Sweet 16 Tiffany Box Cake

December 10, 2012

I always get super excited when I get to do a custom cake like this. I don't get to do very many because they aren't cheap. This one was a gift to my niece who was turning 16 so I was more than happy to do one for her as a gift.

I get lots of inquiries from my co-workers about ordering cakes like this but they never actually buy them. I know it's because of cost, but that's just how much they are. There is a lot of work involved and I thought I would show just a little bit of what is involved when I do a custom cake. There are still plenty of things I still need to learn but this is the way I do my cakes right now. And each time I do one I learn a lot. That means I will only get better with practice, and practice makes perfect.

First thing I do is bake the cakes. Planning is everything when I do a custom cake, especially since I work full time. I'll usually plan on taking one day just to do the baking.

Now that I have the cakes baked, it's now time to trim them up. I usually take off the cake tops, or cake domes to make the cakes nice and flat on top.

I have a cake cutter that helps take off the cake tops but it doesn't always get it even so sometimes I will have to go behind it and level it myself.

I'll try to get it as level as I can.

Once I have all my cakes level I prepare to fill my cakes. I use a super thick buttercream dam to hold my filling in. To do this I add a lot of cornstarch to make it more of a putty like consistency.

I use a piping bag to pipe out the stiffened buttercream.

For square cakes I make sure I get the buttercream at the very edge of the cakes. The corners have a tendency to slope down and create a droopy effect on the final out come of the cake and I don't like that so I make sure the corners are full of buttercream.

Once my buttercream dam is up I pour in my filling. Lemon this time.( I also made a mental note that I could have put a little more filling in so I will remember that next time. )

From here I will stack the cake layers pressing down just a little and repeating this process for all my cake layers.

I spread some buttercream on the sides of the filling edges and let the cake set for a few hours to settle.

While the cakes set, I prepare my support system. I use a special support system called SPS. No stacked cakes leave my house without this support system!!! It's pretty much fool proof and this also allows my clients to come pick up their cake instead of me delivering it. This way customers can save a little money. This support system was made just for that purpose.

Since my cakes need to be stacked right on top of each other I first need to take off those little rings on the back side of the cake plate.

Now that I have those off I can turn the cake plate over and continue getting the support system ready.

The notch on the top of the cake plate helps the cake stay in place. No middle dowel required.

Just pop the cake board on top of the notch, and when it's time to stack the cake, I'll just place it on the preset hole. You'll also see I have trimmed my cake board. My cakes tend to shrink a bit. Sometimes I will have to cut the cake plate as well but I did not have to do that this time since the fondant covered the edges of the cake plate this time.

After the cakes have settled I then take a knife and even everything out. Everything has to be straight.

From there it's time for the crumb coat. (which I didn't have enough buttercream to do it properly so I made another mental note for next time) Once the crumb coat has crusted I take my Viva paper towels and my fondant smoothers and I smooth out everything.

I set the crumb coated cakes in the refrigerator for about 8 minutes, just enough time to get the buttercream set so when I lay the fondant on top it would mess up the cake.

Now that all the cakes are covered, it's now time to stack.

I then have to measure to make sure the columns are the correct size so the cakes set flush against each other.

I just push down the columns and there was a gap so that means it's time to get the hack saw out. I take a measurement and mark my columns to get them ready to saw.

This takes a little more work then cutting wooden dowels, but trust me, this cake will go nowhere when it's all set and done. I like not having to worry if a cake will fall because of the type of supports I use.

Once everything is all measured out and ready to go I melt a little white chocolate and spread a little on the cake board for my cake to attach to.

From here I stack the cakes on top of each other and then the fun stuff comes. DECORATING!!!

But that's for another blog post.

Thanks for checking out my blog. If you like what you see please follow. Thanks!

