Peanut-butter poke cake

Once upon a time, there was a mother with a five month old baby who loved cake more than anyone in the land....

 That's me by the way.

I would bake a cake every single day of my life if I could & yes, I'd eat the entire thing too! So I've decided to start making all my cakes small. 8x8 small. So when I do eat the whole thing I don't have to hate myself for a week. Really though, no one should feel bad about eating this cake.

You can make it with just about regular pantry items, which is what I like about it.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup cake flour

1 large egg

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

Icing:

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

3 tbsp milk

2 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup butter

Combine the sugar & flours in a bowl and whisk well.

In your mixing bowl add your eggs, baking soda, and sour cream.

In a small sauce pan combine peanut-butter, butter, and water.

Then pour the flour mixture & the peanut butter mixture into the mixing bowl and mix until just incorporated.

~ the sour cream mixture ~

 ~ the batter once it's mixed ~

Preheat oven to 400.

Pour into greased 8x8 pan, and bake for 25 minutes.

Now onto the poke cake part... this wasn't a planned poke cake. I broke it yall. But I like poke cake so it was okay! Again with the cooking spray, I hate buying it. I'm going to have too. So the bottom part was broken, I poked lots of holes in it & fixed my problems. (:

Now make the icing.

Butter, peanut-butter & milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil and stir constantly. Take off burner, add powdered sugar & vanilla and mix well.

~ the icing mixture ~

Pour over the cake while both are still warm.

Now you have a delicious peanut butter poke cake!

Behooooooolllld the ugly cake~

Mmmm, yes I ended up eating the entire thing myself.

Silly husband not liking peanut-butter. CRAZY!!!



Super easy chicken pot pie.

Okay guys, on Monday nights I don't want to do anything. So chicken it is.

There are a billion things you can do with chicken & it is sooooo quick! So I like to try new things often.

....we eat a lot of chicken.

I couldn't decide what to make and I avoid boxes unless I have too or really want some good dirty rice. But it's at the end of our paycheck and I couldn't figure out what I had to make something with & then it hit me, chicken pot pie is so easy!

This is a FANTASTIC pie crust recipe but I was in a hurry so I chose to make a crappy one. But make this one!!!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bakers-secret-pie-crust/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=pie%20crust&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe

Do itttttttt!

Okay now, let's make the pie crust. Double that recipe though so you'll have a top crust too. Or you can use your own but I like a crispy crust on this.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

2 chicken breast, shredded

Frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, carrots, green beans.) Should equal out to about 1/2 cup of each vegetable or really however much you want!

2 1/2 cups chicken broth. ( I made my own and I'll explain if you don't know how in just a second!)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 onion minced

1/3 cup butter

2 tsp celery salt or  1 tsp celery seed

pepper, salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 bay leaf minced

  2 nine-inch pie crust, unbaked.

Cook your chicken and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Once it's cooked throw in your vegetables, onions, butter.

I know, it sounds like a lot of veggies but it's good promise!

Once they are all cooked well, pour in milk and chicken broth.

HOW I MADE THE CHICKEN BROTH:

I used 3 chicken bullion cubes and 1 beef bullion. You can alter this to taste, I like it very strongly chicken flavored.

Boil 2 1/2 cups of water and crumble in bullion cubes and stir until dissolved.

Like so~

Back to the pot pie!

Once you've poured the liquids in, add the rest of the flour and stir until it thickens. This happens quickly so watch it!

While your stirring add the rest of your spices.

Somehow the only picture I forgot to take was the one of the filling but it's okay, you'll see it later!

Preheat your oven to 375.

Fill your bottom pie crust with the mixture & cover with the other pie crust. Press down the edges and cut slits in the top of the crust to let air escape.

Bake for fourty minutes or until crust is browned and mixture is bubbly.

Yes, mine looked awful and not crispy because I used crappy crust, but it was really good anyways.

I hope you enjoy!



Spicy ginger chicken & sauce

Kind of like from your favorite chinese place, just the made at home version :)

Fried delicious in a spicy sauce over white rice.

