tunnel of fudge cake—a cautionary tale

as a general rule, i'm not a cake person (i like to save my calories for more important things, like hot pretzels and pie). but there are times when i make an exception, and mom's birthday is one of them.
mom used to make this recipe for aunt margy on her birthday, but now i make it for her on her birthday. it's totally rich and completely delicious. it's also really dangerous (do not keep this cake in your possession unless you have people around to help you eat it. because you'll want to eat it all. you'll try not to, and you'll fail.)

tunnel of fudge cake
cake:
   1 3/4 cups margarine or butter, softened
   1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
   6 eggs
   2 cups powdered sugar
   2 1/4 cups all purpose flour*
   3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
   2 cups chopped nuts (we use walnuts)**

glaze:
   3/4 cup powdered sugar
   1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
   1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons milk

directions:
heat oven to 350°F. grease and flour fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan. in large bowl, beat margarine and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. gradually add powdered sugar; blend well. by hand, stir in remaining cake ingredients until well blended. spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly. bake at 350°F for 58 to 62 minutes.*** cool upright in pan on wire rack 1 hour; invert onto serving plate. cool completely.
in small bowl, combine glaze ingredients until well blended. spoon over top of cake, allowing some to run down sides. store tightly covered.

*last year i attempted to make this cake while watching sam, forgot to put in the flour, and had to do a total re-do after the inversion was an epic fail. do not forget the flour. it is not optional. this year i waited until the kids went to bed to bake and got it right on the first try. rock.

**nuts are also essential. do not omit. if you don't like nuts, make something else. also, you're crazy. if you're allergic to nuts, you're not necessarily crazy, but you should probably avoid contact with us.

***since this cake has a soft tunnel of fudge, ordinary doneness tests do not apply. accurate oven temperature and bake time are essential. prayers to the baking gods are good too. no burnt offerings.

makes 16 servings
nutrition (1/16th of cake): 540 calories, 8g protein, 58g carbs, 33g fat, 100mg cholesterol, 2g fiber, 300 mg sodium, 160mg potassium, 4% calcium US RDA, 10% iron US RDA

salad days—black bean and corn salad

this is another salad i like to throw together regularly. it's got a lot of my favorite things in it, and again, it's made with things that i usually have on hand.

ingredients:
1 can black beans (i like goya best) drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn lightly zapped in the microwave (if i had real corn, like corn on the cob that i've cooked and is left over from another meal, i'd totally use that, but normally all i've got is frozen, so that's what i use)
1 plum tomato, chopped with seeds removed
1/2 cucumber, chopped with seeds removed
about 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (green is what i normally have, but sometimes i'm fancy and i buy a red one)
2-3 green onions, chopped
handful of cilantro, chopped (i would consider this optional because i don't always have it on hand, but when i do you bet it's in there)
baby spinach

for dressing (i don't really have measurements for this, i just eyeball it):
olive oil
lime juice (fresh if you have it, bottled if you're me)
cumin
garlic powder
dried oregano
green tobasco (if you're into that kind of thing. i totally am.)
salt
pepper

instructions:
1) chop your veg
2) put in bowl with beans
3) mix up your dressing, pour into bowl
4) toss with spinach
5) eat!

salad days—bulgar and lentil salad

the weather here has finally been warming up a bit, which means instead of soups i've been making loads of salads. this is one that i make a lot because it requires things i usually have in the house, it's quick to throw together, and it's tasty. it might even be healthy (though my portions probably negate the "healthiness" factor).

anywho, on with the ingredients:

1/2 cup bulgar wheat (i use bob's red mill bulgar) + 1/2 cup water for cooking
1/4 cup lentils + 3 cups water for cooking
1/2 cucumber, chopped and seeds removed (i usually get a pretty big cucumber so that there's some to snack on)
1 plum tomato, chopped and seeds removed
1 green onion, chopped (optional, i don't always remember to put this in)
garlic powder
salt
pepper
lemon juice (fresh is probably best, and if you've got lemons in the house, more power to you. i don't.)
olive oil
baby spinach