Seafood Okra Gumbo

December 9, 2012

I had been waiting for a cold day to make this. But here in Houston Texas we don’t get many days like that. It also has been unseasonably warm down here even for Houston so it was now or never. I had been dying to make this gumbo ever since I picked up this cook book Crescent City Collection: A Taste of New Orleans when my husband and I visited New Orleans just a few months ago.

My husband had to go to a conference for work in New Orleans and I was happy to catch some R&R while he was at work. I think my favorite thing about New Orleans was the food! The gumbo here was excellent, anywhere you go its excellent! It’s nothing like “gumbo” here at say Pappadeaux’s and other restaurants that serve gumbo. I learned from our culinary tour we took in New Orleans that gumbo isn’t even supposed to be spicy. I think I have officially turned into a gumbo snob. I just won’t order it unless I am in Louisiana and if I am not, then I’ll just have to make it myself. And that’s just what I did here. Actually it was my husband that made it, but anyway it was good!

I have never cared for okra in my gumbo, I just never cared for all the slime that it produces but this recipe has you cook all that slime out before adding it to the gumbo and that really made all the difference. I thought this recipe could have used more seafood so next time I’ll add 1 more pound of shrimp and a jar of lump crab meat.

Seafood Okra Gumbo

Yield: 6

Ingredients

3 pounds fresh or frozen uncooked head-on shrimp
2 quarts water
2 small fresh or frozen crabs
1 quart water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 quart fresh or frozen okra, cut into ½ inch slices
2/3 cup vegetable oil
½ cup flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
½ cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
½ teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 pound lump crab meat

Instructions

Peel, devein and remove heads from the shrimp, reserving shells and heads. Cover and chill the shrimp. Rinse the shells and heads and place in a nonreactive saucepan with 2 quarts water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Strain the stock and reserve. Discard shells and heads. Rinse the crabs well and place in a nonreactive saucepan with 1 quart water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Strain, and reserve stock and crabs. When the crabs are cool enough to handle, snap off both claws and break the body in half. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the okra and sauté for 10-20 minutes or until all “stringiness” is gone. Heat 2/3 cup oil in a 8 quart heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Add the flour and stir until the roux is dark brown in color.
Add the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic and sauté until the vegetables are tender. Allow the vegetables to stick to the bottom of the saucepan occasionally so that they caramelize. Add the bay leaves, tomatoes, black pepper and white pepper and cayenne pepper. Saute for 10 minutes , allowing the tomatoes to stick to the bottom of the pan occasionally so that they caramelize. Add the cooked okra and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the crab and half the shrimp stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat, cover partially and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add additional shrimp stock if the gumbo is too thick. Season with salt and pepper. Add the broken crabs and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the peeled shrimp and lump crab meat. Return to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the shrimp are firm and pink. Discard the bay leaves. Serve over rice in large bowls.

Notes

As with most gumbos, this one also benefits from being made early in the day or the day before to allow time for the flavors to blend. Cover and chill. Reheat gently before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 748Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 520mgSodium: 1522mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 6gSugar: 11gProtein: 67g

Banana Cake with Caramel Espresso Frosting

November 19, 2012

Banana Cake with Caramel Espresso Frosting

My favorite part if making this cake was making the caramel for the frosting! I couldn’t resist eating it when it should have been putting it into the frosting.

Banana Cake with Caramel Espresso Frosting

Yield: 12

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar

CARAMEL ESPRESSO BUTTERCREAM

1 ¼ cups heavy cream
½ cup light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 pound unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

BANANA CAKE

2 ½ cups cake flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 ½ cups pureed or well smashed very ripe bananas
½ cups sour cream
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons safflower oil or neutral vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Store bought banana chips

SUGARED PECANS

1 large egg white
1 ½ cups pecan halves
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions

BUTTERCREAM

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, heavy cream, corn syrup, and salt and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, just until the sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring, and increase the heat to high.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, begin beating the eggs at medium speed. When the sugar syrup reaches 225 F on a candy thermometer, increase the speed of the mixer to high. Continue to cook the sugar syrup until it reaches 238 F.
Remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer off, immediately pour about ¼ cup of the hot syrup over the beaten eggs. Beat at high speed for another 10 seconds. (Don’t worry if the syrup look like it has hardened, keep beating and eventually it will smooth out.) Turn the mixer off and add another ¼ cup syrup. Beat at high speed for another 10 seconds. Repeat this process until all of the syrup is used. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat at medium-speed until the egg mixture is completely cool, about 5 minutes.
At medium speed, beat in the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the vanilla extract and coffee mixture, increase the speed a to medium-high, and beat the buttercream until it is smooth and shiny, about 4 minutes.

CAKE

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of two 9 inch cake pans. Dust the pans with flour and tap out the access.
Sift together the cake flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cardamom into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the bananas with the sour cream; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium-high speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add the safflower oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar and beat at high speed until creamy and light, about 3 minutes. At medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla extract. At low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating it with the banana mixture in two additions and mixing just until blended.
Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and stir in the pecans by hand. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly.
Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs on it. Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Invert the cakes onto the racks and let cool completely.
Set aside about 2/3 cup of buttercream for garnishing. Place one of the cake layers upside down on a cake board or cake plate. Using a small offset metal spatula, spread about 1 cup of the buttercream over the top of the layer. Top with the other cake layer, upside down. Spread the remaining buttercream over the sides and top of the cake. Place the reserved buttercream in a pastry bag with a medium star tip, and pipe rosettes or shells around the edge and top of the cake. Garnish with pecans and banana chips

SUGARED PECANS

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly butter a baking sheet.
Place the egg white in a medium bowl, add the nuts, and stir to coat the pecans evenly. Sprinkle over the sugar and toss the pecans to coat evenly with the sugar.
Spread the nuts in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake, tossing pecans twice, for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely.
Store pecans in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

Store the frosting in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 hours, or refrigerate for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before using.

Zesty Green Beans

August 14, 2012

UPDATE Feb. 2016: Just thought I would update this old recipe with a photo more deserving of this deliciously awesome low-carb side dish. What's so awesome about it you might ask: Well it's easy, fast, tasty and healthy! And it just happens to be one of my favorite green bean recipes. Definitely an oldie but a goodie.

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Mashed Potatoes with Green Onions and Parmesan

August 12, 2012

My husband and I ended up quadrupling this recipe by accident. I originally planned on just doubling the recipe. The original recipe serves just 2 and I like to be sure to have leftovers for lunch the next day. I bought 2 packs of 4 potatoes, one pack for this recipe, the other pack for another. It was my husband’s job to make the mashed potatoes while I worked on the baked chicken. But my sweetie ended up cutting up all 8 potatoes! Well I just said we will quadruple it and that’s that. It ended up being a happy accident. The mashed potatoes were quite delicious. I didn’t even mind having 5 containers full of mashed potatoes in my fridge. They are great for easy side dishes throughout the week.

The original recipe was found in Bon Appétit Fast Easy Fresh cookbook

Mashed Potatoes with Green Onions and Parmesan

Yield: 4

Ingredients

4 large russet potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
4 tablespoons milk
2 bunches green onions (about 10), chopped
1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well. Return to pot and mash. Mix in 3 tablespoons butter, then milk.
Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onions and sauté until wilted, about 1 minute. Add potatoes. Add Parmesan and mix gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 395Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 554mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 18g

Mashed Potato Casserole with Smoked Gouda and Bacon

August 12, 2012

Just thought I would update this old favorite. This is a recipe I found in Bon Appetit Magazine back in 2009. Craig and I made this on Valentine's Day that year as a side dish for our Surf and Turf dinner at home.

This casserole has smoky cheese and bacon, stirred into rich and creamy mashed potatoes. It doesn't get much better than that!

This dish can be made 8 hours in advance, by covering and chilling potato mixture and remaining bacon mixture separately.

