Chocolate Angel Food Cake

Okay, okay. I haven't been very consistent with posting. I just do picture-dumps occasionally when I have some time and upload my photos and realize that hey, I actually took pictures of things I cooked or baked or whatever! I should upload them in bulk (and possibly forget about them)! I made this a while ago when my college roommate Lucy came to visit me in SF. She's not a fan of cake with frosting, and I know she's made angel food cake before, so I decided to give it a try.

I don't think I even know what angel food cake is supposed to taste like, but this didn't really fulfill my expectations. It was decent, but there was something about it (maybe the lack of a huge pile of frosting?) that made it not my ideal cake.

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

Recipe from u Try.it

Preheat oven to 325 degree F.  Place un-greased angel food cake pan on the baking sheet.  

In a large mixing bowl, sift cake flour, cocoa powder and 3/4 cup of sugar together.  

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites, water, cream of tartar and salt together until foamy.   Then, add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in a steady stream. 

Add coffee mixture and vanilla extract, beat until stiff peak forms.

Sprinkle 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the dry ingredient mixture onto the egg white mixture.  With a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredient into the meringue.  Be careful not to deflate the foam.

Pour batter into a 9 1/2-inch un-greased angel food cake pan. A 10-inch pan would work just as find if that's what you've got.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of the cake and comes out clean.  Then, invert cake pan on a wiring rack too cool for at least one hour, or until completely cooled.  This step is to ensure the cake stays nice and tall in the cooling process.

French Onion Chicken Sandwich

I wanted an easy, laid-back, delicious meal and this looked delicious so I gave it a shot. Also seasoned the chicken before I cooked it up. It was pretty good! Yes, simple, but super easy! Might want to try flavoring the onions a little differently or adding some kind of extra sauce, or not burning the buns...haha. But pretty yummy and the onions smelled spectacular!

French Onion Chicken Sandwich

Recipe from Foxes Love Lemons

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large white onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved crosswise and pounded to 1-inch thickness, if necessary

Nonstick cooking spray

4 slices Swiss cheese

4 hamburger buns

2 cups baby spinach

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sugar; cook 25 minutes or until onions are deeply caramelized, stirring frequently. This step can be done up to 3 days in advance. Re-warm onions in microwave or in a small pan on grill before proceeding.

Preheat grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat. Spray chicken with nonstick spray. Transfer chicken to hot grill rack; cover and cook 10 minutes or until chicken loses its pink color throughout and internal temperature reaches 160º, turning once.

Place cheese slices on chicken pieces. Cover and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown. Build sandwiches using hamburger buns, spinach, chicken and caramelized onions.

Czech Pork Chops with Bread Dumplings and Cabbage

Wowowow can I make this again right now? Can I eat this every night for the rest of my life? PLEASE?

It takes a little longer than I'd usually like to spend on a meal but TOTALLY 100% WORTH IT. When I went to Prague a few years ago, my favorite meal was pork butt with bread dumplings and sauerkraut. This came pretty darn close and was absolutely 100% what I was looking for. Make this, please. Please please please. And invite me over to try. Ohh wow yum.

Czech Pork Chops with Bread Dumplings and Cabbage

Recipe from K&L Food Blog

For pork:

4 pork chops

salt, pepper

1 cup vegetable broth

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp vegetable oil

For dumplings:

2 cups plain flour

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

pinch salt

pinch sugar

10g fresh yeast

1 bread roll (I used 4 small dinner rolls)

For the cabbage:

About 2 pounds white/green cabbage

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp onion

2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp vinegar

1 cup vegetable broth

cumin, sugar

vinegar

salt, pepper

For the dumplings: Mix bit of flour (about a fourth of a cup) with yeast, sugar and some lukewarm milk, leave for few minutes until yeast start to rise. Cut roll into cubes and place in the bowl along with rest of the milk and egg, mix all ingredients. Now add flour, yeast with milk, salt and stir everything together. Knead the resulting dough just as you would when making bread. Let the dough rest in a warm place to rise for an hour. Now divide the dough into 2, 3 parts and form rolls, leave again to raise for 30 minutes. Boil one at a time in a large pot with boiling, salted water for around 7-8 minutes on each side, then take out and cut with very sharp knife or length of thread.

For pork: Clean and wash meat, then season with salt and pepper. Place on a pan and fry on oil on both sides, then pour the broth and cook for few minutes until soft and tender. At the end thicken the sauce with flour and some water, season again.

