El Torito Salad

El Torito Salad

(I got this recipe from Geenie Chapman – my sister in law)

 

 

 

 

1 cup cilantro – coarsely chopped

1 cup mayonnaise     

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup anaheim chilies – coarsely chopped

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup pepitas – roasted and salted

1/3 cup cotija cheese – crumbled

1 clove garlic – grated or coarse chop

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

More cotija and pepitas will be needed in the salad itself.

1 bag of red or blue corn chips

 

Put the cilantro, chilies, and garlic in the food processor and give it a whirl.  Add the pepitas and cotija and whirl it again.  Last, add the mayo, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Finish the blending.  Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

 

For the salad, use romaine and cut into bite size pieces.  Chill the lettuce until ready to make the salad.  To make the salad, put the lettuce in a bowl.  Sprinkle in some pepitas and cotija and crumble in some corn chips.  Put the dressing on and toss.

 

My notes:  I always make the dressing just as it says here.  Once I put in extra cheese because I love it so much, and that made the dressing too dry.  It’s perfect just the way it is.  The brand of cheese that I buy is Cacique.  I get the pepitas at Trader Joes.

 

When you go to the store to get the chilies, you will see that there are a million different kinds of chilies.  The chilies are anaheim chilies sometimes called green chilies.  They are a lighter green than a green bell pepper and they are kind of long and skinny (like 6 to 8 inches long).  They are considered mild, but don’t lick your fingers or touch your eye while cutting.

 

My sister Carolyn makes this dressing in a blender and it turns out fine.  I think it’s a bit smoother in the food processor, but don’t skip making it just because you don’t have one.  If you do use a blender, it might be better to chop everything a little finer.

 

It’s a beautiful salad at Christmas time if you can get the red corn chips.  I can only find them around Christmas.

 

Last thing:  I’ve only made a single batch of this dressing once.  Everybody likes it so much that I make a double batch every time.  And if you make a double batch, buy two packages of cotija!!

Raspberry Jam - hurry!

About once a year raspberries go on sale.  This is the week at Ralph's.  Smash, cook, bottle, then boil to preserve them.

Easy peasy!

A year-round reminder of my Grandma Fairbanks backyard raspberry patch!

Quinoa and Black Beans

Curt is always on the lookout for new, healthy foods.  He has been watching a fusion grain cooking show on BYUtv and learned about Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa).  It's a grain I would compare to brown rice, but much more nutritious.  He found it at Whole Foods.  

I was surprised how delicious this recipe was and my kids gobbled it up.  This recipe is great as a vegan meal or as a side dish.  It's a perfect replacement for beans and rice.  Next time, I'm going to serve it in a tortilla with chicken and salsa...yum!

 Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup green pepper
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake

Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake (adapted from epicurious)
I thought the cake was even better the next day!!

For cake

• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bundt pan
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15-ounce can; not pie filling)
• 3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs

For icing

• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons well-shaken buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Make cake:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter bundt pan generously, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.

Whisk together flour (2 1/4 cups), baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl.

Beat butter (1 1/2 sticks) and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes (may need longer, mine took 55 minutes). Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert rack over cake and reinvert cake onto rack. Cool 10 minutes more.

Make icing:
While cake is cooling, whisk together buttermilk and confectioners sugar until smooth. Drizzle icing over warm cake, then cool cake completely. Icing will harden slightly.

Ghiradelli Lava Cakes

I made these for book club and I think everyone loved them! I like them because it isn't uncooked cake batter in the center, but rather chocolate ganache!

Note: it said to use a double boiler, I just used a saucepan on low and it worked fine. With that much fat in with the chocolate, I don't think you can ruin it! I doubled the recipe also

Ingredients

• Centers:
• 2 ounces Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate baking bar, broken or chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Cakes:
• 4 ounces Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate baking bar, broken or chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 large whole eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cake flour
• Raspberries for garnish
• Whipped cream for garnish

Directions

1. To make the centers, in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, melt the 2 ounces of chocolate with the cream. Whisk gently to blend.
2. Refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until firm. With your hands, form into six balls; refrigerate until needed.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray six 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray.
4. To make the cakes, in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, melt the 4 ounces of chocolate and the butter, stirring occasionally until smooth.
5. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla on high speed for about 5 minutes, or until thick and light. Fold the melted chocolate mixture and flour into the egg mixture just until combined. Spoon the cake batter into the ramekins. Place a chocolate ball in the middle of each ramekin.
6. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cake is firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes. Run a small, sharp knife around the inside of each ramekin, place an upside-down plate on top, invert, and remove the ramekin. Garnish with raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream.

Sprinkle's Strawberry Cupcakes

This recipe for delicious strawberry cupcakes is from Candace Nelson of Sprinkles Cupcakes.

The Martha Stewart Show, February Winter 2008

• Yield Makes 1 dozen

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature

• Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.

  2. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.

  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.

  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.

  5. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

  6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

  (for mini cupcakes bake 10 minutes)

Strawberry Frosting
I don't measure too much. Start with 1 stick softened butter. Add powdered sugar (quite a bit), vanilla, strawberry puree and a touch of milk. I just start mixing until it is how I want it.

Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

This is the cake I brought to Amanda's dinner. I thought I had already posted this recipe, but I was wrong...sorry for keeping this delight all to myself! Hope you enjoy it!! (The reason the amounts on this recipe are a little strange is because I have halved it. I made the full recipe once and there was waaaaay too much cake with little ice cream. This version I'm posting is the way I make it now).

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/3 cups flour

1/2 + 1/16 cups cocoa powder

1 1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup (a little scant) vegetable oil

1/2 Tablespoon vanilla

3/4 cup very hot water

Ice cream, slightly softened

1/2 cup cream

4 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Grease 13x27 sheet pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

Sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk briefly. In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add wet to dry ingredients and mix at low speed for 5 minutes. Gradually add the hot water, mixing at low speed just until combined. The batter will be quite thin. Pour into pan. Bake 25-30 minutes.

Let cool in pan. Chill, covered, until ready to build the cake. Cut the cake in two equal halves. Place one piece on a serving platter and spread the ice cream on it all the way to the edges. Place second layer on top. Press down gently. Return to freezer while you make the topping.

In a small saucepan heat the cream to a boil. Pour over chocolate and whisk to make a smooth ganache. Remove the cake from the freezer and quickly spread over the cake.