The Best Chocolate Birthday Cake

Well, today is Gene's birthday and I figured I'd better come up with something better than I did in our early years of marriage, when I served him a whole wheat zucchini cake. (If you know Gene, you probably know that this kind of cake didn't go over so well.) So, I've made one of the cakes I served at Kelly and Clint's wedding. It's delicious and gorgeous too.

You can be sneaky like me and prepare the layers ahead of time and freeze them. Then it's even easier when you are frosting frozen layers. The layers are not nearly as fragile, and there aren't as many crumbs to deal with.

And this cake is especially moist due to a secret ingredient -- pumpkin. Your guests and the birthday boy or girl will never guess it's in there.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GENE!!!

Chocolate Birthday Cake

Cake
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 C dark brown sugar
1 C sugar
3 large eggs, plus 1 yolk
1 1/2 C flour
2/3 C cocoa
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 C buttermilk (or 1/4C plain yogurt or sour cream & 1/4 C milk)
1 C canned pumpkin
2 t vanilla extract

Frosting
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 C confectioner's sugar & 3/4 C confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 C heavy cream

Ganache
4 oz semisweet or bittersweet Ghiradelli chocolate bar, chopped
1 T butter
3 T corn syrup
1/2 C heavy cream

To Prepare Cake
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Line the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and lightly butter bottoms and sides. Sprinkle with cocoa.

Beat the butter and sugars together using an electric mixer at medium high speed until light and fluffy -- around 4-5 minutes. Beat in the eggs and yolk, one at a time. Add the cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the mixture. Combine buttermilk, pumpkin and vanilla in small bowl. Reduce mixer speed to low and alternately beat in the flour and buttermilk mixture just until combined. Pour the batter by measuring cup (so pans have an even amount) into the prepared pans. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

To Prepare Frosting
Beat cream cheese with 1 1/2 C confectioner's sugar and vanilla on low speed, until combined.

In a separate chilled bowl, beat whipped cream with 3/4 C confectioner's sugar on medium high until soft peaks form.

Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until well combined.

To Ice Cake
Spread around 1 C of frosting in between layers and use the rest to frost top and sides of cake. Chill the cake at least 30 minutes before topping with ganache.

To Prepare Ganache
Microwave heavy cream til boiling in a heat-safe measuring cup. Add chopped chocolate, butter and corn syrup and stir. Let sit 3 minutes. Stir, using a whisk, until smooth. Let sit 3-5 additional minutes (approximately), until ganache thickens and cools slightly. Pour the ganache onto the center of the frosted cake and let drip down sides.

As A Side Note: This cake can be turned into a harvest/Halloween cake by adding 1/4 t orange paste food coloring to the frosting while you're preparing it. This cake looks especially striking!

Rice Pudding

I think rice pudding is one of those foods that you either love or hate. Personally, it is one of my favorite comfort foods, though one that I don't eat a lot. Maybe that's because it seems so time consuming to prepare, or that I've tried recipe after recipe and none, before this, tasted the way I hoped.

Now, with a simple and tasty recipe, maybe I'll get to enjoy this comforting dessert a little more often.

Rice Pudding

3 C cooked rice
2 1/2 C milk & 1/2 C heavy cream (or all milk if you want to keep it lower in fat and calories)
1/2 C sugar
3/4 C raisins (optional, but a must for me!)
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
Finely grated (use microplane grater) rind of one lemon or orange
1 t good quality vanilla

Put all ingredients in heavy saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 15-25 minutes. (The timing seems to vary quite a bit from batch to batch.) If you will be serving warm, take off the heat when the pudding reaches the creaminess you want. Remove from heat while still extra creamy if you will be serving chilled since pudding thickens with cooling. Add vanilla and stir in.

When serving, sprinkle with additional cinnamon if desired.

(Quick Fix: If pudding does thicken up more than you hope once chilled, simply mix in some half and half or milk, until desired consistency.)

Basil Walnut Pesto

I have been making this wonderful variation of pesto since a girlfriend's mother-in-law gave it to me around 15 years ago. It's heavier on the walnuts than most pesto recipes and I love it that way!

