Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake

Welp, since my last post, I found out I was pregnant. That kinda put a downer on the whole cooking thing because when you don't feel like eating, you surely do not feel inspired to cook, let alone try new recipes. I've been slowly trying to get back to cooking and experimenting with new recipes. To try to jump start my creative juices, Jimmy (the hubby) asked for a homemade ice-cream cake for his birthday. Talk about a tall order!

So, he decided on a mint chocolate chip ice-cream cake with devil's food cake as the real cake. Yum! I did a little research, and decided to combine recipes and make it up as I go along. So this is what I came up with...

Ingredients:

1        Package of Devil's Food Cake Mix with all the fixings

1        Carton of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (softened, but not too much!)

1        Package of Andes Mints (or you can use the chocolate chips)

11/2   Cups of heavy whipping cream

2        Tablespoons of powdered sugar

Cake:

Bake the cake in two 9in. spring form cake pans as directed on the box. Let cool 10 min after baking. Take out of pans and let cool completely!

Assemble cake:

Line the sides of one of the 9in cake pans with wax paper on the bottom and aluminum foil around the sides. Place one of the 9in cake circles in the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of crushed up Andes mints on top of the cake. Empty the carton of ice cream on top of the cake. Make sure to spread it out evenly. I found that the ice cream will come up to the top of the cake pan. Spread another 1/3 of Andes mints on top of the ice cream. Gently place the last cake on top. Cover and freeze overnight. 

Frosting:

Whip together the whipping cream and powered sugar. If you want a sweeter icing, just add a little more powdered sugar. Make sure to whip it until it is a thick and can make tall fluffy caps when whipping. 

Take cake out of freezer and work quickly. Take the cake out of the cake pan (it may take two people to get it out) and take off aluminum foil. Spread icing around cake, adding the last 1/3 of your crushed Andes mints on top for garnish. Put it back into the freezer for at least another 2 hours. 

Take out and enjoy!!

As you can see, I had a little difficulty with the cake melting after I had frosted the cake when it was out of the cake pan. I had only let it freeze for about 4 hours before icing, thus my recommendation to freeze overnight at a minimum. However, it was a very tasty cake! I would also add a little more powdered sugar to my icing next time, but I do like a sweeter icing. Jimmy loved the cake and ended up having two slices, even after having gone to the Japanese Steakhouse for dinner! 

Hopefully, this is my welcome back to creative baking and cooking and sharing my lessons learned. Stay tuned!!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

So, I woke up yesterday, knowing that there was nothing in the house for breakfast (well there was pancakes, but I'm talking about GOOD breakfast!) and really wanting some stuffed french toast! So where do I convince Jimmy it's life or death if we don't go to...BOB EVANS! But...i was oh so surprised to see that they no longer make it! (what's up with all the healthy food the replaced it with?!?!) So instead, I had eggs and sausage links :-(

Instead of chancing someone not making the recipe two days in a row, I decided to make some myself. Jimmy was super excited because he is definitely a giant sweet tooth! So, he dragged me out of bed this morning (daylight savings time is evil!) and helped me make breakfast! Let me tell you, it is delicious! I got two thumbs up from my dearest Jimmy (I think he only married me because I make him sweet treats!). So here goes the recipe:

What you will need:
8oz            Cream Cheese
1/3 c          Granulated Sugar
1/4 tsp       Vanilla Extract

1-1 1/2c     Strawberries
1/3c           Granulated Sugar

1pkg         Pillsbury French Loaf Bread
2               Eggs

Powdered Sugar
Cinnamon Sugar

Whipped Topping

What to do:
1.    Bake the French Loaf bread and allow it to cool
2.    Blend together the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of sugar, and vanilla sugar together using a mixer.

3.  Clean and cut up strawberries.

4.  Add sugar to the strawberries, making sure to coat them evenly.

5.  Cut your cooled bread loaf into 1 1/2 to 2 inch sections.

6.  Cut a slit into each slice of the bread. The slit is what you will be stuffing :-) so make sure it is a decent size.

7.   As per Jimmy's brilliant suggestion (don't tell him I said that! He'll get a big head), take your thumb and gently compact the side walls of the bread to maximize the space for your filling.

8. Add a few strawberry slices to the inside of your bread.

9.  Add your cream cheese filling (I used about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling in each slice, but it will depend on the size of your bread load and how much you want).

10.  Put a few more strawberries on top.

11.  Seal the opening of your bread so that it does not leak out when you start cooking them.

12. Beat together your eggs in a bowl. Then carefully dip your bread into the egg to create a nice coating around the bread. Make sure you only coat the number of pieces you are ready to cook.

13.  Heat up your frying pan, add a little butter/cooking spray to the pan. Cook those little suckers until nice and golden brown.

14.  Once they are all cooked, add some powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, and whipped cream on top as desired. We added some extra strawberries on top as well.

And voila! You are done!

Jimmy thought that he would eat at least 4 slices of the french toast! However, they are sweet and very filling. Jimmy ended up eating 3 slices and I made it to 2 and 1/2. They were very tasty, a little messy, but just what the doctor ordered!

I love cooking with Jimmy (as long as he remembers who's kitchen he is in)! It's like playing on a playground, building and crafting things, always coming up with new, sometimes better, sometimes worse ways of doing things. Although we can get under each other's toes, argue about the right way to do things, and make a giant mess, it is such a rewarding thing for us to sit down to a meal that we both love and enjoy!

I hope this recipe helps make your weekend morning as delightful as it made ours!

Korean Short Ribs and Spicy Pork Ribs

So, today I begin my journey documenting my experiments in the kitchen and my love for food. Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with my friend Julie in the kitchen preparing food. She is a fantastic cook! She learned how to cook from her mother who can make the most simple recipes taste quite fancy. We spent the afternoon preparing the short ribs and the pork ribs while talking and catching up on life.

I love being in the kitchen because it is a symbol of the family. It is where everyone gathers for celebration, for comfort, and for fellowship. It is the center of a household. So sharing the kitchen with friends is quite an honor, which is what I aim to bring to you. On a suggestion of my other dear friends Lissa and Annie, I'm bringing the food that's on my table to your computer. I hope you enjoy this journey and maybe even get a little inspiration!

So for tonight, we have the delish Korean short-ribs, spicy pork ribs, steamed rice, and asparagus :-)  Easy to make, and amazing to taste! The recipe for the ribs is from Julie. 

Short-Ribs:

1lb        Beef Short Ribs

1/2c      Soy sauce

1/2c      Sesame Seed Oil

1/4c      Crushed Seasame Seed

1/4c      Minced Onion

3tbs      Ground Garlic

1/2c     Brown Sugar

1/4c     White Sugar

Pepper to taste 

Wash ribs and pat dry

Combine soy sauce, sesame seed oil, sesame seed, garlic, onion, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, white sugar and pepper in a large bowl. (For spicy ribs add red pepper paste to taste). Rub meat with remaining brown sugar to begin crystallization. Add meat to marinade. 

Place ribs on a cookie sheet and broil until done (approx. 10 min each side for pork, 7 min total for beef).

Make sides and enjoy!

In my own words while eating....mmhhhh mmmhhhh mmmmhhhh! Delish! If you are looking for something that is relatively easy to make and packs a big taste, this is it! Nothing like a happy stomach!