Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

I decided to bake a cake since I'm staying at my brother's house. He has four kids and they love chocolate. I used to make this Swedish strawberry cake that I learned to bake when I lived in Sweden years ago. Here's a twist on that Swedish cake.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

Bake two 8 inch round chocolate cakes. You can use boxed cake mix or your favorite chocolate cake recipe. Cool cakes completely.
Use a double broiler or like I did here by placing a bowl on top of a pan with boiling water in it to melt the chocolate with the cream.

Chocolate Ganache Glaze:

1 bag of bittersweet chocolate chips (sweetened)

1/2 bag milk chocolate chips

2 cups heavy cream

Bring cream to a simmer in a saucepan and remove from heat. Put a whole bag of bittersweet chocolate and half a bag of milk chocolate chips in the double broiler or bowl that is over slow boiling water. Slowly pour the warm cream in the chocolate and whisk or stir until smooth. Make sure to continue to stir until ready to use.This is what the Ganache glaze should look like when it's ready! Mmmmmm...so good!
Slice the strawberries thin. Leave a few whole for garnish.
Spread the white chocolate cream on top of one of the cakes.

White Chocolate Cream:
1 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

3 tablespoons cold water

6 ounce white chocolate chips

1 1/4 cup whipped cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small sauce pan, let stand 5 minutes. Cook over low heat stirring until gelatin dissolves. Add grated chocolate and stir constantly until melted. Cool slightly. Combine whipped cream and gelatin mixture in a mixing bowl, beat at medium speed until thickened. Stir in vanilla.

Then place the strawberry slices all over the white chocolate cream.

Place the other cake right on top.

Pour the Ganache glaze on top of your cake....

Keep going.....

Spread the glaze all over the top and sides of the cake. I took some remaining strawberries and dipped them in the leftover glaze and used them as garnish!

The masterpiece...it sure tasted good!

The layers here are just fabulous! Each piece gets you chocolate, white chocolate cream & strawberries!

This is little girl grabbed the big chocolate covered strawberry in the middle of the cake.

She was so happy about getting that big strawberry!

Hometown & Cooking with Mom

I'm home in Ohio this week. It feels so good to be where you feel comfortable. I've spent some time in Columbus and some time in my hometown of Logan, Ohio. Logan is a small southeastern Ohio town in the Hocking Hills region. It's bittersweet. All the memories. Driving down 93 South between the orange and red filled trees. Fall in these parts is like no other. I remember thinking this town sucks when I was a teenager. I longed for city life. For more to do...but now I am so glad I grew up here. I am so glad that I can "come home" to Logan, Ohio and feel so comfortable. 

When I'm in Logan I stay at my brother's house and we cook so much. My mom and I cook all kinds of food and my sister-in-law Jamie helps and we have so much fun talking and catching up....and of course nibbling on all the food we make. 

My all time favorite food my mom makes is what we call Kuba. These are rice ball that are filled with a ground beef, almond and raisin mixture. I am amazed how perfectly my mom forms these balls. It's not as easy as it may look. It takes years to perfect and my Kuba still don't look as nice as my mom's. Here's some pics from our Kuba making today!

The mixture is basically lean ground beef sauteed with finely chopped onion, parsley almonds and raisins with some cumin, salt and pepper.

The rice has to be perfectly boiled. It can't be too soft or hard. It is drained & cooled then mixed with a few eggs, turmeric and a little salt.

You can form the Kuba into round balls or if you can master the real Kuba shape, they are supposed to be more in this oval shape. To shape the Kuba, you have to make sure that your hands are wet so the rice doesn't stick to your hands.

Kuba gets deep fried until the rice is nice and crunchy. Be careful when you first bite into one, the inside is hot! Let them cool a bit first, though I burn my mouth every time my mom and I make Kuba. I just can't wait to eat one!

Crab & Herb Spread

Crab & Herb Open-Faced Bagel Sandwich

I found this great bagel shop here in Omaha. It's called the Bagel Bin. Kosher, fresh-made bagels everyday. The family is from New York and moved here in the 1970s so these are authentic, good bagels. Their website http://www.bagelbin.com/ has a cool video of the bagel making process. It is very dramatic with music...I love it! And they sell a bakers dozen for only $6.00! Such a steal...I would pay much more!

