Tomato and Arugula Salad

This is a great refreshing summer salad.  It goes on the side of anything, or add some chicken to make it a main course!  I served this with my Caprese Burger!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
8 fresh plum tomatoes
2 cups arugula
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
4 basil leaves
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
salt
pepper

Directions:
In a bowl whisk together the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar vigorously until it comes together. 

Then cut the tomatoes into chunks.  I got about 8-10 chunks out of each tomato.  Add these to the dressing and stir.  Then cut the basil leaves into strips and toss in with the parsley.  Sprinle with salt and pepper.  If eating the same day, now is the time to add the arugula and stir.  If serving tomorrow let the tomatoes sit in the refrigerator with the sauce, but 1 hour before serving stir in the arugula. 

Let the entire salad sit for 1 hour in the refrigerator.  Then toss right before serving.  Enjoy!

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The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Appetizer

Sticky Wings
Kona Cafe
Disney's Polynesian Resort
Orlando, FL

These wings are some of the best wings I ever ate.  They come out 12 wings to an order and look absolutely gorgeous.  The barbecue sauce is glistening with a few sesame seeds on top for additional crunch.  You bite into the wing and the chicken meat is juicy, moist, plump and delicious.  It's just crazy good.  Of course its sticky, but who cares cause they are just so good.  On top of the juicy meat, the outside is perfectly crispy and topped with a delicious sauce.  The sauce on top is a combination of sweet and spicy because this is in a Hawaiian themed restaurant.  The heat isn't too strong, it just sort surprises you after you think these are just sweet honey barbecue wings.  These really are the best wings I ever ate!

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Pesto, Prosciutto, and Ricotta Grilled Pizza

I ate a similar pizza to this in a restaurant and what made it so delicious was the crispy crust and the soft ricotta cheese.  To get a crispy texture, grilling your pizza is the best way to go (unless you have a huge wood fired pizza oven in your house).  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cup basil pesto sauce (For my recipe go here)
1 pizza dough, split into two (homemade or store bought)
4 slices of prosciutto de parma
2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
Preheat grill or oven to 400 degrees.

On a floured surface, roll out half of the pizza dough until it is 1/8 inch thick.  Do the same with the other half of the dough.  Oil the dough with 1 tablespoon of olive oil on each and spread evenly with a pastry brush. 

Toss the dough, oiled side down, onto the grill. Now you can slice the the prosciutto into small pieces. Close the grill and allow to cook for 5-6 minutes.  Dough should be crusty and golden brown on the first side.  Flip the crusts over.  Spread the pesto on each of the doughs into a very thin layer.  Then using a tablespoon, scoop spoon fulls of the ricotta cheese on the pesto layer.  Then sprinkle with the proscuitto and top with a little pepper.  Don't add salt, the proscuitto is salty enough.  Close the grill and cook for another 5 minutes or until cheese begins to melt.  Enjoy.

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Shepherd's Pie

I made this dish into individual servings, but you could also make one large one.  I also used leftover mashed potatoes here, but any of your mashed potato recipes will work too.  This recipe may not be 100 % traditional, but it is delicious and very easy to make. 

Makes 4 individual pies
Ingredients:
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef
2 cups mashed potatoes
1 1/2 cups white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Heat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Begin to saute the onion and the carrot in the pan for about 5 minutes on medium heat.  Then add in the garlic cloves and celery.  Saute for 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables become tender and translucent. 

After the vegetables are finished cooking, remove from pan.  Toss in the ground beef and saute for 10-15 minutes or until beef is browned.  Once beef is finished cooking remove and mix together with the vegetables.  With the heat on low, add the red wine and scrape all of the bits off the bottom of the pan. Let reduce for 5 minutes. Add the beef and vegetables back into the reduced mixture and add the worchestershire sauce.  Cook together for another 5 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste.  Then separate the mixture into 4 small greased baking dishes or one large baking dish. 

Top with the mashed potatoes so that there is no more meat exposed.

