Funfetti Mug Cake

It's Funfetti Friday!! Do you have any big plans this weekend? I have something for your to-do list: this funfetti mug cake. I don't know about you but when the weather is cold and drab, as it usually is in March, I enjoy a weekend night in. There is something about cuddling up on the couch after a good meal, watching a movie and enjoying a nice, hot mug of.... cake? Yes, cake!!!

This is a fun change to your typical chocolate mug cake. The batter is not too sweet and the rainbow sprinkles add lots of fun color and texture! So grab your favorite large mug and get your cake on!!!

FUNFETTI MUG CAKE

Adapted from DELILLE/Spark People

Makes enough for 2 servings (if you want to share)

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoon oil
• a dash or two of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoons of rainbow colored sprinkles
• A pinch of salt

Directions

1. In a large mug, mix together all dry ingredients. Add milk, oil and vanilla extract. Then stir in rainbow sprinkles and salt.
2. Bake in microwave for 2 minutes. If the cake is not completely done then continue cooking in 15 seconds intervals until it is cooked through. Eat straight out the mug. Enjoy!

Oven-Fried Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips

If I had to name my favorite snack in the whole entire world it would be salt & vinegar potato chips!  Crispy potatoes, tangy vinegar and salty... well salt!  LOTS of SALT!  

I have dabbled in home-made chips over the years but have never tackled these salt & vinegar lovelies til now and not to toot my own horn... but TOOT TOOT... this guys are good.  The white vinegar is just the right amount to give each chip some tang without overpowering your taste buds.  Make them for a crowd... or just for you!!

OVEN-FRIED SALT & VINEGAR POTATO CHIPS

Adapted from Martha Stewart & Simply Recipes

Ingredients

• 3 large russet potatoes, sliced 1/32 inch thick using a mandolin
• 2 1/2 cups white vinegar
• non-stick cooking spray
• kosher salt
• cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Place potato slices into a pot and over with white vinegar.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.  Cover and remove from heat and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450ºF.  Grease 2 baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Drain potato slices and pat dry with paper towels.  Arrange half of the potato slices on the baking sheets.  Spray again with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle each slices with a kosher salt.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until chips are golden and crisp.  Allow chips to cool on a paper towel.  Repeat with second half of potato slices.  Enjoy!!

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Veal Saltimbocca

Prepare to wow your taste-buds people because this recipe will knock your socks off!  When the name of a dish ("saltimbocca") means "jump in your mouth" you know it has got to be good!

Don't you just love it when someone introduces you to a new favorite recipe?  My dad never disappoints in this department!!  Every time I am home he is always showing me a new dish he has stumbled upon.  This time the recipe comes straight from the kitchen of Cake Boss Buddy Valastro.

The first time my dad made this recpe my mom raved about it for weeks.  Weeks, people!!  So when my god-parents came over for dinner this past weekend I knew I wanted it on the menu!

Tender veal is layered with creamy mozzarella, slightly peppery sage and salty prosciutto, sauteed until golden brown and then topped with a tangy wine sauce.  (I veered from the original recipe and added a little lemon.  Who doesn't love a little lemon??)

VEAL SALTIMBOCCA

Adapted from Buddy Valastro 

Ingredients

• 8 slices (about 1 pound) of veal cut for scallopine
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly slices
• 8 large sage leaves (or 16 smaller sage leaves)
• 8 slices of prosciutto, thinly sliced 
• 8 wooden skewers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• The juice of one lemon, plus lemon wedges for serving
• salt & pepper

Directions

1. Preheat a serving platter in an oven set to 200ºF.
2. Pound out veal slices between two pieces of plastic wrap. Salt and pepper each side.  Arrange mozzarella slices on each piece of veal, then sage leaves, and finally prosciutto.  Gently weave skewers through the meat to secure everything together.
3. In a large skillet, over medium-high, heat olive oil and butter.  Once butter is melted and foaming add the veal slices, prosciutto side down first, in batches of four.  Saute veal on high for about one minute until prosciutto is browned and then flip, cooking about one minute more until veal is cooked through.  Transfer to the heated serving platter in the oven to keep warm.  Repeat with remaining batch.
4. Once veal is cooked and warming in oven add flour to pan.  Stirring frequently, cook flour until slightly browned.  Slowly add wine and stock to the pan, making sure to scrape up any brown bits stuck to the pan.  Cook over medium-low heat until sauce has reduced by half.  Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice.   Pour sauce over veal and serve.  Enjoy!