This is a very versatile and forgiving recipe. You can leave out the basil altogether and just make a walnut pesto, or you can add more basil leaves and make a more traditional pesto. It's great either way, and nothing could be easier to make. Try it served over pasta, spread on crostini or layer with cream cheese as an appetizer, or add some pesto to your traditional grilled cheese sandwich.

And, if you have lots of basil to use, make up your pesto and freeze in cubes. Store in zip-lock style freezer bags. Pesto will keep well for at least 6 months in the freezer, so you can enjoy homemade pesto throughout most of the winter.

Basil Walnut Pesto

2 packed C fresh basil leaves
1 C walnuts
4 good-sized cloves garlic, minced
1 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 C good quality olive oil (more or less to taste)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Place basil leaves, walnuts, garlic and Parmesan in the food processor and process until well combined. Gradually add olive oil until it's the consistency you desire. Taste for seasonings.

Curried Eggplant

Oh how I love summertime when the Farmer's Markets offer the freshest, often organic, produce straight from local farms. The market closest to our house has one grower who sells the most magnificent eggplants I have ever eaten. Not only are they delicious, but they are so beautiful that you could use them as a centerpiece. So, every week during their growing season I head over there as early as I can (otherwise they'll be sold out) and pick up my week's supply.

This vegetarian dish, which I've made several times before, helps me use my eggplants in a non-traditional and very tasty way, but also provides Matt with another interesting Indian meal.

Curried Eggplant

3 lbs. eggplant (preferably teeny little eggplants (1-2") or Asian eggplants, without a lot of seeds)
1-2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
2 t jalapeno, including seeds, minced -- more or less, to taste (can vary hot pepper types)
1 t salt
2-3 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 t yellow mustard seeds
1 t cumin seeds
1/2 t turmeric
1/4 t pepper
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 C water
1 t brown sugar
Fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Coat large, heavy cookie sheet with sides with olive oil.

Slice eggplant into approximately 1/2 inch thick slices (cut teeny eggplants in half lengthwise) and place in single layer (it's okay to be close together). Drizzle with olive oil or spray with olive oil spray. Salt and pepper. Roast for around 20 minutes, checking occasionally after 15 minutes or so, until eggplant is lightly browned and soft. Set aside.

Cook onion in pan with olive oil until soft.

"Smush" minced garlic, minced ginger and minced jalapeno with 1t salt, using side of large knife. Place in small bowl, add other spices and combine.

Add spices to cooked onion in pan and cook 1 minute. Add roasted eggplant and water, and cook about 5 to 8 minutes, until water is reduced. Season with salt, if needed.

Serve over basmati rice and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.

Crockpot Chicken Vindaloo

Now that Gene is working evenings (hopefully not for long!), Matt is on an all-Indian food-all-the-time kick. I love Indian food too so he has a natural accomplice.

After eating a delicious veal vindaloo with Kelly and me at a wonderful restaurant in Lake Mary, Memories of India II, he was on the hunt for a vindaloo recipe. He found one that I adapted, and finally I got around to making it for him.

I think it was well worth the wait. It's so easy to make, and very, very tasty. No tasteless, boring crockpot dish here. There's no question that I will be making this meal again!

Crockpot Chicken Vindaloo

1 C tomato sauce
1 1/2 T vinegar
2 T olive oil
1T brown sugar
3-6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 T fresh ginger, minced (I used candied ginger, minced)
1 t salt
2T curry powder
1 T ground cumin
1/4 t ground cardamom
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground hot pepper
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1 T mustard seeds
1 cinnamon stick
1 onion, chopped
4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Put all ingredients except chicken in crockpot and mix together. Add chicken and mix, to cover with sauce.

Cook on high for two hours and on low for three to four more hours.

Serve with basmati rice.

Blueberry Pie with Sugar Cookie Crust

When I found this unique recipe in our local paper last year, I remember being discouraged by how complicated it seemed to prepare. But, I made a few changes, and now it's even easier to make (and much prettier) than a regular blueberry pie.

You can substitute other fruits, such as peaches, cherries or apples. I'm sure it would be equally yummy! (I bet this would even be good at the holidays with a pumpkin filling.)

