Chocolate Coffee Flat Cakes

Chocolate Flat Cake Ingredients:
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 strong brewed coffee, I use Door County Espresso
2 tsps vanilla
2 TBS butter, room temp
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 TBS
6 eggs whites
4 egg yolks

Directions:
1.  Add cocoa powder, coffee, vanilla, butter and sugar in medium size bowl.
2.  Separate eggs, discarding remaining two yolks.  Place yolks in bowl with mixture.
3.  Beat whites on high, with electric mixer until stiff peaks form (approx. 3-5 mins)
4.  With same beaters mix chocolate batter.
5.  Fold whites into chocolate batter with spatula, a 1/3 at a time.
6.  Pour approx. 1/4 - 1/3 cup of batter into greased mini cast iron skillets.  Or batter can be poured into greased baking sheet lined with greased silicon baking mat or parchment paper.
7.  Bake mini skillets at 8-10 mins at preheated 350 degrees.  Baking sheet at approx. 15 mins.
Note:  For Video I used three flat cakes.






Chocolate Coffee Ice Cream Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup triple strong brewed espresso coffee
14 ozs sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon, optional

Directions:
1.  Follow Ice Cream Maker instructions.

Non Ice Cream Maker Method:
1.  Whip cream till stiff peaks form (electric mixer).  Add remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  Freeze for several hours or overnight.
Note:  For a more creamier ice cream omit liquid coffee and 2 TBS espresso powder (found in specialty shops)







Glaze Ingredients:

8 ozs dark chocolate  (I used candy melts)
2 TBS strong brewed coffee
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 cup heavy cream, slightly warm

Directions:
1.  Melt chocolate in microwave safe bowl for 1 min.  Stir well.
2.  Add remaining ingredients.  Stir well

Krabby Kasserole

Crab Stuffing Casserole 

Ingredients:

1 box Three Bakers Gluten Free Stuffing, prepared

16 ozs Imitation crabmeat, chopped 

8 ozs cream cheese, softened 

8 ozs cheddar cheese, shredded 

Fresh parsley or cilantro 

Directions: 

Toss all ingredients in mixing bowl.  Add to greased baking dish or individual personal baking dishes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 mins

Krabby Salad

Growing up on the Long Island Sound in Connecticut, seafood was readily available.

I do not think there is any seafood I do not like.

I remember going crabbing with my Dad, down off the riverbanks.

  He would put the chicken on a string and try to catch Blue Crab.  Sometimes, 

he would just use traps.  Later, when we were finished for the day, 

we would go home, and Dad would clean the crabs and pick the meat.

I would just watch since I was afraid of getting attacked by the crabs. 

One of my Dad's favorite dishes was stuffed Flounder.  He would make

a crab stuffing with Milk Crackers.  Milk crackers were a big cracker.   I remember

eating them with a big glass of milk.  Unfortunately, they are not sold in stores anymore, 

so we just substitute with other crackers. 

After getting married and raising four children, there was not much time

for crabbing.  Also, money was very tight.  Buying picked crabmeat was not an option.

I remember being introduced to imitation crab meat in the '80s.  Imitation crab meat

is a white fish, shaped and cured to resemble the leg meat of snow crab.

It is a very affordable and delicious substitute for real crab.

There are many creative ways to prepare this less expensive alternative.

I have used it in stuffings, salads, dips, spreads, and soups.  Enjoy this

crab salad recipe.  Eat it alone, stuffed in a crepe or a fresh sliced tomato.

Ingredients:

16 ozs imitation crabmeat, chopped

3/4 cups Hellman's Mayo

4 ozs cream cheese, softened

1 TBS cider vinegar

1 TBS sugar

2 TBS green or red onion

3-4 TBS fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Chop crabmeat.  

2.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, cream cheese, vinegar, sugar, onions, and cilantro.  Fold in the crab meat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve at room temperature or cold.