and the instructions (for people who follow instructions—i.e. not me):
1) cook your bulgar wheat (i've forgotten what it says on the package, but i just cook it about 1:1 like i would couscous—bring water to a boil, pour in wheat, cover, remove from heat—by the time i'm done with everything else, it's ready to go)
2) cook your lentils (bring water to a boil, dump in your lentils, turn heat down to a low boil and let them cook away for about 20 minutes, drain and rinse)
3) chop your veg (don't forget to test your cucumber, or have your taste-tester help with this part)
4) once everything is chopped and cooked, throw it all in a bowl (well, not THROW, but dump carefully so that you don't get your counter all messy like mine)
5) sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste
6) drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil (i don't measure, but i'm guessing about a tablespoon of each)
7) give that mess a big stir to make sure it's all mixed up and thoroughly confused
8) serve over baby spinach

i could totally go for a big bowl of this right now. i'm kind of obsessed.

what happened to all the bananas?

they all got turned into banana swirls, of course.

sam learned this recipe on daniel tiger's neighborhood a few days before christmas, and he was slightly (ever so slightly) obsessed with making them (despite the fact that he really didn't seem all that interested in eating them).

in any case, it was a fun activity. and luckily, i thought it was pretty tasty.

here's how you do it:

• take a banana and break it into pieces
• put the pieces into a tupperware and put them in the freezer
• after they're frozen (i can't remember how long we were able to wait before sam's head threatened to explode with excitement, i think it may have been four hours or so), toss them in the blender (i used my immersion blender) and swirl those suckers up until they're the consistency of slightly melty ice cream

it tastes like banana ice cream (but clearly much better for you than real ice cream. that is until you get the idea that it would taste like a banana split if you added some chocolate sauce, and maybe some peanuts, and a cherry on top...you get the idea).

now go and try it. you know you want to.

happy valentine's day!

what are you doing to celebrate this lovey-dovey day? one of the things on my schedule was to bake up a batch of the traditional "to my valentine oatmeal cookies" today. my taste tester said they came out quite well. in fact, i think he would've "tasted" at least half a dozen if i'd given him the opportunity.

i've posted the recipe for this wonderful treat here, but i also updated the recipe card with a more appropriate photo (not stars!)—you can find it here.

s'mores according to oscar

according to oscar's instructions, this is how you make a s'more. and since we watched that video right before lunch, s'mores for dessert were on the menu. perhaps not surprisingly, this activity was quite a bit more messy than painting.

thanks for the awesome instructions, oscar!

have a sweet holiday weekend

i baked a batch of good ol' "to my valentine" oatmeal cookies for mike's fourth of july work cookout today. this is probably my most favorite iced cookie recipe because they not only look really fun and festive, but they have a bit more flavor than a sugar cookie (sam performed the quality control for me, of course.)

i'm sure i've blogged about these cookies before, but i'm not sure if i included the recipe or not. so here it is, just in case:

To My Valentine Oatmeal Cookies

2½ cups flour 2 Tbs milk

1 tsp baking powder 1 egg

½ tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla

¾ cup sugar 1 cup oats

¾ cup butter or margarine

1) sift dry ingredients into bowl

2) add butter, sugar, milk, egg, and vanilla; beat until combined, about 2 minutes

3) add oats and mix well

4) roll to ¼ inch thick and cut into hearts (or stars)

5) bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350° (moderate) 12–15 minutes or until lightly browned

6) frost with a glaze made from powdered sugar, vanilla, food coloring, and enough milk to make a spreading consistency

(you can download a recipe card here.)

we're off to visit family and eat yummy stuff, celebrate a birthday or two, and see some fireworks. huzzah! what are your plans?

summer roasted veg

so by now you probably know that i'm all about the roasted veg, right? this is my new variation on the theme—the summer roasted veg. and it's quite delicious, if i say so myself (which of course, i do).

the most important part of this recipe is the dressing. namely, the maple grove farms fat free balsamic vinaigrette. (if it's possible to love a brand of dressing, then i surely love maple grove farms' fat free dressings. they are pretty much the only dressings that i will eat. i'd rather have my salad with no dressing than not have one of these. in fact, before i discovered these, that's exactly what i had, naked salads.)

so, you cut up your vegetables (i like zucchini, summer squash, peppers, onion, tomatoes, and sometimes mushrooms) and put them in a bowl. drizzle with your dressing, kosher salt, some garlic powder, and some dried basil, then stir until everything is coated. (note: i go a little easier on the dressing than others probably would, so just use your best judgement and you'll be fine.) spread everything in a roasting pan lined with foil (hooray for foil!), and pop it into a 375 degree oven for 50–60 minutes.

