Five Flavor Pound Cake

I thought this would be weird. I thought it'd be a flop but everyone on the allrecipe website gave it great reviews so I gave it a whirl. I didn't have coconut extract so I substituted with almond. I think it would have been good either way. I loved this cake because the cake in and of its self was so sweet and yummy. I didn't make the glaze since I used it as a cupcake. Some reviews said the glaze was a bit much and I personally loved it layered with real whipped cream and sliced strawberries. Holy cow! SOOO good! I know I did this for valentines but I think with fresh strawberries it'd be perfect for Easter.

Ingredients

Cake

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

3 cups white sugar

5 eggs, beaten

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1 teaspoon rum flavored extract

1 teaspoon butter flavored extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1/2 teaspoon rum flavored extract

1/2 teaspoon butter flavored extract

* 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 10 inch tube pan. In a small bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Set aside. In a measuring cup, combine the milk and 1 teaspoon each coconut, lemon, rum, butter and vanilla extracts; set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening and 3 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat until smooth. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared pan.

3. Bake for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, or until cak

e tests done. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.

4. Turn cake out of pan onto wire rack. Place waxed paper under rack to catch glaze drippings. Slowly spoon Five Flavor Glaze onto top of hot cake. Cool completely.

5. To make the Five Flavor Glaze: In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, water and 1/2 teaspoon each coconut, lemon, rum, butter and vanilla extracts. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Pasta With Fresh Tomatoes

My mother also made dishes like this all the time growing up. We had lots of tomatoes to eat up from our garden and this was a great way to do it.

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta
4-6 TB olive oil
Peeled, chopped fresh tomatoes ( I don't think we bothered to peel)
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 tsp. chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

cook pasta and drain. Immediately toss with remaining ingredients

Variations:

You may want to add some of the following: 1 clove finely minced garlic, 1/2 cup sliced ripe olives, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, 3 TB chopped Italian parsley

Italian Endive and Bean Soup

I remember eating this as a kid and loving it...yes, I was a little odd. I still crave it. Now I finally have the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup white beans, cooked
1 head of curly endive, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 49.5 oz. can of rich chicken broth
1 can water
2 TB olive oil

Directions:

Wash endive well and cool til tender. Drain. In large pot saute garlic in oil until lightly golden brown. Add broth, water, beans, and endive. Heat together fro about 10 minutes to blend flavors. Sprinkle in some fresh ground pepper. Serve. I think I sprinkled some Parmesan cheese on top when I was a kid.

Kirchik - Sauerkraut-Bulgur Soup

I grew up in little Armenia in southern Cali. Seriously 3/4 the population was from Armenia. Maybe that is what drew my mother to this Armenian soup. She made this for us when we were kids and we all loved it. Us smiths love our sour. It is really good. really good. Trust me!

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cups tomato puree
1 large russet potato diced
1/2 cup bulgur, fine grade
2 quarts rich chicken stock
salt
pepper
sliced green pepper
parsley
sour cream

Directions:

In 5 quart pot saute onion in butter until golden. In bowl soak sauerkraut in water, drain and chop. Add onions and cook until done, adding water if mixture gets too dry. Add tomato puree, Saute 5 to 7 minutes.

Add potatoes, bulgur and stock and cook 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with sliced green pepper and parsley. Makes 4 servings.

*I think we had it with sour cream too.

Elegant Eggnog Dessert

My mother knows I like to bake and make treats for people just as much as she does so she sent this one to me to try and to let her know how it turned out. I am saving this treasure to try next holiday season and it will be tried! To me it sounds like a glorious heart attack I am very much looking forward to having.I love it and I haven't even tried it yet. She found it here.

Ingredients:

1 can (13-1/2 ounces) Pirouette cookies

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

2 cups cold eggnog

2 cups cold milk

2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix

1/2 teaspoon rum extract

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Cut each cookie into 2 2-1/2-in. sections; set aside. Crush remaining 1-inch pieces. In a small bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, cracker crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the eggnog, milk, pudding mixes, extract and nutmeg until smooth. Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into pudding mixture. Spoon over crust. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Just before serving, remove sides of pan. Arrange reserved cookies around dessert and press gently into sides. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12 servings.

