Grandma's Treat

As the Christmas lights go up and the decorations are hung, certain holiday foods and creations are being prepared such as ham, Christmas cookies, candy canes, and gingerbread houses. At my neighbors' house, during Christmas they put up their tree and have their grandparents over, as do many other families during this time of year. Their grandma or ‘Nana’, as they call her, has the cooking talent of a goddess. She can stand in the kitchen and be whipping the most random ingredients together and in the end, there stands a marvelous creation of a usually sweet treat. Trust me, since I have had countless numbers of her delicious cooking creations. I have tried her cookies, chocolate bark, cake and pie, but none of them can compare to her homemade gumdrop cake.

I have now gotten a hold of her very special and traditional recipe, to my delight, and have made it a couple of times. My first attempt was not very successful, since the pound cake part came out too firm and the taste was somewhat bland and mediocre. Yet the second and third time I stirred together the recipe, it came out soft to the touch with a distinctive and palatable flavor. This cake is not the typical square or round double layer cake. Since it is a pound cake, it is a round cake with a hole going through the center, a little like an oversized donut. The pan used to bake the cake in is round with a tube going up the center of it, which is what causes the hole in the cake. Some people may know that pound cake is called pound cake since there is supposed to be a pound each of butter, sugar and eggs in it but don’t worry. This recipe is not that heavy, since that is the original recipe used in Britain back in the 1700’s. We have come a long way since then and luckily, so has our food. This cake is a much lighter version of what is known as the original pound cake. Also, this specific gumdrop cake is a unique kind of pound cake which probably won’t be found any place else except for your own oven.

The main reason I love this cake so much is because there is no artificial ingredients in it and there’s no where else you can get it! Therefore, you have to make it right at home. Also, I love the candy Dots so the addition of them in the cake makes my mouth water. However, some people do not like candy and would rather have a traditional type of pound cake which is also fine. Just exclude the dots from the recipe and you have yourself a pound cake.

If you want to make a homemade gumdrop cake, here’s Grandma’s own recipe. Enjoy!

Gumdrop Cake

Ingredients
Essential Equipment: a bunt cake pan

1 cup of butter, 2 cups of white sugar, 3 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 3 cups of cake flour (do not use regular flour), 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. vanilla or almond flavoring, 1 tsp. lemon juice

Turn the oven on to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat butter thoroughly and then gradually add sugar. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each one. Add the milk, flavoring and lemon juice into the liquid bowl too. Stir the dry ingredients, which would be the cake flour, baking powder and salt, in a separate bowl. Then, fold in the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Lastly, add in two boxes of Dots candy. Pour the mixture into the bunt pan and let it bake in the oven for about 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden and the inside is not wet.

Word Count: 632

'Make Me Happy'

Two weeks ago, I got up out of bed and slowly moseyed on down the stairs. When I got to the kitchen and saw the pink and blue balloons swaying back and forth, I remembered it was my birthday. Very excited, I ran to go give my mother and father a hug as they softly shouted, “Happy birthday!” Anyways, every birthday my mother asks me what I want for my birthday cake. This year, instead of asking for the usual vanilla Betty Crocker cake with homemade icing, I asked her to make me tiramisu, an Italian cake-like dessert. I made it clear that I wanted it to be homemade and not store-bought, since store bought didn’t taste as fresh to me. At first she looked at me funny, and then said, “As you wish, darling.” I happily went off to school, eager to get home and have birthday cake.