i served mine over a bed of baby spinach (surprise!) and sprinkled with a handful of red kidney beans (rinsed and drained), and it was about as awesome as i could've imagined. of course, i actually think vegetables are dang tasty, so you gotta keep that in mind.

try it, you might just find that you'll like the taste of veggies too!

home-y, minty mint tea

when i was growing up, there was always a huge patch of mint threatening to take over half of mom's garden. i remember her fussing about it every once in a while (and she has since removed all or most of it), but i always thought that there could be things much worse taking over the backyard.

so, knowing full well what was in store for me, i planted my own mint in our backyard. and it is now threatening to take over. i, however, find this kind of home-y and familiar (funny how that stuff works). i mean, it's not like it's a batch of thistles, right?

i was working in the yard yesterday, trimming the shrubs and pulling weeds, when i thought "i really should make some mint tea. i haven't had mint tea in AGES." so i did. and it was delightful. and easy.

first, i picked some mint from my overflowing supply (see above).

then i washed it and trimmed off the leaves using my kitchen scissors.

i put my clean mint leaves in an old canning jar, filled the jar with water, and zapped it in the microwave for about two minutes. then i sealed it up so it could steep.

in the meantime, sam asked me to "picture him." here he is saying "cheese and fuzzy pickles!" i love him so.

and here is my lovely tea. i usually just use a strainer and dump it into my ugly 32oz plastic cup that i got at the hospital when sam was born, but for the sake of aesthetics, here it is in a pretty glass.

i'm kind of in love with the mint tea. it's more interesting than water, and there's no caffeine or anything so i can drink LOADS without guilt. plus, it makes my mouth minty fresh with every sip!

better homes — whole wheat bread

i made this bread today because we were out of bread (again). it turned out pretty well (not as good as last time). i think i may have jumped the gun and didn't let it rise quite enough (i didn't fully read the instructions this time). sam, however, seems to be happy enough to eat a few slices of this slightly less-than-perfect loaf.

whole wheat bread (from the better homes cook book, handed down from auntie)—makes two loaves

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons shortning (i used a combination of smart balance and olive oil)
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 to 3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1. soften active dry yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. combine hot water, sugar, salt, and shortening; cool to lukewarm
2. stir in whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the white flour; beat well
3. stir in softened yeast and add enough of the rest of the white flour to make a moderately stiff dough. knead until soft and satiny (about 10–12 minutes)
4. shape into a ball and put in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface
5. cover and let rise in warm place till double (about 90 minutes)
6. punch down, cut in two portions and shape each into a smooth ball. cover and let rest 10 minutes
7. shape in loaves and place in greased loaf pans. let rise about 75 minutes, until double
8. bake in moderate oven (375 degrees) about 45 minutes. cover loosely with foil for last 20 minutes if loaves brown too quickly.
9. brush with butter after removing from pans
10. enjoy!

cowboy cookies

on thursday sam helped me make up a batch of cowboy cookies in a jar (courtesy of cousin kaitlin). my guess is that they're pretty much a standard oatmeal cookie recipe with chocolate chips. in any case, it was fun because all i needed was the contents of the jar + one egg + one stick of butter, and it didn't take ages to make them because it wasn't a huge batch. sam did a great job of helping, and he performed the service of taste-testing/quality control admirably (grampa h. would be proud).

kitchen helper

when sam asked for cereal this morning (well after he'd eaten his breakfast), i thought it would be fun to make up some rice krispie treats (i haven't made real rice krispie treats in ages, so i had to look up the recipe online—it can be found here), so he stood at the counter and helped me count how many cups of cereal, and how many cups of mini-marshmellows.

of course, after "tasting" about half a cup of marshmellows, he wasn't actually interested in eating any treats, but it was kinda fun anyway.

he's now standing behind me washing dishes and singing "let's. go. fly. kite. up to heightest tight…"

cookies that are good for your soul

when searching through my recipes to find something to take for the "soul food sampler" at church, i came across this cookie recipe that i haven't had in years, and the thought of yummy peanut butter fingers sent warm fuzzies all the way down to my toes. they're hardly good-for-you treats, but they're definitely good for your soul.