Mashed Potato Casserole with Smoked Gouda and Bacon

Yield: 6

Ingredients

10 slices organic smoked bacon, or 6 slices thick-cut smoked bacon
3 large green onions (white and pale green parts only), finely chopped
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 1/2 –inch cubes
¾ cup sour cream
¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)
2 cups shredded smoked Gouda (8-ounces)

Instructions

Butter a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Chop bacon. Place in a medium bowl. Add green onions and toss to distribute.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Place potatoes in large pot and add enough cold water to cover. Sprinkle with salt. Cover and boil with lid slightly open until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well.
Return potatoes to pot. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until potatoes are dry and light film forms on bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Add next 3 ingredients. Using a potato masher, mash until potatoes smooth. Stir in 1 ½ cups smoked Gouda and 1 cup bacon mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Spread potato mixture in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Gouda over potato mixture.
Butter a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Chop bacon. Place in a medium bowl. Add green onions and toss to distribute.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Place potatoes in large pot and add enough cold water to cover. Sprinkle with salt. Cover and boil with lid slightly open until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well.
Return potatoes to pot. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until potatoes are dry and light film forms on bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Add next 3 ingredients. Using a potato masher, mash until potatoes smooth. Stir in 1 ½ cups smoked Gouda and 1 cup bacon mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Spread potato mixture in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Gouda over potato mixture.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 559Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 247mgCarbohydrates: 24gSugar: 2gProtein: 17g

Parmesan Lemon Spinach

August 8, 2012

Adapted from American Heart Association Low-Salt Cookbook

I know the half and half isn’t in the approved foods list in my current training program I am doing but spinach is!!!! Parmesan cheese isn’t either (I am not getting off to a good start here on the nutritional side of my program) but oh who cares? This spinach is too delicious.

Parmesan Lemon Spinach

Yield: 4

Ingredients

1 cup half and half
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium shallots
½ cup chicken broth low sodium
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon Herb Seasoning
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
18 ounces fresh spinach

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the half and half, Parmesan and flour. Set aside.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Cook the shallots for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender and crisp, stirring occasionally.
Add the spinach in batches. Toss with gently to coat the spinach. Bring to a simmer, over medium high heat. Cook until all spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the reserved half and half mixture into the spinach mixture. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened stirring occasionally.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 185Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 253mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 9g

Oven Fried Fish

August 8, 2012

I love the texture the crackers give this dish. I don’t know why I don’t see this being used for crusting more often? The only bad thing that I really hate is that even the “whole wheat” crackers are not truly whole wheat. The ingredients list this as being “enriched” that’s a dirty word in my book. I don’t understand why they have to extract the good stuff and then “enrich” it back in???

I will overlook it this time since I rarely consume any “enriched” products, or at least I try my hardest not to. But I am on the lookout for a whole wheat cracker that is still truly whole wheat. If you know of any please let me know!

Oven Fried Fish

Yield: 4

Ingredients

Vegetable oil spray
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
40 whole wheat saltine crackers, crushed
32 ounces flounder or sole

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 475 F. Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil spray.
In a pie plate, stir together olive oil, lemon juice, basil, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.
Put the cracker crumbs in a separate pie plate. Set the plates and baking sheet(s) in a row, assembly line fashion.
Rinse the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Dip the fish in the olive oil mixture, then roll it in the cracker crumbs, coating well. Arrange the fish in a single layer on the baking sheet(s). Spoon the remaining olive oil mixture over the fish.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges if you would like.

National Zucchini Day

August 7, 2012

National Zucchini Day

Grilled Zucchini

Adapted from BonAppetit Fast Easy Fresh

Anothergreat good holiday is upon us. National Zucchini Day! Here is a simple andpacked full of flavor version of grilled zucchini.

