calling all cooks

Please share your favorite cake recipes. I've never been pleased with the cakes I've made from scratch. My son's first birthday is coming up and I want to improve my cake baking skills. It can be chocolate, white, carrot cake, etc. If you have a recipe you like, please post it.

And if you have a yummy healthy cake recipe (zucchini added in, applesauce instead of sugar, that sort of thing), please post that too.

pirouette cake

I baked this cake for a co-worker's birthday this week and everyone at the office was mighty impressed. I didn't have time to bake a cake from scratch so I just used a mix, I used chocolate pudding as a filling between the layers and then frosted it with chocolate frosting. The frosting then doubled as "glue" to hold the pirouette cookies in place.

french fries

I LOVE homemade french fries! They are so simple and go delicious!

Ingredients

• Potatoes
• Olive oil
• Seasoning of choice

Directions

1. Slice potatoes
2. Place in baking dish
3. Drissle olive oil over potatoes
4. Sprinkle your choice of season
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are soft

Chicken with Morels

I made the best food I've ever eaten on Sunday night. Seriously. Best. Food. Ever. I didn't take a photo because we were seriously too busy saying, "Are you kidding me?!" But there is a beautiful photo of it here. This is where I got the idea to make the recipe.

A few notes: I only used 1/2 ounce of morels. They are craaaaaazy expensive. I could only find them at Whole Foods and they were $15 for a 1/2 ounce. But if you think ahead you can order them on Amazon for half the price. But because I was only using 1/2 ounce I decided to follow the directions on the back of the package, simmer them in water, and strain the broth through a coffee filter (I did it twice) and use some of it for the wine. Apparently you can buy non-alcoholic wine, but I used used 3/4 cup of white grape juice and 1/4 cup morel broth in place of the wine and it tasted perfect. Also, I made my own creme fraiche (recipe follows). I did NOT however, clarify butter to brown the chicken. I used olive oil, because it was easier. I realize this sounds like a crazy amount of work, but seriously IT WAS THE BEST FOOD I'VE EVER EATEN. And I've eaten some good food. And the recipe is actually very easy if you plan ahead a little. I hope you'll try it for a special occasion. I served it with roasted potatoes and roasted acorn squash and it was the perfect meal to celebrate my parents arrival.

Anyway I'll just link to the recipe because then you can just print it out all nicely and such. Here it is!

Creme Fraiche

1 cup heavy cream
1 TBS buttermilk

Mix cream and buttermilk together in a glass container. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for 24 hours, stirring 2 or 3 times. The mixture should be very similar to a loose sour cream when it's ready. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before using. Keeps up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

baked balsamic chicken

i made this last night an it was way yummy! i pretty much love anything with lots of vinegar: pickles, mustard, etc. so it hit the spot with me. i ate it too fast and didn't get a picture of it. oops sorry.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 C balsamic vinegar

1/4 C EVOO

1 tsp pepper

1 1/2 tsp garlic salt

marinade for 4 or more hours

bake in oven for 40ish minutes at 375. till juices run clear and no pink.

for the side

1/2 pkg spaghetti noodles cooked

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 C butter

add butter and garlic to saucepan. melt it up then add the cooked noodles. mix till butter is all melted in. if you have fresh parmesan i bet that would be yummy on top too.

then finish it off with some broccoli or asparagus. you will feel like you are eating at macaroni grill. except without the $50 price tag.

taco twist soup

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp. canola canola or olive oil
• 3 cups beef or veggie stock
• 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 1/2 cups picante sauce
• 1 cup spiral pasta, uncooked
• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow squash, chopped
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• Crushed red pepper (if desired)
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
• Sour cream (optional)

Directions

• Saute onions and garlic in oil in skillet.
• Add all ingredients to crock pot (except cheese & sour cream)
• Cook on low for 4-6 hours
• Serve with cheese or sour cream

I've been taking Stephanie's approach and making really big batches of soups and freezing half of it.

hallelujah hummus

I really love my Magic Bullet. I was pretty skeptical of it when Chef Jeff suggested we get one, but I am so glad we did! I love it! It has been perfect for our little family. I've used it to make all of AK's baby food. We use it to blend up soups, chop nuts, grind oatmeal, etc. I also like the cook book that came with it. The names of the recipes crack me up. For example...

• Before-You-Know-It Bean Dip
• Badda-Bing-Badda-Boom Garlic Bread
• Im"meat"iate Spaghetti Sauce
• It's Ready Already Alfredo
• Presto It's Pesto
• Nanosecond Nachos

OK, so you get the idea. Pretty fun.

This week I made Hallelujah Hummus and it was tasty, tasty.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 3 Tbs. chicken (or veggie) stock
• 1 cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice
• 2 Tbs. tahini (sesame paste)

• I added chili powder and crushed red pepper to give it some kick!

Directions

1. Blend
2. Enjoy