Cocunut Lime Cake

Back before I started this blog, when I was just a food blog fan, I remember seeing this recipe at Smitten Kitchen, and thinking that it looked pretty good, but I must have forgotten to bookmark it, and forgot about it.

A few weeks ago, I saw it on honey and jam and remembered, oh yeah, I wanted to make that. Lime and coconut are two of my favorites. I was not disappointed. There were a few mishaps, but those were totally my own doing, and had nothing to do with the recipe. Actually, I think the mishaps might have made the cake better, and I'll explain why shortly.

Coconut Lime Cake(adapted from Honey and Jam, by way of Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients Needed:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp grated lime zest
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tbsp rum(optional) or milk

To Make:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 inch round pie pan, and line the bottom with a piece of parchment(this is awesome by the way...no sticking AT ALL. I will do this from now until the end of time)
Toast the coconut on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. Set aside. Don't turn the oven off, you'll need it still.
In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and lime zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg is added. Stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, and to that, add 1/2 cup of the toasted coconut.
Mix together the 3/4 cup of milk, and half(or 2 tbsp) of the lime juice. At a low speed, mix the flour mixture and lime/milk mixture into the batter alternating between the two, beginning and ending with the flour(so it goes, flour, milk, flour, milk, flour). Pour the batter into the pan, and smooth the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until top is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Mix together the remaining 2 tbsp lime juice, confectioners sugar and rum(or milk), and spoon over top of cake, then top with the remaining toasted coconut.
Cut, and serve.

So, you might be asking yourself, "that doesn't sound messed up...where's the mess up, Sara?"



So, what happened was, the cake was cooking fine, and after about 35 minutes, it was done, but the top wasn't brown. So, I turned on the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top, and turned my back for a second too long, and burned the crap out of the top of the cake. The rest was fine, but the top was a blackened, burned mess. So, what I did was just cut the top off of the cake, and poured the topping and coconut on the very thin cake that was left. So, where the goodness comes in, is that I think the topping would get lost in a thicker cake. The topping(which was really the best part of the cake) was so pronounced, because there was very little cake to take away from it. I'll make this again though, and hopefully the next time, I wont mess it up, and I'll be able to test that theory.

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Red Wine Linguine with Parmesan

The second I saw this dish on the Real Simple website, I bookmarked it, and I actually made it that night, which is fairly rare for me. Looking back, I really don't know what possessed me to make this. Here's the thing. I don't drink alcohol. Like, at all. The last time I had a drink was at my wedding. 8 months ago. And I didn't even drink the whole thing. I think I took two sips, and the the photographer was calling back for more pictures.

So, why I thought that wine flavored pasta would be something I would like, I really don't know. If you like wine, this dish is probably the whip. But for me, it just tasted like wine, and since I don't like wine, I didn't really like the pasta. My husband liked it a little more than I did, but he likes wine, so there you go. On the plus side of the recipe, it was incredibly simple to make, and very quick, only about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Red Wine Pasta(adapted from Real Simple)

Ingredients Needed:

1/2 lb linguine
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/3 cup red wine(I used Shiraz, but most any red wine would work with this, apparently)
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest
black pepper
1/4 cup shaved or grated fresh parmesan

To Make:

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente(usually about 7 minutes). While the pasta cooks, bring the wine to a simmer in a small sauce pan. When pasta is done, drain, and return to cooking pot. Pour the wine in, and and cook over medium heat until wine is almost completely absorbed into the pasta, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the olive oil, and pepper. Serve garnished with the lemon zest, and grated parmesan cheese.

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My Take On Pommes Anna

So, I've been a little slow on the updating here lately, and I apologize. My job is going through some turmoil right now, and the last thing I usually want to do when I come home is cook anything. There's been lots of pizza in my house lately. BUT! Things seem to be starting to turn around. I have quite a few things coming up for you, but let's start here.

For Father's Day last sunday, I had oringally planned on making a cake, and potato salad. Well, something went terribly horribly wrong with the potato salad(raw potatoes...yummy), so I had to start all over. The last thing I felt like making was more potato salad, but I had promised a potato dish, so I went looking, and found this recipe.