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Chester County Mushroom Soup

MMMMmmm.... mushrooms.  Those spongy, knobby, earthy gems are some of the many reasons why I love visiting my folks in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania.  As you have all read in my post about stuffed mushrooms, I partially grew up in the Mushroom Capital of the world.  So when I was home this last week I stopped by a local mushroom farm to pick up some fresh fungi!

Sher-Rockee Mushroom Farms is one of dozens of mushrooms growers in southern Chester County, PA.  Established in 1981, this farm produces the tastiest white button, crimini, portabella, shiitake, oyster, and maitake mushrooms in the country.  

While Sher-Rockee Mushroom Farms produce 'shrooms for grocery stores, restaurants and whole-sellers, they also have a cute "outlet" store for locals to come by and stock up on a pound or two of their favorite fungus.  For this trip, I was in need of three pounds of button, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms destined for a delectable and earthy mushroom soup.

As you can imagine, you don't have to go far for good mushroom soup in Mushroom Country.  While many restaurants have their own special recipes, the Terrace Restaurant in Kennett Square has my absolute favorite!  Located in the middle of lush Longwood Gardens, people travel from hours away to sip on this soup. Sweet tarragon heightens the earthy mushrooms while a little bit of cream rounds out this dish.  Make this recipe at home or visit Longwood Gardens and the Terrace Restaurant to get a bite of what southern Chester County has to offer!!

CHESTER COUNTY MUSHROOM SOUP

Courtesy of the Terrace Restaurant (Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square)

Makes 4 large servings

Ingredients

• 1 carrot
• 1/2 onion
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus two tablespoons melted butter
• 2 pounds washed white button mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1/2 pound washed shiitake mushrooms, stemmed removed and roughly chopped
• 1/2 pound washed oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 3 pints chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 2 tablespoon flour

Directions

1. Mince carrots, onions and celery in a food processor and saute in a heavy pot with oil.  In batches, mince the mushrooms in the food processor, adding to the pot along with the tarragon, salt, and pepper.  Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure the mushroom mixture does not burn.
2. Add stock and cream to the pot and bring to a boil.  In a small bowl mix together the melted butter and flour.  Using a whisk, whip into soup until fully incorporated and soup begins to thicken.  Bring soup back to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.  Enjoy!!

Painting with M&Ms

Calling all crafty moms and teachers.... I have a fun, unique and sweet project for your kiddos!  Painting with M&M's!! 

Now, now... I know this is not a recipe but it does involve food and more importantly chocolate!!

While I am visiting my family in PA, one of my favorite things to do is go to work with my mom.  What??  Why would I want to go to work while I am on vacation??  You see... my mom is a preschool teacher so going to work with her means hanging out with cute three and four year-old kiddies.  Now I know the idea of spending an entire morning with a group of preschoolers might sound daunting to some BUT I love it!  

This week in school my mom has been teaching the kids about the FIVE senses: sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste.  So when she spotted this craft idea on Pinterest for painting with M&M's she knew she wanted to try it out with her class!

This craft covers all of the senses!

SIGHT - Sorting the M&M's by color.

TOUCH - Describing the texture of the M&Ms while sorting.

HEARING - Listening to the M&M's being stirred in the cups.

SMELL - Smelling the M&M colored water while painting.

TASTE - After the craft was over... my mom let the kids munch on a few M&Ms during snack time.

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO:

• Take a one pound bag of M&M's and empty in a bowl. (The amount of M&M's will vary based on the group size.)
• Have your kids sort them by color into individual cups.
• Once sorted, pour enough water to cover the M&M's and begin stirring with paint brushes.
• Once the color of the water has changed you are ready to paint!!

Check out these beautiful pictures created by some of my mom's students!! 

Painting never looked, smelled, sounded, felt and tasted (afterwards) so good!!  Pretty sweet!!

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Aunt Lela's Chocolate Pound Cake

It has been a been a fun couple of days cooking up a storm in my mom's kitchen!  On Tuesday we whipped up Ida Mae's Low Country Biscuits (which I will be posting about soon) and yesterday we made my Great-Great-Aunt Lela's Famous Chocolate Pound Cake!

