Chocolate Chip RHUBARB Cake

My dear hubby is a rhubarb addict. And I get bored with the same old thing all the time. So, poor guy has to try new things as often as I make the "old" things. Today was one of those days where I didn't want to make another crunch, so we made cake instead. Riley and I made Chocolate Chip Rhubarb Cake from The Joy of Rhubarb cookbook that Tim got me at Christmas. It's beautiful going into the oven and the batter tastes good, so when it gets out I'll update you on the taste. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Rhubarb Cake

cake:
1 1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c shortening
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 c a/p flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c buttermilk
1 3/4 c fresh rhubarb, chopped (I used 2 cups)
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans because that's what I had)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Cake: Beat brown sugar and shortening in a mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, mix flour, soda, and salt; beat into creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in rhubarb and chocolate chips. Pour into greased 9x13 pan.

Topping: Mix all topping ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle over batter. Bake 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Refrigerate leftovers.

Before baking:

Rolled Out Brownie Cookies

As if the name isn't enough! Riley and I were cruising the blog-o-sphere this morning and ran into this picture. So he thought we should make them. To get the recipe we had to go here. Totally worth it! I think I rolled them too thin, but once I got the timing right they were pretty good, even if we did accidentally O.D. on the cocoa. Enjoy!

Here's the recipe copy and pasted here for you:

Brownie Roll-Out Cookies*
Recipe from Deb’s mom

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup lightly salted butter, softened (Deb note: I don’t really see “lightly salted” much these days, so I used one stick salted, one stick unsalted)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (I used the “good” stuff–Droste or Galler–but I can assure you that my mother only used Hershey’s growing up, so your choice)

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Whisk dry flour, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa in mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

Roll out cookie dough on floured counter. Cut into desired shapes, brushing extra deposits of flour off the top. (It does disappear once baked, though, so don’t overly fret if they go into the oven looking white.) Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8 to 11 minutes (the former for 1/8-inch thick cookies, the latter for 1/4-inch cookies) until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed. (Note from me: 4 minutes was long enough)

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

* According to my mother’s recipe, they’re called chocolate sugar cookies but I do not feel that it does them justice.

**I've been playing with my camera the past few days, so that kind of explains the picture being taken outdoors....

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Non-Kabobs

Well, they were supposed to be kabobs, but I figure why skewer them to just have to pull them off to cut up for the boys anyway? So, here it is:



They were yummy. Riley LOVED them, Rugby LOVED them, and TJ even ate it. Woo Hoo! Those are my 3 hardest to please, so I'm doing good!

I found the recipe on allrecipes.com, but read the reviews (most of which were good) and tweaked a few things. Here's the recipe as I made it:

1/4 cup EVOO
1/2 cup ranch dressing (I used HVR)
3 Tbsp Worcestershire
1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary (I used dried and wish that I had a mortar and pestel to grind it up instead of having the hard leaves in there....anyway)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp balsamic vinegar (you could use white)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper (I used about 1/2-1 tsp)
Chicken breasts cut into strips (I made about 1 1/2 pounds)

In a bowl, mix together and let stand 5 minutes before adding the chicken. Stir in chicken, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Grill on medium-high heat until cooked through, turning once. Should take 8-12 minutes or so.

Enjoy!

**If you boil the marinade, you can use it as sauce. I made Basmati rice and stirred it right into it and it was AWESOME!

Raspberry Cream Cheese Pie

Also by request from It's A Boys Life For Me:

Raspberry Cream Cheese Pie

CRUST:
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. milk
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Beat together the oil and milk. Pour into the flour, sugar, and salt. Blend together and pat into 9 inch pie shell, with fingers, push up the sides. Pierce bottom and sides with fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool.

FILLING:

1/2 pkg. (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
6 c. raspberries (about 1 1/2 quarts) (DO NOT use frozen, it doesn't turn out well!)
2/3 c. sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. water

Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice. Spread on bottom of cooled pie shell.

