The Best Cake I Have Ever Made and Eaten

My hubby turns 29 for the 11th time  today!  For the 1st time in our married life, he didn't want a pistachio cake.  I asked him what kind and he said a Reese's Peanut Butter cup cake.  I wanted to oblige for this BIG birthday.  So I researched recipes and found one on Java Cupcake.  I was afraid but it turned out great!  Here is a picture of the finished product.

 You can find the original recipe of the linked website above.  Here is my version:
A boxed cake mix.  She made hers from scratch.  I did this for time and for my sanity.  I used Duncan Hines fudge marble cake mix and made 2 rounds.  I let them cool.  While they were cooling, I made the peanut butter icing:

2 cups of creamy peanut butter
3 cups of sifted powdered sugar
1 stick of softened butter
1 1/2 tsp of vanilla
3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp of salt

Java's recipe said to cream the butter and peanut butter.  I did that according to directions but after that I just did my own thing.  I added the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time.  This made things very dough like.  I, then, added vanilla, cream and salt with my fingers crossed that it would turn out correctly.  It did!  It was creamy and spreadable and oh my word!  Yummy! 

I spread some on the top of the 1st layer of cake and sprinkled chopped Reese's PB Cups on it and then put the top layer on. I would have added more icing looking back in hindsight.  I spread the rest of the cake with the icing.  It was layered very thickly on it and I had some left over.  I put the cake in the fridge covered.  I used the leftover to spread on bananas and then dipped them in chocolate.  Nice little treat for me!

I left the cake in the fridge overnight but according to Java, 20 minutes in the freezer will do.  Right before we were going to eat it, I made the ganache. 
2/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
2 Bars of Dove dark chocolate 3.5 oz each.

I broke the chocolate into small chunks and brought the cream just to a boil on the stove.  I poured the cream over the chocolate until it made a rich ganache.  I poured it over the cake and let it drip down the side.  I sprinkled more PB cups on top and added some around the edge for decoration.  I put it once again in the fridge to harden while we had a bday lunch.  After lunch, we sang and then cut into that sucker!  My husband said that pistachio cake is out and this is in!  Thanks, Java Cupcake for the idea!  It tasted just like a Reese's PB cup!  Get a glass of milk because it is so rich!  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chiffon Pies

Many, many people have asked me for my Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Recipe.  It is only mine because I stole it from Housewife Eclectic.  So, here it is:

Ingredients:
1 pkg unflavored gelatin
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 C. milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 C. canned pumpkin


Also:
2 egg whites
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. whipping cream, whipped.
1 pre-baked pie crust.

Combine the 1st set of ingredients in a sauce pan, mixing the dry ingredients 1st before combining them with the egg yolks, milk, and pumpkin.  Cook over medium heat until the gelatin dissolves and it comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and set aside to chill.  I put it in the fridge because I am impatient.

Beat the egg whites until they are fluffy and have soft peaks. Then, add the sugar until the peaks are stiff.  Fold into the chilled pumpkin mixture and then add the whipped cream.  Mix well and pour into pie crust.  Chill and serve with whipped cream on top because let's face it, you can never have too much whipped cream, right?  I will be doubling this and freezing it until Christmas.  You will love this pumpkin pie.  I do and I don't like pumpkin pie. 

Easy Peesy 2nd edition

If you are a faithful reader of my blog(and honestly why wouldn't you be), then you may have read my last post about Easy Peesy recipes.  I thought I would come in with my 2nd installment of a yummy delicious home cooked meal that even novices can do.  This one is so easy that my 8 year old can make it.  If you can brown ground beef and open a can, then you can do this.  You will need:

Crockpot
1-1.5 lb ground beef
2 cans black beans
1 can of corn
1 can of diced tomatoes with chiles
1 can of regular diced tomatoes
1 packet of taco seasoning
1/2 packet of ranch
1 c diced onion(you can even buy frozen if you don't want to chop it)

Brown and drain the ground beef with the onion.  While that is working, open the can of corn and drain it.  Open all the other cans and empty the contents into the Crock Pot.  Pour in the taco seasoning and ranch mix.  When the meat is done, add it to the mix and stir.  Place the lid on and cook on medium to low for about 6 hours.  Garnish with shredded cheese and or sour cream and serve with tortilla chips.  This is hearty and good with lots of flavor.  Be prepared...your family will make it one of their favorites.

Variations:
boiled shredded chicken in place of beef or even no meat for vegetarians.  Replace black beans with kidney beans.  Use fresh salsa for the diced tomatoes with chiles.