Top with white cheddar cheese and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until top is golden brown.  Enjoy!

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Chocolate Fudge Cake with Canoli Cream Filling

Another cake I made for my brother's graduation party.  I made it into a sheet cake and then rolled it up into a diploma shape.  Here I used my coconut cake frosting without the coconut to get a nice white finish.  Another great idea would be to use the chocolate fudge frosting recipe on my blog.

Ingredients:
Canoli Cream:
32 oz whole milk ricotta
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
Drain ricotta for at least 24 hours before by putting in a wire strainer over a bowl and sitting in the refrigerator overnight. 

Once drained, beat the ricotta, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla together with an electric mixer.  Then stir in the chocolate chips and refrigerate. 

Chocolate Fudge Cake:
Ingredients:
9 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ cups cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup strong coffee
½ cup whole or low-fat milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line whatever baking pan you are using with parchment paper and grease.  This makes one 13 by 9, 24 cupcakes, 2-9 inch rounds, or in my case one sheet cake.

Sift together the cocoa powder, cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, or by hand, beat together the butter and sugar about 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.

Mix together the coffee and milk. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, the add the coffee and milk. Finally stir in the other half of the dry ingredients.

Bake the cakes for 25 minutes for 9 inch rounds and 24 cupcakes.  For the 13 by 9 bake for 30-35 minutes and for the sheet cake 15-20 minutes. 

One done baking cool for 1 hour and remove from pan.  Then cool completely before frosting.

To make the diploma:
After baking the cake, allow to cool for 15 minutes.  Remove the cake from the pan.  Place parchment over the top layer of the cake and then a clean dish towel over that.  Roll the cake up very tight from the shorter end.  Then wrap the entire cake in another dish towel tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

After refrigeration, slowly unwrap the cake, removing the parchment paper and the dish towel.  Add a layer of the canoli cream to the entire cake and roll it back up, very tightly.  Wrap the entire thing back up in the dish towel and refrigerate for 3 hours. 

Once it is done refrigerating, frost the cake completely.  I used a fabric bow for the diploma ribbon.  Enjoy

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Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

I also made this cake for my brother's graduation party.  I made it in the shape of a graduation cap by using a pan in that shape.  This cake is very classic and is very easy to make too.  Enjoy!

Vanilla Cake:
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup  milk
3/4 cup  vegetable oil
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  You can make this cake with 2-9 inch pans or a 13 by 9 pan.  I used the graduation cap pan here.  Grease the pan of your choice very well.  For pans without grooves I would even line it with parchment paper, but I couldn't do that with the graduation cap pan. 

In a large mixing bowl, with an electricmixer, beat sugar and eggs together until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add flour, milk, oil, baking powder, and vanilla and beat for another minute, just until the batter is smooth and creamy. Don't overbeat. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick poked into the center of the layer comes out clean. Allow to cool for an hour before removing from the pan . Loosen the sides of the cake from the pan with a thin knife, then turn out onto a rack and peel off the paper. Let cool completely before covering with frosting, if desired.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter

3-1 ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

1 pound confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk

Directions:

Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave, or in the top of a double boiler.  In a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, vanilla and 1/2 cup of the milk. Blend in the melted chocolate mixture. Add remaining milk, a little at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

Once the frosting is made and the cake is completely cooled you can frost the cake.  Enjoy!

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Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I made this cake for my brother's Graduation Party and it was a big hit.  The cream cheese frosting isn't too sweet and will become your staple cream cheese frosting.  Enjoy this delicious cake!

Cake:
Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two 13 by 9 baking dishes. 

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the two pans. Bake in oven for about 28-32 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cake with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Ingredients:

1 pound cream cheese, softened

2 sticks butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

To decorate put one cake down on the platter.  Put 1/3 of the frosting and coat the top layer of that cake.  Then put the other cake on upside down, in order to have a flat surface on top.  Frost the top of the cake and then go around all of the sides of the cake.  Enjoy!

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