Jambalaya

Jambalaya (my picture)

Jambalaya is so yummy. I substitute chicken for ham, but this feeds us for 2 dinners and lunches (or like 6 people if you’re having people over). Because it doesn’t take too much meat, I usually buy it and then freeze half so I can easily whip up some more with only buying the vegetables.

Ingredients:

  • 6 tablespoons butter 
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions 
  • 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions 
  • 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and julienne 
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped celery 
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic 
  • 1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 
  • 1/2 pound cubed boiled ham  (I substituted chicken)
  • 1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (optional) 
  • 1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed with the can juices 
  • 1 cup chicken broth 
  • Salt and cayenne 
  • 2 bay leaves 
  • 1 cup long-grain rice, uncooked 
  • Hot sauce 

Heat the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, until they are soft and lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the shrimp and ham, and sausage if using. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink. Stir in the tomatoes and chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and cayenne. Add the bay leaves and the rice. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and serve. Pass the hot sauce!

Bubbly Champagne Cupcakes

Bubbly Champagne Cupcakes (picture from Pizzazzerie)

These are my favorite cupcakes. They are easy and pretty. You can decorate with anything. Also, because cupcakes don’t cook long enough for the alcohol to cook off, I will substitute with seltzer and regular frosting/buttercream. The bubbles make the cupcakes just a little airier and lighter. These are especially great cupcakes if you want to get creative with the decorations.

For the Cupcakes:

  • 1 box white cake mix 
  • 3 large egg whites 
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil 
  • 1 1/4 cups champagne 
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract 

For the Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 
  • 4 cups powdered sugar 
  • 6 tablespoons champagne

For the Decorations:

  • white sixlets 
  • white gumballs 
  • white pearl sugar sprinkles 
  • disco dust 

Instructions 
Preheat oven to 350 °F and line muffin tin with cupcake liners. In an electric mixer, combine cake mix and champagne. Add oil, eggs, and almond extract. Beat on low for 30 seconds and then medium for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly combined. Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden on top (and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean). For buttercream frosting, cream softened butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, incorporating after each addition. add champagne and beat for 2 minutes on medium, until light and fluffy. If you want a stiffer frosting, add more powdered sugar. If you want a looser frosting, add more champagne. Frost cooled cupcakes with buttercream and decorate with piped frosting bubbles and candy bubbles. Top with a shimmer of disco dust!

Lobster Rolls with Lemon Vinaigrette and Garlic Butter

We are not fans of mayo-based anything so it was refreshing to try these lobster rolls. They are perfect for us.

Lobster Roll (photo from Sugar & Spice by Celeste)

Lobster Rolls with Lemon Vinaigrette and Garlic Butter (Gourmet July 2009)

Ingredients

  • 4 (1 1/4- to 1 1/2-lb) live lobsters
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped peeled celery
  • 1/4 cup celery leaves
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 6 hot dog buns, preferably top-split
  • Accompaniment: lemon wedges

Directions: Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-high heat. (I simply put the buns under the broiler in the oven….instead of using a grill.) Plunge 2 lobsters headfirst into a large pot of salted boiling water and cook, partially covered, over medium-high heat 8 minutes (for 1 1/4-lb lobsters) to 9 minutes (for 1 1/2-lb lobsters) from time they enter water. Transfer with tongs to an ice bath and let stand until completely cooled. Return water to a boil and cook and cool remaining 2 lobsters. Remove meat from claws, joints, and tails. Save carcasses, shells, and any roe for another use (see “To Make Lobster Stock” and “To Make Lobster Oil”). Coarsely chop meat. Whisk together lemon juice, oil, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl. Whisk in scallions, celery, celery leaves, and parsley, then add lobster and gently toss. Season with salt. Melt butter with garlic in a small saucepan over low heat, mashing garlic with a spoon. Brush inside of buns with garlic butter. Grill, buttered side down, until golden, about 1 minute. Fill buns with lobster.

Cooks’ notes: Lobsters can be cooked 1 day ahead. Remove meat from shells and chill. Buns can be grilled in a lightly oiled hot 2-burner grill pan over medium heat or toasted in a 350ºF oven 5 to 7 minutes.