* Note: This recipe was tested with commercially prepared eggnog. Reduced-fat eggnog is not recommended.

Yorkshire Pudding

My brother-in-law served his mission in England and so my mother made this for him with her super yummy herb crusted Roast to bring him back a little bit. I really want to try this someday since I am mostly have English blood flowing in my veins. Plus I hear it is good. The recipe reminds me of a savory version of German pancakes.

Yorkshire Pudding

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Thirty minutes before standing roast is done prepare pudding. Heat square pan (9x9x2) in oven along with roast. Mix all ingredients with hand beater just until smooth. Remove roast from oven and spoon off drippings and add melted butter if needed to measure 1/2 cup.

Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Return roast to the oven. Place hot drippings in the heated square pan and pour the Yorkshire pudding batter on top. Bake 10 minutes. Cut pudding into squares and serve with roast.

Herb Rubbed Sirloin Tip Roast

This is from my mother. She made it for Christmas to be a little different. She and everyone there raved about it. She said it was because dinner was two hours late so they were starving by the time they got to eat. But I think it was probably good no matter what because even the vegetarians loved it. I am looking forward to trying it soon!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 TB paprika
1 TB Kosher salt
1 TB garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 TB olive oil
1 3 lb. sirloin tip roast

Directions:

In a small bowl mix the paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, and thyme. Stir int eh olive oil and all mixture to sit about 15 minutes.

preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil

Place the roast on the prepared baking sheet, and cover on all sides with eh spice mixture.

Roast 50 minuets in the preheated oven or until the internal temperature is 145 degrees F. Let sit 15 minutes before slicing.

*can be used on other cuts of meat (pork, chicken, ...) my mother thought that sage could be substituted for the oregano if I wanted too.

Fondant

So I tried my hand at fondant. I didn't realize how dry it has to be to get it to to it highest degree of manageability. But I think I figured it out half way through a major cake project. Now that I know what I am doing I think I will have fun playing with it many more times to come!

This simple fondant recipe uses ingredients which are probably already in your pantry. It's softer than our standard fondant recipe with a very sweet taste that kids love.

Ingredients:

1 package (16oz) mini marshmallows (good quality brand)
2-5 TB water (substitute flavoring for a portion of the water it make sit so much yummier)
2 pounds sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup solid vegetable shorting

Makes about 2 lbs.

Instructions:

To make marshmallow fondant, place marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds on high; stir until mixed well. Continue microwaving 30 seconds more; stir again. Continue until melted (about 2 1/2 minutes). If I am doing a lot of one color I like to add my coloring at this point. The color of the marshmallow will not be diminished much at all my the powdered sugar so it is a easy way to get even color without getting your hand all colored terribly by trying to fold it in later.

Place 3/4 of the confectioners' sugar on top of the melted marshmallow mixture. Fold sugar into marshmallow mixture. Place solid vegetable shortening in easily accessed bowl so you can reach into it with fingers as you are working. Grease hands and counter GENEROUSLY; turn marshmallow mixture onto counter. Start kneading like you would dough. Continue kneading, adding additional confectioners' sugar and re-greasing hands and counter so the fondant doesn't stick. If the marshmallow fondant is tearing easily, it is too dry; add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time) kneading until fondant forms a firm, smooth elastic ball that will stretch without tearing, about 8 minutes.

It's best to allow Marshmallow Fondant to sit, double-wrapped, overnight. Prepare the fondant for storing by coating with a thin layer of solid vegetable shortening, wrap in plastic wrap and then place in resealable bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible. Marshmallow Fondant will keep well in refrigerator for several weeks. If it gets to hard to work with you can always throw it int he microwave for a few seconds to make it softer...great when you have to roll out a large sheet!

When not working with fondant, make sure to keep it covered with plastic wrap or in a bag to prevent it from drying out. When ready to use, knead fondant until smooth. Roll out fondant 1/8 in. thick.

