The Baked Brownie with Easy Chocolate Ganache

    My husband's birthday was last week and when I asked him what kind of cake or dessert he wanted me to make he told me he wanted brownies.  I was appalled!  With all the desserts I make, he wanted a plain old brownie.  Now, I normally just make Hershey's brownie recipe, but I had just seen BrownEyedBakers top 10 brownie list and wanted to go with one of those.

    I chose the Baked Brownie because I've heard so much about it and wanted to see if it was worth the hype.  I couldn't believe the amount of chocolate in it but I went right along and made it.  I wasn't sure when it was finished because the center was so moist even when it was cooked. 

   Once the brownies cooled Frank asked if I could put ganache on top, so I did.  These brownies were out of this world!  They are by far the best brownie I had ever eaten.  Moist, sweet, fully of chocolate, sinful.  The ganache on top put me over the edge!  My husband loved them and enjoyed sharing them with friends who thought they were awesome as well.  No more Hershey's brownie recipe for me!  This is my new "go to" brownie recipe.

The Baked Brownie(adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)
1 1/4 c. flour
1 t. salt
2 T. cocoa powder
11 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or you can use dark chocolate)
1 c. butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
5 eggs
2 t. vanilla

For the ganache:
1 c. chocolate melts
1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13 pan (or two 8 x8 pans).  Line the pans with parchment paper.

2.  In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, salt, and cocoa powder.  Set aside.

3.  In a medium saucepan bring a half pan of water to a simmer and set a large mixing bowl on top of it.  In the bowl put the coarsely chopped chocolate and the butter.  Stir until completely melted and smooth.  Remove from heat but leave the bowl on top of the saucepan.  Add in the sugar and brown sugar.  Whisk until completely combined and then remove the bowl from the saucepan.

4.  Add the eggs to the chocolate mix and stir until well combined.  Mix in the vanilla until just combined. 

5.  Stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until everything is just combined.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake for 30 minutes, or 35 if using the 8 x 8 pans,  rotating the pan halfway through baking.  Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack until completely cooled. 

6.  In a microwave safe bowl heat the chocolate melts and sweetened condensed milk for 30 seconds.  Mix well.  Put in for additional 10 seconds at a time until it is totally melted.  Pour over the cooled brownies and spread quickly.  Let cool 2-4 hours or until the ganache becomes firm.

7.  Left the brownies from the pan using the parchment paper.  Cut into squares and serve.  Store at room temperature in an air tight container or wrapped in plastic wrap.

Note:  To make these into brownie bites simply fill 24 mini muffins cups 2/3 of the way full and bake for 15-17 minutes.  Leave the tops plain and spoon a small amount of ganache on top of the brownie bites.

This post linked to:

Sweets for a Saturday, Not Baaad Sundays

My Meatless Mondays,  Mangia Mondays 

Mexican Chicken Eggrolls

   This week the theme for our recipe exchange was Mexican.  My husband and I absolutely love Mexican food so I was really excited about this exchange.  I received a recipe from Jey of The Jey of Cooking for Mexican Chicken Wonton Rolls that sounded awesome.  I had a pack of eggroll wrappers at home, so I substituted those for the wonton wraps.

   I used much of the original recipe but added in some shredded green pepper and onion for a bit of crunch inside of the roll.  The rolls were cheesy, a bit spicy, and filled with flavor.  The eggrolls themselves were brown and crunchy.  The avocado sauce on the side was the perfect cool, creamy contrast to the spicy chicken eggrolls.  We had these as an entree but they would be great as an appetizer when watching a baseball or football game as well.

Mexican Chicken Eggrolls (adapted from The Jey of Cooking)
2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
2 c. pepper jack cheese, shredded
1/2 green pepper, shredded
1/2 onion, shredded
1 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
Eggroll Wrappers
2 T. butter

For the Creamy Avocado Sauce:
1 avocado, mashed
1/2 c. sour cream
2 t. hot sauce
1 t. salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.  In a bowl combine the chicken, cheese, pepper, onion, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder.Mix well to combine.

3.  Get a small bowl of water and a brush.  Place an eggroll on the table and fill with 2 teaspoons of the chicken mixture.  Fold in the edges about 1/4 inch then roll up.  Brush the end of the eggroll with water and press to seal.  Place on the baking sheet.  Repeat until all the chicken mixture is used.

