Rainbow Layer Cake

When we first started planning Evelyn's pool party that we hosted last weekend, she was looking at Pinterest with me and saw a rainbow cake.   And that was when she decided she had to have one of those and I got a little scared.

As I've mentioned many times on this blog, I cannot frost cakes.  (See above photo for proof.) I do an ok job, but its never anywhere close to perfect.  Baking the cake does not scare me.  Making buttercream does not scare me.  But stacking layers and icing it without it shifting, does.   And getting the icing to be smooth is nearly impossible for me.

I've watching hundreds of online tutorials.  I've practiced on about 500 cakes in my life.  I just can't do it.  But I'll do anything for my little princess.  So I set out to do it.   Starting with researching the best method to do this.

All roads to rainbow cake seem to lead to Martha Stewart.  Whether she was the first the showcase such a thing or what, it seems like every food blogger making a rainbow cake was talking about Martha Stewart's rainbow cake.  Unfortunately, a lot of people were talking about how dry and uninteresting it is.   Then I remembered that Rosie at Sweetapolita made a rainbow doodle cake for her daughter at one point, so I checked to see if it was Martha's version, and it was.   (But not really, because it's really Whisk Kid's recipe that Martha features it on her website.)  I really trust Rosie so I went with it.  And I honestly have no idea why anyone complains about this cake. It's amazing. One of the best white (not really) cake recipes I've ever tasted.

This cake can be whatever color you want it to be, or just white.  It called for 5 egg whites. Which is a lot, but was totally fine because I've been obsessed with using my ice cream maker and a lot of ice cream recipes call for egg yolks.  Rosie recommended dividing the batter up by weight, but my kitchen scale is broken.  So I measured the batter at 7.5 cups and realized that I had enough for 1 1/4 cups of batter for each layer.  I broke it out into separate bowls and got to coloring.  I have two 9" cake pans to my name, so I baked them two colors at a time, then changed out the parchment paper and threw two new colors into the pan.  Even though the cake was baked in 6 thin layers, it was moist and delicious with the right amount of crumb.

I made the cake the Sunday before the party.  I had the time before our week got crazy and when the cake layers cooled, I stacked them up with their parchment paper between them.  Then, I wrapped them well in plastic wrap and popped them in the freezer.  On Saturday morning, I took them out and let them defrost on the counter.   When it was time to crumb coat, I carefully peeled the parchment paper rounds off the layers and got to stacking and icing.

As for the buttercream, I know I could have used any buttercream I wanted.  But I wanted to try the one that came with the cake recipe because it was a lot of layers and the math on how much buttercream to make was already done.  I didn't want to get half way through crumb coating the cake with my recipe only to realize that I didn't have enough.  I loved the addition of lemon extract to the icing.  It was a refreshing taste on a hot day.  This may be the best Swiss Meringue buttercream I've ever had.   And I may or may not have threatened to only make this buttercream from now on.  

I was scared.  I think overall it went well, but I won't go so far as to share my icing technique because I basically have none and its a crapshoot whether or not my cake will look cake shaped.   I was very happy that this one had only a slight lean to it.   The yellow layer cracked a little bit when I moved it to the cake stand, but it was not noticeable once the whole cake was assembled.

At party time, it was fun to reveal what was inside what looked like such a boring white cake.   One dad was standing nearby and he said, "Our daughter's birthday is next month.  I think you set the bar a little high."  He jokingly thanked me and I assured him that if I could pull this off, I really think anyone can.   The kids were thrilled and I was happy I didn't have to make an emergency trip to the bakery for a cake first thing in the morning.

Although I am not a fan of artificial food coloring, this cake was delicious.   I can't wait to make it again with no food coloring (or natural colorings).  The cake can be whatever color.  The buttercream can use lemon extract or vanilla extract or whatever the occasion calls for.  I have a feeling it won't be the last time I make a rainbow cake, though.

Rainbow Layer Cake
recipe courtesy of Sweetapolita, originally via Whisk Kid

3 cups all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/3 cups sugar
5 egg whites, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk, warmed in microwave for 30 seconds
Gel food coloring, not liquid

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease as many 9" cake pans as you have and line with parchment paper.  Have extra rounds of parchment ready to go if you don't actually have six 9" pans.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt, then set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar.  Then add the egg whites a little at a time.  Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.  Alternating between wet and dry ingredients, add the milk and flour mixture in two parts.