peanut butter fingers

(from janice gamiere)

1/2 C. margarine

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. brown sugar

1 egg

1/3 C. peanut butter

1/2 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 C. flour

1 C. quick oats

6 oz. chocolate chips

peanut butter drizzle:

1/4 c. peanut butter

1/2 C. powdered sugar

4 T. milk

1) cream margarine and sugars

2) blend in egg, peanut butter, soda, salt and vanilla

3) stir in flour and oats

4) spread into greased 13 x 9 pan; bake 20 - 25 minutes (350∞)

5) immediately on removing from oven, sprinkle 6 oz. chocolate chips, let stand 5 min. and spread evenly.

6) drizzle with peanut butter mixture

if you're going to pack this one to take somewhere, make it a day ahead as it takes some time for the top to get "unsticky"

i wish i had a really nicely styled photo of the finished product, but trust me, this recipe is worth a try.

what i'm craving—soup, of course

i've been making a ton of this souper-easy split red lentil soup lately, and totally loving it, so i thought i'd share.

split red lentil soup

• one medium onion, chopped
• three stalks (or thereabouts) celery, chopped
• two large carrots, peeled and chopped
• *optional* one tomato diced
• two cups vegetable broth (or two cups water + 2 tsp better than bouillon <—i love this stuff)
• half a can of tomato paste (you can freeze the rest in ice-cube trays for use later)
• one cup water
• 1/2 cup split red lentils (masoor dal)
• 1 tsp minced garlic (you can do garlic powder if that's all you've got)
• 1 tablespoon cumin (i might use more than this, but i'm a little bit cumin obsessed)
• 1/2 tsp oregano (i might use more than this too, it's sort of hard to tell)
• salt and pepper to taste

the split red lentils are great because not only are they high in protein (and low in fat and calories), but because they're split, they cook quickly, so you're a go for the eating part (which is by far my favorite) fast.

voila!

addendum:—the "how" part:

i try to avoid talking about how i go about cooking, because i'm pretty sure that my technique is terrible, but since mom asked…

1. heat the pot at medium heat, and give it a little squirt of pam.
2. toss in the veggies, seasonings, and about a half cup of the broth.
3. start fixing mike and sam's dinners (because they don't eat my tasty soups—which means more for me, so yay). the veggies should be getting good and cooked down in that broth. if you need to add more liquid, do so at any time.
4. at some point remember that you're making soup. throw the lentils and tomato paste in the pot and stir until the tomato paste is mixed in.
5. add the rest of the broth, stir, and let it simmer.
6. back to mike and sam's dinners (probably 10 minutes or so, though i'm not sure).
7. add the water, stir again, and let the soup sit on low until you're ready to eat (it usually takes between 5 and 10 minutes for the boys to make their way to the table, but i'm guessing the soup is ready before then.)

new cookie recipes to try

on friday i baked up a few new (to me) cookie recipes that got glowing reviews from sam (my official non-nut cookie taster) and the members at church.

if you're looking for a good bar cookie recipe (i'm always looking for a good bar cookie recipe), you may want to try one of the following (found via allrecipes.com):

magic cookie bars

ingredients

• 1/2 cup margarine, melted
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. into bottom of 9 x1 3 pan pour melted margarine. sprinkle crumbs evenly over melted margarine, chopped nuts over crumbs, then distribute chocolate chips over nuts. add the coconut and pour milk over all.
3. bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top. cool 15 minutes before cutting into finger length bars.

delicious raspberry oatmeal cookie bars

ingredients

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). grease one 8 inch square pan, and line with greased foil.
2. combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats. rub in the butter using your hands or a pastry blender to form a crumbly mixture. press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. spread the jam to within 1/4 inch of the edge. sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top, and lightly press it into the jam.
3. bake for 35 to 40 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. allow to cool before cutting into bars.

pecan pie cookie bars

ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, divided
• 1 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

directions

1. heat oven to 350 degrees F. spray bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. in large bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar and butter. spread on bottom of prepared pan. bake for 20 minutes.
2. in medium bowl, beat together egg, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and remaining brown sugar. stir in pecans. pour on top of baked cookie layer. bake 25 minutes. cool. cut into bars. store leftovers covered at room temperature.

(photo: pecan pie cookie bars)