Romano Chicken with Lemon Garlic Pasta

Romano Chicken with Lemon Garlic Pasta (photo from Kitchen Nostalgia)

Ingredients

ROMANO CHICKEN:

  • 1/2 lb chicken breasts, butterflied or thinly cut into cutlets
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese
  • 1 egg
  • dry parsley
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, homemade or store-bought
  • oil for frying – I used combination of olive oil and sunflower oil

LEMON GARLIC PASTA:

  • 1/2 lb linguine or spaghetti or other pasta
  • Juice from 1 lemon, or to taste
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Zest from 1/4 lemon
  • 2 Tbsp butter, cold
  • 2–3 Tbsp whipping cream, or to taste
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

CHICKEN ROMANO

  1. Place parmesan cheese in a shallow dish. In another dish, put beaten egg with dry parsley; in third dish put panko bread crumbs.
  2. Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper; dredge with parmesan cheese, dip into beaten egg; press the chicken in panko bread crumbs to coat on both sides; shake off the excess.
  3. Heat olive oil in a pan; add chicken cutlets and cook on low heat until golden and cooked through.

LEMON GARLIC PASTA

  1. Cook pasta according to package direction; drain (reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water).
  2. Add lemon juice to a pan; add garlic, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook until liquid is reduced to about half.
  3. Add 1 Tbsp butter and slowly melt into your sauce, while swirling the pan; add another 1 Tbsp butter and repeat; stir in whipping cream and about 2 Tbsp pasta water.
  4. Add cooked pasta and toss to combine. Serve romano chicken over lemon garlic pasta.

This Romano Chicken with Lemon Garlic Pasta only feeds 2 so we quadruple it to feed us for a couple of nights. It’s a big hit with the crispy fried chicken and the garlic cream sauce. Maybe it’s not an every week dinner, but it’s really tasty when we do have it.

Vanilla Cake

Chocolate Vanilla Cake

This is one of the yummiest vanilla cake recipes I’ve ever made. I made it into a layered cake with jam dividing the layers. It’s not the best for that type of recipe because the cake will suck up all the jam, but it still works and is still delicious. I’ve also used it as in a cakelet and a loaf pan.

Ingredients

  • 4 whole eggs, separated, at room temperature
  • 3 egg whites, at room temperature
  • 2 1/4 cups sugar, divided
  • ¾ cup butter, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup shortening
  • 1 tbs pure vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp lemon extract (optional)
  • 3 cups cake flour (To make cake flour, replace 2 tbsp of flour with cornstarch per cup. So, for this recipe, add all the flour to a bowl, remove 6 tbsp and then add 6 tbsp of cornstarch. Whisk well to combine.)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
  • 1 cup buttermilk, full fat, at room temperature

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 325. Grease and flour three or four 8 or 9 inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with a round of parchment paper that is also slathered with a bit of butter or shortening.
  2. Separate the 4 whole eggs, placing the 4 yolks in a small bowl and the whites in a separate medium size bowl. Add the 3 additional egg whites to the other 4 for a total of 7 egg whites. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy. (*See note.) Slowly pour in 1/4 cup of the sugar, beating as you pour. Continue to beat until the meringue is glossy and stiff peaks form when you lift the whisk from the beaten egg whites. Set aside.
  3. Fit the standing mixer with the paddle attachment and cream the butter, shortening and remaining 2 cups of sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl a time or two. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
  4. Add 2 of the egg yolks and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining 2 egg yolks, beat for about 20 seconds, until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  5. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg to a large bowl and mix with a wire whisk just to combine.
  6. Beating on low speed, add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the flour: 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the buttermilk, 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the buttermilk, 1/3 of the flour. With each addition, beat on low speed, just long enough to incorporate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
  7. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter just until distributed. You should still see some streaks of egg white throughout the batter. Do not over mix.
  8. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. If baking 3 layers, bake for 40-50 min. If baking four layers, bake for 30-35 minutes. When done, the cakes will be golden brown and pulling away from the sides of the pan. To check for doneness, stick a toothpick into the center of one of the layers. Remove the toothpick and look for signs of raw batter. If only cake crumbs stick to the toothpick, the cake is done. You can also scoop a tiny amount of cake from the center of one of the layers to check for doneness. (You’ll be covering the cake with frosting anyway.)
  9. Let the cakes cool on wire racks for 5 minutes in the pan, then gently turn them out of the pans onto the wire racks to cool completely. If you don’t plan on frosting the layers immediately, wrap each tightly with plastic wrap. The layers can be stored at room temperature for 1 day, or frozen for up to 2 months.