Divide the batter among 6 bowls (I did 1 1/4 cup of batter per bowl), then whisk enough food color into each bowl to create the color you need.  I only had 4 food colors, so I mixed colors to make orange and purple.    The color of the unbaked batter is the color of the baked batter.  Pour into prepared pans and bake for 10-15 minutes.  (Mine baked for 12 minutes.)

Remove them from the oven and allow them to rest for 10 minutes before flipping them out of the pan and reusing the pan for the rest of the layers.  Repeat until all layers are completed.

If icing the same day, allow the cake to cool completely before icing.

Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream
*This recipe called for two batches.  One for filling and crumbcoating.  And a 2nd half batch for icing. I only used the first batch for the whole thing.  Again, I don't know the first thing about how to properly ice a cake, so someone who knows better than me might think its an insanely small amount of icing.  But I thought it was just the right amount.   Make this batch.  If you need more, make more.  Don't say I didn't warn you.  


9 egg whites
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 sticks butter, room temperature, cut into 1 tablespoon pieces
2 teaspoons lemon extract

Cook the egg whites and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved (test by rubbing some between your fingers.  If its completely smooth, it's done.)  Pour into the bowl of your stand mixer and whip on high speed until room temperature.   Then on medium-slow speed, add the butter, waiting until each piece is completely incorporated before adding the next piece.  After all the butter has been added , turn the mixer back to high speed and whip until it has completely come together, about 5 minutes.   Add the extract and beat to combine.


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Pimento Cheese

I can't recall the first time I heard about pimento cheese, but I think I made a face.   Maybe because the only thing the word "pimento" makes me think of is that horrible deli product "pimento loaf".  My friend Josie and I were having lunch together one day and she had brought some pimento cheese and had me try it.  I mean, I remember liking it.  I think I compared it to an Austrian/Hungarian spread called liptauer.  But I never went out of my way to have it again.

A few weeks ago, I was having a play date for Evie's classmates.  The morning of the play date, I decided since 10 Southern women were about to come to my home, I needed something southern to serve them.  What else could do the trick besides sweet tea and pimento cheese!

When I set it out, I took a cracker and had some.  OMG.  I could not stop.  I was convinced that I could probably eat the entire bowl myself.  There were leftovers after the play date, but I quickly edited my dinner menu for the night so we could have pimento cheese burgers for dinner.     And for a play date the next week, I bought more pimento cheese.    I started to think, why am I buying this?  I could easily make it!  I started looking around the internet and it seems that while there are slight variations on the recipe here and there, the classic recipe is pretty standard.   Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos, cayenne, tabasco, salt and pepper.   Josie substitutes half greek yogurt in hers.  (Also, check out some of her variatons, such as poblano and pepperjack.) Some people use pickles or relish in it.  But across the board it was pretty much the same.  So I went shopping with these 8 ingredients in mind and just came up with levels of seasoning that worked best for me.

And now I've got my husband and best friend hooked on it.  And Liam loves it, too. Pimento cheese is great on crackers, sliced bread (pimento cheese sandwiches are a real thing down here!), on a burger, in a grilled cheese, in mac and cheese or on fried green tomatoes.  The list goes on and on.  It is ridiculously easy to make and is a crowd pleaser.  It keeps for up to a week, covered in the fridge.  Although, I can't speak for storing it.  It doesn't seem to last long around my family and our house guests.

Pimento Cheese  

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (use a block of good, sharp cheddar.  This is not a good time to use the pre-shredded bags)
1 cup shredded monterrey jack cheese
4 ounces softened cream cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 seven-ounce jar of diced pimentos (you may not want to use all of this.  I started at 4 ounces and gradually added more because I didn't think it was enough.)
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
a few shakes of tabasco, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients.   Mix well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.  Transfer to the refrigerator and allow the flavors to come together for at least one hour.

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Red Wine Sangria

We hosted an end of school pool party at our house this weekend.  Because the focus was more on the kids for the party, I only offered beer for the dads and sangria for the moms.  You know, in addition to the typical summery non-alcoholic beverages.

