Chocolate & Nutella Layer Cake Part 1

Hey Y'all! 

I am sharing a cake recipe on here for the first time (I think)! :) Cakes are so pretty and there's an endless amount of things you can do to them. However, I don't make cakes very often because despite how pretty they are, I don't like to eat them that much. Yes, you read that right - I don't particularly like cake. It's just too sweet for me, particularly the frosting. Nevertheless, I love making different types of frostings and enjoying how they look while someone else enjoys how they taste. :) 

This cake came about because my husband had been asking almost every night if there was any good dessert in the house. I spoiled him over Christmastime with cookies & fudge but, for the sake of my waistline, I hadn't made anything sweet for a few weeks. And I hadn't made a dessert other than cookies for who knows how long! A big dessert was way overdue. So, I gathered my cookbooks, pulled up Pinterest, and perused both for a cake recipe I wanted to bake that I thought my husband might also love. I ended up finding this one on Pinterest. I chose to make it because it's chocolate on chocolate + Nutella & my hubby is quite fond of both of those! ;) Plus, I already had two of the ingredients - Nutella & sour cream - sitting in my pantry/fridge where they had been for quite some time and I wanted to use them up, particularly the sour cream, before they went bad & would be wasted. (I hate wasting food!) This cake was exactly what I was looking for. It is a bit involved, as many cakes tend to be. Since I work during the day, I split it up over two evenings. You could also make the cakes a few days or even a few weeks ahead of time and just freeze them until you are able to make the frosting as well. Anyway, LOTS of photos in this one! :) Enjoy & I'll have part two with the frosting recipe on Monday.

*Quick tip I learned from my mother-in-law once. Whenever a recipe calls for superfine sugar, don't feel like you have to go out and buy some. Instead, if you have a food processor, just put the necessary amounts of regular granulated sugar in there and pulse it a few times until the sugar is superfine. :)

This had been sitting in my pantry for . . . an embarrassingly long time, but it was still good & did the job! All-purpose flour is perfectly fine in place of cake flour.

Mmm, now here comes some chocolate goodness.

If you have never heard of espresso powder, but frequently make chocolate desserts, go buy some now. That's not a suggestion. ;) This stuff will take your chocolate desserts to the next level. It's seriously one of my favorite 'extra' ingredients to keep in my kitchen.

Also, homemade vanilla. I always use this in baked goods. Store-bought vanilla just does not compare (not to mention the jar is way cuter & that's important). And the smell, ahhh, let me just go inhale this for a moment. hehe ;)

About halfway through, your kitchen might look like this.

Or, even worse, this. Yikes!

This is what the batter looks like once it's all come together. This is also the point where you pause your preparations, grab a spoon (we'll be sanitary and not use our fingers ;) ), and have a taste . . . or two or three or four of the batter to make sure it's safe for everyone else to eat. ;)

Now, this recipe makes a 3 layer cake. However, I only have two cake pans because I don't like a lot of kitchen clutter & don't need more than two that often, so I just baked the first two layers & once they were done, baked the third layer separately. You'll want to grease each pan and place some parchment in the bottom as well. Please be smarter than me though & remember to grease the parchment paper as well or you will run the risk of taking part of your cake's bottom with the paper when taking it out of the pan. Oops!

Isn't it a beaut?

Chocolate Layer Cake

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/3 cups superfine sugar
3/4 cup dark Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk*
3/4 cup brewed coffee or espresso
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract 

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare three 7-in. round cake pans with nonstick spray and parchment.

2. Sift all dry ingredients together. Combine buttermilk, coffee, oil, eggs, & vanilla in a large measuring cup & beat lightly with a fork.

3. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture for 1 minute on medium speed. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans.

4. Bake the first 2 layers for 20 minutes and rotate pans in the oven. Continue to bake until toothpick comes out almost clean (a few crumbs), about 5 minutes. Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes. Repeat with remaining layer, then invert cakes onto racks until completely cool. 

*If you don't have buttermilk on hand, add 1 tbsp. of white vinegar to 1 1/4 cups of milk and let it set for 10 minutes.*

Now, wrap your cakes securely in plastic wrap, freeze, & stay tuned for the chocolate-Nutella frosting recipe on Monday! :)



*Recipe adapted from Sweetapolita*

Whole Wheat Waffles + Easy Fruit Topping

Hey y'all! It's Monday and we all know Mondays are not a favorite of many people - myself included! But, that is the very reason I'm sharing this recipe today. I mean, who doesn't love waffles? I'm pretty sure a plate of waffles is one of the absolute best ways to start a Monday. :) And this recipe is just easy enough that you can make it on a weekday morning without being pushed for time. 