To color fondant: If you need to tint the entire batch of fondant, add a little icing color to the melted marshmallow mixture before adding confectioners' sugar. For smaller amounts of tinted fondant, add icing color to portions of fondant as needed.

For a small batch:

1 cup mini marshmallows packed

1 TB water

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups confectioners sugar

Make as listed above.

French Dip Sandwiches

I found a great recipe and then made it my own...I LOVE these. The best I have ever had. Someday make this and you will be so happy you did. YUMMY!

Ingredients:

1 medium onion cut in half and sliced and separated

3 garlic cloves minced

3 Tbs. Butter

Water to cover roast

2-3 TBs beef bullion

1 ½ tsp oregano

½ tsp pepper

3 lbs. beef tender roast

Long Whole wheat rolls

Smoked sliced Provolone or sharp cheddar

Directions:

In a slow cooker melt butter while on high as you chop ingredients. Then add onion, garlic, herbs, bullion and stir and let cook slightly. Then add the roast and water to mostly cover roast. Let cook all day until the meat is shred-able. Turn the roast throughout the day and the last 1 or so let it cook with the lid off to let the juices reduce a bit. When done remove roast and shred. Taste broth and adjust flavor. Then heat rolls in the oven a little bit. Slice in half and place the cheese inside put the meat back in crock pot. Right before serving drain some juice into wide mouth cups for people to dip the their sandwiches in. Place meat in sandwich and then dip it to have sandwich heaven!

* When I am trying to be healthier I put my meat on shredded lettuce and put a little grated provolone on top. Still good not as good.

Thai Basil Chicken

I got this recipe from Cook's Illustrated December 2009 edition. CI is American Test Chicken's Monthly Magazine. I love them. Such good food to be had!

The only problem making this dish is that you cant find Thai basil easily. My mom has a plant at her house so I will have to ask her where she bought the seeds and plant some of my own. But don't distress this recipe was written for Italian basil using Americans and is still so dang good! LOVE IT!

*American Test Kitchen Recipes are not for those who don't like cooking. They are all about getting the best taste not about one pan cooking. Lucky for me I like going dishes, I love cooking, and I love sharing my masterpieces with my family thus I appreciate them very much.

Note: This is a mild version of the Thai stir fry. It is a slow Thai stir-fry contrary to the super hot Chinese version. What makes Thai heat so delicious is the sugar they add to almost every dish. if you amp up the heat amp up the sugar too and if you cut back on heat cut back on the sugar. The ratio of heat to sugar is important in Thai food.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
2 green Serrano chilies or 6 Red Thai chilies, stemmed (cut out seeds) leave in the seeds if you
want it really hot.
1 TB fish sauce
1 tsp white rice vinegar
1 TB oyster sauce * I did not have so I added 1 TB sweet soy sauce and then omitted the sugar
1 TB sugar
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast chopped super fine * I asked the butcher to chop mine for me
but you can put it into a food processor and mince it yourself at home if you want. I used 1 1/2 lbs.
3 medium Shallots, peeled and thinly sliced (about 3/4 cups)
2 TB vegetable oil

1.) Process one cup basil leaves, garlic, and chilies in food processor until finely chopped.Transfer 1 TB of the basil mixture to a small bowl and stir in 1 TB fish sauce, 1 TB oyster sauce, vinegar, and sugar; set aside. Transfer remaining basil mixture to 12 inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet.

2.) Add 1 TB fish sauce and 1 TB water to food processor and turn on letting the liquid clean and gather the basil mixture. Pour over the minced chicken and cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. OR if you are mincing your chicken in the processor add the chicken cut into 2x2 inch cubes into the "dirty" processor with the basil traces and then added 1 TB fish sauce. Pulse 6 to eight times. Transfer to another bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

3.) Stir shallots and oil into basil mixture on skillet. Heat over med-low heat after 1 1/2 min the mixture should start to sizzle if it dosen't in that time change heat accordingly. Stir constantly until garlic and shallots are golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

4.) Add chicken, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring and breaking up chicken until only a few traces of pink remain, 2 to 4 minutes. Add reserve basil-fish sauce mixture and continue to cook stirring constantly, until all traces of pink are gone. Add the remaining cup basil leaves and cook 30 to 60 seconds until the basil leaves are wilted. Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.