The sangria was a last minute decision.  I was worried I wouldn't have enough wine, so I thought I'd make sangria.  Also, I had some fruit to use up.  Bonus!  I love that I can use whatever fruit I have on the counter.   Classically, you use apples, lemons and oranges.  Which I did use.  I also used some pears.  In the summer, I might use peaches, cherries, nectarines.  Use what you've got.  

To make the simple syrup, combine 1 cup of sugar and 2 cup of water in a medium saucepan.  Heat to a boil and stir constantly to dissolve all the sugar.  Remove it form the heat and allow to cool.  You can store what you don't use in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

In the end, we never even opened the second bottle of wine.  Which is fine.  More sangria for me this weekend for the holiday!

Red Wine Sangria


1 1.5L bottle of red wine (I used merlot)
1/2 cup simple syrup
1/2 cup orange juice
1 apple, diced
1 orange, diced
1 lemon, sliced
1 cup club soda

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a pitcher.  Allow to sit for at least 2 hours or overnight.   Just before serving, add the club soda.
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Pasta with Corn Pesto

The weather in Atlanta, lately, says summer.  I am not complaining.  Though I have to admit, the things I am craving will be better when its actually summer.  Such as this corn pesto.  This is a house favorite, everyone in my family loves this.  So while it may be completely awesome when made with fresh, in season corn, no one complains when I use its frozen counterpart.

Which is what I did last week.  I see corn on the cob in the supermarket and farmers market.  But I can't imagine how it must taste.  Also, when using frozen corn, I don't have to shuck and clean it and this becomes a quick and easy dinner.

This recipe hails from Bon Appetit in August 2010.   I remember seeing it in there, but it wasn't until Josie blogged it that it really jumped out at me.  I made it the next week, albeit with a few adjustments.  And I've made it several times since, pretty much the same way every time.  The only difference comes down to if I use fresh corn or not.  I suppose if I wanted a vegetarian dish I could omit the bacon, but I cannot imagine omitting the bacon.  Ever.

The major change I make from the original is that I omit the pinenuts.  My husband does not like nuts in his food, so I just don't use them.   Honestly, he probably would not notice if I did use them.  But the first time I made it I didn't even have pinenuts in the house, and it came out just fine.  

I can see us having this a lot this summer.  Served hot and freshly made, or as a cold pasta salad the next day, the flavors cannot be beat.

Pasta with Corn Pesto
recipe adapted from Pink Parsley, originally from Bon Appetit, August 2012

4 slices bacon, cut into cubes
4 cups corn kernels (either frozen or cut from about 6 large ears of corn)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces pasta, cooked according to package directions
3/4 cup coarsely torn fresh basil leaves, divided

Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, stirring often.   Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel to drain.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of drippings from the skillet.   Add the corn, garlic, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper to the skillet.  Saute over medium high heat until corn is tender but not brown, abut 4 minutes.  (If using frozen corn, I put it in the skillet frozen.)  Transfer 1 1/2 cups of corn mixture to a bowl and reserve.   Scrape remaining corn mixture into a food processor.   Add 1/2 cup Parmesan and with the machine running, add olive oil through the feed tube and blend until almost smooth.   Set aside.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but firm, stirring occasionally.  Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of cooking liquid.   Return pasta to the pot.  Add the corn pesto, reserved corn kernels and 1/2 cup of basil leaves.  Toss to combine adding reserved pasta water if needed to thin to desired consistency.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a large bowl and spinkle with remaining basil leaves, reserved bacon and additional Parmesan cheese.
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Banana Nutella Tart

I can't even being to describe how much I loved this tart.   I started dreaming of this several weeks ago. My kids are on another banana strike and I just wasn't in the mood to make banana muffins.  I was thinking of things that go well with bananas and my mind went straight to nutella and banana crepes. I didn't really want that either.  I've been itching to use my tart pan again.  So I thought if I filled a tart shell with nutella and bananas it would be almost like the ultimate crepe.   (Not really)

At that time, I had about 3 bananas on my counter that were about to turn.   Just as I had the thought - as if they are psychic - Evie, Liam and their friend Ella strolled into my kitchen and declared they wanted bananas.    It wasn't until this week that I found myself with another surplus of bananas.  Once again, I wanted a tart. 