National Zucchini Day

Yield: 4

Ingredients

6 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons reduced sodium soy sauce
4 zucchini, trimmed, cut lengthwise into ½ inch thick strips

Instructions

Combine first 3 ingredients in glass baking dish. Add zucchini and turn to coat. Marinate 15 minutes, turning occasionally.
Meanwhile, prepare the barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill zucchini until browned and tender, about 4 minutes per side. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer zucchini to plates.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 206Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 87mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 2g

Homemade Crab and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Spicy Snow Peas

August 5, 2012

My inspiration for this recipe comes from Cuisine At Home the April 2012 edition. The original recipe had won ton wrappers being used for the ravioli. After feeling I searched all of Katy, Texas (I checked 3 stores ha) I gave up, almost anyway.

I really wanted something to post for Ravioli Day and I didn’t want to make anything with that store bought, highly processed ravioli, so I put on my chef hat and said to myself I’ll just make homemade ravioli. Yeah that will really hurt the won ton wrappers I couldn’t find!

I have never made homemade pasta before so I was a bit nervous. But it really turned out great.

I doubled the original recipe to make 4 servings (which actually made about 6 servings), and since crabmeat isn’t so cheap around here I used lump crabmeat and claw crabmeat to help save a little bit of money.

After having this homemade ravioli, I told my husband “I don’t think I’ll ever buy store bought ravioli again!” This is just too good. It does take some time. Try 3 hours to be exact. But it was well worth it. Plan this in advance and it won’t be too bad. It was quite relaxing stuffing those babies and making them nice and pretty! I felt very accomplished after I finished stuffing these beauties. Love really went into this dish. I can’t wait to do this again. Ok not anytime soon but eventually. J

Homemade Crab and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Spicy Snow Peas

Yield: 6

Ingredients

FOR THE RAVIOLI STUFFING

8 oz. crumbled goat cheese
4 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 6.5 oz. can lump crabmeat
1 6.5 oz. can claw crabmeat
2-4 tablespoons olive oil for browning

FOR THE PASTE DOUGH

3 cups all purpose flour
5 egg yolks
½ teaspoon salt
Water (enough to make a smooth dough)
1 egg beaten, for sealing

FOR THE SAUCE

4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Lemon zest

SNOW PEAS

1 pound fresh snow peas, trimmed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
½ cup water
Salt to taste

Instructions

FOR THE RAVIOLI STUFFING:

Combine goat cheese, chives, salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir in crabmeat with a fork, keeping lumps as large as possible.
Chill crabmeat mixture in the refrigerator while you make the ravioli dough.

FOR THE DOUGH:

Beat the egg yolks and add them, and the salt to a mixing bowl already with the flour in it. With your dough hook attachment, or your hands, mix to form dough. If you can’t incorporate the flour into the dough, add more water until you form a nice firm but sticky dough.
Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it is smooth. Let the dough rest in your mixer bowl, covered, for about 20 minutes.
Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface and on your rolling pin. Tear off a piece of dough bigger than a gold ball but smaller than a baseball. Flatten it with your rolling pin and start to roll it out. The dough will be sticky so have a bowl of flour nearby. After a few good rolls, lift the dough sheet off the work surface and flip it over, adding more flour as necessary. Use as little flour as you can get away with, but keep the dough sheet loose and sliding on the surface.
Keep rolling and flipping until you get a dough that’s paper thin. You should be able to see your hand through the rolled dough.
I used these Ateco cutters to cut my ravioli out. You could use the top of a drinking glass and a knife or pizza cutter to cut out your ravioli if you don’t have cutters. (I recommend getting some type of cutter though it saves time.) Cut as many pasta circles out as you can from each sheet of dough.
Take the scraps and put them back into your left over dough ball that should still be covered for future rolling.

FILL THE RAVIOLI:

Scoop 2 teaspoons of crab meat mixture into the centers of your pasta circles. With your finger tip brush a little of the beaten egg on the edges of the pasta circle and place another pasta circle on top and seal them together. You can take the next smallest round cutter to trim and seal up the edges for a decorative boarder if desired. Repeat with the remaining filling and pasta dough. Place on cookie sheets and refrigerate until ready to cook.