In Thailand they serve it with fish sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes and vinegar as condiments for people to add to the dish as they like.

Best EVER Sugar Cookies

I did not like sugar cookies. They were sort of fun to decorate and no fun to eat. blah. In my book they were a total waste of sugar and flour. I did however make them for the kids because they loved them and really loved decorating them.However it was a chore for me. BUT THEN I tasted my girl friend's sugar cookies and I FELL in L-O-V-E. These are the best sugar cookies in the world. Seriously, I cant stop eating them. Here is the go-to recipe if you want yummy sugar cookies. Please try next time you want to make sugar cookies. YUM!

* if you are a sugar cookie artisan and you want them prettier then they taste this is not the recipe for you. Otherwise these are THE ONES!

Sugar Cookies

1 cup Butter

2 cups Sugar

1 tbsp Vanilla

Cream together in a very large bowl.

Then add:

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Salt

5 – 5 ½ flour - added a little at a time.

When mostly mixed add in

1 cup Sour Cream

mix well. If you are doing shapes wrap entire dough in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour. Roll out and cut out shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. If you want rounds roll dough into logs and then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate one hour and then cut dough into slices and bake for Bake 8-10minutes at 350 degrees.

Thai chicken Satay

This is a American Favorite of Thai food. I have made many American versions but this was my first time trying to make the real deal. Oh, it really tasted like good Thai food this way. Stewart said it tasted just like the real Thai thing. I didn't BBQ so I added some liquid Smoke to the marinade to give it a little smokey flavor and I broiled the satay in my oven flipping once. It is so nice to have this dish when you are eating a hot Thai main dish it really helps cool down your mouth.

I found this authentic recipe on the best Thai cooking resource for Americans; ImportFoods.com to see their helpful links for this recipe follow this link; Satay with Peanut sauce

Chicken Satay

Ingredients

1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 pound chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and cut into bite sized pieces.
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon curry powder
pinch turmeric powder (as only a colorant, so very little!)
8 tablespoons coconut milk
3 tablespoons palm sugar

Directions

The chicken is beaten flat, using the flat of the blade of a heavy cleaver or using a meat tenderizing mallet. You can also use a rolling pin.

The coriander and cumin are toasted and then crushed in a mortar and pestle. The ingredients are then combined to form a marinade, and the chicken is marinated overnight. The pieces of chicken are then threaded on the 12" satay sticks, loosely folding them in half and piercing through the folded meat to form a loose gather.

The completed sticks are then grilled, broiled or barbequed on fairly high heat (they taste best done over charcoal, as they absorb the smoke). Turn them regularly and brush them liberally with the remaining marinade. Cooking should take between 5 and 10 minutes depending on the heat of your cooker.

Nam jim satay (Peanut Sauce).

A peanut dressing accompanies these snacks. A quick and delicious substitute to the recipe below is our Satay Seasoning Mix (Peanut Sauce Mix). Imported from Thailand and made of the finest quality ingredients.


Ingredients

4 ounces of roasted (unsalted) peanuts
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ounce chopped onion
1-2 tablespoon red or massaman curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
8 tablespoons coconut milk
4-6 teaspoons lime juice (to taste).
2-3 teaspoons palm sugar.

Directions

First grind or crush the peanuts to a fairly fine powder. Then combine them with the remaining ingredients (except the lime juice), to form a smooth sauce. If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it with a little chicken stock. Now add the lime juice, tasting as you progress to check the balance of flavors is correct.

Spicey Spinach and Artichoke dip

My favorite party dip of all time. I found it on All Recipes. Sooooo good! Everyone loves it!

Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chilies,drained

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 (12 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/4 cup canned chopped jalapeno peppers, drained

1 (10 ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.Mix together the cream cheese and mayonnaise in a bowl until smooth. Stir in the green chilies, Parmesan cheese, artichokes, peppers, and spinach. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish.