4.  Melt the butter in a bowl and get a basting brush.  Brush each eggroll with butter covering the top, sides, and ends.  Bake for 22-25 minutes or until brown.  Remove from oven.

5.  In a small bowl combine the avocado, sour cream, hot sauce, and salt.  Mix until smooth.  Serve with chicken eggrolls.

This post is linked to:

  Fresh Food Friday,   Fat Camp Friday

Foodie Food,  Party Mindie Style

Orange Chicken

   I've really been getting into the Chinese cooking lately.  I tried cooking Chinese food years ago and everything I made tasted horrible.  I've recently found a few blogs that have had amazing Asian food on them and I've made a number of dishes that have been as good as or even better then we get at the local Chinese restaurant.

    This recipe for orange chicken really spoke to me.  It had crispy, browned chicken pieces in a sweet citrus sauce over top of rice.  It sounded delicious.  I already had eggrolls in the freeze so I was ready to roll.  When I made the marinade it tasted ok but I wasn't too impressed with it.  I was a little worried but continued on with the recipe.  The chicken looked great after it was cooked.  Once the orange sauce was cooked it thickened up and had a fantastic citrus and Asian flavor to it.  The dish didn't taste like the orange chicken I would get at a Chinese restaurant, but it was still really good.  We'll be having this one again!

Orange Chicken (adapted from America's Test Kitchen, as seen on A Taste of Home Cooking )
For the marinade and sauce:
3/4 c. chicken broth
1 c. orange juice
zest of 1 orange
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. fresh ginger
1 t. red pepper
1 t. black pepper
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. cold water

For the Coating:
2 egg whites
1 c. cornstarch
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. red pepper
1 t. salt
1/4 c. olive oil

1.  In a medium bowl combine the chicken broth, orange juice, orange zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, red pepper, and black pepper.  Remove 1 cup of the sauce and place in a freezer bag along with the cut up chicken.  Refrigerate 1-2 hours (no longer).

2.  After marinating the chicken, put the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer.  In a small bowl whisk the cornstarch and water together until smooth.  Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce.  Stir to combine.  Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the sauce thickens.  Remove from heat and set aside.

3.  In a small bowl beat the egg whites until they are frothy.  In a second shallow bowl combine the cornstarch, baking soda, red pepper, and salt. 

4.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat with a paper towel to dry.  Put half the chicken in the egg whites, turning to coat.  Take them out and put them in the cornstarch mixture turning to coat.  Meanwhile, put the other half of the chicken into the egg whites, turning to coat.

5.  Heat 3 T. olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet.  Add the chicken coated in the cornstarch.  Immediately coat the remaining chicken with cornstarch and add to pan.  Pan fry the chicken for 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Add remaining oil after turning chicken the first time. 

6.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.  Remove oil from pan and return the chicken, covering with the orange sauce.  Serve over rice.

Mom's Tuna Loaf

   Every Good Friday since I was a kid my mother made us tuna loaf for dinner.  My dad loved fresh fish but the rest of us didn't so tuna was our best option.  I'm not sure if it's because I only ever had it once a year or because it truely is awesome, but I love tuna loaf.  I love it so much that this year I asked my mom for her recipe.  This is the first year that I've been married during Good Friday and I wanted to make tuna loaf for my husband.

   When I first brought up the tuna loaf my husband was extremely skeptical.  He wasn't sure what it was and if he wanted to have it.  Then we invited a friend over and he really wasn't sure that he wanted to try it.  I assured him that it was awesome and that both he and his friend would enjoy it.  It's very simple to make and goes into a loaf pan for 1 hour to bake.

   I whipped it out of the oven and cut it up for everyone.  The first bite was fantastic.  It's a warm, comforting dish with quite a bit of flavor both from the Miracle Whip and the Dijon mustard.  When our friend tried it he commented that it tasted like a giant crab cake minus the crab with the addition of tuna.  He's exactly right!  That's what it tastes like.  Both my husband and his friend really enjoyed the tuna loaf and the three of us ate the entire pan.  We've already invited him back for next Good Friday's tuna loaf.

Mom's Tuna Loaf (adapted from my mom's awesome recipe)
2 c. Stovetop stuffing mix
2 cans tuna, drained
2/3 c. Miracle Whip (or mayonaise)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 egg
1/2 onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 t. Dijon mustard
1 t. black pepper

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a loaf pan.

2.  Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.  Spread into the loaf pan.  Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the top is browned.  Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes.  Cut and serve.