COOK THE RAVIOLI:

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and ravioli in 4 batches, cook until brown on one side, about 2-3 minutes. Flip ravioli, add 2 tablespoons water to skillet, cover and steam until soft, about 2 minutes. Remove ravioli to a plate. Repeat with remaining ravioli.

FOR THE SAUCE:

Saute garlic in butter in a small skillet, 1 minute. Stir in cream, increase heat to high, and boil until cream is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and season sauce with salt and pepper. Divide sauce between ravioli servings and garnish each with zest.

SNOW PEAS:

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add snow peas and pepper flakes; cook 1-2 minutes. Stir in water and cook until peas are tender and water evaporates, about 3 minutes more. Season peas with salt; serve with ravioli.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 801Total Fat: 49gSaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 374mgSodium: 1004mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 35g

Greek Olive and Feta Cheese Pasta

August 4, 2012

I was excited to find this recipe in The Miami Mediterranean Diet book. I love pasta salad, but I haven’t come across one that doesn’t use an Italian bottled salad dressing. Until now! I try to stay away from all bottled salad dressings. They just have too many additives. And homemade salad dressings taste way better and are healthier for you.

This is my version of the recipe. Feel free to try it out at your next picnic.

Greek Olive and Feta Cheese Pasta

Yield: 8

Ingredients

16 oz. whole wheat bow tie pasta or rigatoni
5 oz. crumbled feta cheese
25 Greek olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
½ cup fresh basil, torn
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 pepperonchini peppers, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water liberally. Add pasta and cook pasta until al dente about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, drain pasta, and return to pot, drizzling with a scant amount of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking. Set aside. In a large serving bowl, combine feta cheese, olives, basil, garlic, olive oil and pepperonchini peppers, then set aside for about 30 minutes. Add cooked pasta, red and yellow bell peppers, and tomatoes; toss the ingredients well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, until well chilled. Toss again right before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 740Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 993mgCarbohydrates: 94gFiber: 14gSugar: 9gProtein: 25g

Garlic Bread with Avocado Butter

August 4, 2012

This dish was inspired by a recipe I saw in Cuisine At Home. See my version below.

Garlic Bread with Avocado Butter

Yield: 6

Ingredients

FOR THE BUTTER, PUREE

1 avocado, pitted and peeled
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons minced scallions
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt

FOR THE BREAD, COMBINE

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 slices Italian baguette or sourdough bread (1/2 inch thick)

Instructions

Preheat broiler with oven rack 6 inches from element.
For the butter, puree avocado, cilantro, scallions, lemon juice extra virgin olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt in a blender until the consistency of butter.
For the bread, combine Parmesan, 1 tablespoon, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Spread bread with Parmesan mixture and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Broil bread until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Serve bread with avocado butter and garnish with jalapeno slices.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 224Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 261mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 3gProtein: 3g

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition Information:

Did you make this recipe?

Ingredients

CARAMEL ESPRESSO BUTTERCREAM

BANANA CAKE

SUGARED PECANS

Instructions

BUTTERCREAM

CAKE

SUGARED PECANS

Notes

Did you make this recipe?

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Instructions

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Did you make this recipe?

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Did you make this recipe?

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Did you make this recipe?

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Did you make this recipe?

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Did you make this recipe?

Ingredients

FOR THE RAVIOLI STUFFING

FOR THE PASTE DOUGH

FOR THE SAUCE

SNOW PEAS

Instructions

FOR THE RAVIOLI STUFFING:

FOR THE DOUGH:

FILL THE RAVIOLI:

COOK THE RAVIOLI:

FOR THE SAUCE:

SNOW PEAS:

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Ingredients

Instructions

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Ingredients

FOR THE BUTTER, PUREE

FOR THE BREAD, COMBINE

Instructions

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