Note:  Serve as a dip with crackers or on a salad.  Delicious served inside of a crepe.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

I think we all know and leaned about using mayo in cakes.  My favorite chocolate cake recipe is the chocolate mayonnaise cake.  In fact, when someone asks me for a gluten free cake recipe I always refer the Mayonnaise Cake.  It is so moist and delicious.
I have my Mother-In-Law visiting us this week.  Every morning after we wake up,  the first thing we do is run to the coffee maker.  Yes, we both love our coffee.
I remember when we first met, I would go to her house, in the morning and she would always put on a fresh pot of coffee.  She always had some kind of muffins baking, in the oven.  I remember corn muffins, chocolate chip muffins and also blueberry muffins.  It sure did smell good when I walked into her house.
Yesterday, was a day we were sitting around waiting for the delivery man to deliver my new desk.  As  my MIL sat at the kitchen counter, we talked about her muffins.  That is when it dawned on me, that I had fresh blueberries in the fridge I needed to use up.  I was telling her about the Hellman's Contest and how I wanted to enter a recipe, but I needed to use mayo.  I have used mayo before, in cake recipes so why not blueberry muffins.  I made some big ones and also minis, because I was expecting my little 20 month old Granddaughter.  She just loves to hold mini muffins in her hand and eat them.
The Blueberry Muffins came out amazing.  They were so super moist and delicious.  I also shared them with the delivery guys, who were very happy to receive one, each.
#Hellmans, #foodfrommemories, #ContestEntry

Blueberry Muffins

16 ozs flour ( I used gluten free)
3 TBS baking powder
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 TBS sugar
1 TBS lemon zest, plus 1 TBS juice
2 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2.  In medium size mixing bowl swift and add flour and baking powder
3.  Whisk in mayonnaise, sugar, lemon zest, juice, buttermilk and salt.
4.  Fold in blueberries.
5.  Add to greased muffin cavities.  Fill 3/4 way up to top.
6.  Bake for 20-22 mins, or until done

Makes approx. 18 muffins

Blueberry Grapefruit Coffee Cake Muffins

These muffins are gluten free.  I use my gluten free four blend.  I was inspired to make these muffins for the Ocean Spray Grapefruit Contest.  I made a batch two days in a row.  They are a huge hit with family and friends.  Enjoy!!! 

Ingredients:

2 TBS butter, softened
3/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Place cupcake papers into 12 count well pan.  Spray papers with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
3.  In medium size bowl whisk together butter, 3/4 cup sugar, egg, sour cream, oil, juice and vanilla until completely combined. 
4.  Add to bowl, salt baking powder, baking soda, flour, walnuts and blueberries.  Mix thoroughly. 
5.  In small bowl mix together 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon.
6.  Fill each paper 1/2 way with batter.  Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture.
7.  Bake in oven for approx.. 12-14 mins or until done. 


Note:  Alternative method:  Muffin papers and be filled with half the batter, then with sugar/cinnamon mixture and topped off with more batter.


Makes 12 Muffins

Red Grapefruit Cake with Grapefruit/Cream Cheese Filling

Red Grapefruit Cake with Grapefruit/Cream Cheese Filling

This cake reminds me of my Italian Grandmother, Maria.  She loved to cook and 

bake.  I remember helping her peel potatoes and snapping beans in her kitchen, 

as a young girl.  We would go to her house on Sundays and eat her homemade

noodles.  I can see her now rolling out the pasta dough on her huge cutting board

Grandpa Gabriel made for her.  One of my Grandmothers favorite things to do was 

to create all kinds of different homemade cakes, made from scratch.  She would 

surprise everyone with a cake of their choice on any special occasion.  I would 

sit and wait for the phone to ring so I can put in my order.  One of my favorite cakes 

was her Maple Walnut Cake.  She made so many, how can I choose? 

 I decided to this Grapefruit Cake in memory of her. She loved to eat Grapefruit every

morning for breakfast.   I created many varieties of Grapefruit Cake 

but I wanted to create one with more of a Grapefruit filling.  You can also make this 

cake with a sugar/cinnamon walnut filling, like a coffee cake.

#Hellmanns, #foodfrommemories, #ContestEntry 

Grapefruit Cake 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1-1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup mayonnaise ( I used Hellmann's)

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

3 Tbs grapefruit zest, 3 Tbs for garnish

1 cup grapefruit juice

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2-1/4 cups flour

1 cup Pink Grapefruit Preserves 

Directions:

1.  In large bowl add butter, sugar, mayonnaise, sour cream, oil, zest, juice and 

vanilla.  Mix well

2.  In separate bowl sift salt, baking soda, baking powder and flour.  Add 1/2 tsp 

xanthan gum, if using gluten free flour.  


Directions:

1.  In mixing bowl add butter, sugar, mayonnaise, sour cream, oil, zest, juice and 

and vanilla.  Mix well.

