I am really excited to share this recipe with you because it's SO GOOD.  If you make this cake and don't eat it all yourself, you will look like a rock star in the kitchen, and hey, even if you do eat it all yourself, you'll at least know you're a rock star.



This cake is perfect for this time of year- it's light, lemony, creamy, and just all around dreamy.  The filling seriously could be as light as a cloud, if they were made of cheese.  It's pretty in its simplicity.  No need to break out piping bags or even icing spatulas.

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My go-to salsa during winter when fresh tomatoes aren't available is the Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Style Salsa.  It has an impressive flavor and is quick and easy to boot.  I've made it dozens of times, and each time there's just never enough, even though it makes a ton.

I can't remember if this salsa remix was born out of the desire to experiment or just because I didn't have plain tomatoes, but a couple weeks ago I decided to try making the salsa with fire roasted tomatoes instead of plain ones.  This discovery has to rank right up there with sliced bread.  It's more complex- slightly smoky, spicy, and the flavor just feels...deeper.  It's so good!

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With the country standing at the cusp of grilling season (sounds so dramatic, doesn't it?), this dish is one you'll want to make again and again.  It's one of those recipes that you unfortunately won't have a lot of leftovers if you take it to a potluck and one that almost everyone will ask for the recipe.

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This frosting.  Oh, this frosting.  If you're below the age of 40, you know it well.  It adorned at least half the cupcakes you ate as a child, and I have also been known to eat it as a dip with graham crackers.  So creamy, so tasty.  So discontinued.  A generation mourns.  There are imitators out there, but it's just not the same.

Until now, when it gets better.  I found this recipe for a homemade version on Pinterest, and it really does have the taste and close to the texture of the original.  Unfortunately, no homemade frosting will ever perfectly mimic the texture of canned frosting because it's more of a science project than food, and all those hydrogenated oils, syrups, and shelf stabilizers give it the texture we know (and many of us, like me, prefer).  This recipe, though, with its cream cheese icing base, comes pretty close to being that creamy, sort of light, spreadable frosting texture.  The flavor of this frosting is amazing, and since you make it, you of course get to play with how it tastes.

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When they first come out of the oven, they are puffy, but don't worry; they will settle.

Notes

• If you visit the original post site (the link to the original post is the recipe title), you will see that Averie's cookies are a bit thicker.  I used about half the dough she uses for one cookie, so that I'd have more.  This may have affected the candy corn staying in tact.
• I baked mine 9 minutes, just like the recipe suggested.  Some still looked too underdone, and even after about 5 mins. were too soft to pick up from the baking sheet.  After further cooling- maybe 30 minutes- they were fine to pick up.

If you make these for a party, then you will want to start early.  I could only fit about 4 whole tortillas on a baking sheet, and that's only like 1 serving.  So yes, I ate a whole pan.  I'll go be filled with self loathing now.

Baked Corn Tortilla Chips
to make 1-2 servings

4- 6 inch corn tortillas
Canola or other flavorless oil OR cooking spray/spray oil
Salt (I use Kosher but regular would be fine)

Preheat an oven to 350 and center your oven rack.  Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment (optional, but makes for much easier cleanup).

Cut your tortillas into quarters (or whatever size you desire- sixths would be fine too).  Lay them flat in a single layer on your baking sheet, and spray with oil.  You can use a Misto sprayer, a pump sprayer, or even a spray bottle with a nozzle, or even cooking spray- you just want an even, light layer of oil on the chips.  Sprinkle with salt.  Turn over and repeat on the other side.

Bake in preheated oven about 10-15 minutes, flipping about halfway through.  They are done when they've crisped up and are golden with some light browning.

Notes

• Depending on your love of salt, you may want to go easy at first.  Remember you are salting both sides (or just salt one side if you were heavy handed on the first side).  These can tend to be a little salty if you aren't careful.
• Despite their sturdiness, they get soggy more easily than the store bought chips.  Be warned.

Chocolate Chip Pie
From Just Desserts by Paula Deen

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell

Preheat  your oven to 325.  In a medium bowl, mix together flour and sugar.  Add all other ingredients, stirring until moistened.  Pour into an unbaked pie shell and bake 45-60 minutes, until set.  The top will also be lightly browned.

Serve with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

Notes

• I used mini chocolate chips, because I liked the idea of smaller chips of chocolate scattered throughout.
• If you use a glass dish like I did, it's best to reduce the heat of the oven by 25 degrees Fahrenheit and extend the time a little, which allows for a better browning of the crust while not burning everything else.

• I used chickpeas that I prepared from dried ones.  I soaked them overnight and then cooked them on the stove top, bringing them to a boil and then cutting the heat back to simmer them until softened, around 1- 1.5 hours.  I used those in place of the canned chickpeas, and I used about 1/2 lb.
• I have tossed the chickpeas with various combinations, but my favorite is chili powder and ranch dressing mix.  Paprika/smoked paprika and plain, salted are good too.

Have you ever had a pot de creme?  If not, I've got your back- the t is silent (those French!).  I had not had one before I made these, but had seen them on food shows and in cookbooks/magazines.  They didn't strike me as incredibly interesting until around Valentine's I saw an episode of the old Food Network Show, The Best Thing I've Ever Made, the chocolate episode.  Aarti Sequeira made these chocolate hazelnut pots de creme and she just raved about them, as did the people who were eating with her.  It seemed easy, economical, and impressive, so why not?  Drew and I made them for our belated Valentine's Day meal.  We are sold.



