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 TBSP tomato paste

½ white or yellow onion, chopped

15 oz can corn

1 small russet potato, peeled and cut into cubes

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

¼ cup frozen peas

¼ cup small soup pasta (You can use more pasta if you like, but it expands quite a bit)

½ tsp Poultry seasoning

½ -1 tsp Cayenne pepper (start with ½ teaspoon, and work your way up-cayenne is fairly spicy)

Parmesan rind

Salt and Pepper to taste

Squeeze of lemon juice –optional**

*I used chicken stock, because I find it to be much more flavorful than vegetable stock. If you would like to use vegetable stock, you may have to increase the amount of seasonings in your soup so it won’t be dull.

**If you have added plenty of seasoning to your soup, but it doesn’t quite taste perfect, add a squeeze of lemon juice. One of the most frequent complaints with making homemade soup is that it tastes bland, no matter how well seasoned the soup is. The squeeze of lemon juice helps bring out the flavor of each ingredient and ties the dish together.

Instructions:

1 )In large soup pot, combine stock, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, corn, potato, carrots, seasonings, and Parmesan rind. Heat until a gentle boil forms, turn the heat down to medium low, and let simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

2) Give the soup a stir, and taste for seasonings.  Add pasta, and let cook until tender.

3) Add frozen peas to the soup, and let cook for 2-3 minutes.

4) Taste and adjust seasonings in soup. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and serve.

Just showing off my new (vintage) plates! They are Paul Muller Selb plates. I'm not sure what year they were made, but Paul Muller Selb started manufacturing these plates in 1917. The bottom reads "Paul Muller Selb 7".