2.  In separate bowl swift together, salt, baking soda, baking powder and flour.  

Combine two bowls together.  Mix well

3.  Pour into greased baking pans.  I used (4) 6 inch pans.

4.  Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for approx. 15 - 20 mins, depending on oven.

Remove from oven and let cool.  

5.  Layer cream cheese icing and grapefruit preserves between each layer.  

Cream Cheese Icing:

8 ozs soften cream cheese

2 Tbs butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup cream

Cheddar Stuffed Pork Chops

How to feed a crowd.
What do you serve when you have many dinner guests coming for a visit?
You want to serve something satisfying and of course, delicious.  With so much to do lately,
I decided to make this simple stuffed pork chop recipe.  I almost went with chicken but hey, we haven't had pork in a while.
The coating mix was made in the morning and took only about 3 minutes to pulse together.  I stored the mixture in a baggie until ready to use later that day.
While shopping for nice pork chops I couldn't find ones I liked so I decided to just buy a whole pork loin.  This is a nice tip because pork loins are cheaper to buy. Cut what you need and freeze what is left over.  Now on to the stuffing...
My original thought was to do a cheesy stuffing.  Many times when using shredded cheese you loose a lot of the cheese during cooking, because it oozes out.  Since I also needed breading for the stuffing, I decided to use cheesy crackers instead.  This gave me the cheddar cheese taste I was looking for in the recipe and also the texture, for the stuffing.  I also used the cheddar crackers for the outside of the pork chop.  It gave my chops a nice crispy crunch and also looked so pretty.  I used Three Bakers Cheddar Cheese Snackers.  They have the right amount of flavor needed, and they are gluten free.  The butternut squash was the perfect veggie to add to the stuffing.  The color combo was amazing.
Serve these chops with a side of homemade apple sauce, salad or potatoes.
What would you serve as a side, dish with these delicious pork chops?

Note:  Stuffing can also be made ahead of time.  Refrigerate and remove when needed.


Ingredients
6-8 pork chops, boneless (cut 1 1/2 inch each)
1 recipe coating mix.  See recipe below
2 TBS cooking oil
2 TBS butter
1 cup celery, chopped fine
1 cup sweet onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minsed
2 cups(10 ozs) butternut squash, riced ( I used frozen)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped fine
2 TBS sage, chopped fine
1 cup Three Bakers Gluten Free Breadcrumbs
4.5 ozs Three Bakers Cheddar Cheese Snackers, ground
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, course
1 egg, beaten

Directions:
1.  Slice a slit in the center of each chop, not cutting through to back end.
2.  Coat each chop in coating mixture, covering entire chop completely.  Place on baking sheet.
3.  In large skillet, heat oil and butter on medium heat.  Add celery and onions.  Cook until soft approx. 15 mins.  Add garlic and stir.
4.  Add squash, parsley and sage.  Stir and cook for additional 5 mins.
5.  Add crumbs and ground cheddar snackers.  Stir to combine all ingredients in skillet.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Remove from heat and let cool. (approx. 15 mins).  Note: I add to separate bowl to cool faster.
6.  Add beaten egg.  Fold into mixture.
7.  Stuff approx. 1/3 stuffing into each chop.
8.  Bake 350 degrees for 35-40 mins, or until cooked


Pork Chop Coating Mixture:
4.5 oz Three Bakers Cheddar Cheese Snackers
2/3 cups Three Bakers Gluten Free Bread Crumbs
2 TBS Parsley

Directions for Coating:
1.  Add all ingredients to food processor.  Pulse together until well blended.  Add contents to bowl.

Turkey Pizzadilla

Turkey Pizzadilla

What is a pizzadilla?  The idea came from, what we all know is as a quesadilla.  

A quesadilla is a flour torilla filled with cheese, meat and/or veggies heated then folded.

Ingredients:

1 Three Bakers frozen cheese pizza

1/4 cup chopped turkey

2 TBS sliced red onion

2 TBS sliced black olives

2 TBS sliced mushrooms

extra mozzarella for top, optional

pizza sauce for dipping

Directions:

1.  Cut frozen pizza in half.  Add all ingredients, on one half of the pizza.  Carefully add other half

     of pizza on top.  Place in preheated panni press on high heat for approx. 5-7 mins, or until toasted.

     Slice with pizza cutter. 

Note:  Can also be cooked in toaster oven or cooktop skillet.  If using the skillet method heat on one

            side until toasted, flip and toasted other side.