For the cabbage: Wash cabbage, shred it finely. Place in a saucepan, and cover with broth, simmer. In another saucepan, melt butter, fry chopped onions until golden. Add cabbage, salt, pepper, cumin, sugar and vinegar, sprinkle with flour and cook until soft. 

Tilapia with Strawberry Salsa

Week 2 of Happy and I cooking together (this time girls only!), we decided to make tilapia. WOW. SO EASY. WOW. SO GOOD. I will be making this again asap because it was soooo yummy. I love fish, and I love fruit, so fish + fruit = omnomnom. And it looked beautiful to boot! While I whipped up the fish and salsa, Happy handled the rice and salad--the rice was soo good, she stuck in a whole 2 cups of fresh mushrooms to make it magical.

The recipe calls for grilling the fish and the original calls for baking--I pan fried mine easily.

Tilapia with Strawberry Salsa

Recipe from Pasta Princess and More

2 tilapia fillets

1 tbsp butter

1 tsps lemon juice

5 large strawberries, de-topped and finely chopped

1 tbsp finely chopped white onion

2 tsps lime juice

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped or 1 tablespoon Thai Red Chili Sauce

Mix the strawberries, onion, jalapeno, ginger, lime juice and red wine vinegar together. Stir well and let sit in the fridge for at least 15 mins so the flavors can mingle.

Generously season each fillet, pour lemon juice over both and place 1/2 tbsp of butter on each. Grill until fish turns opaque and flakes easily.

Serve with a spoonful of salsa.

Gordon Ramsay's Pork Chops with Sweet 'n Sour Peppers

My roommate, Happy, and I have decided to do this awesome weekly girls-night event where we cook together and (ideally, though I've been on a little break) drink wine and watch horrible reality television or gossip or just whatever, have girl time plus cats. Sounds like a great idea! The first night we did this we actually also had my boyfriend, Adam, joining us, which was fine because we made way too much food. This recipe was absolutely FAAABULOUSS probably because of all the butter buuut you can make it healthier. Pretty easy too!

Gordon Ramsay's Pork Chops with Sweet 'n Sour Peppers

Recipe from My Kitchen of Love

For the pork chop:

2 pork chops

Olive oil, for frying

2 garlic cloves, crushed with skin on

Small bunch of thyme

Few knobs of butter

For the sweet & sour peppers:

Olive oil, for frying

1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 red peppers, thinly sliced

Sea salt

Ground pepper

1 tbs caster sugar

3 tbs red wine vinegar

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Small bunch of basil leaves, shredded

Heat some olive oil over a large frying pan on high heat, then add onion and peppers. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and saute for 4-5 minutes until soft and colored.

Add the vinegar and let it bubble for a few minutes until it has reduced. Turn down the heat, add the extra virgin olive oil and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Stir in the shredded basil and continue to cook for 30 seconds, then turn on the heat. Transfer to a bowl and leave to infuse.

To prepare the pork chop, use the sharp knife to make cuts into the fat, making sure that it’s not into the meat. Season with salt & pepper on both sides, rub and push well into the skin.

Heat the frying pan over high heat until hot & add a dash of oil, then tip in the pork chops, garlic and thyme and fry for 2-3 minutes until colored. Turn and fry for another 2-3 minutes, pushing the thyme under the chops and breaking up the garlic a little. Towards the end of cooking time, add in a generous amount of butter (you’ll love it later), lightly tilt the pan and baste the chops with melted butter as they are cooking.

Transfer the chops over a plate, with herb and garlic on top, leave it to rest for 5-10 minutes, continue basting with butter now and then. Serve the chop on top of the peppers and onions.

Caprese Pasta Salad

I'm not sure where my mom got this recipe so if you know (or mom, if you made this by yourself), let me know! I feel like my version of this recipe did not do it justice. Whenever my mom made this I LOVED it. It is SO good. The ingredients are important though: it's best with a LOT of cherry tomatoes and a LOT of mozzarella! Yum! Will definitely be making this again (with more of the aforementioned necessities)!

Caprese Pasta Salad

1 lbs penne or oriechette pasta

1/4 cups olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1pints cherry tomatoes, halved

1tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, optional

1/4 cups kalamata olives, sliced, optional

1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan for serving, more as needed

1 container bocconcini (mozzarella balls), or cut up chunks of mozzarella

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook penne according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring, until just golden, about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring until tomato juices run, about 3 min.