We used this buttercream and not the one in the above link:

Buttercream

Ingredients

  • 1 cup salted butter, room temperature
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Butter Vanilla Bakery Emulsion (or vanilla extract)
  • 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Instructions

  1.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, add butter. Beat butter on medium speed with the whisk attachment for about 1 minute, until butter is smooth.
  2. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar, and beat until combined. Repeat with 1 more cup.
  3. Add bakery emulsion and heavy whipping cream and beat until combined.
  4. Add the remaining powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating until combined after each addition.
  5. Beat for about one additional minute, until frosting is thickened, smooth, and fluffy.
  6. The frosting should be smooth and fluffy, but stiff enough to hold its shape. If it’s too stiff, add more whipping cream, half a tablespoon at a time, until you achieve the desired texture (2-3 tablespoons total).

Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes

This is one of the best cupcake recipes I’ve ever had. It is a lot of work, but they are delicious. Next time, I want to do a better job with the buttercream, but they were good considering it was my first time making swiss meringue buttercream.

Ingredients

Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes (photo from One Sarcastic Baker)

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • 6 Large Egg whites
  • 1 1/4 Cup Sugar (250 g / 8.5 oz)
  • 1/4 tsp Cream of tartar
  • 2 Cups Unsalted butter, soft (454 g / 16 oz)
  • 20 Oreo Cookies

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • 1 1/2 Cup AP Flour (180 g / 6 oz)
  • 1/2 Cup + 2TBS Cocoa powder (65 g / 2.5 oz)
  • 1 1/8 tsp Baking Powder
  • 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1 Large Egg yolk
  • 3/4 Cup Milk (180 ml / 6 oz)
  • 1/3 Cup Canola Oil (90 ml / 3 oz)
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 1/3 Cup Sugar (275 g / 10 oz)
  • 2/3 Cup Boiling Water (150 ml / 5 oz)

Instructions

To Make the Buttercream

  1. In a bowl of a standing mixer, pour the sugar then add the egg whites and cream of tartar. Use a hand whisk to blend it all.
  2. Place the bowl on top of a pot with simmering water on the stove. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.
  3. Use a hand whisk to stir the mix and cook until it reaches 130F or when the sugar has dissolved.
  4. Remove bowl from stove and back to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
  5. Mix until a stiff meringue has formed and the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch of your hand.
  6. Reduce speed to low-medium and add the butter a piece at a time, gradually increase speed to medium-high and mix until a smooth creamy buttercream has formed.
  7. Measure 1 cup of buttercream and place in a medium bowl
  8. Separate the Oreos cookies remove and place the filling in the bowl with the small amount of buttercream.
  9. Use a fork or a hand whisk to blend the filling and buttercream then in a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
  10. Place the separated cookies in a food processor and process it into a very fine meal. Remove and lumps or large pieces you notice.
  11. Sprinkle the ground Oreos on top of the buttercream and mix until a cohesive buttercream has formed.
  12. Fill a large piping bag fitted with a large tip (your choice of shape).

Baking The Cupcakes

  1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix to blend.
  2. In a bowl of a standing mixer, place the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla pour the sugar on top then add the dry ingredients.
  3. Use the paddle attachment to mix on low until completely smooth then pour the boiling water and mixing carefully until smooth. Let sit for 15 minutes. (do not over mix)
  4. Fill cupcakes liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick comes out dry from the center of the cupcakes.
  5. Preheat oven to 350F, line 1-12 cup muffin tines with cupcakes liners.
  6. Remove from stove and allow to completely cool before filling and decorating.

Filling and piping the cupcakes

  1. Using a sharp knife, cut an inch sized circle at the center of each cupcake. Make sure you insert the knife 1″ deep and as you cut around, create a cone-shaped piece you can easily remove.
  2. Use the white buttercream to fill the center of the cupcakes then the dark buttercream to pipe the cupcake.