Grandma's Chocolate Cake

This cake will forever remind me of my grandma. Growing up a few miles down the road from her, we were almost guaranteed that there would be a nice thick slice of homemade chocolate cake waiting for us whenever we went to visit. It was the perfect afternoon snack for a bunch of chattering kids sitting around the table with milk in one hand and a fork in the other.

Her recipe is simple and delicious. It contains buttermilk and shortening, two things you don't always find in your typical cake, but the results are very tasty. Yes, you can whip up a chocolate cake from a box in less time than from scratch, but sometimes it just tasted better to make it yourself. My grandma always baked this cake in a 9 x 13 pan; I'm sure it would be fine as cupcakes or round cakes or a bundt cake, but I can't imagine it any other way.

I like to make my own frosting, but the canned Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines stuff would also be fine for this cake.

Grandma's Chocolate Cake
Recipe from Grandma K
Picture by Caroline

Cake
1 3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk*
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, shortening and eggs. Beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and buttermilk.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda and salt. Add to sugar mixture and stir.
4. Add cocoa and boiling water at the same time, mixing until well blended.
5. Pour batter into greased pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Cool before frosting.

*I never have buttermilk on hand. Instead, I use regular milk and replace between 1 and 2 tablespoons of milk with vinegar or lemon juice to "sour" the milk.

Fudge Frosting
from betttycrocker.com

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
2/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

1. In 2 1/2-quart saucepan, mix all frosting ingredients except vanilla. Heat to rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Boil 1 minute without stirring.
2. Place saucepan in bowl of ice and water. Beat until frosting is smooth and spreadable; stir in vanilla. Frost rectangle or fill and frost layers with frosting.

Rhubarb Galette

A galette is a type of French pastry which may be served sweet or savory. Don't be intimidated by the "fancy" name; it's really just a pie without the pie tin. Think of it as a rustic option for those of you who may not be as confident with your pie crust rolling/pinching/trimming abilities.

This dessert features rhubarb, a vegetable that too often gets a bad rap. But I think it's probably because most people have never had a really tasty rhubarb treat, aside from, perhaps, strawberry rhubarb pie (which doesn't really count as being a rhubarb dessert since the strawberries usually outnumber and overpower the rhubarbs). It's true that rhubarb does not usually result in the sweetest of desserts. It leans towards tart and tangy rather than sweet. But with the proper combination of ingredients, you'll get a dessert even the sweetest tastebuds will love.

This galette is an excellent introduction to rhubarb. This filling is tart but tempered bythe hint of orange, and the crust is sweet. And if you want an extra kick of sweetness, make the orange glaze to drizzle over the top.

Rhubarb Galette
Recipe by Kelly
Pictures by Caroline

Orange Pastry Dough:
1 2/3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled
1 extra large egg
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon orange peel

1. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor.*
2. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Pulse until the butter is cut into very tiny pieces, about 30 seconds.
3. With the food processor running, pour the egg, orange juice and orange peel into the dough. Process the dough until the mixture wraps itself around the blade, about 1 minute.
4. Turn the pastry dough onto a large pieces of plastic wrap. Shape into a flat disk and wrap tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator until firm before using, about 2 hours.
   
5. Roll dough into a large circle, about 1/4 inch thick.
   

*If you have a food processor, I'm sure it will work quite well to blend these ingredients. If you don't have one, use Kitchen Aid or Bosch type mixer or your fingers.

Filling:
1 lb rhubarb, sliced into 1/2 pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange peel
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons flour

1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. In a large bowl, combine rhubarb, sugar, orange and lime juice. Let stand about 15 minutes. Drain rhubarb, reserving juice in a separate bowl. Set aside to use for orange glaze, if desired.
   
3. Add orange peel and flour to rhubarb and stir until lightly rhubarb is lightly coated.
4. Pour rhubarb onto the center of pastry crust, leaving a 2 inch border. Gently fold edges onto rhubarb, pleating as you go.
   
5. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender when pierces with a fork. Serve with optional orange glaze and vanilla ice cream.
   