I'm not going to let another year go by before making this special treat again.

Blueberry Pie with Sugar Cookie Crust

Filling
2 pints blueberries
1/2 C sugar

Cookie Crust
1 C sugar
6 T butter, melted
1 egg
1 t good quality vanilla extract
1 t baking powder
2 C flour

Crumb Topping
1/4 C brown sugar
3 T sugar
1/4 C flour plus 2 T
2 T oatmeal
1 t cinnamon
1/4 C butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray 9" round cake pan with cooking spray.

Prepare Filling: Cook blueberries with sugar in heavy pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes, until well heated through. Set aside.

Prepare Crust: In a large bowl beat together melted butter, sugar, egg and vanilla extract until creamy. Beat in baking powder. Mix in flour just until combined. Do not over mix.

Press dough into cake pan and 3/4 up the side of the pan, using a piece of plastic wrap to help manipulate the dough in the pan.

Prepare Crumb Topping: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, sugar, flour, oatmeal, cinnamon and melted butter. It should be a bit dry. If not, add more oatmeal or flour until slightly crumbly.

To Assemble: Using slotted spoon, place cooked blueberries in prepared crust -- a little syrup is okay. (Save reserved blueberry syrup for other uses.) Sprinkle crumbs on top of filling with your fingers. Crumbs should not totally cover the blueberries.

Bake 350 for 35 minutes. After the pie totally cools, you can remove from pan if you'd like for serving. Run a knife along the side of the pan and place a plate over the top. Hold upside down giving it a few gentle taps on bottom if needed. Have another plate ready to slide the cake onto, right side up. (This is much easier than it sounds.)

Spicy Homemade Ketchup

Make your own ketchup?? Yes, it is time consuming to make it yourself, but it really is nothing like the commercial stuff. (If you're looking for this to taste like Hunts or Heinz, this recipe is not for you.)

Homemade ketchup is a wonderful condiment, that you may even be tempted to eat right out of the jar. Last year, when I made this yummy ketchup, my 86-year-old mom went through the jar in less than one week!

If you decide that you'd like to try your hand at making ketchup, be sure to allow enough time. You'll need to be in and out of the kitchen, stirring the pot, for almost two hours.

Spicy Homemade Ketchup

2-3T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8t red pepper, or to taste
1/8t ground allspice
1/8t ground cloves
3/4t salt
1/4t fresh ground pepper
7C chopped tomatoes -- seeded and skinned (it's fine if a lot of the 7C is juice, after seeding tomatoes)
3/4C sugar
3T molasses
2T tomato paste
1/2C fresh lemon juice

Saute onions in olive oil in large pan. When soft, add garlic and red pepper, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper and cook 1 minute. Add rest of ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly. Simmer, stirring occasionally, around 2 hours, or until mixture thickens and is reduced to around two cups. (As it gets thicker keep a closer eye on the ketchup, stirring more frequently, and possibly turning down the heat a bit to avoid scorching.) Taste for seasoning as well as sweetness. (Cook a bit longer, if you add additional sugar, until it is fully dissolved.)

Store in the fridge for use within two weeks or so. Can also be successfully frozen for up to 6 months.

Summer Salsa

If you like salsa, you need to give yourself a taste treat and make homemade salsa!

Last year was the first year I gave it a try. I guess I thought it might not be worth the effort, but it's amazing. My first try, we had been given lots of very ripe heirloom tomatoes that needed to be used quickly. I think I made about 10 cups of salsa that day. I had no idea how we could possibly eat all that salsa, but, amazingly, we did. That fresh, summer-tomato taste just can't be duplicated in a jar.

Summer Salsa

3C tomatoes (approximately), seeded and chopped*
3/4t salt, or to taste
1/4t pepper, or to taste
1/4t ground cumin
1/2 small sweet onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, diced and then smushed w/ back of knife using a dash of kosher salt to help pulverize it
1 or more jalapenos, or other hot peppers of your choice, diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1t olive oil (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours until serving.

*I strain out the seeds and save the juice for something else. You could drink it, as is, add to your homemade tomato sauce, soup or anything else you'd like. It's so delicious that it's a waste to throw it away!