Mash enough berries to measure 2/3 cup. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2 quart saucepan. Gradually stir in water and mashed berries. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Cool in refrigerator about 15 to 20 minutes. Fill pie shell with remaining berries. Reserve about 1/2 cup berries for garnish. Pour cooked berry mixture over top. Garnish with few more berries. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

***I thought this could have used more cream cheese mixture. It tasted good, but that and the runny-ness because of using frozen berries brought it down a bit. Enjoy!

Margie's Modified Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

By request from It's A Boys Life For Me, I bring you:

Margie's Modified Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

1-9" pie crust, baked (I made a graham cracker one since I had the stuff handy, but an oreo crust would be awesome!!)
3 beaten egg yolks
1 pinch salt
2 1/2 cups milk
3/4-1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4-1/3 cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup peanut butter

In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, salt, and milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly just until warm.

In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, and cocoa. Mix well. Gradually whisk into milk mixture. Continue to stir, over low heat, until thickened (took me about 1/2 hour). Remove from heat.

Stir in vanilla and peanut butter and stir until smooth. Pour into your baked shell and chill before serving. I topped with cool whip and some chocolate curls. YUM!

Spicy Grilled Beef Tenderloin

Yes, Ladies and Gents, that was the main item on our New Years' menu. I started with some Crab Rangoon, then dinner was the grilled tenderloin, mashed potatoes, green beans, and cottage cheese. Dessert was mint chip ice cream cake.

The crab rangoon (sorry no picture) turned out fabulous again. We used our new deep fryer and it was MUCH MUCH easier than last time I made them.

Crab Rangoon

3 oz cream cheese
2 green onion, finely chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup minced imitation crab meat
approx 16 wonton wrappers

Mix first 4 ingredients. Spoon 1 1/2 tsp of this mixture into the center of the wonton wrapper and fold to form a triangle. Seal the seam with a bit of water on your finger. Fry at 375. You'll need to flip them, so keep a close eye on them.

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The Spicy Grilled Beef Tenderloin recipe comes courtesy of the Food Network. I was searching a cookbook at Walmart while I was shopping since I couldn't find the cut of meat I wanted and I found this one. I wrote the recipe in shorthand on my list and off I went. Of course, I promptly lost the list upon checking out. I am SO glad that the Food Network posts their recipes online!! We had Adam and Kelly here for dinner tonight and this was a hit with all of us (even me!!). Tim was leary about it when he saw me preparing the tomatoes, but quickly came around when it was plated to serve. He said it reminded him of the Greek diners on Long Island. Adam said something about a "taste sensation" or something. Yea, he liked it too. Next time, I think I'll make half the amount of cheesy tomato sauce for the same size chunk of meat, but it was really good!

Spicy Grilled Beef Tenderloin Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence Show: Food 911 Episode: Mexican Fiesta

4 pints cherry tomatoes (I couldn't find, so I used some that were a tiny bit smaller than a golf ball and cut them in half after they were cooked and they were too big. Really do need a small tomato here) Extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 limes, juiced 1/2 red onion, sliced thin 1 serrano chili, sliced thin 1/2 bunch freshly chopped cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish 1/2 pound queso fresco or feta cheese, crumbled 1 (4-pound) beef tenderloinHeat the broiler. Put the cherry tomatoes onto baking sheets, drizzle over some olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Broil until the tomatoes burst, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow them to cool a bit. In a large bowl add about 1/4 cup olive oil, juice of 2 limes, onion, chili, chopped cilantro, cheese, and the tomatoes. Mix carefully to avoid breaking up the tomatoes too much. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper; set aside. Heat the grill or a grill pan to medium. Rub the meat with some olive oil and season it generously with salt and pepper. Grill the tenderloin, browning it on all sides, until it is medium rare, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the meat to a cutting board, cover it with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice the meat thin, place it on a platter, and spoon on the cheesy tomato dressing. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and cilantro leaves.

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For dessert, we had a simple ice cream cake. I used a whole package of regular Oreo cookies, crushed them and added some melted butter. About a stick and a half is good. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Top with a quart of softened mint chocolate chip ice cream and a small tub of cool whip. Drizzle chocolate syrup over or do like we did and grate some Andes mints over it. Freeze until ready to serve. VOILA!

