Basil Quinoa Salad & Pork Chop!

I confess. I have a new love in my life. He's sweet as can be, loves to cuddle, and is very much overweight. Foodie friends, meet Pork Chop! Also known as Gordon, Gordy, Gordo, Tubbers, Chub Chub...he is a cat of many names and faces (chubby ones).

Through a roundabout way, Pork Chop was welcomed into our home recently and is a wonderful addition to the urban homestead. He is an indoor kitty due to being declawed (not my doing, and yes, I agree it is pretty indecent to cut a cat's claws out) and has yet to discovered the chickens. However, he has made friends with our outdoor neighborhood kitty, Sophie, and seems to be settling in just fine.

His favorite hobbies: sleeping, eating, sleeping more, waddling around the house, sleeping in front of the window, waking me up at 6 am. We should get along fabulously! And I haven't told him yet, but he is going to lose some weight if I have my say...he is nearly 20 lbs at the moment.

For the holiday weekend a few weeks ago, friends and neighbors came by to play some lawn sports and have a few beers. In an effort to keep us more or less sober and healthy, I searched high and low for a quinoa salad I hadn't yet tried - something quite difficult as I eat a lot of quinoa!

Randomly, I stumbled across this Care2 recipe and thought it sounded scrumptious for a hot summer day (it never gets THAT hot here in Eugene). After sitting overnight in my fridge, this salad was delicious! It's vegan, can be made with some local ingredients, is fast and easy. All wins in my book!

BBQ goers gave some pretty good feedback on this recipe and I plan to make more of it soon. It has lots of room for personal taste changes, adaptations, etc. and deserves a place at the picnic table. Enjoy and happy summer! If you live in the area, Pork Chop always likes meeting new people. ;)

Basil Quinoa Salad
Adapted from: Summer Basil Quinoa Salad 

• 1 cup Quinoa-rinsed
• 1/8 c sweet Texas onion, diced
• 1/8 c red onion, diced 
• 2 whole tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice 
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried basil 
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard - I used a 4 mustard combo from my bridge
• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add the quinoa, cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes or until water is fully absorbed. Set aside and let cool.

Whisk together all dressing ingredients except the olive oil. When combined, slowly whisk in olive oil, a little at a time to allow oil and vinegar to mix.

Toss all salad ingredients with dressing and garnish with nuts if available (toasted pine nuts, almonds, or hazelnuts are wonderful). 

Red Velvet Cake & Mini Vacation

February seems to be my month to slack off on posting. I checked last year's February foodie posts and found the same thing. There appears to be a pattern forming, however I promise to get my baking buns back in the saddle soon.

Last weekend I had the wonderful pleasure of celebrating a friend's birthday on the Oregon Coast. If you haven't visited the Oregon Coast yet, put it on your bucket list. Seriously. It is a magical, wonderful, amazingly beautiful place with far fewer visitors than you think and a plethora of activities for everyone.

I call this the bowling team/gaming crew. Don't we look like a motley, crazy bunch? And yes, we had ridiculous amounts of fun. :)

The birthday boy requested a red velvet cake as his present. Have you ever made a red velvet cake? Do a web search for a recipe and start reading, it will likely intimidate you. This is how I felt embarking upon my red velvet quest.

I ended up going with a Smitten Kitchen recipe for the cake and a cream cheese frosting recipe from Joy of Baking. While I did do some minor tweaking to both recipes, I tried to leave them more or less intact. The one big change is that I added a raspberry whipped cream layer inside the cake (also adapted from a Joy of Baking recipe). The cake was delicious, however a little too dense for my taste (am not sure if this was due to letting the baking soda/vinegar bubble too long). As with all red velvet cakes, it tasted so much better after letting it sit for a day in the fridge.

And sorry for the poor photograph, blame the iphone. This is the only shot I managed to capture of the inside of the cake prior to it being demolished. Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cake
Adapted from: SmittenKitchen

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 1/2 cups cake flour (sifted)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch process)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup strawberry applesauce 
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) red food coloring
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place teaspoon of butter in each of 3 round 9-inch layer cake pans and place pans in oven for a few minutes until butter melts. Remove pans from oven, brush interior bottom and sides of each with butter and line bottoms with parchment.

Sift together cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl (this is in addition to the pre-sift for the flour).

Place oil, applesauce, and sugars in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. With machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring. (Take care: it may splash.) Add vanilla and almond extracts . Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.

Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds.

Divide batter among pans, place in oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes (watch closely as mine tended to overcook). Let cool in pans 20 minutes. Then remove from pans, flip layers over and peel off parchment. Cool completely before frosting.