I made a crab & herb spread to smear all over my egg and poppy seed bagel and topped with slices of English cucumbers and grape tomatoes. I would have loved sprouts on top, too but did not have any in the fridge. This spread is so easy to make and you can make these open-faced bagel sandwiches for a simple lunch or serve them at your next party. You can also serve the spread in a bowl and toast your bagels and cut them up into chunks and serve them on a platter around your spread for your guests to eat like a dip!

Crab & Herb Spread:

12 oz whipped cream cheese

2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions or chives

1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic

1/4 teaspoon dried onion or onion powder (optional)

1 can (6 oz) crab meat

pinch salt & pepper

Start off with finely chopping some fresh green onions. You can use chives instead if you'd like.

Add all your ingredients in the cream cheese and mix well.
Spread the crab dip all over the toasted bagel and top with cucumbers and tomato slices.
This sandwich was sooooo good!!!!
And took less than five minutes to make!!!!
Put the leftover spread in the fridge and eat it for a snack with crackers!

Moroccan Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

For some odd reason the Fall season puts me in the mood for Moroccan food. I love the smell of those spices when it starts to get cool outside. Moroccan food is not so much spicy, but full of spices. Don't get me wrong, Moroccan food does have a kick to it but it's not that burn your mouth style that so many people are afraid to try....that's more Tunisian style food...which I love...but I love burn your mouth spicy!!! So because I've been thinking about ethnic comfort foods, here's one recipe that always comes up when I'm needing a little comfort....ethnic style!

Grilled Moroccan Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Grilled Moroccan Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts (I used boneless this time but have used bone-in many times)

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon all spice or cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 olive oil

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, and all spices in a bowl. Place chicken in a shallow baking dish and rub the marinade all over the chicken (both sides). Cover and place in fridge for at least one hour but best if 6 or more hours. Grill chicken breasts over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes on each side or until done.
Moroccan Sweet Potatoes:

3-4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed small
Pinch of saffron (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine the butter with the honey and brown sugar and toss with the sweet potato cubes in a bowl. Sprinkle with the rest of the seasonings, toss again and spread evenly in a baking dish. Roast in the oven at 375 degrees until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

This is such a great combo because the chicken is a little spicy and the sweet potatoes are sweet and buttery. I also served some grilled asparagus with my meal to add some color and I adore grilled asparagus with just about anything!

For my asparagus I just tossed the aspargus with 2 tablespoons olive oil that was mixed with 1 tablespoon chopped garlic. I sprinkled a little salt and pepper on top and grilled the spears for 3-4 minutes.

Middle Eastern Omelet

Kukuye Kadou (Persian Zucchini Omelet)

I remember growing up and my mom would make these amazing omelets on the weekends. She said she learned a lot of the recipes in Iran when her and my father escaped from Northern Iraq into Iran before moving to the States. She said they were called Kukuye (pronounced koo-koo). Most of the recipes were vegetarian and we didn't just eat them for breakfast. A lot of times she would whip these up for an appetizer or served them alongside her other dinner dishes. I love serving them for brunch because they are easy and can be served warm or at room temperature.

I bought some zucchini at the farmers market and am giving you the recipe to what they call Kukuye Kadou in Persian.

Kukuye Kadou (Zucchini Omelet)

6 eggs (whipped)

1 large or 2 small zucchini (peeled and sliced) 1/2 white onion (chopped) 3 tablespoons butter

salt & pepper to taste

1 teaspoon turmeric (if you don't have turmeric you can use cumin or curry powder)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

8 inch casserole or baking dish (nonstick or glass or ceramic is best)

Saute the onions and zucchini in a frying pan with 2 tablespoons of butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Saute on medium heat stirring and until the onions and zucchini are nicely browned and soft about 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and add the turmeric and sugar. Cool completely. You can put them in the fridge to cool if you're in a hurry.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs until nice and fluffy and season with a small pinch of salt.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter and mix with 1 tablespoon olive oil and spread in the bottom and sides of your baking dish. Pour the vegetables in the bottom of the baking dish and pour the whipped eggs on top of the vegetables. Bake the kukuye for 30-35 minutes on 350 degrees. The omelet is done when its puffed out and golden brown on top. Let cool for a few minutes and cut into squares and serve with fresh fruit, Greek yogurt and pita bread. You can also serve this for dinner with rice and pita.

