Cake Balls

My daughter is having a small party tonight and I jumped at the chance to make a little dessert!  I absolutely adore baking cakes, desserts, pies, bread and cookies. However, my kids are basically grown up and my husband has been losing weight and is being very careful about what he eats. What this all means is that I dont have anyone to bake for so I am literally baking deprived and constantly have baking withdrawals. 

I have seen gorgeous photos of cake balls on Pinterest and I decided right away I had to master these little treats. As an artist, I love nothing more than to create works of art out of my baking endeavors.  I think cake balls might just do the trick. I have also already fantasized about being a cake ball Queen and turning my house into a cake ball factory and selling hundreds of cake balls from my home each week. 

I have read over several recipes and directions on how to make them so here goes my take on them. For this first time I decided to use a basic cake mix from the supermarket along with pre-made frosting. I have chosen a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. I plan to melt white chocolate to dip them in then decorate away to make them pretty. 

So the first step is to make the cake according to package instructions and let it cool.  One recipe said to put the cake in the fridge for three hours before crumbling the cake and another one said to crumble while the cake was warm. I am going with the majority of the recipes I read and letting the cake cool on the counter on a wire rack. 

 

So here is my cake after cooling for about a half hour. 

Now the fun begins!  I made about six slices in the cake making huge squares then just let the cake tumble into an extra large bowl. 

Using my hands I crumbled the cake into fine pieces. It was really easy and fun too. 

Now I mixed in about two thirds of the can of frosting, just a standard pre-made chocolate frosting and mixed it up really well into a smooth dough, again with my hands.  (Really get in and squish and knead away)  I am glad I didn't use the entire can because it would have been too much. The amount I used was thankfully just right. When the dough felt like it would hold together I made a sample ball by rolling it in my hands. Pretty tasty play dough!  It rolled really nice so I rolled all the dough into balls, setting them on parchment paper. 

I transferred the balls to the freezer where they stayed for an hour and a half. I removed half the balls and let them sit out for about ten minutes while I melted six ounces of white chocolate baking morsels  in the microwave with one tablespoon of vegetable oil for one minute on high. I stirred it well then microwaved again for thirty seconds.  I stirred it up really well until it was all melted, silky smooth and light. I gently rolled the balls in the chocolate one at a time and lifted them out carefully and returned them to the parchment paper. I sprinkled them with multi colored sprinkles. I did the other half of the balls in milk chocolate, melting the chocolate the same way with one tablespoon of vegetable oil. After all the balls were rolled in chocolate I melted another half cup of chocolate morsels and squiggled them over the white cake balls.  One thing to remember is to never try to re-melt chocolate. It does some sort of strange chemical change and gets really hard and will ruin any fresh chocolate you might have added to the batch!  I learned this the hard way and that is why I ended up using milk chocolate for the  other half of the balls! 

I am really happy with the finished product. I chilled them again before serving. They are delicious!  Making them satisfied all my baking desires.  They are fun to make, they are exquisite to look at and they taste fantastic. There are so many possibilities and variations for types of cake and frosting plus endless ways to decorate. Cake ball success! 

Tamale Pie

This recipe is absolutely fantastic!  I had forgotten how great it is, and how forgiving it is as a recipe; you can make more or less by adjusting the amount of main ingredients without worrying about the effects, it will still come out great.  You can flavor it hot and spicy or mild.  

This is what you need to have on hand:

Ground round or sirloin (Try 1 to 1 1/2 pounds)
Canned, frozen or fresh kernel corn (lots!)
1 can of ripe black olives (sliced)
12-16 ounces of shredded cheese with a good cheddar base (Mexican or fiesta style is great)
chopped or diced tomatoes (the large can)
Salsa - if desired (your style and heat preference)
1 large onion, chopped
chili powder
garlic powder
yellow corn meal to make the "mush" to line the casserole and cover the top for baking

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Use a glass, ceramic or pottery style casserole (I used a deep dish glass pie
plate which worked great).  Presentation is a plus!

Make up the corn meal "mush"..Basic recipe:  In a sauce pan, place 1 1/4 cups corn meal, 2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Cook over medium heat on stove top, stirring frequently, until it starts to thicken.  Set aside.

Brown the meat with the onions in a skillet.  Drain off the excess fat.  Mix in the tomatoes (drained), salsa, cheese, corn, olives, and ample chili powder and garlic powder.  I used a cup of salsa, about 2 cups of fresh frozen corn and a good 2 tablespoons of chili powder and a tablespoon of garlic powder.  You want this mixture to be thick because it will gain  juice as it cooks.

Yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Next line your casserole with the cornmeal mush, yet save enough to cover the top.  I layered mine about 1/4 inch thick this time and I liked it better than when I layered it 1/2 inch thick a few weeks ago, but this can be to your preference.  After you spread the bottom with the corn meal, spoon in your meat and cheese mixture and cover it evenly.  Spread the remaining mush over the top and poke a hole in the very center for the steam and juices to ooze out.  Bake at 350 degrees for an hour.  Let it cool a few minutes.  Garnish with a combination of salsa, sour cream, cilantro, cheese, avocado slices.....

Salmon, fruit salsa, veggies, new potatoes, salad, ciabatta, and a Happy Birthday to me, Simply!

Cooking something beautiful and fantastic can be easy.  On my birthday a few weeks ago, my wish was to have a simple dinner at home.  So this is what we did!

We bought salmon steaks and wrapped them individually in foil and gave them each a dollop of butter, garlic powder, a slight touch of olive oil, and a good squeeze of lemon.

Next we sliced up a yellow crook neck squash and a zucchini and placed the slices in a foil bag with the same seasonings as above.  We closed up the foil bags tight then placed the salmon and veggies on the grill and closed the lid to let them simmer and steam.  Then came the fruit salsa,

This time we sliced up mango, strawberries, tomato, red onion, fresh mint, a delicate splash of lemon, and some apple cider vinegar. Pretty much anything goes.  Fresh pineapple too, I almost forgot!

I had some leftover boiled new potatoes which a sliced up in chunks and pan fried them in a little olive oil and garlic.  Then made up a green salad, and voila!  Simple absolutely delicious dinner!

RAREBIT: Take 1

If you love cheese then this is your dish!  There are two different rarebit recipes in my cookbook, one has a milk base, the other one a beer base.  Tonight I made the Rarebit with the beer base (I  think it is my favorite, though in a few weeks I will make the other one, which I had more often as a child, and compare!)

So here is the recipe:

RAREBIT: Take 1 (Beer based)

3 TBL. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBL. flour
2 room temperature cans of beer - lighter flavor beer = lighter rarebit
24 oz. or more grated/shredded cheddar cheese (mild or sharp, your preference)

Start with a big skillet on the stove on medium high heat.  Melt the butter with the minced garlic.

 Next spread the melted butter over the pan and sprinkle the flour over the butter.  Stir it together with a wooden spoon or wooden spatula until it gets a little thick (this is called making a roux).

 Now add the 2 cans of beer and stir gently for several minutes, letting it foam up at first, then settling down into a slightly thick sauce (it will not get really thick).  Now you can add your cheese in two batches to the middle of the pan, and stir while the cheese melts.  (You can add more cheese if you want to have a little thicker rarebit).

  Continue stirring until it is all melted in and is sizzling just a bit.  Lower the heat and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn't stick to the pan.

Serve the rarebit over toasted bread, toasted English muffins or vegetables if you prefer. I have made gently pan-cooked eggplant slices for the rarebit, while the others had toast and it was excellent.  It has become a tradition to always serve a slice of tomato over the rarebit and sometimes, we cook up bacon for a topping too (I know, that really takes it over the fat content quotient!!!!!!).

Serve it up with a big green salad like we did tonight!

Kale Chips!

These aren't part of the cookbook as this is a new craze that I have seen many a blog post and article about so I just had to try them and so do you!  We have been all about Kale lately.  It is so delicious.  We eat it in the raw and eat it lightly steamed with garlic and Parmesan.  Then this past week end we learned that it really tastes great with peanut butter!  Just take a stalk and clean off the largest portion of leaves, and slather it with peanut butter like you would do to a piece of celery!

Now to the Kale Chips!

Wash you kale well.  Then take it to the chopping block and slice the leaves from the stalks.  Put the leaves
into a salad spinner and get them really dry.  Put the dry leaves into a really large bowl, and toss them with olive oil, sea salt and Parmesan cheese.  Spread them out on your cookie sheets.

It is hard to measure how much olive oil to use.  You don't want the leaves to be saturated by any means.  You want a light coating.  I found to use the sea salt sparingly, as the kale tends to have it's own salty, earthy flavor.  Have your oven pre-heated to 300 degrees then pop your kale in the oven.  I baked the kale chips for 20 minutes total, turning each leaf over at ten minutes.  It was easier to just use my fingers to turn them over.  The finished product is a crispy, slightly chewy piece of heaven which must be packed with nutrients!