This post linked to:

Made from Scratch Tuesdays, Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesdays

Frugal Food Thursday

Grilled Zucchini with Couscous, Spinach, and Cheese & a Winner!

    Happy 4th of July weekend!  What a beautiful holiday weekend we have.  Before I get to my fabulous summer picnic side dish, I need to announce the winner of the Learn How To Can Giveaway!  Using random.org the number 27 was drawn.  The winner is:
                                                   HMB4Him said...

I am a FACS teacher and I would love to learn to can. I am somewhat old-fashioned. I make my own laundry soap and cleaners so this is right up my alley! I would like to learn how to make raspberry and blackberry jelly!

   Congratulations!  I have e-mailed you.  Please e-mail me back with your mailing information within 48 hours!

   I'm so excited that the weather is finally warm and it's time to use the grill again.  Usually my husband is the one to grill but this year I decided I wanted to try my hand at it.  I've been looking for vegetables that can be grilled as well and came across a yummy looking recipe for zucchini.

    This recipe calls for hollowed out zucchini filled with a couscous stuffing.  I love couscous so I was immediately taken with the recipe.  The mixture of couscous, spinach, Parmesan, and lemon juice was really light and fresh.  The zucchini grills up with nice grill marks on the bottom and the couscous mixture bakes into the zucchini.  It's a perfect BBQ or summertime side dish.

Grilled Zucchini with Couscous, Spinach, and Cheese  (adapted from Cooking Light )
1 c. vegetable broth
1 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 c. couscous, uncooked
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 t. lemon zest
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. olive oil
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
3 zucchini

1.  Preheat the grill.

2.  Heat the vegetable broth over medium high heat.  Bring to a boil and add in the spinach and shallots.  Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes.  Add in the couscous, stir, then cover and remove from heat.

3.  Cut the zucchini in half then scoop out the middle leaving a 1/4 inch thick shell.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.

4.  Remove the lid from the saucepan and stir.  Mix in the Parmesan, lemon juice, lemon zest, and olive oil.  Spoon this mixture into each of the zucchini halves.

5.  Place the zucchini directly onto the grill.  Close the lid and grill for 10-15 minutes.

This post linked to:

Not Baaad Sundays, Seasonal Sundays
Mangia Monday, Meatless Mondays

Layered Cakes: What's Baking? Round Up!

     This month I was lucky enough to be the host of the What's Baking? challenge.  I have been dying to make a layer cake and decided this would be the perfect challenge for this wonderful group of bakers.  I couldn't wait to see all the different cakes and I wasn't disappointed!  The flavors and fillings on these cakes look amazing!



     Melissa from I Was Born to Cook made this delicious Yellow Cake with Chocolate Filling covered in chocolate frosting for her husbands birthday.

     Jade from The Mess Pot, made this gorgeous looking Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Layer Cake.

                                                               

    Jaida of Sweet Beginnings shared a cake perfect for summer; a Triple Layer Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.

    This tasty looking Neapolitan Layer Cake was made by Lindsey of Our Share of the Harvest.

    I made a Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Lemon Marmalade Filling topped with a Lemon Buttercream for Father's Day.

    Carrie from Carrie's Sweet Life made this dreamy Chocolate Mousse Cake.

    This amazing strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate cake has layers of Swiss Meringue Buttercream and was made by Cara of The Boys Made Me Do It.

This adorable birthday cake, made by Jey from The Jey of Cooking, was a White Almond Sour Cream Cake with strawberry filling and buttercream icing.



Nicole from 7 Ate 9 Bakes made a great Reese Cup Chocolate Peanut Butter cake with adorable Reese cup mortar board hats!

This summery, Strawberry Layer Cake was made by Catherine of Pursuing Domestic Goddessness.

Just in time for the 4th of July is the fabulous Red, White, and Blue Layer Cake from Amanda of Our Italian Kitchen.

     Thank you to all the ladies that participated in June's Baking Challenge!  July's challenge will be hosted by Lindsey of Our Share of the Harvest.  The theme for July will be Bake Local.  Bakers can choose from tons of in-season fruits, baking-friendly veggies like zucchini and beets, not-so-obvious local finds like nuts, honey, prepared jams and jellies, maybe even grains if they're lucky. 