I know, so not good for my diet but I'm telling you nothing makes me want fried stuff & ice-cream more than thinking about a diet! My nana's bestfriend said something kinda like that while I was home awhile back and it made me think that's exactly how I feel everyday. (:

I go to the gym three days a week and basically eat whatever I want, so when I think about cutting out fried stuff and dessert I have to go & eat a pinapple sundae from sonic. Ya know to make me feel better.... diets are for people with food self-control. So not me. I ate half the cake I made last week. Once I even ate a whole pan of brownies.

Shhhh, guilty pleasure.

Okay back to the chicken!

This can definitely be made a lot healthier if you bake you're chicken in the oven instead of frying it, but ya know. I love me some fried chicken.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Two chicken breast (made more than enough for me & my husband.)

1/2 cup flour

2 tbsp powdered ginger

2 tbsp garlic powder

2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 eggs (beaten well.)

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup triple sec

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (optional but worth it!)

2 tbsp ginger (fresh makes it look much prettier but powdered will do.)

1/4 onion minced

1 garlic clove minced

2 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp chili flakes

zest of a small orange & juice of a small orange

seasame seeds look awesome on this but I didn't have any!

Serve on top of steamed white rice, jasmine rice goes well with this dish.

WHAT TO DO:

First set of ingredients~

Cut up your chicken into bite sized pieces, mine were little squares. Make sure to cut the fat off too!

Chop up your onions.

Drop all the chicken in a bowl and coat with the garlic, ginger powder & cayenne pepper. Coat well on all sides then coat with flour on all sides.

Second set of ingredients~

Put your eggs in a bowl & beat them really well. As well as the flour in a seperate bowl.

Should look something like this~

Then dip each piece of chicken in egg, then flour letting the excess egg drip off into the bowl and place them all on a plate. (Do this while heating a shallow pan of oil.)

After you dip them all it should look a little like this~

Fry them on each side for a few minutes until they are golden brown. (Sorry my camera died at this point & I don't have any pictures.)

Then get out the pot or bowl to mix your sauce. (It has to be cooked but I needed to taste it so I used a bowl first.)

Put everything in the third set of ingredients in the bowl and mix it up well. Taste and if you want it to have more heat add some cayenne.

Should resemble this~

Sorry I threw away the orange before I snapped this picture. But otherwise above is everything I used.

Then pour that into a small pot and cook for a few minutes it will thicken all the sudden so watch it carefully and stir it a lot with a spatula.

Mine ended up like this~

Steam your rice while your doing this.

Once your chicken is fried pour it all in a bowl and coat the chicken well with the sauce and serve hot over rice.

Mmmm.

So if you're in Mexico like me you can have some Chinese you don't have to be afraid to eat!

 





Strawberry shortcake cake!

This is what you do when you're avoiding doing a big sink full of dishes!

A sweet strawberry cream cheese escape.

I've been dying for something delicious and strawberry for a few days. I was thinking of using a fresh strawberry cake recipe with chocolate cream cheese frosting & I was so torn I couldn't make up my mind. Eventually this won out because I basically had everything as a household staple for a cake. Get ready for one of the best cakes you'll ever eat, trust the cake lady...

I would also like to thank my beautiful, amazing mother for this because without her I would have never of had this fantastic idea. (She bought me an 8x8 pan that was perfect for this.) Love you momma!

Also beforehand... I would just like to mention that this is by far the best strawberry shortcake I've ever eaten.. (which is saying a lot.) & store it in the fridge overnight and all of the juices will soak in and it is amazing. You won't regret making it for a second.

Just know, there are a lot of options & alterations that can be made with this cake because I made the recipe myself. Don't worry, I'll tell you.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Cake~

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

(you can also make it with all all-purpose flour it would work just as well.)

3 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

9 tbsp butter (real butter)

1 1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream plus 2 tbsp

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Icing~

1/2 lb cream cheese

(if you add another 3 tbsp it would be even better)

2 sticks butter

1 lb powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 lb strawberries

2 tbsp plain greek yogurt (also optional, but good!)

WHAT TO DO:

First stem all of your strawberries and cut them up, doesnt really matter how.
Place them in a bowl and add 1/4 cup sugar. (my sweet tooth added a little more.) stir it up and let them sit for 30 minutes, stir again. Squish them well, to a mush but I left a few chunks of strawberry, mostly for a good texture. Put a paper-towel over them and stir every ten minutes until you're ready to put them on the cake.

