Cake, cake, and more cake

These are some cakes that I made over the weekend for some friend's graduation parties. Some cakes can be simple and still be elegant and delicious. Hope it gives someone some ideas.

Smokin Cake!!

This is a cake I made for a friend's birthday. He has loaned me his smoker for about a month now and it has brought me great joy. I thought that I could only return the favor with a cake on his big day. It was a really simple idea that I think came together really well. One thing that I am discovering is that when you use structure in your cakes they seem to take on a whole new level. The smoker would not be the same without the legs or handles.



Also, I think that when you have multiple pieces to your cake, like the lid, it seems to add a different visual element. It is not that this added a lot to the difficulty, but just made it pop. The meats atop the smoker were fun to make as well. Since I did not have gum paste or fondant I simply piped some thicker frosting onto the top and painted them with a little watered down food coloring. The food coloring gives it a nice shine. I added some coco powder as well just for that extra special look.



The inside of the cake, which cannot be shown because the cake has not been cut, is alternating chocolate and red velvet layers. Again, nothing too crazy, but I think it will make the pieces really stand out when they are on the plate. Birthdays are always fun and I encourage you to get a little crazy with your next birthday cake. Show your friends how much you care by putting some effort into a hand made cake that they will remember forever.

Bacon Blanket

A few weeks ago I decided to try something new, the bacon blanket. I really see it more as a quilt, but bacon blanket has a nice ring to it. It was meant to be something fun and whimsical for a house guest and it was a real home run. It is a fun way to make bacon that is also irresistible to the palate. Here is how you can make it happen:



The first thing that you must do is determine the size of your blanket. Once you cut the first piece you will have set one of your measurements. I like to just cut all my pieces in half that way it is much easier to put things together. Lay out your one edge piece and then alternate with the vertical pieces.



Once you have the vertical pieces laid out you can fold back every other piece of bacon and lay in your horizontal pieces one at a time. Alternating which slices you fold back until you arrive at the end of your blanket.



Before you place the neat little quilts into the pan you can trim up the edges for neatness if you like or simply go with what you have. This is another great example of why you need a kitchen brick. Slap that brick down on your blankets and let them crispify!! Flip after the bottom has reached your desired doneness. You want to make sure that you don't give the second side the same amount of time because it will cook much quicker. This fancy little folding makes a great presentation for your bacon and can double as a vessel to hold your eggs. You could wrap your bacon around a stainless steel bowl and bake it in the oven so that you would have bacon bowls!! The possibilities are endless and the end product is always delicious.

Smooth Operator

Growing up we used to drink a lot of "yogurt shakes" in the summer time. On a hot summer day it was refreshing to suck down a blended concoction of ice, oj, and yogurt. With the evolution of healthy eating and fitness, the smoothie has become very fashionable to consume. I am a big fan of the smoothie, but have a real hard time stomaching the six plus dollar cost of most smoothies that are sold at the local smoothie bar. Anyone who has a blender can produce a high quality smoothie that is cheaper than those sold over the counter and probably with less calories. Many smoothie makers add powders and fillers that may boost your energy, but also boost your caloric intake higher than you want to go without realizing it. You can easily make yourself a healthy delicious smoothie in your own kitchen by keeping some fresh frozen fruit in your freezer. Fresh fruit has a tendency to go bad on you before you know it so why not toss it into the frozen coffin that is your freezer where it takes months for things to go bad? I have found that when your bananas go bad if you peel them and place them in a freezer bag you can increase their longevity and reduce the mess of trying to peal the brown beasts once they are frozen. Another great thing that I have discovered about smoothies is that it is a great way to get your kids to eat fruits and veggies without them even realizing they are eating them. If you splash a little V8 in a sweet smoothie most kids will not be able to distinguish the taste and will gladly gulp down the fruits and veggies. I like to use a 50/50 ratio with V8 and regular juice like grape. I think that grape provides a great natural sweetness that is not always there with say an orange juice.

As the weather heats up, cool things down in the kitchen. Sure an awesome blender like a Vitamix may be costly, but when you factor in the amount you are not paying to Jamba Juice it is actually a savings!! Grab some fruit and get blending. Get crazy and discover what lies beyond the store bought smoothie realm.

I like to smoke...

I borrowed a friend's smoker to smoke a pork butt for my birthday last month and cannot get enough of it. I am smoking meat at any chance I get. Last week it was bone in pork chops. Last night was chicken and tonight was pork loin chops. The smoker is such a beautiful thing. The slow cook and the infusion of smokey goodness produces great flavors and textures that you cannot get when you grill on direct heat. Sure you need to have time and patience, but if you plan ahead you can easily produces high quality smoked meat for your family and friends.