This post linked to:
Frugal Food Thursdays, It's A Keeper Thursdays
Sweet Tooth Friday, Fat Camp Friday
Foodie Friday, Sweets for a Saturday

Chicken Salad with Strawberries & Dried Cranberries

    The recipe swap theme for this week was entree salads.  I was excited about this because in the summertime we make a lot of entree salads and I'm always looking for new ones to add.  I received a chicken salad with oranges and cranberries.  It looked really good but I don't much like canned oranges and I had a basket of fresh strawberries so I switched them out.

    The vinaigrette dressing was a raspberry vinaigrette, but I didn't have any raspberry vinegar so I had to improvise.  Because I was already putting strawberries in the salad, I used a few pureed strawberries and one minced strawberry to give the dressing a light, fruity flavor.  I really ended up liking this recipe.  The strawberries and cranberries added a bit of sweet and tart to the salad.  The dressing was sweet, sour, and tangy all at once.  This is a great summer salad.

Chicken Salad with Strawberries and Dried Cranberries (adapted from Sweet Beginnings)
For each salad:
1 boneless, skinless, chicken breast
2 strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/4 c. dried cranberries
2 c. lettuce

For the dressing:
3 strawberries
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
3 T. honey
1 t. sugar
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 t. tarragon
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper

1.  Cook the chicken in a skillet and cut into strips or bite sized pieces.  Set aside to cool.

2.  To make the dressing cut two strawberries in half and puree.  Put the pureed strawberries as well as the other minced strawberry in a small bowl.  Add the vinegar, olive oil, honey, and sugar.  Whisk until smooth.  Then whisk in the remaining ingredients.  Put in the refrigerator until ready to use.

3.  To assemble the salad put the lettuce on a place.  Place the quartered strawberries around the edges.  Place the chicken strips on the salad and sprinkle with cranberries.  Drizzle the dressing over top of the salad and enjoy.

Spiced Peach Jam & Learn How to Can Giveaway!

     I am still so pumped after my HouseParty the other day.  Learning to can fruits and vegetables and to share that with others has been an amazing experience.  I recently made a spiced peach jam which was so good I was literally eating it with a spoon.  The peaches were sweet and the spices really added a special hint of flavor to this jam.  It was fairly simple to make and something I'll be enjoying all winter long!

    I'm also excited to share with one lucky reader a Learn How to Can prize pack!  Whether you are a seasoned canner or you just want to learn how to can, this prize pack will help you every step of the way!  Included in the prize is:

-1 Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving

-1 Jar of Pectin

-2 Packets of Instant Pectin

-1 berry masher

-1 collapsible funnel
-coupons for Ball jars and pectin

     To enter this giveaway you must complete the mandatory entry. You may then do any (or all!) of the additional entries. Leave a comment telling me about each additional entry along with your contact information so that I can contact you if you are the winner.

Spiced Peach Jam (slightly adapted from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving Cookbook)

4 c. chopped, pitted, peeled, peaches

2 T. lemon juice
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1 package (1.75 oz) regular powdered fruit pectin
5 c. sugar

1.  Prepare the canner, jars, and lids.

2.  In a large stockpot, bring water to a boil and add the peaches.  Let them boil for 1-2 minutes.  Remove to a cold bath and remove the skins and pits.  Chop peaches.

3.  In a large stainless steel sauce pan combine the peaches, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Whisk in the pectin until it is dissolved.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently.  Add sugar all at once and continue stirring constantly.  Bring to a hard boil and stir for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and skim off any foam.

4.  Ladle the hot jam into the warm jars leaving 1/4 inch of headpace.  Remove the air bubbles and adjust the headspace.  Wipe the rim of the jars, center on the lid, and tighten the screwband to fingertip tight.

5.  Put the jars in the canner making sure they are completely submerged and put on the lid.  Boil for 10 minutes.  Remove the lid of the canner and wait an additional 5 minutes.  Remove from canner and let sit for 12 hours.  Check the seal and store for up to 1 year.

Note:  This makes 6 half pints of spiced peach jam.

This post linked to:

Meatless Mondays, Mangia Monday

Made from Scratch Tuesdays

Zesty Salsa and Discover You Can HouseParty



  I cannot tell you how excited I was to be a HouseParty host for the Discover You Can Party sponsored by Jarden Home Brands.  A few months ago I decided to plant a vegetable garden and finally learn how to can.  Being a host for this HouseParty sealed the deal!  About a month before the party, I canned my very first thing:  Strawberry Lemon Marmalade.  It was awesome!  A week later I canned 6 half pints of Zesty Salsa.  One week before the party I canned 6 half pints of Spiced Peach Jam.