3.Bake in preheated oven until slightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Thai Beef Salad, Nam Tok

My mother found the the ultimate Thai cooking website and we are hooked! If you like Thai food this is the go-to recipe guide. Everything we have made from here is the best we have ever had. Seriously...at least for me maybe not stew. :) It is called Import Foods You can buy almost everything on their site to make the dishes and they have video of Thai vendors cooking the dishes so you can really see how it is done. FABULOUS!

This is one of Stewart's all time favorite dishes ever. It is an intensive recipe for the novice so I made Stewart make it all by himself. He loved making it and eating it too. It is at its very best when eaten while still very warm. In Thai language, nam tok is a waterfall. This dish is usually cooked using a barbeque (the juices drip onto charcoal hence the name waterfall) but you can fry or broil the beef just as well. It should be cooked rare to start with. Click here if you're interested in our instant nam tok mix.

Nam Tok

Ingredients:

You need a 1 pound steak, cut fairly thick.

Marinade

1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate mixed with 3 teaspoons water
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped Thai chile peppers or if you cant get these use Sanaro peppers instead

Mix the marinade, coat the steak with it and marinade it for at least 3 hours.

The steak is then barbecued, broiled or grilled until on the rare side of medium rare, cut into half inch thick strips and the strips cut into bite sized pieces. The meat can be kept cool until just before you want to eat.

Remaining ingredients

1/3 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup lime juice - ours was little too sour so we will use a little less next time, we had super juicy limes
2-3 tablespoons chopped shallots
2-3 tablespoons chopped coriander/cilantro (including the roots if possible)
2-3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons khao koor (see below)
1 tablespoon freshly roasted/fried sesame seeds
1-3 teaspoons freshly ground dried red Thai chilis.

Khao Koor: get a medium sized wok (or skillet is you don't have a wok) fairly hot, and add a couple of tablespoons of uncooked jasmine rice. Keep in movement until the rice starts to turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Grind to a fairly coarse powder in a spice mill, or a mortar and pestle, or a pepper mill or a good clean coffee grinder (all of these work well but keep in mind that a coffee grinder tends to grind too fine--the powder should retain some "texture") We also offer ready-made Khao Koor in premium quality Hand Brand.

Directions

In a wok bring a little oil to medium high heat and add the strips of beef, immediately followed by all the remaining ingredients. Stir fry until heated through (about a minute).

Serve with Thai sticky rice, or as part of a meal with pad Thai and a soup such as tom yum koong (hot and sour shrimp soup).

Enjoy. This is one of our all-time favorites.

Thai sweet sticky rice with mango, "Khao Neeo Mamuang"

My mother found the the ultimate Thai cooking website and we are hooked! If you like Thai food this is the go-to recipe guide. Everything we have made from here is the best we have ever had. Seriously...at least for me maybe not stew. :) It is called Import Foods You can buy almost everything on their site to make the dishes and they have video of Thai vendors cooking the dishes so you can really see how it is done. FABULOUS!

"Khao Neeo Mamuang"
Thai sweet coconut sticky rice with mango

A very sweet treat you'll absolutely love. Be sure to start with a mango that's nice and ripe, with a slight give to the touch. We like the Mexican mango sold throughout the year in the United States. These are tasty and sweet but not as fragrant as most Thai mangoes. The mango flesh should be bright and yellow, and we have detailed photos below showing you how to properly peel and slice them using a proper Thai Mango Peeler.

Ingredients
2 cups sticky rice
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ripe mangoes, cut into thick slices (see below)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon tapioca starch (optional - to me at least)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Prepare the 2 cups sticky rice as per our detailed instructions. While sticky rice is steaming, mix together 1.5 cups coconut milk, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Set aside to cool (for a more fancy preparation, you can strain the coconut milk in a cheesecloth before setting to cool, but this is not necessary). Immediately after sticky rice is cooked, and still hot, put it into the coconut sauce and stir together well. Cover for 1 hour (or less is ok) and let cool.


Topping
Mix 1/2 cup coconut milk with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar and the tapioca starch. Bring to a boil.

Put the sticky rice and mangoes on a serving dish. Pour the topping sauce over the sticky rice and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!