I loooove waffles. Like seriously, I have a slight obsession with them. Just ask my husband; he'll tell you I mention cravings for waffles multiple times a week! ;) They're just so good. But, I've been trying to eat better lately so I decided to try a recipe that uses whole wheat flour instead of white flour. I was delighted to find this recipe from King Arthur Flour! I love KAF and they typically have great recipes, so I knew this one would taste good despite being so simple. The one thing I would add is a teaspoon of vanilla just because I think vanilla always goes well in a waffle recipe. :)

I think one of the reasons I like waffles so much is because of the almost endless possibilities for toppings. I really love fruit topping on waffles; berries on top of a hot, buttered waffle is just perfection in my mind. This topping is very simple & affordable. And a great way to get the health benefits of berries even in the wintertime. So go ahead and make yourself a batch of these waffles and start your Monday right! ;)

Whole Wheat Waffles

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tblsp. sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1/3 cup melted butter

1. Preheat your waffle iron while you prepare the batter.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, & sugar.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, & butter.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. Lumps are good!

5. Cook the waffles as your waffle iron instructs.

6. Top with syrup, berries, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, or whatever you fancy! :)


Warm Berry Topping
(makes 1 serving)

2 tsp. butter
1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries (I use frozen - more bang for your buck!)
cinnamon

1. Melt the 2 tsp. of butter in a saucepan until bubbly.

2. Add the berries and let cook down until thawed through and juicy.

3. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon, mix.

4. Pour over your (buttered) waffles. Bon appetit! :)




*Waffle recipe from King Arthur Flour*

Cheesy Chili Pasta Bake

Y'all, I have a delicious dish to share today. It's so easy & quick enough to make on a week night. However, you can also do quite a bit of prep ahead of time to make it even quicker - just pop it in the oven and let it cook 30 minutes! I personally am not a huge fan of chili, so I was slightly hesitant about trying this recipe. But, it looked like a recipe my husband would really like & it has a lot of cheese, so, oh heck, why not? :) 

Turns out - it was one of the best pasta dishes I've ever tried! And, it makes so much for just the two of us, I separated it into thirds & froze some of it. We were able to enjoy it for several weeks. :) 

I really like the black beans for the chili part rather than traditional kidney or red beans. It is perfectly good just the way it is, but if you want to add a little more flavor some good toppings are sour cream, green onions, or . . . bacon bits! Yes, bacon bits (real ones - bacon that's been cooked & crumbled) go on everything. And of course, a side of bread never hurt anything. ;)

Chili Pasta Bake

Ingredients: 
1/2 Tblsp. oil
1 whole onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1 dash salt
1 dash black pepper
1/2 pound pasta (I used shells)
15 oz. tomato sauce
14 1/2 oz. diced tomatoes & green chiles
15 oz. black beans
1 1/2 Tblsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
3 dashes Cayenne pepper
1/4 cup water
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Optional toppings: sour cream, green onions, bacon bits 

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Drizzle the oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions & saute for about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and season with salt & pepper. Cook until the beef is no longer pink.

3. While the ground beef is cooking, cook your pasta. Once cooked, drain off the water and set the pasta aside.

4. After the ground beef is cooked, add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes & green chiles, beans, chili powder, cumin, Cayenne, & water. Give it a stir and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, stir in the cooked pasta to combine,

5. Pour the chili pasta mixture into a 9x13 pan. Flatten it out with a spatula & sprinkle with cheese. Place in the oven for 30 minutes or until the edges are bubbling and the cheese has fully melted.

6. Enjoy! :)





--Recipe from tastykitchen.com--

New Year + Photos

Hi Y'all! Happy New Year! I know I've been gone for a while, but - life happens. :) Anyway, this fresh new year made me want to get back into the habit of blogging again; I've missed it. So, here I am!!! :)

I just want to share a few photos today of some of things I have cooked or whipped together over the last couple of months. If you follow the blog's Facebook page, you may have already seen a lot of these photos, but photos of food never get old, right? ;) If you haven't seen any of these yet, then enjoy browsing through them. I also realized I haven't posted an actual recipe in forever - none of my most recent posts were recipes! - so I will be posting a recipe on Wednesday. Be sure to watch for it!

Poor Man's Steak

Biscuits (won 2nd place ribbon at State Fair 2015!)

Apple Pie (won 3rd place ribbon at State Fair 2015!)

Chicken & rice w/ mushroom gravy + Cheesy Garlic Bombs

Homemade fudge sauce 

Fudge

Chicken Pot Pie 

(I will share this one soon when I have better photos of it!)

The World's BEST chocolate chip/M&M cookies

Grilled chicken & veggie kabobs 

(one of my new favorites)

Party Food!

More specifically . . . Cheesy Pepperoni Bites

And . . . Polar Bear Cookies 

And finally, all of the fixin's for . . .

White Christmas Sangria! 

Freestyle Friday:Hospitality

Hey y'all!

Today, I want to talk a little bit about hospitality. I'm actually just going to touch on this topic today and will delve into the different branches of it in more detail in later weeks. Hospitality is defined as "the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers". This topic is one that enhances life so much. It's so meaningful to me, but it seems that the fine art of hospitality has lost its value in today's world. I too, tend to get too ' busy ' & overlook hospitality, but I want to start making a conscious effort to make it blend into everyday life at my home.