They should start to look something like this~

That is also before I mashed mine up.

Now it's cake time,

I used an 8x8 pan because it is much better for a thicker, taller, prettier cake & because my mom bought me one I've been dying to use!

Take out all your ingredients at least fifteen minutes before baking. Room temperature ingredients is ALWAYS better unless specified. While your at it get out the ingredients for the icing too!

Sift together your cake flour, baking soda, salt, all-purpose flour, and corn starch.

Make sure they are sifted well & set aside.

Then with the paddle attatchment on your mixer, (not neccessary just works much better.) cream 9 tbsp of butter with your sugar until light and fluffy. REAL BUTTER, DON'T FORGET.

Add the eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Add sour cream & vanilla.

I used mexican vanilla for this cake, gives it a much better flavor.

Then slowly add your dry ingredients and mix on a low speed.. or you're going to have flour covering every surface within five feet... but don't overmix your dry ingredients mix until just combined. Overmixing leads to a tough cake.

Should end up like the above.

Preheat oven at 350.

Pour into a well-greased 8 inch pan.

Flatten & smooth the top as much as you can with a spatula.

Now you're going to need one very cute baby, about 17.5 pounds of cute. That should be enough.

He may have tasted some of the icing.. who am I to tell him no delicious icing?!

Anyways, bake for 45-60 minutes. When the middle is no longer jiggly when you move the cake, it's done. Check with a tooth-pick for doneness, when it comes out clean, your golden.

Let me tell you a story about a woman who is against buying cooking spray... it's dumb. My husband and I stood over this done cake patting the bottom with a spatula for well over ten minutes.. because the middle wasn't greased well enough. Hmph. Anyways, the sides will be very brown, but it's not burnt don't worry!

While your cake it cooling on a cooling rack let's make icing!

Combine cream cheese, butter, sifted powdered sugar, yogurt, vanilla & a dash of salt. ( I like cream cheese icing that actually taste like cream cheese, but a little sweeter.)

Mix until very light and fluffy, like so~

Once your cake is completely cooled, cut it in half through the middle. I was always afraid of doing this but it's easy I just used the longest smoothest knife I had & cut and turned until I was back where I started. It's easy don't worry!

Should look like that, brush the loose crumbs off the top & eat them. Of course....

Then take out your bowl of delicious strawberries. Spread half of them on each side of cake. Pour the juices on, I promise it will make you a happier person in the end!

If some of them hang off the edge that's fine.

Then put them in the freezer for five minutes, trust me. It will help you ice those pesky strawberries.

Once you're done with that, take out your icing & spread icing OVER THE TOPS of the strawberries. Lightly press icing down until it's covered the strawberries, you don't need a lot. Not even half of the icing for this.

The first half should look like that. At this point place the bottom already iced half on a platter or whatever you're going to serve it on.
Then place the other half on top, like so~

Then cover the rest in icing, again.. lightly press over the strawberries or you'll have a mess.

It's best left in the fridge overnight, and eaten cold in the morning for breakfast. (:

Haha, but seriously fridge overnight & enjoy the next day! Or at least put it in there for a few hours to soak the juices in and make it real strawberry shortcake cake!

Honey Chipotle chicken crispers!

Yeah, like the ones from chili's.

 

Now these are AMAZING! My husband & I looooovvvve Chili's. Well mostly me, when there's a date night I always suggest it first. Only because these chicken crispers & the ribs they flavor the same. I absolutely had to figure out how to make them.

Now after last weeks angel food cake disaster I've been dying to make something to redeem myself... to myself. I won't go into detail but.. I wasted twelve eggs & I hate wasting things.

Back to the crispers, they are the star of this post!

I've recently started frying things in deep oil. I've always been to much of a sissy to do it. I fried onion rings the other day that were out of this world! Again, sidetracked... Sorry.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast. ( I just used four chicken breast.)

6 cup vegetable oil for frying

FOR THE SAUCE:

2/3 cup honey

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup ketchup

4 tablespoon honey bbq sauce

1-2 tsp of the sauce in chipotles in adobo sauce (Depends on how much heat you want.)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tbsp brown sugar

FOR THE BATTER:

1 egg, whisked

 (I only had egg yolks... due to the angel food incident. So I used one of those.)