Add the penne, olives if using, basil, and then remove to large serving dish and toss with mozzarella balls and Parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Turkey Meatloaf with Feta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

My boyfriend told me he loved meatloaf, and I don't eat beef, so I decided to try a turkey meatloaf recipe my mom sent me a couple years ago and I never tried. It was moist, easy, and super delicious! I served it with dirty rice sans meat, and some broccoli, as per Adam's suggestion. It turned out to be a delicious and simple combination! Yum!

Turkey Meatloaf with Feta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Recipe from Giada de Laurentiis

Vegetable cooking spray

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup chopped garlic and herb-marinated sun-dried tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced, optional

2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons whole milk

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, if using, eggs, milk, feta, salt, and pepper. Add the turkey and gently stir to combine, being careful not to overwork the meat.

Carefully pack the meat mixture into the prepared pan and bake until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice. Put on a serving platter and serve.

Chicken Legs

For some reason, everybody always loves this meal. I took the hint from the fact that my younger brother loves this and used to be very picky about everything. It was never always my favorite but it's definitely good. I made it for a few friends over a month ago and I'd never made it before, but it makes a lot and the recipe (from my mom) was pretty straight forward.

I'd never cooked chicken legs before, let alone any chicken with skin, so I had no idea what it would look like through the baking process. I kept thinking it wasn't cooking right since it wasn't darkening fast enough, but after the full length of time (about an hour) they looked perfectly. It also freaked me out a little that before it was cooked, some of the skin around the feet was yellow...eww! But it makes sense that that would be completely normal, and they turned out great! Foolproof, easy recipe!

Baked Chicken Legs

Chicken Legs

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Place chicken legs on a greased baking sheet (do not use foil). Heavily season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on both sides. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until skin is darker and crispy.

Pumpkin Bread

So I was super bummed with Starbucks started carrying La Boulange instead of the regular beauteous pastries. La Boulange, at first glance, looks okay, but then you realize it's all tired and gross and just does not compare (at least in my opinion--and to be honest I didn't really try all that much, since I was mostly just bummed that they don't have the same exact pumpkin bread). So anyway, the pumpkin bread. Yeah I've seen some Starbucks carry a mini-loaf of pumpkin bread by La Boulange but it is just not the same. So I'm currently looking for the best Starbucks Pumpkin Bread Copycat Recipe.

This one is from CopyKat recipes, found only by google searching "starbucks pumpkin bread recipe". It was okay--actually, pretty darn delicious, but I still don't think it's the same. I can hardly remember the old Starbucks pumpkin bread recipe anymore. I can only hope that I remember it when I taste it! It'll probably take a helluva lot more fat and sugar than I want to add.

Still, this one was pretty good!

Pumpkin Bread

Recipe from CopyKat Recipes

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon clove

** if you are going to use pumpkin pie spice, use a scant 2 teaspoons of spice in place of the spices mentioned here

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup vegetable oil (do not use olive or peanut oil)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 to 1/2 cup roasted and salted pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl add all of the dry ingredients; flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, salt, and spices. Sift the dry ingredients together.

In a smaller bowl mix together the 2 beaten eggs, the oil, and the vanilla. 

Once the liquid ingredients are mixed well pour over the dry ingredients. Stir until the lumps are out. Do not over-stir the mixture. 

Pour into a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top of bread. 

Bake for 50 - 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center of the loaf. 

Cool for approximately 5 minutes in the pan, and then turn the pumpkin bread onto a cooling rack. The bread cuts best when allowed to cool completely.

Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus

These were pretty yummy but I definitely should have tried to cover them ore completely in Parmesan, whether it be by double dipping into the egg-whites again after the first round, or by following some other sort of direction to get the breadcrumbs to stick. But it was easy! Probably would try making it again!

Parmesan Crusted Asparagus

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen

1 bunch Asparagus

2 whole Egg Whites

1 cup Seasoned Panko Bread Crumbs

¼ cups Flour

¼ cups Parmesan Cheese

Salt And Pepper

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Lay a wire rack on a baking sheet and coat with nonstick spray.

Snap off the tough ends of each asparagus spear. On two separate plates, add the eggs whites (lightly beaten) in one, and the panko, flour, and cheese in the other. Season the panko mixture with salt and pepper if desired. Coat each asparagus spear in egg whites, then lay in the panko mixture and thoroughly cover. If the panko won’t stick, dip back in the egg whites and roll in panko once again. Lay each spear on the wire rack.

Bake at 425ºF for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.