I asked for this kind of cake for my birthday since it is one of my favorite desserts ever. You may be wondering what tiramisu means. In Italian, it means 'pick me up' which metaphorically means 'make me happy'. It is mostly creamy and has a taste of coffee in it. The cream is wonderfully sweet and not too thick or heavy, but is made with the perfect amount of fluffiness to it. The other main component of tiramisu is the ladyfingers, which are strips of puffy bread-like yet sweet sponge cake. The coffee flavor comes from actual coffee being poured into the dessert. The entire cake is a variety of textures that go from soft and creamy to something feeling like a wet sponge, but in an appealing kind of way. The part of the tiramisu that makes it look so appealing is not just the layering of the cream and sponge cake, but it is also the dashes of chocolate powder lightly sprinkled onto the top layer of the cake. This factor leads you to think that it could be a chocolate cake. However, when you bite into it, the surprise of it being a rich creamy flavor gives you the motivation to continue eating since there may be more surprises in store. Also, instead of just doing an ordinary sprinkle of chocolate powder all over, you could make a pretty design out of the powder using all different shapes and sizes of stencils. This is what my mother did to create a tiramisu with designs of hearts, circles, and swirls from the chocolate powder. It looked amazing and tasted even better!

If you do decide to make tiramisu, though it seems difficult, it is actually very simple. There is no cooking or baking required. After making tiramisu, recipes usually call for it to sit for about three or four hours, but from experience, I have learned that it actually tastes better if you wait a day after. Even though this recipe is simple, people still manage to mess it up or are just too lazy to make it. I know I said earlier that I don’t enjoy store bought tiramisu as much as home made, but if you must, the best store bought tiramisu comes from Whole Foods.

For all those creative people, here is the best recipe my mom and I use to make tiramisu from the Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics. Enjoy!

Tiramisu

Makes 9 servings- Refrigerate: 4 hours

Ingredients

Essential Equipment: electric mixer or hand beater; 8-inch square pan or 9-inch round pan

1 cup whipping (heavy) cream, 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese at room temperature, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons light rum or 1/2 teaspoon rum extract, 1 package (3 ounces) ladyfingers (12 ladyfingers), 1/2 cup cold prepared espresso or strong coffee, 2 teaspoons baking cocoa

Directions

1. Pour the whipping cream into a medium bowl, and place in the refrigerator to chill. The cream will whip better in a cold bowl.

2. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in another medium bowl with the electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the rum on low speed, and set aside.

3. Beat the whipping cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently spoon the whipped cream onto the cream cheese mixture. To fold together, use a rubber spatula to cut down vertically through the mixtures, then slide the spatula across the bottom of the bowl and up the side, turning the mixtures over. Rotate the bowl one-fourth turn, and repeat this down-across-up motion. Continue mixing in this way just until ingredients are blended.

4. Split each ladyfinger horizontally in half. Arrange half of them, cut sides up, over the bottom of the ungreased pan. Drizzle 1/4 cup of the cold espresso over the lady fingers. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture over ladyfingers.

5. Arrange the remaining ladyfingers, cut sides up, over the cream cheese mixture. Drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup cold espresso, and spread with the remaining cream cheese mixture.

6. Sprinkle the cocoa over the top of the dessert. If you have a small strainer, place the cocoa in the strainer and shake it over the dessert. Otherwise, shake the cocoa from a spoon. Cover and refrigerate about 4 hours or until the filling is firm.

1 Serving: Calories 240 (Calories from Fat 160); Fat 18g (Saturated 11g); Cholesterol 60mg; Sodium 115mg; Carbohydrate 17g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 3g

Lighter

Tiramisu: For 8 grams of fat and 165 calories per serving, use reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel) instead of regular cream cheese. Use 2 cups frozen (thawed) reduced-fat whipped topping for the whipping cream.

Word Count: 928

A Cheesy Delight

I believe that food is a necessary topic to write about. This is due to the fact that everyone eats, no matter how fat, skinny, tall or short; everyone eats. Since we all must eat, people grow to enjoy different types of food that appease their own taste buds. That is why I will be blogging about different foods and restaurants. 