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder, or minced onion

3/4 cup all purpose flour

FOR THE BREADING:

1 1/2- 2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

WHAT TO DO:

Now, to make the sauce. Which is the best part! Combine it all and cook it on the stove until it starts bubbling & then cook for 3 minutes stir it a lot. Then set it aside, by the time you need it, it will of carmelized. (about fifteen minutes.)

TO COOK CHICKEN:

Heat your oil to 350 F.

Whisk together all of your batter ingredients in a bowl.

Then mix together all your breading ingredients in a shallow pan.

Cut the chicken into little strips or bite size pieces.

Let the chicken sit in the batter for about ten minutes if you have time.

Take it out and cover it in flour to coat completely.

Then drop it in your oil when it's ready. Should do something like this. ~

Let fry for about four to six minutes or until medium brown. Cook about six at a time. You can flip them over halfway through if you'd like.

Let them sit on a paper-towel covered plate for five minutes. Pour the sauce over them and serve hot.

For dipping they go best with ranch dressing.

By the way, SO GOOOOOOOD!



Garlic parmesan bread sticks

Soft, chewy, delicious.

Now I make Phillip this bacon pasta (which I will post next time I make it most likely). Since I am an avid bread connoisseur and I just so happen to have a lot of bread flour to have fun with I decided to try and replicate little ceasars bread sticks which we can never eat enough of. Once we ate two bags of them in the car on the way home. Who needs the pizza?

Okay, sidetrack over. These breadsticks have been on my mind for awhile and I just happened to remember how badly I wanted them. So here goes it!

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 1/2 cup bread flour

3 tsp. instant yeast

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp italian seasonings

1 tsp garlic (minced)

1/2 cup parmesan

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup hot water

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup parmesan

WHAT TO DO:

Now first get your stuff out. I know, you know. But it's important! Anyways, Take your yeast, sugar, italian seasonings, garlic, 1/4 cup parmesan, and salt. Mix all that up well, then add one cup of bread flour and mix it up some more! Then go ahead and add the rest of your flour. In another bowl mix up your egg, hot water, and milk. Slowly pour and mix alternatively in your bowl of dry ingredients. I used my dough hook it can be done by hand as well if you don't have one. Knead for about 2 minutes until well mixed. Then lightly oil a bowl and put it in there, turn it over to coat it all with oil. Then put a damp towel over it and let it rise for an hour until it's about doubled in size. (Mine wasn't quite doubled.

~

That's mine when I set it outside to rise. Just set it in a slightly sunny place and it'll do great.

~

This is after it rose, told you... not exactly doubled.

Once you do that roll it all out on your floured counter top. But don't roll it out completely flat or it won't make puffy breadsticks!

Then brush on butter and parmesan mixture, you'll need a lot!

~

Should look something like that.

Let them rise for 35 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375 and grease your pan.

Bake them in the oven for 13 minutes. But since ovens are all different watch it carefully!

After that put a little more parmesan on top & butter! They won't last too long, trust me.

Yum, Yum, Yum!!

A revolution in the Martin household.

Now, I don't know about your family but in our house every meal is cooked with cheese somewhere! We use so much cheese it's impossible to keep it in the fridge. (My husband often eats cheese by itself.) A few weeks ago it hit me, and when it did I knew it would be a fantastic journey. I was going to make my own cheese. For some reason or another this obvious solution never occured to me. While I was home visiting for a few weeks this month my mother, my sister, and I went to Sur La Table. Save yourselves, don't go look. It will only cause you misery when you look at price tags. This is unfortunately one of my most favorite stores. And guess what I found there? A cheese cloth so waaalllaaa, my first step into making my own cheese! Since I'm extremely impatient I don't like buying my cooking supplies online, and there are TWO other things I desperately need to find; rennet & citric acid. Neither of these I can seem to find in any store in Del Rio. So this coming Friday I've decided I'm ordering them. I can wait no longer to make cheese it's been gnawing at me since I discovered how simple it was so, sometime before two weeks is up I will chronicle my cheese making, hold onto your britches I'm trying something AWESOME. But don't worry, there will be LOTS of pictures so you can do it too!