Quick App for Unexpected Guests

Basil & Sweet Yellow Pepper Canapes

Good thing I made that pesto. I'm sure you've all been in this situation. You get a call and someone's five minutes away. They just wanted to stop by to say hello. Well, the way I was raised, you don't have guests without feeding them. It doesn't matter if it's 2am...you feed them something. So here' s a great quick app that you can whip up in minutes and your guests will love!

Pesto & Sweet Yellow Pepper Canapes

12-20 crackers or french baguette pieces

1/4 cup basil pesto

Parmesan cheese

10 cherry tomatoes (cut in half) or slices of Roma tomatoes

Sweet Yellow Pepper Spread

Start out with some good pesto. For my recipe:

http://checkitoutavesta.blogspot.com/2008/10/basic-pesto.html

Spread a nice amount of pesto on the cracker or baguette piece and top with some Parmesan cheese.

I love having these garnish spreads in my fridge. They taste great, are all natural and not only add great flavor to your food but also allow you to decorate and garnish your plates beautifully. If you cannot find this in your grocery store, just combine 1 chopped up yellow or orange sweet pepper with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of sugar. Blend until smooth. Add more or less Olive oil for the right consistency. You can put it in a squeeze bottle or use a toothpick or small spoon to garnish with your spread.

Top off the crackers with a piece of tomato and your sweet pepper spread. See...quick and easy, yet so full of flavor!

Pesto Surf n Turf Saute

After making that pesto, I definitely was in the mood for some sort of pesto pasta. I decided to make a surf n turf saute to serve with my creamy pesto pasta.

Making a surf n turf saute can save you money too because you only have to buy a couple Filet Mignon steaks rather than having to serve each person a whole expensive steak by themselves. This recipe feeds 6 and only uses two 6 oz Filet Mignons steaks. Plus, I love using pan drippings for the base of a lot of my sauces. It helps me save time and keeps the tastes all in one family.

Pesto Surf n Turf Saute

10-12 large uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined

10-12 scallops, I used sea scallops though you can use bay scallops, just use double the amount

2- 6oz Filet Mignon cut up into 1 inch chunks (you can substitute sirloin or strip steak)

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons pesto

2 tablespoons olive oil

8-10 asparagus spears (you can substitute broccoli here)

salt & pepper to taste

Creamy Pesto Pasta Sauce:

Drippings from your Pesto Saute

2-3 cups half n half, heavy cream or milk

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

salt to taste

Here's why I thought of doing something surf n turf style....good Nebraska Filet Mignon in my fridge.

The pesto will be the base for the saute and then I'll use the pan drippings that will have the pesto in it for the base of my pasta sauce.

Asparagus will be sauteed with the meat for flavor, color and because we've gotta have some veggies in our meal!

Chop up the asparagus into small pieces.

I used a grill pan. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in your pan and then throw all the meat & asparagus in the pan and saute. Sprinkle the meat and asparagus with salt and pepper and add 2 tablespoons of the pesto with an additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Saute for about 4-5 minutes, or just until the seafood is done. You will have some "sauce" in the pan. You'll want to separate the sauce and put it in a small saucepan.

The shrimp is done right when it turns pink and the scallops are opaque and both are slightly firm. Do not overcook the shrimp and scallops. Your Filet will be cooked about medium to medium well if you cook it with your seafood. If you like your meat to be medium-rare or rare, you can saute it separately and add it to the mixture after your seafood is cooked.

This is the pan drippings that I used as the base for the pasta sauce..I had a few pieces of asparagus that fell into the saucepan...that's ok...it'll just add flavor to the pasta sauce. If you don't have a lot of pan drippings, remove your meat & asparagus from the pan and put the pan back on the stove. Heat the pan up and add about a cup of water and using a wooden spoon, try to get as much of the spices and drippings that are stuck on the pan off to create a nice base for your pasta sauce.

You add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 cups of half and half or heavy cream to the drippings and heat to right before it boils. Turn the heat off and add 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, mix well. If the sauce is not thick enough, put back on the heat for another minute or two...but the sauce will thicken as it sits so don't thicken it too much. Taste to make sure it has enough salt for your liking. I added a pinch of salt to my sauce.

You can serve this with any kind of pasta. I used Rigatoni. You can mix your pasta with the sauce or you can drizzle the sauce on top like I did. The sauce is pretty rich so I prefer to drizzle the sauce on top of the pasta.

I liked scooping up the pasta sauce with these big shrimp. Yum.

This was so good. This is seriously a dinner you could make to impress your family or guests. This is fine dining at home!