I did a google search and of course a nutella and bananas in a tart has been done before.  This one from Lea and Jay really caught my eye.  It's originally by Dorie Greenspan.   I'm not much of a baker so I've never made anything from the famed Dorie Greenspan.  So I am very glad to have something of hers now under my belt.  It is a bit of an under taking, but the good thing is that in between steps, there's plenty of time to clean up each stage of the tart making, AND play with the kids.  

Which is great, because I made this on Mother's Day.  Nico said, "It's Mother's Day, you are not supposed to be working."  I said to him, "No, it's Mother's Day so I get to do whatever I want.  And I want to make a banana nutella tart." 

As much as I love shortcuts, I didn't take many on this.   The first step was to bake the chocolate shortbread shell.  Once cooled, I added the nutella and caramelized bananas.   I allowed that to cool and then finished it off with the chocolate ganache and the final layer of bananas.  The original recipe called for the bananas on top to be brushed with apricot glaze, but for some reason that didn't appeal to me.  So I just caramelized the bananas on top as well.  I was very tempted to flambe them, but our flat top cook top doesn't seem to be too receptive to flambe-ing.
Nico did some grilling for dinner and we enjoyed this for dessert.  It's insanely rich.  I have no idea how we will be able to finish this because small slices are necessary.  I think it's going to be something to share with friends.   Maybe next time, mini tart versions will be necessary.
 This is a first class dessert.  I would order this in a restaurant.

Banana Nutella Tart
recipe adapted from Lea and Jay, originally from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table

For the shortbread shell
1 1/4 cups All purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 large egg yolks

For the caramelized bananas
6 ripe but firm bananas
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar

For the chocolate ganache
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature


2/3 cup of Nutella

Put the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined.   Add the butter and pulse until the butter is cut in, but course.  Add the egg yolks a bit a time, pulsing after each addition.  When the yolk is all added, pulse about 10 seconds until the dough is combined.   Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead to combine any dry ingredients that may not have mixed.

Butter a 9 or 9 1/2" fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.  Press the dough evenly over the bottom and sides of the tart pan.  Prick the crust with a fork, then freeze for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F with the rack in the center.   Butter a piece of foil and press firmly against the shell.  Bake the shell for 25 minutes then carefully remove the foil.   Allow the shell to cool completely before filling the shell.

In the meantime, you can prepare the caramelized bananas.   Cut 2 bananas into 1/8" thick slices.   Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter.  When the butter is melted and begins to bubble, add the bananas.  Sprinkle the sugar over the top of the bananas and allow the bananas to cook for 1-2 minutes.  Turn them over and caramelize the other side.  Transfer to a parchment lined plate and pat with paper towels to remove any excess butter.  Cool to room temperature.

Once the tart shell is cool, spread the Nutella over the bottom of the baked shell.   Add the caramelized bananas and refrigerate the shell for 30 minutes.

Prepare the chocolate ganache while the tart chills.   Place the bittersweet chocolate in a heat proof bowl.   In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil then pour over the chocolate pieces.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes then whisk the chocolate until the cream and chocolate are combined.  Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until the ganache is smooth and shiny.  (I only used half of this ganache.  I refrigerated the rest and if I can't decide what to do with it in the next day or two, I will freeze it for up to two months.)

Pour the ganache over the caramelized bananas and level with an offset spatula.  Return the tart to the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.  If you chill it any longer, be sure to cover the chocolate with plastic wrap to retain the shine.

Finish the tart by caramelizing the remaining 4 bananas.  Cut into 1/4" slices on a bias.  (You can do this in advance while you are caramelizing the first batch of bananas, then set aside until its time to top the tart.)  Arrange the bananas on top of the tart however you like.  I had imagined my bananas on top would be much more artfully arranged.  They didn't look as pretty as I had imagined, but it did not affect the taste at all.
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Fried Green Tomato BLTs

Southern cuisine is famous for many things, among those things is fried green tomatoes.  Prior to living here, I'd never had them.  How sorry I was when I first tried them.  It was at restaurant in Alpharetta, called Milton's.  They are sort of known for their fried green tomato stack with goat cheese.  

A friend of mine made them one night for a party she had and I must have asked her 1,000 questions about how she made them.  But I never got around to making them.   What a shame.  Now that I know how simple they are, it will be a small miracle if we don't eat them all summer.     