Alrighty, there you have our New Years Dinner. Try it out and let me know what you think!

I guess not....

See this?

That would be what happens when you try to make the Chocolate Mint Cookies posted below using Mint 3 Musketeers. They don't melt, even when you cover the pan to avoid heat loss or bake with them on there. Still taste ok, but not as pleasing as the Andes Mint baking chips. Another notch in my "not so hot" idea belt, I guess. Ah, well. At least the mint chips work. seriously, they are GOOOOOOOD cookies!

Are you a good cook?

I'm sure Tim will agree with this....we barely ever eat the same thing twice.

You Are a Creative Cook

Your cooking is unusual, inspired, and definitely one of a kind. People love your unique style, but you've had your share of kitchen flops. You have the makings of a cult chef. You may not cook at the Four Seasons, but you could have your own little funky cafe in San Francisco!

Are You A Good Cook?

Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies

Another blog I read, A Thousand Words, had a link to her new food blog, Jen's Bistro. On there the other day was a fabulous sounding recipe, Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies. Well, I love chocolate and I love mint, so thought I'd give them a try. After Riley and I cleaned up our mess from the sugar cookies, we made these. They are super simple since they start with a mix. OMG! Can you believe it?! I used a cake mix! AGHHHH!!!! lol! Anyway,


1 package Devil's Food Cake Mix
Mint chocolate (I used Andes Mint baking chips, mint 3 Musketeers would work, too)
2 eggs
1/2 C oil
1 C chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (I used Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips)

Mix the cake mix, eggs and oil together. The batter will be really thick - I had to add a tablespoon of water to get it to mix together properly. Stir in the chocolate chips. Use two spoons to scoop lumps of the batter onto cookie sheet.



Bake at 350 F for about 7-8 minutes. The cookies will be soft and puffy when you remove them from the oven. Make sure you have your mint chocolate ready.

Once cookies come out of the oven place mint chocolate on each cookie, pressing it on slightly. (I just spooned some baking chips on using the spoon to press lightly) After a few minutes the chocolate will begin to melt. Swirl the melted chocolate lightly with something (I used a toothpick) and let cool. I warn you that it will be hard to let them cool! Riley and I put them in our outdoor refrigerator (AKA our garage) to cool for a bit, then brought them in to finish cooling on the cooling racks. We had to try a warmish gooey one. They are WAYYYYYYYY yummy! I'm pretty sure it's my new favorite cookie!


EDITED TO ADD: After they cooled, the mint got hard (I figured it would), so something like a mint 3 Musketeers would be good so it stays soft and gooey. Either way, they are AWESOME!

NOW OPEN!

Cafe Jessica is now open for business! Ok, not really business, but I like to post recipes and about recipes, so here's where I'll do that. Today's find: AWESOME sugar cookies with PROFESSIONAL grade icing. I'm telling you: You know those expensive cookie boutiques? I have better cookies than that with the same bright, glossy icing! Here's the cookies:

1 1/2 C butter
2 C white sugar (don't use turbinado or cane sugar as the granules don't disappear into the batter and you'll still be able to see after they are baked)
4 eggs
1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla, lemon, rum, whatever)
5 C AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and
salt. Cover and chill. Then, roll out to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Tim likes them thicker so they are nice and soft (you'd be able to stick a stick in them if you did about 1/2" thick). Bake at 400 for 6-8 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Professional Grade Sugar Cookie Icing:
Stays glossy, gets hard but not too hard. Lovely for this!!

1 C powdered sugar
2 tsp milk (plus a little extra to get to the right consistency)
2 tsp corn syrup
1/4 tsp almond extract
PASTE food coloring (unless you don't want BRIGHT, BOLD colors)

Beat sugar and milk until smooth, then beat in syrup and extract. Add more milk if needed to get to the consistency you'd like for spreading and beat until glossy. Separate into containers and stir in food coloring.

This will set quickly, so keep covered if you aren't working with it.

See, so easy TJ and Riley can do it. :) The colors stay just as bright when they are dried/set!