My husband and cousin



    The party pack that I received from HouseParty and Ball was amazing!  I received a Discovery Canning Kit, 3 bottles of pectin, sample packets of pectin to share with my guests, 4 collapsible funnels, dissolveable labels, 3 Ball Blue Books, 2 berry mashers, gift bags, coupons, and tons of other things!  I got to keep some for myself, share some with friends and family, and I'm going to share with one of my readers as well! 

    I decided to host the party at my parents house as we were having a huge birthday party for the June birthdays in our family.  I made it birthday/canning party!  It was a huge success.  I'm not sure who had the most fun;  the adults, or my young cousins who liked being the "jam tasters"!  Together we made 9 half pints of Strawberry Lemon Marmalade. I had already made 9 half pints to give to the guests so they could each take one home.  I also gave out 5 jars of Zesty Salsa and 5 jars of Spiced Peach Jam as party favors in thegift bags along with coupons, pectin samples, and more.  My cousin ended up winning the Ball Blue Book prize for guessing the most secret ingredients, and my mom won a collapsible funnel.  I raffled off 2 other funnels and each guest went home with an awesome gift bag full of Ball goodies!



My brother, Kristin & Peyton



     Everyone had a great time at the party and I'm sure a few people will be canning on their own by the end of the summer!  I'd like to thank Jarden and HouseParty for this wonderful "gift" of teaching me how to can.  If you are interested in canning or preserving check back tomorrow for my Learn How to Can giveaway prize pack and another great canning/preserving recipe!  For more information on canning visit Ball's website.



Zesty Mild Salsa   (adapted from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)



Mom and Greg



5 cups chopped, cored, peeled tomatoes

1 1/2 c. green bell peppers, chopped and seeded

1 c. red bell peppers, chopped and seeded

2 c. chopped onions
1 c. chili peppers, chopped and seeded
2/3 c. white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T. cilantro, chopped
1 t. salt
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. black pepper

1.  Prepare the canner, jars, and lids.

2.  In order to peel the tomatoes use a large sauce pan to boil water.  Put the tomatoes in the water for 1 minute, flip them over and boil an additional minute.  Transfer to a colander and run cold water over top of them.  The skin should easily peel off the tomatoes.  Cut out the core and chop the tomatoes.

3.  Combine the tomatoes, green peppers, red peppers, onions, chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and pepper in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat and boil gently for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

4.  Ladle the hot salsa into half pint jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Use a tool to remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed.  Wipe the rims of the jars and center the lid on them.  Put on a screwband and tightened using your fingers.

5.  Process the salsa in the half pint jars in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.  Remove the lid and let sit for 5 minutes.  Remove the jars and cool for 12 hours.  After 12 hours check the seals and store.

Makes 7 half pint jars.

This post linked to:

Seasonal Sundays, Not Baaad Sundays

Canning Week at From Mess Hall to Bistro

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Strawberry Lemon Filling

     This month I hosted the What's Baking? challenge.  The challenge was to make a layer cake.  For as many cakes, cupcakes, pies, etc., that I have made, I have never made a layer cake and it was high time I tried.  I was going to Pittsburgh for Father's Day so I figured this was the perfect time to make the cake.  I figured my dad would love whatever I made.

     I've recently gotten into canning and have made several types of jams and wanted to use one of those as the filling.  I finally settled for the strawberry lemon marmalade as the filling.  Next, I decided on a delicious looking vanilla buttermilk cake.  I then decided to cover the entire thing with my lemon buttercream to bring the flavors together.

     I think baking the cake was the easiest part of making this Father's Day Cake.  The recipe was easy and I had three 9 inch pans and was able to cook all three layers at the same time.  I love this cake.  It is firm but moist and has a delicious buttery vanilla flavor.  After doing some research I put a light crumb coating layer of buttercream on the top of both layer before putting the jam on so that it wouldn't seep into the cake.  I layered the three layers and then let it set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

    The toughest part was frosting the cake.  It was hot and humid out and my buttercream was melting all over the place, causing the filling to run as well.  At one point the layers were slipping everywhere and I thought the cake was ruined.  However, after a few trips in the refrigerator and finally some buttercream modified with Crisco, I got the frosting to stay and got the cake decorated.