I knew that I was going to make a BLT with my fried green tomatoes.  It had been in my head for over a year.  I started with the Lee Bros. fried green tomatoes, which seems to be a go to in the blogosphere.  I know Josie posted the Lee Bros.  on her blog, Pink Parsley.  But I was truly taken with the Buttermilk Lime dressing I saw on Ezra Pound Cake.    

  

I got to work on the fried green tomato aspect of my sandwich and decided I would use the buttermilk lime dressing to make a spread of sorts for the sandwich.  I ended up making the dressing and adding half of it to about 3/4 cup of yogurt to use for the sandwiches.  It was heavenly.  Having the left over dressing worked out well, too, because I had left over FGT's, which I paired with a light salad the next day at lunch.   I don't highly recommend left over fried foods.   No, they were not as crispy and crunchy as they were the day before.  But to eliminate any sogginess, I heated them in the oven to restore some of their crunch.   And they were good, but as a disclaimer, I will say: you need to eat these fresh out of the frying pan!  

They were most delicious tucked inside lightly toasted sour dough bread with some crisp romaine lettuce and lattice baked bacon (thank you pinterest!).  Topped with the tart buttermilk lime yogurt dressing, it was all a dangerous combination.  I could have eaten a lion's share. 

I have a long way to go before anyone will accuse me of being a tried and true southerner.  Beginning with the fact that this is the first and only Lee Bros. recipe I've ever made.  And I'm not even sure if the adaptations I've made are sacrilegious. (I sort of slipped on the fry dredge.  It was supposed to be 3 T of cornmeal, but I read the recipe wrong in my haste and used 1/2 cup.  I did not regret the error.) Purposeful and accidental changes notwithstanding, this was one tasty meal.  Y'all. 

Fried Green Tomatoes with Buttermilk Lime Dressing

adapted from Ezra Pound Cake, originally from Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

4 medium green tomatoes

2 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup whole milk

3 cups peanut oil

fry dredge (see below)

kosher salt

lemon juice

for the fry dredge

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

Cut the stem ends from the tomatoes and slice 1/4 thick rounds.  Season with a sprinkle of salt and lemon juice.  Whisk the eggs and milk together in a shallow dish.  

Pour the oil into a skillet and heat over medium high.  I did not use a thermometer.  But if you are, the temperature should read 365 degrees F. Heat the oven to 225 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet with a cooling rack on top.   

Spread the dredge in a shallow dish.   Press the tomatoes into the dredge on each side, shake loose any excess then transfer to the egg mixture, coating both sides in egg.  Transfer back to the dredge and coat both sides.  Shake off excess.  Repeat with remaining slices.  

Carefully transfer tomato slices to the oil.  Cook about 2-3 minutes, until golden brown, carefully flip them, then cook 2-3 minutes longer.   Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.    Repeat with remaining slices. 

for the buttermilk lime dressing (not adapted at all)

3/4 cup buttermilk

5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup finely minced green onion

1/4 cup finely minced basil

14 cup finely minced parsley

salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients until thoroughly combined.  Cover tightly and store up to 2 days in the refrigerator.  

for the BLT's

Combine half the buttermilk lime dressing with 1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt (or mayonnaise, if you prefer).  

Toast 4 slices of fresh sourdough bread.  Layer two slices of bread with romaine lettuce, crisp bacon and fried green tomatoes.  

Spread yogurt mixture on two remaining slices of toast and top the sandwiches.  

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Chicken Nuggets

I have two kids, aged 4 years and 20 months, so it should go without saying that we keep chicken nuggets stocked in our freezer.   My kids are pretty open to trying new things.  And since I refuse to play short order cook, they eat what we eat.  Within reason.  Sometimes I make things that I know they won't like, or that I can't imagine even feeding to them.  Such as Thai Basil Chicken.   On those nights, I will let them have chicken nuggets.   It's a real treat for them.

The problem I have with chicken nuggets is that they're full of fillers.  I hate the really processed ones.  Usually I stick with organic.  For me, if I'm giving the kids chicken nuggets, I like the convenience of popping them in the oven while I  make our "real" dinner.  I've never considered making chicken nuggets because then I'd be making two dinners.