Orange Glaze (optional)

1. Boil reserved rhubarb liquid in a small saucepan, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 15 to 18 minutes.*
2. Drizzle over top of galette.

*Be careful not to boil too long or your glaze will turn into a tasty, but very firm, candied orange caramel.

Pasta with Goat Cheese, Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This dish has a lot going for it. First of all, the star ingredient is goat cheese. And if you like goat cheese, you really can't go wrong with it. The slight nutty flavor is fantastic, and it's definitely a welcome change from your typical Italian or American cheeses. The recipe itself is super easy and probably took about 15 minutes from start to finish (maybe a little longer because we forgot to start our water boiling). The sun dried tomatoes have a very distinct and strong flavor, but complement the spinach perfectly. And then the lemon. Ah, the lemon! The lemon ties everything together. It's quick, it's easy, it's delicious. Basically, we loved it.

Pasta with Goat Cheese, Spinach and Sun-Dried TomatoesRecipe by Kelly
Pictures by Caroline

1 lb penne/spiral pasta
6 oz goat cheese*
1 small jar sun dried tomatoes (in oil), drained
1 bag spinach, coarsely chopped
1 plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook just until firm. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan. Add the spinach and saute until spinach begins to wilt, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Mix 3 tablespoons olive oil and goat cheese together in a large bowl. Add hot pasta and stir until pasta is well coated with cheese.
4. Reheat pan with wilted spinach. Add cheese/pasta mixture to pan with spinach. Add sun dried tomatoes, salt, pepper and lemon juice and stir until well combined.

*Be sure to get the non-crumbled kind, as it will melt better on the pasta.

Green Beans with Shallots and Toasted Almonds

Here’s a simple, yet elegant side dish that goes well with meat and potatoes, chicken, or pasta.   I've made them for Thanksgiving dinner as well as a week night meal. 

Green Beans with Shallots and Toasted Almonds
Recipe by Two Little Chefs
Pictures by Caroline

1 pound green beans
½ medium shallot, chopped
¼ cup sliced or slivered almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice of ½ lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon water

1. In a large pan, lightly dry toast the almonds (put them in the pan on low heat without any oil or butter and let them brown, stirring frequently). When they begin to be fragrant, remove from pan and set aside.
2. In the same pan, heat olive oil. Add shallots and cook until softened, 2-3 minutes.
3. Add green beans and sauté 3-4 minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water and cover, then simmer about 5 minutes, or until beans become tender.
4. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve.

Spicy Pork Chops with Citrus Salsa

When I came across this recipe I was intrigued. Pork with fruit isn't that odd, we often are served applesauce with pork, but this fruit salsa incorporated cilantro, onion, and even jalapeño. I had to try it and I was glad that I did, even though it had mixed reviews in my house. I really liked it, my father-in-law really liked it, my husband thought it was passable. In fact my father-in-law liked the "chili rub" so well he asked for the recipe, something that has never happened to me before. Personally, I thought the fruit salsa with the pork was a great combination of flavors and textures- sweet with the salty-spice, warm meat with the cool fruit. Give it a try and let me know what you think, I would be curious to hear what others think.

Oh, and what do you serve this with? I served this with a rice pilaf and a green salad.

Spicy Pork Chops with Citrus Salsa
Recipe adapted from The Best Life Diet by Bob Greene

Pictures by Caroline

Serves 4

1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp salt
4 pork chops
11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1 grapefruit, peeled and diced
½ cup chopped cranberries
½ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup minced red onion
1 small jalapeño, minced (optional, I leave this out)

1. Put a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the cumin, chili powder, oregano, coriander, and salt, stirring constantly until aroma is released; about 45-60 seconds. Take off heat and let cool slightly.
2. Rub the spice mixture evenly over the pork chops. Wrap the chops in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
3. To make the salsa, combine the mandarin oranges, grapefruit, cranberries, cilantro, red onion, and jalapeno (if using) in a medium bowl. Toss the mixture, cover, and refrigerate until about 30 minutes before serving.
4. Grill the pork shops over medium-high heat, turning several times; about 20 minutes or until you achieve the desired doneness. If you don’t have a grill you can cook the pork in your oven.
5. Cut the pork chops into thick slices and serve with the fruit salsa.