Wikipedia defines Pommes Anna as a classic French dish of sliced, layered potatoes cooked in a very large amount of melted butter.

I found a basic recipe here, and then adapted it a little bit to fit my own tastes, which basically means adding cheese. Also, I highly recommend you invest in a cheap mandolin before trying this. I was slicing potatoes forever. I thought my hand might fall off.





Pommes Anna(adapted from Elra's Cooking)

Ingredients Needed:

3 lbs yukon gold potatoes
3 tbsp melted butter
3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

To Make:

Peel the potatoes, then thinly slice, either by hand or with a mandolin(for the love of God, use a mandolin). Dry the potatoes with a paper towel. Starting with one potato slice in the center of a 9 inch pie pan, arrange the potatoes in a circular pattern, extending all the way to the edges of the pan. Pour 1 tbsp melted butter over potatoes, season lightly with salt and pepper, then sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese on top of layer. Repeat twice more, ending with a layer of potatoes on top, and with 1/4 cup of cheese reserved. Cut a piece of parchment to fit over the top of potatoes, and bake at 375 for 1 hour. After the hour is up, remove the parchment, and sprinkle remaining cheese on top, and bake for another 15 minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly.

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Daring Bakers - Bakewell Tart

So, I joined the Daring Bakers last month, but it was too late to participate in the May challenge. Bummer, because strudel is one of my all time favorite desserts, and I've never had the nerve to try it myself.

June's Daring Baker challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar They chose a traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart....er...Pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history, dating back to the 1800's in England.

When I first decided to join a group like this, I spent about a week deciding between various groups, and finally landed on The Daring Bakers, because I thought it would be the best group to push me out of my comfort zone, and boy howdy, did they.

I never thought that my first challenge would be something that I've never even heard of before, much less tasted. I debated just skipping this challenge, because the recipe looked fairly complicated to me. After a few days though, I decided that this was the reason I joined, and I wasn't going to wimp out on my very first try.

So... Bakewell Tart. I'm glad I made it, but I'll probably never make it again. I think I actually did it wrong, because mine looked nothing like the picture of what it was supposed to look like. And I honestly didn't like it enough to try it again to see if I could fix the problem(which I think was actually under baking it a little).
I made a few adjustments...I don't have a tart pan, and it wasn't in the budget to buy one this month(I allot myself only so much money to spend on kitchen things, and I had already met that quota), so I used a regular pie dish. I don't know if that had something to do with it being underdone. I didn't add any almonds on top, because I knew I would never get my husband to try it if there were obvious nuts on top. I have to hide these things from him, you know. He tasted the almonds immediately, however, which leads me to the following conclusion: it's really really almond-y, almost too almond-y, and this is coming from a gal who loves her some almonds. I also didn't really manage to get any good pictures of it, which always taints a recipe for me slightly. All in all, it was a good experience, and I did what I set out to do, which was expand my skills as a baker. So...good deal.

If you want to try this yourself, head to Jasmine or Annemarie's blogs to check out the recipe!

Baked Lemon Pasta

Something you should maybe know about me is that I spend an abnormal amount of time Stumbling. Not stumbling as in walking funny, but Stumbling on the internet. About 6 months ago or so, I came home from work to find that my husband had taken it upon himself to install the Stumble Upon toolbar on my computer. I had seen him use it a few times, and he had been nagging at me for months to install it, and I guess he finally got sick of me saying "maybe tomorrow" and did it himself, knowing full well that once it was on there, I would eventually use it.

My husband is a smart man.

I spend probably a good hour a day Stumbling around the internet, mostly looking for new dishes to make. My "recipes I want to try" bookmark folder is really really long. And I will make all of these things someday.

Well, one happy day, I stumbled across this little gem from The Pioneer Woman.

This is one of those ones that I wish I had tried the minute I saw it. I really don't understand why I didn't.

Pioneer Woman is a blog that probably every food blogger in the world is familiar with, but I personally hadn't spent that much time there. If this dish is any indication of the rest of her dishes, I will be spending a lot more time there.

Lemon? Check. Carbs? Check. Parmesan cheese? Check. Sour cream? Check.

