Eggnog Cake

I found this recipe online and it makes a pretty amazing cake, even if the recipe is a tad labor intensive. Especially the frosting. I made it twice over the holidays for various company parties and plan to make it again. The cake is pretty white, so is the frosting, so you can obviously color it to suit your needs.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 4 eggs, at room temperature

• 1/2 cup eggnog, room temperature

• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 
1 3/4 cups cake flour
• 
1 1/2 cups sugar

• 2 tsp baking powder
• 
3/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 16 pieces  

Frosting:

• 5 egg whites
• 
1 cup sugar
• 
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

• pinch of salt

• 2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1-2 Tbsp eggnog
• 
1 tsp vanilla extract 

Directions

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spray 2 9-inch cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, eggnog, and vanilla.
4. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. 
5. With a mixer on medium low, add the butter one piece at a time to the dry ingredients until the mixture looks sandy, and just start to come together. 
6. Add half of the wet mixture and mix on low until it just comes together. 
7. Increase the speed to medium high speed and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. 
8. Reduce mixer speed to medium, and add the remaining egg mixture in a slow, steady stream.
9. Continue mixing until thoroughly combined, scraping the bowl, as needed.
10. Pour batter evenly into the pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it.
11. Cool for a few minutes, the run a knife around the edges of the pans and flip cakes onto a cooling rack.

Frosting:

1. In a medium bowl set over a pot of simmering water, combine the egg whites, sugar, nutmeg, and salt. 
2. Heat the mixture, whisking often, until it reaches 160 degrees and the sugar is dissolved. Be careful, the mixture temp rises quickly.
3. Pour into a large bowl and whisk on medium high speed until stiff peaks form, about 8-10 minutes. The mixture should also be room temperature, at this point.
4. With the mixer on medium speed, add the butter, 1 piece at a time, and beat until incorporated before adding another piece. 
5. Continue to beat until thick and smooth (if it looks curdled or soupy, just keep beating it until smooth again, another 3 minutes or so).
6. Stir in the vanilla and eggnog until incorporated and tint with food coloring, as desired.

Thoughts:
This cake is like the holidays in cake form to me. I might try upping the eggnog flavor in the cake next time I do this.

Next Time:

• Maybe some allspice?
• Add more eggnog to the cake

Chili

I've always been leery of chili, mostly from half remembered samples from childhood. But my dad asked for some for his birthday and it came out pretty delicious. Since it's very much like a stew, you can pretty much put whatever you want in there. I like this one because it has a bit of spice, but not so much that you're grabbing for milk.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb bacon
• 1 (46 fluid ounce) can tomato juice
• 1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 2 cups canned red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup cornmeal (for thickening)

Directions

1. Cook the bacon and set on a paper towel to cool then dice
2. Brown the ground beef and drain.
3. Add all the ingredients to a large, deep pot.
4. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 1-1/2hrs.

Thoughts:
This recipe is simple, makes a bunch, and tastes better when its reheated. What's there not to like? Also, it's not mentioned, but cornbread as a side is implied.

Next Time:

• Maybe add some ground sausage instead of some of the ground beef?
• Try some different volumes of veggies?

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Some mornings you just wake up and it's time for chocolate.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
3. Add eggs one at a time until completely incorporated.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. 
5. Add the flour to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, while continuing to beat until just mixed (ending with flour). 
6. Stir in the vanilla and chocolate chips.
7. Line 8 cups in a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners. (I did mini-muffins)
8. Mound the batter into the liners, filling almost to the top. Cook the muffins for 20 - 25 minutes, until a toothpick come comes out clean when inserted into the muffin. (Start checking at 20 minutes, making sure not to overcook the muffins.) 
9. Allow to the muffins to cool directly in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.

Thoughts:
These were pretty great. They're also pretty easy for a morning with pretty standard ingredients.

Next Time:

• Large muffins

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Buttercream

Not the best photo, I know, but these cupcakes are amazing, labor intensive beauties. If you can enlist a helper, there's plenty of work to go around.

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Pies:

• 1 batch of pie crust dough 
• 1 15 oz. can Libby's pumpkin pie filling
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.)

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/3 cups whole milk
• 2 1/2 cups flour

For the Frosting:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup cinnamon chips
• splash of whole or 2% milk 
  

Directions 

Pumpkin Pies:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees (F).
2. Combine sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. 
3. Beat eggs in large bowl. 
4. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. 
5. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
6. Roll out the pie crust dough and cut it into small circles that are large enough to cover the bottom and sides of mini cupcake tins. A biscuit cutter works well for this.
7. Press the dough into the lightly greased mini cupcake tins, and then fill them with the pumpkin pie mix. (Don’t go all the way to the top, the filling will expand a little while baking.)
8. Bake the pies for about 7 minutes at 425 degrees (F), and then turn the oven down to 350 degrees (F) and bake them for another 10 minutes or so, until the crust is brown and the filling is completely set.
9. After taking them out of the oven, cool them on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then take them out of the pan and allow them to cool further while you mix up the batter.

Cupcakes:

1. Combine the butter and the cream cheese together on medium speed for about 90 seconds—you want the ingredients to be well incorporated.
2. Then mix in the sugar until the mixture is fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. Then mix in the milk and the flour, alternating between the two ingredients. 
5. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, to make sure everything is getting well-mixed—beat again on med-high speed for about a minute. It should be smooth and creamy.
6. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter into regular-sized, paper-lined cupcake tins. 
7. Plop a cooled pumpkin pie into the center, and press gently into the batter. GENTLY. You don’t want it to touch to the bottom of the pan. 
8. Cover the pies with another heaping tablespoon of batter, so the top and sides are completely covered.
9. Bake at 350 degrees (F) for about 25 minutes, until the cake is set and the edges and tops of the cupcakes have turned golden brown.
10. Allow them to cool in the cupcake tray for at least 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack—they’ll be a little fragile at first. 
11. Once the cakes are cool, frost ‘em!

