Happy Birthday Cake

My friend Tenecia at work (hi Tenecia!!) found some frosting recipes she liked, but noted that there was not a single 'cake' recipe.  As some of my bloggers are aware, my husband hates traditional cake.  But I do cake too!!

OK, so clearly this cake can be used for any occasion.  But we just happen to have a LOT of birthdays in my house, and somewhere along the way, this is what my family started asking for.  When my brother was little, it was the only cake he would eat (he's 28 now!).  So I've been making this for a long time!!

Ingredients

• 1 c. butter, softened
• 2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract**
• 4 egg yolks
• 3 tsp baking soda
• 3 c. cake flour**
• 4 egg whites, beaten stiff with a dash of salt

Directions

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth and fluffy, adding extract as you go. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add the milk and stir until smooth. Set aside.
2. Measure the baking powder into the flour.  Add to butter, sugar and milk mixture and stir until smooth (if you are using an electric mixer, you should have a few air bubbles).  Fold in the egg whites.  Don't beat the batter after the whites have been folded in.
3. For a traditional birthday cake, bake in three 8 or 9 inch layer cake pans.  For a sheet cake, us a 9 x 13 inch pan.  
4. Grease and flour the pan and pour the cake batter in.
5. Bake 30 to 35 minutes at 350 (325 if your oven runs hot - like mine!).  Test by sticking a knife of toothpick into the middle of the cake.  If it comes out clean, the cake is done.

**almond extract was the preference in my house growing up, so I still make it this way today.  You can use vanilla if you prefer.  I like cake flour because it's lighter and silkier.  If you have regular flour, that will work too, just remember to NOT over beat your mixture or you will end up with a heavy brick for a cake.  Of course if that's what you like....

Tomato with Shrimp and Basil

Perfect for hot summer days, this is a light and tasty dish!  If you have tomatoes fresh from your garden, this is a great way to use some up.  Fresh basil is very important for this dish, so don't cut corners with dried.

Ingredients

• 4 c. (3/4 inch) cubed whole wheat French bread baguette
• 5 c. ripe tomato wedges (about 4 large)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 c small basil leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Place bread cubes on a baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes or until crisp and golden brown, turning cubes once.
3. Combine tomatoes and 1/4 tsp salt in a large bowl.  Sprinkle shrimp with remaining black pepper and salt.  Heat olive oil, red pepper, and garlic in a large non-stick pan over low heat; cook 5 minutes or until warm and fragrant.  
4. Increase heat to medium high.  Add shrimp to pan; saute 2 minutes or until shirmp are done, stirring frequently. Stir in lemon juice.  
5. Add bread, shrimp mixture, and basil to tomatoes; toss gently to coat.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Grilled Stuffed Jalapenos

Ahem.  I am ashamed to admit I have not posted since October.  How did that happen?!?!  But I'm back, and with an amazingly awesome appetizer!  My kids (yes, the picky ones!) could not get enough of these!!  I already plan to go back to the market tomorrow for more jalapenos.  Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 2 slices bacon
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 c. shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 c. minced green onions
• 1 tsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 14 jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
• cooking spray
• 2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 small tomato, chopped and seeded

Directions

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat
2. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels.  Crumble bacon.  Combine crumbled bacon, cheeses, green onions, lime juice, kosher salt and garlic in a bowl.  Stir to combine.
3. Divide cheese evenly and fill the pepper halves.
4. Place peppers, cheese side up, on grill rack or grill grate coated with cooking spray.  Cover and grill peppers for 8 minutes or until bottoms of peppers are charred and cheese mixture is lightly browned.  Place the peppers on a serving platter
5. Sprinkle with cilantro and tomato.

Fried Ravioli

Two years ago this coming January, my friend Miranda convinced me to try Fried Ravioli's at TGIFriday's.  It was an appetizer and she swore it was *the best*.  And it was pretty darn good!!!  Except we went back the following year (this was a yearly birthday celebration) only to discover that they were off the menu.  It probably had something to do with the fact that they now list the caloric value of all their food on the menu.  I'm quite sure it wasn't pretty!  

But forget calories!!  What really counts is the taste because these were only a once a year treat!

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 2 TBS milk
• 2/3 c Panko bread crumbs (the only ones I use now!)
• 24 refrigerated raviolis (cheese or a filling of your choice)
• 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
• vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Pour enough vegetable oil into a large, deep pot so that it reaches a depth of 1 inch. Warm oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil, and line a plate with paper towel.  
   
   
   While vegetable oil is heating, whisk together egg and milk in a shallow bowl. Place bread crumbs in a separate shallow bowl. Working in batches, dip ravioli into egg mixture, allowing excess to drip back into bowl, then coat with bread crumbs. Place coated ravioli on baking sheet. Discard remaining bread crumbs.
   
   
   Fry ravioli in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes total. Be careful not to crowd ravioli in pan, and make sure oil comes back to 325°F before adding another batch of ravioli. Transfer fried ravioli to lined plate to drain. Sprinkle fried ravioli with grated Parmesan.Warm marinara sauce in a pan over medium-low heat or in a microwave. Spoon sauce into 4 small bowls. Serve fried ravioli with warmed marinara on the side.
   
   ++Blogger is not formatting nicely today!  Sorry about that...

Grilled Shrimp Scampi

A few weeks ago, my family and I went out to my new favorite seafood restaurant, Pappadeaux's.  While my family dined on an amazing meal, the bill at the end was amazing too (lucky for us, I had a $50 gift card which covered about half the meal).  But I was reminded about how much my family enjoys seafood.  While seafood is a little pricier than chicken, making it at home saves a substantial amount!  I picked up a $5 bag of frozen shrimp at Walmart for this meal.  In the future, I'll spend the money on the larger bag as we all would have enjoyed a little more shrimp, but this was a meal the whole family loved!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ground black pepper to taste
• crushed red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
• 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

1. In a large, non-reactive bowl, stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, and black pepper. Season with crushed red pepper, if desired. Add shrimp, and toss to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat grill for high heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard any remaining marinade.
3. Lightly oil grill grate. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque.

I used fettuccine noodles for this.  I doubled the sauce except for the garlic and reserved half of it. I then used the leftover marinade and sauteed the garlic, then added just that to the reserve mix.  I then tossed it with the pasta and shrimp, served a fresh green salad and some garlic bread on the side.  This meal with the one bag of shrimp cost me about $9 to make.  For a family of 6!  Even adding an additional bag of shrimp, $11 for a seafood dinner is a great bargain.