Think of this as a Nutella-flavored, thick pudding with a spicy kick at the end.  They're so good, and to top them with freshly whipped cream, chopped hazelnuts, and some sea salt sends you out of this world.  It all seems so simple- chocolate, nutella, heavy cream, and egg yolks.  What results, though is a dense, smooth custard that is absolutely packed with flavor and give you some complexity and depth of flavor as your taste buds sense chocolate, hazelnut, and the spicy Sriracha.  The whipped cream serves to cut the richness while adding more creaminess, and the salt and hazelnuts just intensify everything.  Pardon me while I go make more right now.



Chocolate-Hazelnut Pots de Creme
from Food Network/ Aarti Sequeira
serves 8

1 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread, such as Nutella
3 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (70 percent and over), chopped
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 large egg yolks
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream or creme fraiche, for topping
Cocoa or grated chocolate, for dusting
Minced hazelnuts, for garnishing
Sea salt, for garnishing

poon the chocolate-hazelnut spread into your blender. Add the chopped chocolate. Set your ramekins/cocottes/teacups/glasses on a baking sheet.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, heavy cream, sugar, salt and egg yolks over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, 8 to 10 minutes; I like to use a flat-bottomed wooden spatula so that I can make sure the eggs aren't catching on the bottom and cooking. Cook until the custard thickens, resembling something like very thick paint. It should register between 175 and 180 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Another test: the custard should coat the back of the spatula, and when you draw a line across the back of the spatula with your (clean!) finger, the line should hold and maintain its edges without running. Remove from the heat immediately.

Now, pour the warm custard through a strainer into the blender. Let it sit 5 minutes to melt the chocolate. Add the Sriracha, espresso powder if using and vanilla extract. Then, put the lid on the blender, hold down with a thick kitchen towel, and blend on low, then high, until smooth and combined, scraping down the sides if necessary. Taste for seasoning.

Pour the custard into your containers, tapping them against the rim of the baking sheet to remove air bubbles. Pop them in the fridge and chill until the custards are set, 2 to 3 hours.

Top with whipped cream or creme fraiche, some grated chocolate and minced hazelnuts. A little sea salt would be nice too.



Notes

• If you do decide to use whipped cream to garnish your pots de creme, you'll want about 1 1/2 to 2 cups total heavy cream.
• I used a candy thermometer to make sure the temperature of my custard was right.

This recipe is featured in Pioneer Woman's second cookbook, Food From My Frontier, and my only regret could possibly be that I didn't make it sooner.  Part of the reason I didn't is its long cooking time.  I then saw an episode of Pioneer Woman on Food Network, and she made this in stages.  Doing food anc cleaning in stages is just the best idea.  Then I decided to make it myself, in stages, and took it a step further and made it in my slow cooker while I slept.  Thank God for slow cookers!



This recipe cranks out a roast that, when shredded and allowed to rest a while in the cooking liquid, becomes tender and moist and slightly spicy/tangy.  It was so good that we didn't even mind eating on it all week, and Drew made it for his fire station just a few days later.

Deglazing the pan with some of the main cooking liquid to get all those delicious brown bits- all is poured into the slow cooker

PW suggests you serve these on sandwiches, and that's how we served them the first few times- on rolls with caramelized onions and meunster cheese.  Later in the week, we topped a pizza with the drip beef (yes!) and I thought about how good it'd be over mashed potatoes or polenta (grits), but I didn't try that because I ran out.

Depending on the size of your roast, you can probably feed 10ish with this recipe.  If you don't eat like a plague of locusts, maybe more.  We used bakery crusty hoagie rolls, a baguette, and plain hamburger buns.  All worked just fine, but the crustier rolls hold up better with the liquid.





Drip Beef
adapted from Pioneer Woman

1 whole Beef Chuck Roast, 2.5 To 4 Pounds
2 cups beef broth
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons (heaping) Italian Seasoning
1 jar (16 Oz) Pepperoncini Peppers, With Juice
1 large sweet onion, sliced
Slices of provolone or meunster cheese
Buttered, Toasted Deli Rolls

Sprinkle the chuck roast with salt and pepper.

Melt 2 tablespoons canola oil in a heavy pot over high heat. Sear both sides of the chuck roast until very browned, about 5 minutes in all. Place the beef into a slow cooker.  Pour in the beef broth and 1 cup water. Add the Italian seasoning, and then pour in the pepperoncini with their juices. Now cover the pot and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours (high 4-5 hours) or until meat is very tender and falling apart.

At this point, you have the option to remove the pepperoncini, leave the meat in tact, and refrigerate it for later.  If you do this, skimming the fat off the top is much easier.  If you want to eat it immediately, skip this step and just shred the beef using a couple forks.

If you make sandwiches, prior to building the sandwich, heat a skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add the onions and saute until light golden brown. Set aside.

To serve, slice rolls in half; butter and toast under broiler. Heap a generous portion of meat on each roll, and then spoon some of the cooking liquid over the meat. Top with a few peppers from the pot and plenty of caramelized onions. If using, top with cheese and re-broil that half.  Top the sandwiches with the tops of the rolls and serve to a roomful of ravenous guests.

Notes

• When searing the meat, PUT THE OIL INTO A COLD PAN and allow it to heat.  DO NOT wait until the pan is hot.  The picture below is the aftermath of what happens when you don't follow these instructions.  You get a small kitchen fire and a burned, warped pan.  Please, learn from my stupid mistake.

  The pan, after a small fire.  It's a testament to heating the oil with the pan.

• This beef just gets better the longer it sits in the cooking liquid.  Right after the beef finished in the crock pot and I tried it, I wasn't blown away, but a few hours later it was a little better.  The next day, it was so good you almost couldn't wait for the roll to eat your share.  

• If you want to make a pizza, feel free to use your creativity to come up with whatever toppings you want.  We used barbecue sauce for the base, mozzarella cheese, the drip beef and some pepperoncinis, some lightly sauteed onion, red bell pepper, and sauteed mushrooms.  Delish!