But then a few weeks ago, I found this recipe and decided I could feel good about giving these to my kids.  Because I'd be making them fresh, they'd be preservative free.  I would know every single ingredient in them.  And they were relatively healthy.   In lieu of making these an addendum to what I made for dinner, I made these for everyone.    I found these on a Paleo recipe site, but I made a few adjustments because I didn't have all the ingredients they called for.  For example, I didn't have dessicated coconut, so I used panko bread crumbs.  No longer Paleo-friendly.   But still the healthiest chicken nuggets my kids have ever had.

They were a huge hit.  When I made them last week, I used chicken breast and ran it through the food processor.  I only used two chicken breasts and that was plenty for the four of us.   My husband has requested them again, so I'm making them tonight.   I bought ground chicken this time, mostly because I hate cleaning my food processor after I've put meat in it.     Tonight I'm making extra, so I can toss half in the freezer for a quick and simple go to for the kids when my menu gets a little too spicy for them.

Feel free to pair these with whatever your favorite chicken dipping sauce is.   My kids like ketchup.   I like BBQ sauce.  My husband like buffalo sauce.   Maybe you like honey mustard.  To each their own. Just make a lot of these.  You won't be sorry.

Chicken Nuggets
adapted from Health-Bent.com

1/4 cup  + 1/2 cup almond flour (you can substite all-purpose flour if you don't want to buy almond flour)

1 cup panko bread crumbs 

salt and pepper

1 lb ground chicken
1 egg
1 teaspoon onion pouwder
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil)

In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs and salt and pepper.   Then set aside. I ended up adding more panko as I was breading my nuggets and probably used closer to 1 cup, which is why I cited 1 cup above.)

In a separate bowl, combine chicken, 1/2 cup flour, onion powder, garlic, egg, salt and pepper.   Mix to thorough combine with your hands.

In a saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat.

Shape about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into a ball (I used a small spring loaded scoop for uniformity). Drop each ball into the flour/bread crumb mixture and roll around to coat.  Flatten the chicken balls out a little bit to get them to cook a little faster.   Repeat until all of the chicken is formed into balls, then cook in the oil until nice and brown.  Cook in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan.   I put mine into a preheated oven to keep them warm while I cooked the remaining batches.
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Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream

A few weeks ago, I ordered an ice cream maker.  I have made at least one batch of ice cream per week, so far.  As soon as it arrived, my daughter requested strawberry ice cream.  I really wanted to oblige her, but I've been wanting to make cinnamon toast ice cream for the last few years.   (I did make it and I will blog it, but I'll have to remake it and photograph it.)

The next weekend, Evie requested strawberry ice cream again.  I convinced her she wanted s'mores ice cream instead.  It was so good, we ate it all before I could get a picture I liked.  (Photographing ice cream is not easy!)   I do want to make it again because it was the easiest ice cream I've made so far and it was so creamy and delicious.

This weekend, with Cinco de Mayo upon us, I was determined that I would make Aztec hot chocolate ice cream.  And I did.  (And I will blog it soon, I promise.)  But with the chili powders in the ice cream and a tablespoon of brandy, I decided to make a more kid friendly ice cream as well.   So yesterday morning I got to work on strawberry ice cream for the kids.

I hadn't given much thought prior to this weekend as to how I'd make strawberry ice cream.  As soon as I saw a recipe for roasted strawberry ice cream, my mind was made up.  A lot of things made sense.  That roasting the berries would remove some excess moisture, eliminating the iciness of the berries once frozen.  That it would also heighten the strawberry flavor.

The recipe I used required planning and plenty of time.  Neither of which I was equipped with.  I improvised a lot.  I can't say it was to the detriment of the ice cream, but I do want to make it as the recipe intended.   For example, I was out of vanilla beans, so instead of steeping the milk with a whole vanilla bean, I just used Mexican vanilla extract.  I also skipped the entire steeping process.  I didn't have time to cool the vanilla custard for 6-12 hours, so I chilled it for about an hour and a half.  I also didn't have 10 eggs on hand, so I used 9.