Raspberry Whipped Cream Frosting Layer 
Adapted from: Joy of Baking 

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/2 cup slightly sweetened raspberry puree or jam 

In a large mixing bowl, place the whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar and stir to combine. Cover and chill in the bowl with the wire whisk in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. When chilled, beat the mixture until soft peaks form. Then add the raspberry puree/jam, a little at a time, and beat just until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised. Taste and fold in more jam or sugar as needed.

Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from: Joy of Baking 

• 1 - 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 - 8 oz tub of mascarpone cheese at room temperature 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted 
• 1 1/2 cups cold heavy whipping cream 

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to spread. Add more sugar or cream as needed to obtain the right consistency.

Assemble the cake: After the cake layers have cooled, place one of the cake layers on the serving plate as the base layer. Thickly spread the raspberry whipped cream layer over the top of the base cake layer. Place in the freezer for at least 10 minutes to let the cake set up. Take the chilled cake out of the freezer and stack the next cake layer on top of the cooled whipped cream layer. Then add a thick layer of the mascarpone cream cheese frosting on top. Again place it in the freezer for at least 10 minutes to set up the frosting. Finally add the top cake layer to the stack, and finish by frosting the top and sides of the cake. I tend to make this fairly heavy and thick. Place the cake back in the freezer for at least 15 minutes, then remove and decorate as desired. Refrigerate the cake until nearly ready to serve. Prior to serving, remove the cake from the fridge and leave it at room temperature for at least 20 minutes prior to serving.

Foodie Fest - Pie & Bread Edition

This past Saturday, I had the joy and pleasure to share food, drink, and warmth with a handful of foodie friends. What a lovely day! If I could do this more often (especially getting paid to do it), I would be the baking hostess of renowned success. :)

On the menu this Foodie Fest - pie and bread. Specifically crafted for a pair of friends, the general gist of the event included showing up ready to assemble/bake/eat a favorite bread or pie (dough) recipe. And of course, enjoy a mimosa or two.

We also sampled a flyer of IPA beer, which was most fun discussing and arguing the subtle taste differences between each label. 

One friend brought seed bread (oh so delicious). Two loaves, which we pretty much decimated.

Another made empanadas + potatoes = empotatoes! With gruyère cheese...needless to say I sampled MANY of these little babies.

A local bread baker pal made his first attempt at rye bread with pink himalayan salt dusted on top. Wow, like a little bite of heaven in my mouth.

As for me, I might have made a contribution or two...first up were the pesto pinwheels. These were a cross between my garlic cheese pinwheel rolls and garlic knots made last year. Needless to say they were instantly gone.

My other contribution - banana pudding pie. There is barely a sliver remaining the morning after. Obviously a sign of a smashing hit with the foodies. Click here if you would like the recipe. Easy as pie to make (ha, couldn't help myself) and well worth the wait!

Am currently taking ideas for the next round of Foodie Fest. Feel free to leave me a comment or two with your suggestions. Happy baking!

Layered Coconut Cake

This is a layered coconut cake. It rocks. Seriously.

This cake was my first attempt at a layered cake. Before this I stayed away from them due to their intimidation factor.

However it was a pretty special lady's birthday and this was what the sweet tooth fairy had in mind.

What can I say? This cake took a little effort, but was well worth it. My changes - not much, actually. I didn't pour the filling over the top layer, but now that I realize letting it sit for a few days is key for flavor, I will definitely do this the next time I make this recipe. I also added a dash of almond extract. Other than that it is nearly the same as the original. Enjoy!! Make sure you have lots of friends around to help you eat this bad boy.

Layered Coconut Cake
Adapted from: Jamie's Coconut Cake

Cake:

• Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake but substitute 1 cup canned, unsweetened coconut milk for regular milk, recipe follows

Filling:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 cup flaked, sweetened coconut

Frosting:

• 1 recipe 7-minute Frosting
• Flaked, sweetened coconut, for sprinkling

Follow directions for Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake, substituting coconut milk for regular milk. While cake is baking, prepare filling. Stir together sugar, sour cream, milk, and coconut in a bowl until well blended. Remove cake layers from oven and allow cake to remain in pans as you prepare to stack and fill. Remove first layer and invert onto cake plate. Using the wrong end of a wooden spoon, poke holes approximately 1-inch apart until entire cake has been poked. Spread 1/3 of filling mixture on cake layer. Top with second layer, repeat process. Top with last layer and repeat process again. (As I stack layers together I stick them with toothpicks to prevent cake from shifting).

Prepare 7-Minute Frosting. Frost top and sides of cake. Sprinkle top and sides of cakes with additional coconut.

Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups sifted self-rising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and almond extracts and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4 inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely and spread cake layers with your favorite frosting to make a 3-layer cake.

7-Minute Frosting:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute. Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. (If this happens, it could cause your frosting to become grainy). Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla.

The Unicorn Cake

Is there truly anything better than gifting a person a unicorn?