-Caroline

Blueberry Crumb Bars

I know we’re a little early bringing you fruity summer desserts before you can actually find splendidly delicious fresh local fruit (can you tell I'm excited?), but I really couldn’t wait any longer. These blueberry bars are fantastic. If you don’t have any fresh blueberries on hand, frozen ones will also do (though our blueberries thawed a little more than they should have, turning our crust a lovely shade of purple. If you keep the berries fairly frozen, this shouldn’t happen). We also loved the subtle hint of lemon. If you like a strong lemon flavor, use all the zest and lemon juice. These are best served at room temperature. I know- it will be hard to wait for them to cool, but it will be well worth it.

Spinach Cheese Enchiladas

I originally got this recipe from Wegmans, also known as the most fantastic grocery store in the world (any of you who grew up on the east coast, or rather in the vicinity of New York or Virginia, may know what I'm talking about). It's a fast, easy, decently healthy vegetarian dish (if you use low-fat cheese, of course). And you can add an extra kick to these "enchiladas" by using a spicier cheese like pepper jack and medium or hot salsa. Or add a Greek twist with some feta.

I've always thought there was something wrong calling this dish an "enchilada." Yes, they are tortillas with salsa, but the ricotta cheese and spinach just don't shout Mexican to me. Alas, I can't come up with a better name- if you have any suggestions, feel free to share!

Spinach Cheese Enchiladas

Recipe by Kelly
Pictures by Caroline

1 1/2 bags fresh spinach, coursely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup white cheese, shredded (mozzarella, pepper jack, or white cheddar)
8-10 tortillas
2 cups salsa
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan.
   
2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add spinach and cook just until slightly wilted.
3. In a large bowl, mix cheeses, salt, and pepper. Add wilted spinach to cheese and stir until combined.
4. Pour 1 cup of salsa on bottom of pan. Spoon cheese-spinach mixture into tortillas and roll, placing seam side down onto pan.
5. Pour remaining cup of salsa over top of rolled tortillas. Bake uncovered 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.

Sweet Potatoes with Spiced Black Beans

When I found this recipe, my first thought was “Weird. Who would eat beans with sweet potatoes?!” But then I read some of the very positive reviews and decided to give it a try…and was pleasantly surprised. Regardless of the very strange combination, this recipe is actually quite delicious. Give it a try. Serve as a hearty side dish to pork or chicken, or as a light main course.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Poppy-seeds, poppy-seeds, what do you do with a poppy-seed? Combine them with lemon of course and make a sweet bread.

Last week I had a craving for lemon-poppy seed something, so I made this bread. The original recipe was not lemony enough, so I have doubled the amount of lemon juice in this recipe to make it more lemony. And while the original recipe puts the lemon-sugar topping as optional, I did not, because it makes the bread so much better. It provides a great top crust for your loaf. This sweet-bread makes a great snack to serve to company while sitting outside enjoying a cool breeze.

Lemon-Poppy Seed Bread

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book

Pictures by Caroline

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk
¼ cup melted butter
2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp poppy seeds
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar

1. Grease the bottom and ½ inch up sides of an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, the ¾ cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Set aside.
2. In another medium bowl combine the egg, milk, oil, lemon peel, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy; don’t over mix). Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in a 350° oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
4. Stir together the 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar. While bread is still in the pan, brush lemon-sugar mixture over the top of the loaf. Cool in pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack and then wrap and store before serving.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Both Caroline and I have a weakness for biscuits. Between the two of us, we could probably eat this whole batch. Tonight we enjoyed them with butter, stawberry freezer jam, apple butter, and plain along with our Tortellini and Bean Soup. Yes, sure, you could make Bisquick biscuits that would serve the same purpose. But they won't be as good as these. And they won't taste as good tomorrow. And you won't have the experience of making a dang good biscuit.