Seriously, these are four of my favorite things, all in one easy to make dish? And the leftovers are great? I could slap myself for not making this sooner. My husband refused to try it, but he's not a lemon fan, nor is he a fan of pasta without red sauce on it.



My husband is not always so smart.

Lemon Pasta(adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients Needed:
1 lb pasta(spaghetti is probably best with this dish)
2 cups sour cream
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
a LOT of grated parmesan cheese(real cheese here, not the green can kind)
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
extra lemon juice

To Make:

Cook spaghetti according to package directions, until al dente. The noodles will cook a little more when you bake them. Set noodles aside. Preheat oven to 350. In a large sauce pan, melt the butter and oil together over low heat. Add the garlic, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice into the pan(careful not to get any seeds in there). Add the sour cream, and stir until everything is incorporated. Add the lemon zest, and salt. Taste, and add more salt if necessary.
Add the noodles that you had set aside back into the pan, and stir together with the sauce.

Transfer the noodles to an oven safe baking dish, and cover with foil. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove foil, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Now, in my oven, the top didn't get super brown and yummy looking, so if you want that to happen, set it to broil for about 3-4 minutes, and you should have lovely brown crust-y spaghetti on top.

Remove from oven, and squeeze more lemon juice on top. Then add a generous amount of parmesan cheese, the parsley, and yet more lemon. There will be no doubt in your mouth that this is lemon pasta.

Now, what I just listed is the original recipe from Pioneer Woman. When I made this, I actually halved the recipe, and it was still WAY too much food for one person. I have leftovers for days. So if you're just making this for yourself, quarter the recipe. You'll probably still have far more than any one person can eat in one sitting.

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Garlic Lime Tilapia and Asparagus

In the past I've always been one of those cooks who Follows The Recipe. I figured that the recipe was there for a reason, and why deviate from it? Not having an ingredient, or knowing that I added more or less of something that I was supposed to, or forgetting to add something when the recipe told me to sent me into a tailspin of worry and self doubt.

One of the great things about starting this blog is that I've become so much more comfortable in the kitchen. Things that used to scare me aren't so scary anymore, and I've learned that sometimes when you forget to add something, you end up with a dish that's even better than the one you set out to make. If something doesn't turn out the way you thought it would, that's okay too. Also, I'm going to ruin a dish every once in awhile. Maybe more.

After spending about 15 minutes staring at my pantry last night, trying to decide between making hamburger helper(I know it's terrible, but it's SO easy, and even a food blogger needs a break now and then) or ordering in, I remembered that I had some tilapia in the freezer, and some leftover asparagus from one of those recipes that got ruined. I also had garlic, lime juice, and I've always got worcestershire sauce in the fridge. I decided to just fly blind, and see what turned out. What turned out, was awesome. The fish had such an great flavor to it, but honestly, the star of the show was the asparagus. This is a meal that will definitely go into the rotation.



Ingredients Needed:

4 small tilapia fillets, fresh or frozen
1/2 lb asparagus, cut into bite size pieces.
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp lime juice(I used Nellie and Joe's, rather than fresh lime juice)
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper to taste

To Make:

If using frozen tilapia, defrost in a bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes. Remove from plasic packaging, and season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil together. Add the garlic and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the worcestershire sauce and lime juice. Let that reduce for about a minute, then add the tilapia fillets, and the pieces of asparagus. Depending on the size of the fillets, cook about 2-4 minutes per side, or until fish is white and translucent. Remove the fish from the pan and cover with foil, saute the asparagus about 3-5 more minutes, or until the thickest pieces are tender.

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

I don't think I've ever met someone who didn't like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I've been witness to raging debates about the merits of strawberry vs. grape jelly, or creamy vs. chunky peanut butter. It's a staple of childhood. Nothing was better on a hot summer day than coming in from playing Manhunt or building forts than a big glass of cold milk and and a PB & J. Unless you had one of those moms who let you have ice cream whenever you wanted. I didn't have one of those moms.

As we get older, we graduate on to more sophisticated sandwiches, but I think that given a choice, most people would choose a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich any day. At least I know I would.

