Chocolate Cake with Seven Minute Icing

As part of my on-going cake obsession I made this beauty of a cake.  The cake is a mix however, I did make the icing.  I LOVE boiled icing and wanted to try it out.  Turned out pretty good.  And it was a lot easier than I thought it would be to make.  Next time I will make the cake from scratch.

I will post the recipe later today.....I have to go to work now.

"Somebody" loved the icing.........can you guess who??  He wouldn't eat the cake......just wanted to lick the beaters. 

Mini Peppers Stuffed with Ricotta

I had some mini peppers in the fridge so I thought I would try to stuff them.  They turned out pretty darn good.  I simply mixed together ricotta cheese, bread crumbs, fresh grated parm cheese and some herbs from my garden. I then cored each pepper and stuffed them with the filling.  They bake for about 30 minutes and voila!  They were sooooo good!  Definitely one to make again!

White Cake with a Lemon Filling

 This was an emergency cake.  We had company coming for dinner and no time for dessert.  So I grabbed a mix from the cupboard ( I know. I know.)  Baked it and made a lemon curd filling.  The icing is whipped cream.  Very simple dessert but very delicious too.  It was tart with just a hint of sweetness.  Perfect!  

Orange Cranberry Bread

  

I was at the Superstore and came across oranges and then some cranberries.....so naturally orange cranberry bread came to mind. I do not normally make muffins or quick breads because they NEVER turn out for me. They are always rubbery and holey. But I am bound and determined to get over this little hurdle! lol I will practice until I get the darn things conquered!

This bread came out pretty good.  I think I will actually try this one again.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup orange juice

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in orange zest and cranberries.

In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in orange juice. Beat in flour mixture until just moistened. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour in the 350 degree oven. After it cooled I drizzled it with a mix of icing sugar and orange juice.

Thanksgiving Dinner Desserts

For Thanksgiving dinner dessert I made Black Forest Cake.  I have to say I am pretty proud of this beauty.  It turned out perfect.  Moist. Chocolatey. The cherry flavor not too overpowering.  I decided to forgo the cherry brandy as I knew the kids would want some.  I definately will be making this one again! Well worth the effort. 

I also made this walnut tart.  Very rich so you only needed a small slice.  This one is a keeper too.  I found the recipe at Fabulous Foods.  I followed the recipe except I added a layer of chocolate chips to the bottom before putting the nuts and filling in. 

Anniversary Dinner

Syd and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary on September 17th.  Hard to believe it has been that long!

For our dinner I made a roasted pear and squash soup......I drizzled a bit of a good balsamic on top.  I should have reduced it a bit first for a better picture but it still tasted good.

Then we had this beautiful pork chop.  Double cut.  It was a gorgeous piece of meat! I seasoned it with S&P, seared it off on all sides and finished it in the oven.  It was moist and juicy considering it was such a thick cut and it took a bit to cook it through. 
We had a creamy polenta, brussels sprouts and red peppers with it.  I loved the polenta....Syd not so much.  hahaha.

Chocolate Cake

So lately I have been wanting to conquer the whole fear of making a cake from scratch.  I always use a mix and I thought it was about time I got a grip on this.  lol

So what better cake to make then a chocolate cake.  Well a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing!  Actually a 4 layer chocolate cake with 2 layers of peanut butter filling and one layer of chocolate ganache!  Then frosted with a mix of the peanut butter icing and the ganache.  I even added chocolate chips to the cake batter.  YUM!

This cake was very good for a first try.  However, next time I will use a darker cocoa so it is a richer color and taste.  But other than that it makes a great breakfast!  With a glass of milk of course! lol