Frosting:

1. Put the cinnamon chips with a splash of whole milk in a microwave safe bowl. 
2. Put them in the microwave for about 45 seconds on high. 
3. Remove and stir until all the chips are melted, and allow it to cool a bit while you whip up the rest of the frosting (you can put the bowl in the fridge, it’ll cool faster that way, and the milk will keep it from solidifying). 
4. Cream together the butter and cream cheese until they’re well incorporated. 
5. Then whip in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
6. With the mixer on low, drizzle in the cooled cinnamon chip “ganache” (if it’s too hot it’ll melt the buttercream and ruin it—you don’t want that). 
7. Put in about half, then stop to taste it and decide if you’d like to add more. Some like it strong, others like it milder.  

Thoughts:
These are pretty amazing. When I first read about them, I didn't realize how good they would be. They're definitely worth the effort

Grilled Roast Tri-tip

While the marinade was definitely a challenge, this turned out really great. The potatoes make for a great pair. I think with a buttered roll, this meal would have been perfect. It is REALLY important to make sure you have all of the marinade ingredients ready to go when you are making it though.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons salt
• 1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon onion salt or garlic salt
• 2 Tablespoons parsley flakes
• 1/4 cup malt vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 Tablespoons garlic - minced (4-5 big cloves)
• A nice piece of trip-tip, anywhere from 1.5 to 4 lbs.
  

Directions

Marinade:

1. In a small bowl, combine the spices. 
2. In another bowl combine the liquids.
3. In a saucepan, mix together 1/4 cup of the sugar and 1/4 cup of the water and bring to a boil, stirring all the while. 
4. When the sugar gets a dark color, quickly add the spices and stir.
5. Bring back to a boil for a minute, and then add the liquids. 
6. Mix well and taste. If you feel like it needs more "balance," add a little more salt. 
7. Add the garlic and the 2 tablespoons of sugar. 
8. Bring back to a boil, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. 
9. Let cool. 
10. Place the tri-tip roast in a shallow baking dish or a Ziploc bag and pour the cooled marinade over. 
11. Place in fridge and let marinade for a hour or overnight.

Tri-Tip:

1. Let the tri-tip sit at room temperature for at least 30min before cooking.
2. Pre-heat grill to medium-high. If not making the potatoes, preheat oven to 425.
3. Place roast on the grill, and let cook for 3 minutes
4. Turn to make grill hatch marks and cook for another 4 minutes.
5. Flip roast and repeat 3 & 4 pattern.
6. Pull tri-tip off of grill and place into oven. Cook until internal temp is 125. Roughly 30-40min.
7. Place on cutting board and let sit for 10 minutes.
8. Cut up and serve.

Thoughts:
The roast came out really delicious. The char on the outside from the grill was delicious. The main thing I learned was that the marinade's first few steps can break into disaster really fast. If you don't keep stirring and then add in the collected ingredients really quickly, your sugar will burn very very fast and then you have to start over.

I definitely plan on making this again.

Next Time:

• Maybe a little more salt in the marinade.
• Marinade overnight.
• Start roast earlier, since it takes a while in the oven.

Rosemary Baked Potatoes

Super simple, skin on, bite sized baked potatoes. These things are little flavor explosions when you bite into them. I will definitely make them again

Ingredients

• 8 small, thin-skinned potatoes - washed and quartered
• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon rosemary - chopped
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 425-degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick coating.
3. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes, olive oil, rosemary, and salt. 
4. Spread the potatoes out on the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the potatoes are deeply golden, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Thoughts:
The potatoes came out really delicious. Plus, the fact that they bake at 425, makes them a great companion for the tri-tip roast. I will definitely be making these again.

Next Time:

• Future Edit - I dropped the salt from 2 teaspoons to 1 teaspoon and the potatoes turn out much better now.

Brownies

So today I attempted to make homemade brownies from scratch that didn't taste horrible compared to the box mix. I don't know what it is about box mix brownies, but they are always miles beyond from scratch mixes. What I made came out to be pretty good, but I'm not really sure it compares.

Makes: Roughly 16-20

Ingredients

Brownies:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
• 1 Tablespoon chocolate syrup

Frosting:

• 4 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 Tablespoon milk

Directions

Brownies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder.
3. In a large bowl, add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla but do not mix.
4. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. 
5. Remove from heat, and by hand, stir in with the ingredients in the large bowl until combined.
6. Add in the sifted ingredients and mix by hand, being careful not to over mix.
7. Add the chocolate chunks and chocolate syrup and mix in.
8. Spread batter into prepared pan.
9. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook. 

Frosting:

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter
2. Once melted, add in the cocoa, honey, vanilla, milk, and confectioners' sugar. 
3. Frosting should be liquidy.
4. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

Thoughts:
Overall the brownies came out much better than I imagined. I only frosted half of the brownies to see if I would like the frosting. The frosting is bitter, which helps counter the sweetness of the brownies, overall, I would do another 50/50 round, but would probably halve the frosting ingredients to not be wasteful. But in the end, I'm not really sure they stand up to the bag mix.

It is really important to hand mix the brownies, otherwise you put in too much air into the eggs and they become cake like.

If you are going to double the recipe and do a 9x13 cakepan, only use 3 eggs instead of 4.

Next Time:

• Halve frosting ingredients but keep the honey where it is to add more sweetness.
• Try milk chocolate chips, instead of semi-sweet
• Add another 1/2 Tspn of chocolate syrup.
• Double the recipe.