Lela was my grandmother's aunt.  She lived in Richmond, Virginia and was known for her chocolate pound cake.  (I really wish I had a picture of her!)  I never had the chance to meet my great-great aunt but I have always heard such wonderful stories about her.   Lela was a nurse in the early 1900s until she left her career to take care of her brother's two sons after their mother died.  My mom remembers her as typical Southern woman of that era, a little hard and stern on the outside but tender at heart.  Lela never married or had any children of her own but she was a "mother" to many of her nieces and nephews.  

Aunt Lela's Chocolate Pound Cake recipe is infamous is my family.  (No kidding... my father's mouth started watering when I told him we were making it!)  It is a buttery, dense cake with a wonderful chocolate taste without being too sweet.  She would make it for special occasions and anytime she went to visit someone.  Aunt Lela passed away in 1988 but her recipe for this decadent dessert lives on!

AUNT LELA'S CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups of sugar
• 3 cups of flour
• 6 tablespoons of good quality cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup of whole milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Grease and flour a bundt pan and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar with a hand blender or in a standing mixer.  Add in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated.
4. In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder.  With the mixer on low, slowly add flour mixture to egg-butter mixture, alternating with milk and vanilla extract.  
5. Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 75 to 90 minutes (cooking time varies with different cake pans and ovens... mine took 90 minutes) until a skewer is inserted in the cake and comes out clean.  Allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Using an offset spatula or a knife, gently loosen to release cake from pan.  Enjoy!!

Note: My family enjoys this cake without icing however I think a nice chocolate ganache or creamy glaze would be a wonderful topper!

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Pimento Cheese & Miss Mary's Canned Pimentos

This week I am out East, visiting my parents and brothers in Pennsylvania.  It is always fun to come home because I love to sleep in my old bedroom, visit with my friends from high school and whip up old family recipes! 

I may live in Chicago but I am a southern girl at heart.  Which is funny because, apart from living in Georgia for two and a half years in my early 20s, I did not grow up in the South.  I did, however, grow up surrounded by many Southern women and these Southern women liked to cook!

One recipe that always comes to mind is a creamy, cheesy blend of cheddar, mayo and canned pimentos: Pimento Cheese Spread!  Also known as: "The Pate of the South" and "Carolina Caviar!"

There is some speculation on when and where this southern comfort food was created.  Food historian Emily Wallace says pimento cheese first arrived on the elite Southern social scene in the early 20th century as a decadent and expensive treat (because cheese and red peppers had to be imported.)  Then with the invention of processed cheese and Southern farmers starting to produce red peppers, pimento cheese became a Southern staple for everyone.  On the contrary, food writer Robert Moss says the spread is not Southern at all.  On his blog he writes pimento cheese is really a creation from Upstate New York. 

My great-grandmother Miss Mary

What makes my family's pimento cheese so special is Miss Mary's Canned Pimento recipe.  Miss Mary was my great-grandmother.  She lived in Salemburg, North Carolina and was the wife of a tobacco farmer turned azalea grower.  Her canned red peppers are sweet, spicy and still have a crisp bite which gives the pimento cheese spread a great texture.  Spread some over a few crackers or sandwich it in between two slices of white bread and you might start speaking with a Southern drawl! 

  

Pimento Cheese Spread

Makes about 3 cups 

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
• 1 pint of Miss Mary's Canned Pimentos (recipe below)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place grated cheese into a bowl and stir in canned pimentos.
2. One tablespoon at a time, add in mayonnaise until you reach your desired creaminess (I used 3 tablespoons).
3. Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve on crackers or spread on a sandwich made with squishy white bread.  Enjoy!

Miss Mary's Canned Pimentos

Makes 5 to 6 pint jars

Ingredients

• 7 pounds red bell peppers (around 10 to 12 peppers)
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 ounce dry mustard
• 4 ounces white vinegar
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour

Directions

1. Wash and remove seeds from red bell peppers and roughly chop.  Place peppers in a bowl and cover with water seasoned with 2 tablespoons of salt.  Soak overnight.
2. The next day, add dry mustard, vinegar and dark brown sugar to a pot and heat over medium-high.
3. Meanwhile, drain peppers and place into a food processor and cover with water.  Process until peppers are finely chopped.  Drain peppers again and add to vinegar mixture.  Cook until peppers are tender, about 30 minutes, stirring often.
4. Make a paste of flour and few tablespoons of water and slowly add to pepper mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened.
5. Divide pepper mixture into hot sterilized jars.  No need to process if hot.  Enjoy!!