On Wednesday evening, I walked into the kitchen, getting a wonderful whiff of a cheesy and creamy sensation. As I bent over my mother’s shoulder to see what she was brewing up, I also noticed a pot bubbling over with hot water. I realized she was beginning to cook fettuccine, a type of Italian pasta in long, slender, flat strips. When I saw this, I realized the cheesy smell was coming from the Fettuccine Alfredo sauce she was cooking up, since the customary dish to make with fettuccine pasta is Fettuccine Alfredo. I became overjoyed since Alfredo sauce and pasta is one of my favorite dishes that I absolutely recommend for the dairy-lover. This is because the heavy sauce has a rich, salty, creamy flavor that isn’t too thick but isn’t too watery either. Also, the slender fettuccine is fun to eat since it’s easy to slurp up.

However, if you are specifically watching your diet, then this meal may not be the right choice since there is 26 grams of fat in the sauce (Betty Crocker Fettucine Alfredo Sauce) and the pasta carries 26 grams of carbohydrates. Though there is a way to make the meal lighter and not as fattening which is listed below.  

Nevertheless, some people are horrible cookers, and then there are some who just down right hate it. That is why there are such things as restaurants. Out of all the Italian restaurants that serve numerous amounts of different pasta meals, Olive Garden has the best Fettuccine Alfredo around. The way they pour their creamy parmesan sauce over the perfectly soft cooked fettuccine is to die for. This easy-make meal is a good source of protein (9 grams from Betty Crocker recipe) that will completely satisfy your hunger.

Here is the recipe of the Fettuccine Alfredo my mom makes from the Betty Crocker Cooking Basics Book. Enjoy!

Makes 6 Servings-Cook: 15 Minutes

Ingredients

Essential Equipment: Dutch oven (about 4-quart size); medium saucepan (about 2-quart size)

8 ounces uncooked fettucine, 1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine or butter, 1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream, 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, dash of pepper, and chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Fill the Dutch oven about half full of water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt if desired. Cover and heat over high heat until the water is boiling rapidly. Add the fettucine. Heat to boiling again. Boil uncovered 11 to 13 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. To test fettucine for doneness, cut a strand of fettucine on the side of the Dutch pan. while fettucine is cooking, continue with the recipe to make the Alfredo sauce.

2. Heat the margarine and whipping cream in the saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until margarine is melted. Stir in the cheese, salt and pepper until the mixture is smooth.

3. Drain the fettucine in a strainer or colander, and place in a large serving bowll or back in the Dutch oven. Pour the sauce over the hot fettucine, and stir until fettucine is well coated. Sprinkle with parsley.

1 Serving: Calories 370 (Calories from fat 235); Fat 26g (Saturated 9g); Cholesterol 65mg; Sodium 570mg; Carbohydrate 26g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 9g

Lighter

Fettucine Alfredo: For 16 grams of fat and 290 calories per serving, decrease margarine to 1/3 cup, and substitute evaporated milk for the whipping cream.

Alfredo sauce can also have meat added to it. One of the most common sauces which I have tried and enjoyed is the Chicken Alfredo. If the chicken is successfully cooked, it is especially moist. This allows it to be eaten with pleasure since it isn’t too tough and doesn’t keep you chewing forever. The fried chicken has a crispy coating while the inside is softer and steaming with tender chicken breast. Also, due to the chicken breast being coated with the Alfredo sauce, the flavor is nothing near plain. This addition of chicken adds a good source of protein to a mainly carbohydrate meal. Though this adds more time for cooking dinner, the outcome is worth it because of the greater variety in the meal.

Here is a recipe for the Chicken Alfredo sauce. Enjoy!

CHICKEN ALFREDO

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, 4 tablespoons oil, 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated, 3/4 cup heavy cream, salt and pepper to taste, 1 lb fettucine

Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet. Cut chicken breast into strips. Add salt and pepper. Fry on medium heat until cooked through. To make the sauce, melt butter in saucepan, then add cream and cheese. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Cook fettucine in 3 quarts boiling water. Mix chicken and Alfredo sauce together. Drain noodles. Put sauce and chicken over noodles. Makes 6 servings.

Recipe by: Ruth Quick

Word Count: 856

My First Post

Ready to blog about food.