I got this recipe for pb&j cookies from Rachael Ray's magazine, and I knew I had to try them. It took me awhile to get around to making them, and I really wish I hadn't waited so long. They were really easy to make, and they are awesome. Make these cookies, you wont be disappointed.



Ingredients Needed:

1/2 cup all purpost flour
1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
3 tbsp jelly(whatever you prefer)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tbsp milk

To Make:

Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, stir together flour and baking powder and set aside.
In a large bowl, blend 3/4 cup of the peanut butter with the butter on medium speed. Add the sugar and brown sugar, and beat until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg, and mix well, then add flour, and mix until just combined.
Using a small scoop, drop the dough 2 inches apart(they will spread, so make sure you do this) onto 2 ungreased baking sheets. Using the back of a melon baller, or your thumb, gently dent the middle of each cookie, then spoon 1/2 tsp of jelly into the center. Bake until light golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Remove to a rack and cool.
In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining 1/4 cup peanut butter and confectioners sugar. Add the milk, a bit at a time, until smooth enough for piping. Then using either a pastry bag, or a plastic baggie with a corner snipped off, pipe the peanut butter over the cookies.

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French Fries with Creamy Chili Hot Sauce Dip

Is there anyone out there who doesn't like french fries? Show of hands? No one? Good. I normally only really like fast food french fries(I know, horrible of me), but I thought that I might try my hand at homemade fries. I know that there's no way that my fries would ever be as good as say, McDonald's, but that's okay. They were really really easy, and that goes a long way with me. I don't normally deep fry things, but I figured one time wouldn't be terrible, and then I could say that I've done it.

Ingredients Needed:
(for 2 people)

2 large Idaho potatoes
2 cups canola oil
salt and pepper
onion powder
garlic powder

To Make:

Wash and peel potatoes. You can cut the potatoes anyway you like. I cut them into long thin strips, since I was going for a McDonald's type of fry. Heat the oil in a medium-large pot until it reaches 350 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, you can tell it's ready when the oil starts to really bubble. If you're still not sure, just throw one fry in there, and if it starts to bubble like crazy, you'll know it's ready.
Fry the fries until dark golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon or tongs, and drain on paper towels. While they're still hot, season however you want to. I just used salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder.

The flavor of these was really good. Much better than frozen fries. And they were done. But they didn't get crispy. They weren't mushy, but they definitely weren't crispy. I'm not sure if I should have left them in longer, or if you just can't get them to do that at home. Either way, they were really good.

The sauce that I made for them was interesting. I didn't really care for it...it was a little too hot for me, and that was with using less hot sauce than the recipe called for. My husband liked it, but it got to be a little too spicy for him as well, and we both switched to ranch dressing.

Ingredients Needed for Dipping Sauce:

3 tbsp mayo
1 tbsp tobasco( i used 2 tsp)
1 tsp lemon or lime juice
1/4 tsp soy sauce

To Make:

In bowl, combine ingredients, stir until smooth.

Very simple. I might try this again using Franks Red Hot, and using 1 tsp instead of 1 tbsp.

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Key Lime Pie

I think I've mentioned before that I really like lemons. Really, really like them. But I feel like sometimes I neglect another awesome citrus fruit. Limes.

One of my favorite desserts of all time has to be Key Lime Pie. I don't think I had it until I was about 23 or 24, but I've eaten 30 years worth in the last 6 years.

The thing about Key Lime Pie is that it can be really REALLY bad. So bad that you wonder who made the pie, and why they hate you so much. And you never really know when you're going to get Bad Pie, and it makes you wary of ordering Key Lime Pie in restaurants because who wants bad pie after an awesome meal? Even Red Lobster, who is normally my favorite Key Lime Pie maker, has occasionally given me Bad Pie, and it makes me not want to eat there again. But I always do, because really, who can resist those biscuits? I know I can't.

So, what to do when you want Key Lime Pie, and you don't want to risk it? Make your own.

I saw this recipe over on My Baking Addiction awhile back, and knew that I had to make this pie. Overall, it was good. Really good. It was actually a little on the tart side for me(which means it was really really tart), but the flavor was excellent. Also, I think that the over tartness was probably my fault. I used just a bit less sweetened condensed milk than the recipe called for, because I ran out. It was also really easy, which is always a bonus.



