Angel Food Cake

This was a big hit at the Men's Fellowship my Honey went to last week. Someone even thought that I had bought it, it was so pretty!

Angel Food Cake

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup cake flour

1 1/2 cups egg whites (12)

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 375ºF.

2. Mix powdered sugar and flour; set aside. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Beat in granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, on high speed, adding vanilla, almond extract and salt with the last addition of sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy meringue forms. Do not under beat.

3. Sprinkle sugar-flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, over meringue, folding in just until sugar-flour mixture disappears. Push batter into ungreased angel food cake pan (tube pan), 10x4 inches. Cut gently through batter with metal spatula.

4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cracks feel dry and top springs back when touched lightly. Immediately turn pan upside down onto heatproof funnel or bottle. Let hang about 2 hours or until cake is completely cool. Loosen side of cake with knife or long, metal spatula; remove from pan.



Shiny Chocolate Glaze


1/2 cup chocolate chips

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 to 3 teaspoons hot water

In 1-quart saucepan, heat chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter and the corn syrup over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Stir in hot water, a few drops at a time, until desired thickness. Spread over Angel Food Cake

Pretty Dishes make for Pretty Pictures

Today, after looking at all sorts of different recipe blogs, I have decided that I need to start looking for an assortment of different dishes (plates, bowls ext...) to use for my recipes. I have been wanting to do that for a while, and now I finally have an excuse to feed my yard sale/thrift store habit!
Those of you who know me well know that I will rarely ever buy an item of clothing for more than $5.00, and that I am always coming home with all sorts of new treasures I can't wait to show off. I believe that I get it from my Grandma Sheldra, who was a big time antique-er and loved estate auctions. She taught me how to shop at a Flea Market, and how never to pay the asking price. (something that Austin is proud of me for, but embarrassed about when I take him with me! Lol!)

Simply Delicious Meat Loaf

Simply Delicious Meat Loaf

Hey Mom, (and Jess)
Here's the recipe for the meat loaf I was telling you about.

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Golden Mushroom soup
1/4 cup water

1. Mix beef, bread crumbs and egg thoroughly. In medium baking pan shape firmly into 8-by 4-inch loaf.

2. Bake covered at 350' for 30 minutes. Spread 1/2 can soup over top of meat loaf. Bake 30 minutes more or until no longer pink.

3. In a small saucepan mix 2 Tablespoons drippings, remaining soup and water. Heat through. Serve with meat loaf.


Hope you enjoy!! love, Laurie

Ranch Style Chicken from The Pioneer Woman

I just got this recipe from a good friend of mine and I can't wait to try it!!! She got it off of The Pioneer Woman Blog. It looks so yummy!

Ingredients
½ cups Dijon Mustard
½ cups Honey
½ whole (juice Of) Lemon
½ teaspoons Paprika
½ teaspoons Salt
Crushed Red Pepper (optional To Taste)
6 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 pound Thick Cut Bacon
Bacon Grease
Sharp Cheddar Cheese, to taste
Canola Oil

Preparation Instructions

To begin, make the marinade. In a large bowl mix together ½ cup Dijon or country/grainy mustard with ½ cup honey, juice of ½ lemon, ½ teaspoon paprika, and ½ teaspoon salt and whisk until smooth. Sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne if you like things a little spicy. Set aside.
Next, rinse the chicken breasts, place between two sheets of waxed paper and pound to around ½ to ¾ inch thick with a mallet. Next, add the chicken to the bowl with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours.
While the chicken marinates, fry up some bacon. When finished cooking, reserve ¼ cup of the bacon grease and clean out the skillet.
When the chicken is done marinating, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the chicken from the fridge and pour off excess marinade. Heat half of the reserved bacon grease with an equal quantity of Canola Oil in the clean skillet over medium-high heat. When the grease is nice and hot add two or three pieces of chicken to it. Cook until brownish/blackish, about 1 to 1 ½ minutes per side. Remove chicken to a large baking sheet. If cooking many pieces of chicken, repeat skillet process and remove finished chicken to baking sheet. Place chicken in preheated oven and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
Lay a few pieces of bacon over each chicken breast. Sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar cheese over the top of the chicken as generously as you like. Return pan to oven for an additional five minutes until cheese is melted and bacon is sizzling. Serve immediately.

Meat, Potatoes & Gravy, what a Manly meal plan!

Normally I'll make this with mini meatloaf patties that have been coated in bread crumbs and baked or grilled on my George Foremen Grill. But last night I forgot that we were out of milk, and had to run to the store last minute. So, I just used prepackaged frozen hamburgers that I grilled on my GFG. (george foreman grill)
Then I nuked mashed potatoes from my favorite box mix. And made brown gravy from an envelope.
It's so easy, and when it's hot out like it was last night you don't have to have the oven on and the stove only has to be on for a few minutes for the gravy. A life saver in my house because if I turn the oven on it will heat up the whole house. Extremely nice in the winter time, but a killer in the summer!