For this chicken I rubbed it down with some ground rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, ground mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, and a little paprika. I chose to use hickory chips for the smoking process to get that great hickory flavor. The bird was in the smoker for about an hour and a half before I flipped it over and continued to smoke. Unfortunately I had to finish this particular bird in the oven because the natives were getting restless, but I would have smoked it for another hour and a half on the second side. For the pork chops I went with a real simple salt, pepper, mustard, and onion rub. It allowed for the porky goodness to really come through on the plate. With about thirty minutes left I spread a liberal layer of my apricot dijon mayo (courtesy Pioneer Woman) and allowed the chops to finish on the smoker. Both meats, when removed from the smoker were tented in foil and allowed to rest for a good ten minutes.



A smoker is not complex cooking, but can produce some incredible results. The rub and the sauces that you pair with your smoked meats can be equally as important to your end product. This apricot dijon mayo was extremely easy and well worth the effort. You simply use equal parts apricot preserves, mayo, and dijon mustard. Whisk them all together and bam, your sauce. Smoking is a cooking method that all people love and is not used by many people at home. If you are interested in the smoking look out for a smoker at your local garage sales, you could score a real gem. Happy smoking!!

Can't go wrong with Cake!

I received a call from my brother this weekend about a cake that he was making for a cook out. Although the call was for advice in saving a cake that did not release from the bottom of the pan, it made me think about this posting. We often find ourselves heading over to people's homes for cook outs, picnics, or dinner parties. The go to for most people is either cookies or bars. They are quick, easy, and delicious. I, however, think that cake is easier than cookies, and will be more appreciated. I think that the cake is something that has been removed from individual's baking quiver and I am here to make a case for its return. A homemade cake requires about the same ingredients as a batch of chocolate chip cookies and does not require multiple bakings. If you choose to make a batch of cookies you are probably going to end up scooping 36-48 cookie dough balls, and then you run the risk of burning one of your precious dozen. A cake is something you can drop in the oven and set one timer. Sure you have to make the frosting and wait for your cake to cool, but that allows you time to do other things.



Cakes are always appreciated and let people know that you love them. Whether you are celebrating a retirement, engagement, birthday, or just a day that ends in "Y" you can't go wrong with cake. The next time that you are called upon to bring a dessert, opt for cake and you will not regret it. Just remember to use some parchment in the bottom of your pans and plenty of "No-Stick"!!

Better Baked

There are certain things that I think are just better when they have been baked. Heat has a way of enhancing textures and flavors. Of course, the key is to not add too much heat or you end up with charcoal. This dish is something that I picked up from Rachel Ray and have modified slightly. Typically you start with a couple tablespoons of EVOO and some garlic in a pan. You slowly construct your own red sauce using cans of diced tomatoes and whole tomatoes that you boil down and break apart. In the meantime you boil your noodles and make a creamy cheese sauce that is added to the noodles and red sauce. This particular night I was running really short on time and decided to cheat slightly with a some red sauce from a jar along with some canned tomatoes. I do have to say that I browned up some Italian sausage to kick things up a notch. Sure ground beef and ground turkey can be great in red sauce, but there is nothing like a good Italian sausage in a pasta dish. I tossed together the sausage, noodles, and hearty red sauce in a large pan.



The garlic cream sauce started out with two cloves of diced garlic in some EVOO. Once the garlic had been given a little time to sweat I made a basic rue of butter and flour. To the rue and garlic I added two cups of milk and stirred while heating to just under a boil. Once the cream sauce was nice and hot I added 1/2 cup asiago and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese to thicken things up. This cream sauce was then poured over the top of the noodles, red sauce, and sausage. You get a really great creamy richness when you add the second sauce without having to feel like you are over doing it with all cream sauce.



The real kicker for this dish is when you sprinkle 1/2 cup of parm and 2 cups of mozzarella all over the top of the pasta. The whole thing goes under a broiler to allow for that great crispification. (You know that is a word and if it isn't it should be.) I mean who does not like crusty melted cheese? You do not have to sacrifice an hour of bake time to get that great cheese crust. You simply need to use your broiler. Your broiler is that coil on the inside top of your oven that you probably never use. The broiler trick allows this dish to have a whole new dimension that feels baked without all the time and commitment. Your broiler is your friend and I encourage you to try experimenting with other ways that it can enhance your cooking. Lets face it, pasta is better when it is baked with cheese on the top!!