Buttermilk Biscuits
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
Pictures by Caroline

3 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, slightly softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups buttermilk*

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.
3. Using pastry blender (or your fingers), cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Add buttermilk all at once and stir just until moistened.
5. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing dough 4-5 times or until dough just holds together. Pat dough flat until 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough with a floured biscuit cutter (or, if you lack a biscuit cutter like we do, use a drinking glass). Be careful not to add too much flour to the dough or you will end up with tougher biscuits than desired.
6. Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Serve immediately.

*If you don't happen to have buttermilk in your fridge (which, if you're like most people, you probably don't), you can make buttermilk by adding about 2 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar to your milk. Just be sure you pour about 2 tablespoons less milk in so you don't add too much liquid to your biscuits.

Tortellini and Bean Soup

My husband is obsessed with tortellini. And one of our local grocery stores sells them for only $1 a bag, which means we usually have a freezer full or frozen tortellinis at any given time. He can eat them with or without tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, butter, Italian dressing, etc. I, on the other hand, get kind of sick of them after a while. Naturally the situation demanded that I come up with an alternative way to cook our mounds of tortellini. This soup is my healthy solution.



Serve with foccaia bread or buttermilk biscuits (check back in a few days for our recipe!). And if, heaven forbid, you're not very fond of tortellini, substitute some penne or rotelle (also known as wagon wheel) pasta.

Tortellini and Bean Soup
recipe by Kelly
Pictures by Caroline

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium celery stalks, chopped
3 medium carrots, cut into julienne strips*
6-8 cups chicken or vegetable broth**
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/c cups cheese tortellini***
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon rosemary

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook garlic, carrot, onion and celery in oil 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add broth and heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer until carrots are beginning to be tender. Stir in beans. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tortellini and simmer until tortellini are tender.
3. Stir in herbs and pepper. Top with cheese and serve with buttermilk biscuits.

*Julienne strips are long and thin pieces of carrot.
**Add more water if you're using dried tortellini (see below) or if you prefer a thinner soup.
***You can use either dried or frozen tortellini. If you use dried tortellinis, be sure to add them right after you add the beans. You may also need a little extra broth.

Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Don't be fooled- these cookies should really be called Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oats. They don't have any of the spice of regular oatmeal cookies, and raisins would be a very strange addition. And the dough might be even better than the cookies themselves. Just thinking about it makes me want to stuff a few more cookies into my already bulging belly...too bad our oven died midway through the second batch. I guess I'll have to settle for dough.

Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipe from bettycrocker.com

Pictures by Caroline

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 cups quick oats

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg.
3. In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, soda and salt. Add to butter mixture and stir just until blended.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake 9-11 minutes or until light brown.

Jerk Chicken

Okay, okay, so the color of this sauce doesn't exactly yell "delicious"...don't be deceived. This is a pretty simple way to spice up your average grilled chicken on a Friday night. This is advertised as a Jamacian marinade, never having been to Jamacia, I will take their word for it. I think in the future I will fillet the chicken so that the flavor is more absorbed by the meat and the sauce doesn't burn so much before the meat is done. Try it, love it!

Jerk Chicken
Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine, Issue 21
Pictures by Caroline
Serves 4

1 bunch scallions, chopped (1 ½ cups)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeño chile, chopped (seeds and ribs removed for less heat, if desired)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp light-brown sugar
1 ½ tsp ground allspice (I use whole)
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Coarse salt
8 pieces bone-in chicken (drumsticks and thighs), skinned and trimmed of excess fat

1. Make marinade: In a blender, combine scallions, garlic, jalapeño, lime juice, oil, sugar, allspice, thyme, cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, and 2 tsp water; blend until smooth. Set aside ¼ cup for brushing.
2. Place chicken in a shallow dish; season all over with salt. Pour remaining marinade over chicken; toss to coat. Cover; refrigerate, turning once or twice, at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
3. Heat grill to medium-high; oil grates. Lift chicken from marinade, letting excess drip off (discard marinade); place on grill, and cover. Cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is blackened in spots, about 10 minutes.
4. Move chicken to a cooler part of the grill; brush with reserved marinade. Grill covered, until chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes more. Serve immediately.