I did allow the strawberries to roast for 45 minutes on a low heat with a little bit of sugar and some balsamic vinegar.  I don't know, it didn't change much in my opinion.  I don't know what I expected, but it didn't seem much different than a simple maceration.  If I were really pressed for time, I think I may be willing to skip this step, but next time I may try roasting them at 350, instead of 300.   My berries may have been bigger than the berries used in the original posters recipe.

All that does not matter at all.  This was far better than any strawberry ice cream you'd buy in the store. At the end of our hearty Mexican meal, it was not just the kids that enjoyed this!  It was creamy, full of strawberry flavor, and the right touch of sweetness.   The strawberries really stand out and the vanilla flavor makes a lovely backdrop.  And I was so glad the recipe made a lot more than one container full.  I had enough to freeze in two batches.

Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream
recipe adapted from Zoe Bakes


For the base:
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
9 egg yolks

Heat the cream, milk, vanilla and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.   Bring to a gentle simmer and remove from the heat.  Whisk the eggs together in a medium bowl.  Whisk a small amount of the cream mixture into the eggs to temper the eggs.

Once the eggs are warm, add the eggs to the remaining cream in the sauce pan.  Use a rubber spatula to gently stire over low heat.  Continue stirring until the mixture thickens.   Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a shallow container.  Allow the custard to chill completely in the refrigerator.

For the strawberries:
1 pound fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Toss the berries with the balsamic and sugar.  Lay them flat on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake for 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the fruit.

Remove from the oven and transfer berries and juices to a bowl.  Add the corn syrup and mash the berries, leaving small chunks of the berries.   Chill until cold.

Combine the vanilla base and the strawberries, then freeze according to your ice cream makers instructions.   (I had to split my ice cream mixture in half, as my ice cream maker could not accommodate this volume.) Once the ice cream is set, but still soft, transfer it to a covered bowl and place in the freezer to firm up.



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Huevos Rancheros

Huevos rancheros is not something I have often.  I have maybe ordered it 2 or 3 times in the past.  But when I travel, rather than have waffles or an omelet for breakfast, I will order a local speciality.  While in Mexico, I ate chilaquiles, huevos  divorciados and a few other dishes.  But my favorite was huevos rancheros.

It had never occurred to me before to make huevos rancheros at home.  The few times I'd had it in the past, I really enjoyed it.   It's full of bright flavors.  When yolk breaks, you get a bite-ful of spicy ranchers sauce, creamy egg and cheese and the crunch of the lettuce and tortilla.   It's got a lot going on. 

I decided to make it this morning and it was very quick and easy to come together.  I have enough rancher sauce to make it again every day this week, up to Cinco de Mayo.  (One of the things I love about having a food blog, is that when a holiday comes up, I get to eat like its that holiday for a week or so leading up to it.  Because it doesn't do anyone any good if I make this all on the 5th and post it on May 6th, right?) 

I found this simple and classic version of Gina's Skinny Taste.  I decided to look there because she lightens things up, but really her version is pretty darn close to traditional.   Hers is really just a quick version of the original. 

The only minor change I made was to cook it all in one pan.   I fried my tortillas then set them aside.  I made the sauce, then made a well in the sauce to cook the egg in.  And instead of monterrey jack cheese, I used queso fresco.  Delicious.  I can't wait for breakfast tomorrow. 

Huevos Rancheros
recipe adapted from Gina's Skinnytaste
olive oil
2 corn tortillas
1/2 onion, finely minced
1 medium tomato, minced
1 4 oz can chopped green chiles
salt and pepper
2 large eggs
1/4 cup shredded lettuce
1 ounce crumbled queso fresco
2 teaspoons cilantro, chopped

Heat a small pan over medium high heat.  Add teaspoon of olive oil, then place the corn tortilla in the pan and heat for a few minutes on each side until it gets crispy.  Set aside onto plates.

Add another teaspoon of olive oil and add the minced onions to the pan.   Saute until softened, about 3-5 minutes, then add the tomatoes.  Allow the tomatoes to break down a bit, about 1 minute.  Add the chiles, salt and pepper to taste.  

Make 2 small wells in the  salsa and add the eggs.  Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the eggs, cover and cook until sunny-side up.

Place a spoonful of salsa on top of the tortillas and spread out.  Carefully move the eggs to the top of the salsa.  Top with shredded lettuce, crumbled cheese and chopped cilantro.

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