    This cake is delicious!  The vanilla in the cake paired with the strawberry lemon filling and topped with lemon buttercream was outstanding.  The whole cake tasted light and summery.  Everyone at the party seemed to enjoy it and my dad loved it.  I'd like to try this flavor combination as a filled cupcake next time.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Strawberry Lemon Filling (cake recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
For the cake:
3 3/4 c. cake flour
2 1/2 c. sugar
1 T. plus 2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1/4 c. applesauce
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/3 c. low fat sour cream
1 T. vanilla

1 jar of Strawberry Lemon Marmalade (recipe HERE)

For the Lemon Buttercream:
5 c. powdered sugar
10 T. butter
5-6 T. lemon juice
2 t. grated lemon peel

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Butter three 9 inch round cake pans then line the bottoms with parchment paper.  Butter the paper and top lightly with flour.  Set aside.

2.  In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. 

3.  In a smaller bowl combine the butter, buttermilk, and applesauce.  Mix well.  Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and mix on low with a hand mixer for 30 seconds.  Adjust the speed to high and mix an additional 2-3 minutes or until the batter becomes light and fluffy.

4.  In a small bowl combine the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and sour cream.  Stir well to combine.  Slowly add the egg mixture to the batter mixing well.

5.  Divide the batter between the 3 cake pans.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.  Turn pans onto a wire rack and remove the parchment paper.  Let cool completely.

6.  Set the bottom layer of the cake on a cake board and put enough buttercream on top to make a crumb coating.  Spread the top with the strawberry lemon marmalade and top with the second layer.  Repeat this with the second and third layers.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the marmalade.

7.  Make the buttercream icing while the cakes are setting.  With an electric mixer beat together the butter, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Slowly add in the powdered sugar until it is well combined and the icing is smooth. This may take several minutes.

8.  Frost the entire cake with the lemon buttercream.  Decorate using additional buttercream. 

**If not eating the cake right away it can be refrigerated**

This post linked to:
Friday Potluck, Fat Camp Friday
Foodie Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweets for a Saturday, Fresh Food Friday

Garlic Beef Enchiladas

     I bought a new cookbook this past week and I’ve been itching to make something from it. It’s The Taste of Home Cookbook-Cooks Who Care edition. There are so many awesome recipes and most of them have pictures so I know if what I’m making is close! The first recipe I ventured to try from this book was for the Garlic Beef Enchiladas.

    I was somewhat skeptical about making my own enchilada sauce, especially after reading the ingredients. It didn’t sound like it would be anywhere near my beloved canned sauce. However, after following all the steps I added in the tomato sauce and BOOM! It looked and smelled just like enchilada sauce, amazing!

    The enchiladas were pretty awesome as well. You start with the ground beef, onions, green peppers, and garlic. Then add in some spices. Finally you add in the stewed tomatoes, which give it a rich taste and helps the meat mixture stick together. These bad boys were slightly spicy and better then anything we get at the Mexican restaurant. Since it’s only the two of us at home, I was able to save some of the meat mixture for taco salads the next day and froze a batch of the enchilada sauce for next time.

Garlic Beef Enchiladas (adapted from Taste of Home Cookbook  )

For the Filling:
1 pound of lean ground beef
½ large onion, chopped
½ large green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. flour
1 T. chili powder
1 t. salt
1 t. cumin
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes

For the Sauce:
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 T. butter
¼ c. flour
1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 T. chili powder
1 T. cumin
1 t. sage
1 t. salt

8 flour tortillas
2 cups Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

1. In a large skillet heat the beef, onion, green pepper, and garlic over medium heat until the beef is no longer pink. Drain the beef and return the skillet to the heat. Add in the flour and seasonings; stir well. Mix in the stewed tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 15 minutes. Stir periodically while the meat and tomatoes cook in order to break up the tomatoes.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan melt the butter. Sauté the garlic 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Slowly stir in the flour making a roux. Add the broth a few tablespoons at a time mixing until it’s all incorporated. Bring the broth to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the tomato sauce and seasonings. Cook an additional 5 minutes then remove from heat.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour 1 ½ cups of the sauce into the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan. Spread a few tablespoons of meat on one side of a tortilla, top with cheese, and roll up. Place in the baking dish seam side down. Continue with the rest of the tortillas.

4. Top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce (I only used an additional cup and had plenty left over). Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

This post linked to::

What's Cooking Wednesdays, Made it on Monday

Real Food Wednesday , It's A Keeper Thursday

Frugal Food Thursday, Party Mindie Style