I made my own graham cracker crust, but you can just as easily use a pre made one. It wont really effect the pie at all.



Ingredients Needed:

1 9 inch graham cracker crust(homemade or store bought)
1/2 cup sour cream
3 cups sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup Nellie and Joe's Lime Juice
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp grated lime zest.

To Make:

Bake graham cracker crust as directed.

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, both limes juices, sour cream, and lime zest. Mix until smooth, then pour into pie crust. Bake for about 8-12 minutes or until small bubbles appear on top of pie. Do not brown pie! Chill for several hours before serving. Garnish with lime slices and whipped cream.

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You Wont Be Single For Long Penne ala Vodka

This week has been disappointing. Nothing that I've made has turned out the way I had hoped. It either didn't taste very good, or didn't photograph very well, neither of which I want to post on here.

Tonight, finally, I made something that was both delicious and gorgeous. I came across this recipe over at smitten kitchen a few months back, and it's been on the back burner for a bit while I tried other things. Don't make the same mistake. This is one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had. And SO EASY. I loved it, my husband loved it. I called my mom, and she loved it over the phone without having actually tried it. It's one of those recipes that makes me wish that you could blog the way something smells. It's fantastic. Try it. Now.



Ingredients Needed:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 28 or 32 oz can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper
16 ounces pasta, doesn't have to be penne, any sort of shaped pasta will do.
1/2 cup heavy cream
15-20 leaves fresh basil, chopped

To Make:

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and butter to pan, and melt butter. Add garlic and shallots, and saute for 3-5 minutes. Add vodka to the pan, and reduce by half, about 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring sauce up to bubbling, then reduce heat to simmer. While the sauce is simmering, cook pasta according to package directions in salted water, then drain, and set aside. Stir the cream into the sauce, and season with salt and pepper. Toss the hot pasta with sauce and stir in basil leaves. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

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Buttermilk Raspberry Cake

So last week was crazy, and I didn't get to do much cooking or baking. I hate those kinds of weeks. So does my husband, because it means he lives on soup and bagels all week.

I didn't have to work on Sunday though, and I figured it was the perfect day to make this recipe I've had my eye on from Deb over at Smitten Kitchen for the past few weeks.

Buttermilk Raspberry Cake.



Doesn't that sound amazing? Well, if you don't like raspberries, it probably doesn't, but I happen to adore raspberries, so it sounded awesome to me. What makes it even better? The fact that raspberries were on sale for 99 cents a carton at Kroger. Seriously, I really wanted to buy like 5 cartons, but I restrained myself and only got two. One for the cake, and one for snacking.



This cake is insanely simple to make, and aside from the raspberries, I had all the ingredients already in my pantry. I love it when something comes together like that.

Ingredients Needed:
1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar plus 1 1/2 tbsp, divided
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg*
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon zest(optional)
1/2 cup shaken buttermilk**
1 cup fresh raspberries***

To make:

Preheat oven to 400, and grease and flour a 9 inch round baking dish(and really grease that sucker). In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set that aside.
In a larger bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy(about 2-3 minutes). Add the lemon zest and vanilla, then beat in egg.
At low speed, mix in the flour in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk but ending and beginning with the flour. Flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour. Easy.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Scatter the raspberries, or make a pattern with them, doesn't really matter. Sprinkle the 1 1/2 tbsp sugar over the cake before baking. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream if you've got it...it's sensational.



* So...the egg. I almost forgot to add the egg to this. I was just about to pour the batter into the pan when I realized that the batter just didn't look right. I turned my head to look at the laptop screen, and saw the egg still sitting on the counter, just chilling. I added the egg at that point, and the cake still turned out great.

**You can make your own buttermilk, instead of having to buy it. This is awesome, since buttermilk only seems to come in large cartons, and you only need 1/2 cup. Just add 1 tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Let sit for about 10 minutes, and voila! buttermilk.

*** You can use other berries here...blackberries, blueberries, cut up peaches, strawberries, nectarines. Pretty much any fruit you like would be good in this.

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