I also read a great idea which was crush some kale chips into fine pieces and add them to popcorn!  I am going to try this tonight!

You are going to have to buy tons of Kale because it really shrinks up a lot and everyone is going
to want plenty!  I think you could add anything to the kale before you bake it as far as flavoring goes.  I think these would be good choices: cayenne pepper, onion or garlic powder, brewer's yeast, cumin, chili powder, paprika or even curry powder.  Enjoy!

Minestrone Soup

Oh where oh where has this recipe been!  This soup is extremely awesome and delicious.  Originally it comes from my sister Cathy circa many years ago.  I used to make it back in my twenties quite often then somehow the recipe card didn't make it into my box, and I had long lost it, however it was not forgotten!  Then the other day there was a surprise for me AND my cookbook.  My sister Barbara had the recipe in her old recipe box.  So here it is for you!  It is easy to make, and tastes even better the next day.  It freezes well into individual servings.

Minestrone Soup:

Soak 1 pound of dry kidney beans overnight in a large pot.  To do this rinse the dry beans, removing any that look discolored or broken.  Add beans to a large soup pot and cover with water plus a few inches.  Cover with a lid and allow the beans to soak over night.  (package directions say 6-8 hours at the very least)

When you are ready to prepare the soup, drain the beans.  They will have fluffed up a bit. Add the beans back to the soup pot with 4 quarts of water and 1 tsp. of salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a good simmer, and cook the beans until they are tender.  You can start to sample a bean or two after it has simmered for about an hour.  When the beans are done, drain the beans, reserving the liquid.  Put aside 1 cup of the beans into the original pot with the reserved liquid.  Puree the rest of the beans in a blender.  (I did it in two batches)  You can add some of the reserved liquid to the blender to get a nice puree.

Add all the pureed beans into the soup pot with the reserved liquid and that extra cup of whole beans.

Then add:

1 small onion - chopped fine (or 1 Tbl. dried onion)
2 cloves of garlic - minced (or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder)
1 Tbl. salt (go for a good quality sea salt here)
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 - 8 oz. can of tomato sauce

Mix in well and cook on a gentle simmer for 15 minutes (stirring occasionally)

Then add:

1 cup diced carrots (4 modest sized carrots)
1 cup diced celery (2 large stalks)
3 cups chopped Swiss chard
1 cup of small pasta (shells, macaroni, Ditalini, etc.)

Mix well and cook an additional 30 minutes, at a good simmer (stirring as necessary so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom). Taste for any additional seasonings that may need to be added (salt and pepper).  I made it tonight and didn't have to add anything additional!

I think you just have to garnish this soup with shredded cheddar cheese.  Enjoy!

So this is it!

This is the first post in my food blog which will initially be dedicated to my Hall Family Cookbook which has been in the works for over a decade.  At first I just wanted to compile all the recipes that I grew up with in my own family.  Not too long after I decided that, I realized it would be cool to ask for recipes from my husband's side of the family, and to ask my sisters and their kids to send me any favorite recipes that they had.  I started to get recipes coming in from around the country and found that there were so many different types of recipes coming in.  My love for drawing and art work led me to decide to hand letter and illustrate each recipe.  I am now over 100 recipes in to the cookbook and as I look over each page I have created my heart is filled with great memories and an appreciation for how cooking can thread together a family in so many ways. 

The kitchen has always been the centerpiece to our home for as long as I can remember.  The family dinner table was a tradition that created a time for our family to come together (usually in peace as I can recall) and eat our last meal of the day together.  My mom was an avid cook and baker, and my dad got into it too with a few favorite recipes of his, and of course he was in charge of the barbecue.  I feel that my parents left a legacy that all of us kids (there were 6 of us) inherited and are passing on to our own children, and hopefully to future generations to come.

The other day I amused myself at the thought of creating a food blog, going through each recipe I am compiling in my cookbook and dedicate myself to cooking and blogging about one recipe a week.  I don't know how Julie of the Julie and Julia project managed to do all those recipes in one year!  I am giving myself more space aka less stress! 

The recipes are a mixture of old style, traditional, and newly inspired dishes, baked goods, desserts, and even some drinks.  I am sure you will find recipes that you want to try and they just might become a family favorite for you too!  Enjoy!