Boca Nuts

Boca Nuts (a great snack to just have in a bowl by the couch)

This is a good-tasting snack offered at the exceptional Santa Barbara bed and breakfast, Simpson House Inn. Thanks Maureen and Papa Jim for contacting them for the recipe! 

Ingredients:

4 pounds raw mixed nuts

2 egg whites

2 cups granulated sugar (I used 1c. of sugar and 1c. of splenda)

2 Tablespoons salt (I omitted this because the mixed nuts I bought already had some salt in them, although they weren't labeled "salted," it was included in the ingredients)

2 Tablespoons Curry powder

2 Teaspoons ground black pepper

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (I couldn't find unsweetened, but sweetened tasted just as good) 

Directions:

In a large bowl wisk egg whites with two tablespoons water.  Once frothy add nuts to bowl.  Toss to coat nuts evenly.  In another bowl combine rest of ingredients.  Mix well.  Add sugar mixture to nuts stirring to coat nuts evenly.  Bake 325 on cookie sheets turning and stirring nuts every 5-10 min until lightly browned and dry.  Cool nuts 10 min.  Once the nuts are cool enough to handle gently break apart.  Keeps in an air tight container up to two months.

German Chocolate Cake

German Chocolate Cake

Happy Father's Day, POPS!

 Cake:

Cooking spray to grease pans

4

oz sweet baking chocolate

1/2

cup water

2 1/4

cups all-purpose flour or 2 1/2 cups cake flour

1

teaspoon baking soda

1

teaspoon salt

2

cups granulated sugar

1

cup butter or margarine (2 sticks), room temperature

4

large eggs

1

teaspoon vanilla

1

cup buttermilk

Coconut-Pecan Filling and Topping:

3

I usually double the coconut-pecan topping...
"You can never have too much!"

large eggs

1

cup granulated sugar or packed brown sugar

1/2

cup butter or margarine (1 stick)

1

cup evaporated milk (from 12-oz can)

1

teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3

cups flaked coconut

1

cup chopped pecans

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans with the cooking spray. Cut three 8-inch or two 9-inch rounds of waxed paper or cooking parchment paper. Line bottoms of pans with the paper.
2. Coarsely chop the chocolate. In a 1-quart saucepan, heat the chocolate and water over low heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is completely melted; remove from heat and cool.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking soda and salt until mixed; set aside. In another medium bowl, beat 2 cups sugar and 1 cup butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy; set aside.
4. Place an egg separator over a small bowl. Crack 1 egg over the separator to separate the yolk from the white. Separate 3 more eggs. Place yolks in a small bowl. (Save the whites for another recipe.)
5. On medium speed, beat 1 egg yolk at a time into the sugar mixture until mixed. On low speed, beat in the melted chocolate and 1 teaspoon vanilla. On low speed, beat in 1/2 of the flour mixture just until smooth, then beat in 1/2 of the buttermilk just until smooth. Repeat beating in flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk just until smooth.
6. Wash and dry mixer beaters. In a small bowl, beat the eggs whites on high speed until beaten eggs whites form stiff peaks when beaters are lifted. Add egg whites to the batter; to fold in, use a rubber spatula to cut down vertically through the batter, then slide the spatula across the bottom of the bowl and up the side, turning batter over. Rotate the bowl 1/4 turn, and repeat this down-across-up motion. Continue folding until batter and egg whites are blended.
7. Pour batter into pans; use a rubber spatula to scrape batter from bowl, spread batter evenly in pans and smooth top of batter. (If batter is not divided evenly, spoon batter from one pan to another.) Refrigerate batter in third pan if not all pans will fit in oven at one time; bake third pan separately.
8. Bake 8-inch pans 35 to 40 minutes, 9-inch pans 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes. To remove cake from pan, invert onto cooling rack, then invert right side up on second cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
10. Separate the 3 eggs; save the egg whites for another recipe. In a 2-quart saucepan, stir the egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, the evaporated milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla until well mixed. Cook over medium heat about 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick and bubbly. Stir in the coconut and pecans. Cool about 30 minutes, beating occasionally with a spoon, until mixture is spreadable.
11. Place 1 cake layer, rounded side down, on a cake plate; using a metal spatula, spread 1/3 of the filling over the layer. Add second layer, rounded side down; spread with 1/3 of the filling. Add third layer, rounded side up; spread with remaining filling, leaving side of cake unfrosted. Store cake covered in the refrigerator.