Tuesday, May 25th 2010

Last night was a pretty typical Tuesday night at my house. Austin calls me to tell me he's about 20 minutes away from home, so I start the brown rice for dinner. Now, I have made brown rice on many occasions before with no problems, but tonight it just did not want to become eatable! For some reason the rice and the water decided that they did not like each other, and they wanted nothing to do with each other. I tried everything I could think of, well to the extent of turning the burner up hotter and keeping the lid on it and watching the first season of the A Team with Austin and Dakota...not really too much you can do with rice.

In the end dinner was a tad late, but still super yummy! All the rice needed was a little time...

P.S. Murdock is hilarious!!!

Bulgogi /Pulgogi Recipe

I have been trying to start making a wider range of food lately. I have been in charge of my own kitchen for over 3 years now, and I have the, "down home country cooking" down to an art form. But I was starting to lack inspiration so I have started to look for a more diverse palate. I have found some really good recepies I can't wait to share with you all!

Bulgogi /Pulgogi Recipe

Ingredients
1-1.5 lbs. of thinly sliced rib-eye steak purchased from a Korean market. Or you can slice your own rib-eye or sirloin steak across the grain in paper thin slices. Partially freezing the beef helps with cutting clean slices.
1/3 cup of soy sauce
3 Tbl white sugar
1 Tbl sesame oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 of a medium yellow onion, halved and sliced into medium moon shaped slivers

2 green onions including the white parts, finely sliced into small pieces

2 Tbl toasted sesame seeds

1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes

2 pinches of black pepper

*optional 1/4 tsp. of ginger, finely minced

Directions:

Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl except beef and onions. When most of the sugar has dissolved, add beef and onion slices to the bowl and massage the marinade with your hands into each slice of beef. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. To pan fry, place a few slices of beef in single layers and completely flat on a hot oiled frying pan and fry each side until cooked. Some people prefer to cook the bulgogi until some of the edges have turned dark brown and crispy. Serve with a bowl of hot brown rice. Enjoy!

Mini Root Beer Float Cupcakes

Hopefully sometime in June we are having a mini family reunion for the Shook family. I found this recipe that I really want to try! I can't wait to hear everyones reactions when I walk out with these!

Mini Root Beer Float Cupcakes

Makes 32

Ingredients:1 pkg. Betty Crocker Vanilla Cake Mix

1 Tbsp. Root Beer Extract (in the spice aisle w/ the other extracts)

1 can Root Beer (you can use diet to cut the sugar)

Creme Roulee wafer cookies Vanilla Icing (store bought or your favorite recipe)

Red Mini Gumballs (or M & M's or other red candy)

Clean votive candle holders or shot glasses

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 1 Tbsp. root beer extract in 2 C. measuring cup (you'll have extract left over for another batch!:)). Fill cup with Root Beer until it reaches 1 1/2 C. (you'll have just a taste of root beer left in your can). Add to cake mix and stir well. No eggs, no oil, easy!!

Place shot glasses/votive holders on a baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Fill 1/2 full with cake batter and bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes until done. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Your kitchen will smell like a soda factory!

Cut creme roulee wafers in half. Put vanilla icing in canvas bag w/ star tip (or you can just put it in a Ziploc baggie and snip off one end). Pipe a dollop of icing onto each cupcake, top with a gumball and half of a wafer cookie. Serve or refrigerate until needed.

Teriyaki Chicken and Brown Rice

My husband Austin just Loves this recipe. He has asked for it many times already. I need to go shopping for more chicken!

~What you need~

2 Cups Cooked Brown Rice

2 Chicken Breast

1/2 Cup Tariyaki Sauce

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce

1 of each, green, red and yellow pepper 1 Onion

Cut up Chicken into 1" chunks. Mix together Teriyaki and Soy Sauce in a Ziplock bag. Add Chicken and put in fridge for at least 2 hours. Cook rice according to the package. (keep in mind that brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice) Place wooden Skewers in water for half an hour to keep from burning while cooking. Cut up veggies into 1" pieces. Place chicken and veggies on skewers and either grill or fry them until the juices run clear when you cut into the chicken. Serve over rice that has been seasoned to taste with Terriyaki and Soy Sauce. As you can see there are a LOT of ways you can play around with this dish! So have fun and make it your own. (and let me know what you do!)

Here's to a new beginning...

Today I start a new journey. I'm not sure where it will lead me, but I'm excited none the less. I here bye start to chronicle my enjoyable (and maybe sometimes horrible) cooking and baking experiences with the world in hopes to maybe someday be able to make a cookbook for other Gourmet Mommies out there.