Have you ever walked into someone's house & immediately felt just warm and relaxed inside? It's almost like you're greeted with an invisible hug and you know you can make yourself at home there. I believe the hospitable nature of that home - which, of course, is put into place by the host - is what makes you feel that way. Hospitality  does, for the most part, seem to be a fading part of life; but I've been thinking about it a lot lately and I want to bring it into my home as a part of everyday life. Everyday hospitality doesn't mean you have to have someone over every day, but I think it means always welcoming that idea and never letting busyness get into your way of that. I also feel like when you welcome others into your home, even for just a short visit, it enriches life for both you and your guest(s). I think it brings a lot of joy to your life, not to mention the memories you make. 

I've noticed with myself, that a lot of times when I want to catch up with a friend or meet someone new, I always suggest meeting at a restaurant, book store, bakery, etc. I never say, "I would love to catch up with you sometime, Would you like to come over for dessert?". Every time, I suggest somewhere outside of my home. But, starting today, I want to make a more conscious effort to invite friends & family and whoever else this may pertain to, into my home for visits and 'catching up'. For staying connected and a part of each other's lives. I want to challenge each of my readers to do the same. Over the coming weeks, challenge yourself to make your home a more hospitable one.

Some ways of making a hospitable home that come to mind right away are: 

1. Keeping a tidy home (not perfect, but tidy -we'll go deeper on this later)
2. Having a refreshing drink (even iced water will do!) on hand
3. Having goodies of some sort on hand - muffins, cookies, etc.
4. Flowers on the table
5. Blankets on couches, chairs
6. A pleasant scent around the house (achieved by candles, essential oils, etc. or just having windows open!)
7. Hand lotion & tissues for guests in bathrooms
8. Invitations for dessert, dinner, or a visit (by phone call or written mail)
9. A door that opens easily (and I'm not talking about the hinges! ;) )
10. Your smile! :)

I'm sure there are many more ways to show hospitality in your home, but these are just the first ones that jumped into my mind - things that make a home feel warm and welcoming, feel like more than just a building where people reside. I am so excited to get started on this challenge and I look forward to sharing more with y'all over the coming weeks and months. :)

Leave your ideas or experiences in the comments below!

Weekend Reading

Hey Y'all!

Got any weekend plans? I have a few things going on, but mostly just taking it easy - the way I like it. :) Here are two articles to take a look at in your downtime:

1. This one has some great baking tips!

2. This one isn't food related, but still a quick, enjoyable read. There truly is a lot of richness in a so-called "boring life" . :)

Happy Weekend! :)

Freestyle Friday: Organizing 'The Utensil Drawer'

Hey Y'all!

I am so excited to be sharing my first Freestyle Friday post. I was a bit delayed getting started on these posts, but I finally have the first one ready to go. In this first post, I am sharing with you all the recent organization of my utensil drawer; more accurately 'The Utensil Drawer'. That ominous drawer in just about every kitchen that becomes the catch-all for every extra spatula, serving spoon, grater, and measuring cup. I cringed every time I opened that drawer - everything was such a jumbled mess! So recently I decided it was time to straighten it up once and for all. Lucky for you all, I didn't get a 'before' photo. However, the photo below shows everything that I had crammed in that one drawer.

Yes, I had all of that crammed in this drawer.

I'm sure you can imagine the disaster it looked like before!

I removed any utensils/tools that were broken or not frequently used, then grouped the remaining items together by type/function.

Once everything was categorized that way, I could better see how it should all be laid out in the drawer. The end result was this.

Like items were grouped together and the most frequently used items took up the front 2/3 of the drawer for easy access.

Less frequently used items such as extra whisks and graters as well as decorative cookie cutters were placed in the back.

Since I was on a roll, I went ahead and straightened up my main utensil drawer too.

As with the other drawer, least used items (large scoop, baster, & panini spatula) were placed in the back. I also placed our pizza cutter in the back - not because it isn't used often! haha - simply because of it's size. The most used utensils/tools were placed in the compartment on the right side of our silverware. The less frequently used utensils/tools were placed on the left side of our silverware.

I went ahead and straightened my utensil crock as well (although it's really hard to tell). These are the utensils I use on a daily/weekly basis which I keep by my stove for easy access. All I did here was separate the sides with spatulas, spoons, and tongs on the right and baking/mixing tools on the left. 

Lastly, I placed any tools that I rarely use in a ziploc bag to go in my pantry. I don't neccessarily want to get rid of the items, but I see no need for them to take up space in a drawer or crock at this time. 

The only broken utensil I had was this one:

The little piece that had these together was broken and they could not function properly without it. I had known that for several months. Why I had held on to them all this time is beyond me. haha ;)

I am pleased to say that these drawers have remained organized for the past 3 weeks now! I think my grouping strategy worked this time. I love how the first drawer just glides open now, it makes me so happy. It's the little things in life y'all, it really is. ;)  One day, if I'm brave enough I'll clean my pantry and can share that with y'all, but until then I'm finished organizing my kitchen.

Stay tuned for next Friday's post! :) I'll reveal the topic of next week's post on my Facebook page Wednesday.