This is a great freezer meal so make double and keep for later.  This is also easy and yummy enough to take as a meal for someone who has had a baby or a death in the family.

Enjoy!

Tasty Thursday!

I found a recipe a couple of years ago for Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread.  I adapted it to make them into cookies.  This year I have had an abundance of zucchini so I made some.  They are soft and delicious!!  Enjoy this recipe...it makes a ton of cookies so share with friends!  I suppose you could 1/2 it but I make the whole thing and freeze the dough for later use.  It will make about 7 dozen cookies and it is easy!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs beaten
4 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking soda(yes, soda)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups grated zucchini
2 cups chocolate chips

-Heat oven to 350 and spray the cookie sheets with spray or line with parchment paper.  They will stick a little either way.
-Cream the butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy.  I used my Kitchen Aid
-Add the egg, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and mix.  The dough will be thick so at the end you will need to do it by hand.  My Kitchen Aid struggled.
-Stir in the zucchini and chocolate.
-Drop spoonfuls of dough onto greased cookie sheets and bake for about 12 minutes.

They will keep for about a week, sealed or in a container.  Enjoy these and know that no one will know that there is zucchini in there unless you tell them!

Salsa

Salsa...mmmmm!  I have been asked to post my recipe so here it is!  Beware! I don't measure!

Start with tomatoes!  I have tons from the garden!  Nice ripe Better Boys

Wash them, remove stem and core. Cut into fourths.

Large bowl, knife, cutting board, Vidalia Chop Wizard(my secret weapon)

2 sizes of grids for 2 sizes of veggies.  I use the bigger 1 for the tomatoes and the smaller 1 for the bell pepper and Vidalia onion.  Put the quartered tomotoes inside the wizard and press shut.  It does everything for you!

This is what you get!  Clearly, I underestimated the amount of tomatoes that I had.  I had to get another bowl.

Remove the stem and seeds from 2 large sweet bell peppers.  Peel 2 medium onions and cut these smaller than the tomatoes.  They are more difficult to push through when they are larger.

Tomatoes...meet onions!

I make my hubby chop the jalapeno cause I don't do spicy.

Fresh cilantro coarsely chopped

The juice from 2 limes, salt to taste.  Mix all the veggies, juice and cilantro together.  It is yummy now but wait until tomorrow.  It will can or freeze.  I make 2 batches...1 spicy 1 not.  This made a total of 200 oz.  That equals 20 jars of Tostitos jarred salsa from the store.  I paid a total of $5 for all the ingredients.  You do the math.  Let me know if you try it and what you think.  This is obviously chunky but I have put some of the tomatoes in the food processer and added the juice to it and it was just as g

Salsa Saturday

Salsa...mmmmm!  I have been asked to post my recipe so here it is!  Beware! I don't measure!

Start with tomatoes!  I have tons from the garden!  Nice ripe Better Boys

Wash them, remove stem and core. Cut into fourths.

Large bowl, knife, cutting board, Vidalia Chop Wizard(my secret weapon)

2 sizes of grids for 2 sizes of veggies.  I use the bigger 1 for the tomatoes and the smaller 1 for the bell pepper and Vidalia onion.  Put the quartered tomotoes inside the wizard and press shut.  It does everything for you!

This is what you get!  Clearly, I underestimated the amount of tomatoes that I had.  I had to get another bowl.

Remove the stem and seeds from 2 large sweet bell peppers.  Peel 2 medium onions and cut these smaller than the tomatoes.  They are more difficult to push through when they are larger.

Tomatoes...meet onions!

I make my hubby chop the jalapeno cause I don't do spicy.

Fresh cilantro coarsely chopped

The juice from 2 limes, salt to taste.  Mix all the veggies, juice and cilantro together.  It is yummy now but wait until tomorrow.  It will can or freeze.  I make 2 batches...1 spicy 1 not.  This made a total of 200 oz.  That equals 20 jars of Tostitos jarred salsa from the store.  I paid a total of $5 for all the ingredients.  You do the math.  Let me know if you try it and what you think.  This is obviously chunky but I have put some of the tomatoes in the food processer and added the juice to it and it was just as good. Happy eating!  Ole!

 

I won! I won! I won!

Recently I entered a contest on the SITS website. SITS is a community of fellow bloggers who support each other and seek to grow us in our bloggy world. They recently asked members to send in recipes that can feed 4 people for $5. In this day of economic insecurity, I entered my black bean and rice recipe. It will feed my 6 people with at least another 4 servings left over which I freeze. Check out the article with my recipe and the runners up whose recipes I can't wait to try!