Complete with frosting, sprinkles, and candles?

She's cute, right? I mean the b-day girl, and of course the cake. ;) 

Last week a dear friend celebrated her birthday and as all good pals get a baked good for the occasion, I decided to go big. Really big. Like confetti sheet cake big.

While at Ikea last month, the Tall One gifted me a set of horse cake pans. I decided to turn a white cake into a confetti cake, with the addition of jimmies, snowflakes, and candy sprinkles. For decoration, I used Airhead candy to make the manes, tails, and actual unicorn horns. I added some holiday Peeps to the backdrop, gel frosting and store bought frosting (I know, I'm lazy), and tons of sprinkles.

For the base, I modified a recipe I found on AllRecipes.com. I had never heard of a Heavenly White Cake recipe before, but am a huge fan of it now! The cake comes out denser, a little more crumbly, similar to a light cornbread. But with all the flavor of your grandma's white cake recipe. Oh so delicious.

My changes included using 1 1/2 cups of milk (hazelnut in my case), adding 1 1/2 tbsp EACH of jimmies, snowflakes, and sprinkles. Also, I switched around the order of the directions from the original recipe, creaming the butter and sugar first, then beating the egg whites. This is a great cake to make for decorating or making cake shapes. Next time I might add a little jam or fruit compote to the neck region so that when we chop its head off, it pseudo bleeds. Enjoy!

Unicorn Confetti Cake 
Adapted from: Heavenly White Cake Recipe 

• 2 3/4 cups sifted flour (sift as part of the assembly process)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 tbsp Jimmie Sprinkles
• 1 1/2 tbsp Snowflake Sprinkles
• 1 1/2 tbsp Wax Sprinkles

Measure sifted flour, baking powder, and salt; sift together three times (not counting the original sift in the ingredient list). Sift! Don't skip this part or your cake won't turn out properly. 

Cream butter or margarine. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, and cream together until light and fluffy. Add sifted ingredients alternately with milk a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Mix in flavorings.

In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add 1/2 cup sugar gradually, and continue beating only until meringue will hold up in soft peaks.

Add meringue and sprinkles, and gently fold thoroughly into batter. Spread batter in a 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan which has been lined on the bottom with parchment paper, or decorative pans such as the unicorn pans. 

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. This cake may also be baked in two 9 inch round pans for 30 to 35 minutes, or in three 8 inch round pans for 25 to 30 minutes. Decorate as desired. 

You're Baking Me Crazy! Guest Bakers In the Kitchen

It's official. I have finally figured it out. How to have way too much fun, that is. Get a couple friends into the kitchen with you, add sugar and alcohol, then wait for the magic. And giggles. Smiles all around, all night long.

This week I invited two lovely, adorable ladies into the Panda le Chef kitchen for some holiday inspired baking.

As I recently picked up a pack of forest friends cookie cutters from Ikea, I opted to try out Martha Stewart's Sugar Cookies while my dear friend C opted for the Polar Opposites Cupcakes from What's New, Cupcake?

Ok, I may have pushed C a bit to do these ones. We thought they were easy. If you look closely you can see what time the clock in the picture reads...too late to be baking!

My dear friend H also came along and inspired these beautiful little piggies.

The Polar Opposites Cupcakes involved a glorified yellow cake mix batter (made with buttermilk) baked in typical cupcake liners. The frosting involved store-bought vanilla frosting with marshmallow fluff. Sweet as can be!

We used doughnut holes, sweetened coconut, frosted oat cereal, and mini marshmallows to decorate the bears. Next we used piped chocolate store-bought frosting to make the hands, feet, and face. C is amazing with decorating baked goods.

As for my Sugar Cookies, they were pretty straight forward. Some of the comments on Martha's page call for adding more sugar or making the cookies sweeter. I see no need in this if you are going to frost them. Actually, they needed little altering other than adding both vanilla and almond extracts. Very tasty. They make great lunch (as they have been mine for two days running).

Now go find a friend or two and start baking! Make sure to include some mimosas or hot cocoa with whiskey. Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies
From: Martha Stewart

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• Assorted candies, sprinkles, or colored sugars, for decorating (optional)

In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, almond and vanilla extracts. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat until combined. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic; freeze until firm, at least 20 minutes, or place in a resealable plastic bag, and freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator overnight).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Remove one dough disk; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Roll out 1/8 inch thick between two sheets of floured parchment, dusting dough with flour as needed.

Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer to prepared baking sheets. (If dough gets soft, chill 10 minutes.) Reroll scraps; cut shapes. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake, rotating halfway through, until edges are golden, 10 to 18 minutes (depending on size). Cool completely on wire racks. To ice cookies, spread with the back of a spoon. Let the icing harden, about 20 minutes. Decorate as desired.