Makes 12 servings

Chocolate Cheesecake

So, on Tuesday night after work, I wanted to stop at Stater Bros. to get some items for a welcome home basket for Jen... well, one thing led to another, and my eyes were drawn to Cooking With Paula Deen: 5th Anniversary Keepsake Issue - 157 All Time Favorite Recipes & Tips magazine. Wow. It was a cookbook - not a magazine... thoughts ran through my head were: well $9.99 is kind of an expensive for a magazine... well, it's actually a cookbook... well, what recipes are in here?... OMG, what a deal... ooo, I could make this dessert for Jen... I have to buy this! Did you see how I convinced myself to buy it? :-)
So anyways, you all know I am a huge Paula Deen fan, and next on my cooking agenda is to make her Red Velvet Cupcakes... apparently, they are amazing, and recently 2 friends (on separate occasions) have told me about them!

Chocolate Cheesecakes For Two (makes two 4-inch chessecakes)
(I only had 1 4-inch cheesecake pan, so I decided to double the recipe, that is below, and instead, I made 1 medium size cheesecake.)

I have to work on perfecting my crusts :(

Crust:
1/2 c. chocolate graham cracker crumbs (or oreos)
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Filling:
2 (1oz.) squares of bittersweet chocolate
1 Tbsp. butter
12 oz. cream cheese
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. Dutch process cocoa
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1/4 c. sour cream

getting there!

1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 (1oz.) squares semisweet chocolate
2 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream

Garnish: fresh whipped cream, shaved chocolate, fresh raspberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degress F.
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs & sugar; add melted butter; stir well. Press mixture to bottom and sides of pan(s). Bake for 6 minutes.

I added a little turtle chocolate topping just for the pretty factor :)

3. In a small microwaveable bowl, combine bittersweet choc and butter. Microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth; set aside to cool slightly.
4. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa at medium speed until creamy. Beat in egg and egg yolk just until combined. Stir in melted choc mixture, sour ceam, and vanilla. Pour into prepared crust(s). Bake for 40 minutes (for 2 small pans), 55 minutes (for 1 medium pan). Cool in pans on a wire rack for 2 hrs. Loosely cover with foil and chill for 4 hrs.

WELCOME HOME, JEN!!

5. Gently run a knife around edges of pan(s) to release sides from pan.
6. In a sm. microwaveable bowl, combine semisweet choc and heavy whipping cream. Microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth; set aside to cool slightly. Spread over (each) cheesecake. Garnish with whipped cream, shaved choc, and berries, if desired. Store, covered in refrigerator.

¡Paella de España!

Ingredientes (Ingredients):

Bell peppers, onion, meat, and tomatoes

• Pollo (Chicken)
• La carne de cerdo (Pork)
• Cebolla (Onion)
• pimientos naranjas y rojos (Orange & Red Bell peppers)*
• tomates (Tomatoes - canned work well)
• salsa de tomate (Tomato sauce)
• arroz de Aborio (Aborio rice)
• camarónes (Shrimp)
• almejas (Clams)**
• de caldo de pollo (Chicken stock/broth)
• perejil italiano (Italian flat parsley)
• El aceite de oliva o de mesa de España (Spanish olive oil)
• condimento Paellero (Paellero seasoning)
• guisante (Peas)
• sal kosher (Kosher salt)
• Chorizo

+You probably noticed that this recipe doesn't have measurements...you just have to eye-ball-it. Based on how many people you want to serve, adjust your measurements. 

Keep stirring! Chorizo and tom. sauce added

*if you are not a fan of bell peppers, don't worry; they will be cooked so long, you won't even taste them! They are mostly for color :-)

**I thought the shrimp was better than the clams, so unless you have some really tasty clams, just double the shrimp... it'll save you money!

La Direcciónes (directions): 
Start out by heating the Spanish Olive Oil in a large skillet. When hot, add the onion and bell peppers. Add chicken and pork. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chorizo. Add rice. Add chicken broth. Keep adding broth as the rice soaks it up. (You don't want the rice crunchy.) Add parsley and Paellero seasoning. Add peas. Sprinkle with salt. Add seafood.
Stir, constantly. It will cook (from start to finish) for approx. 1 hour.

everything else gets added in

It is very good! I recommend you try and make it at home. It is very easy, and if you make a lot, it would be great as leftovers too... the flavors blend so nicely.

make sure your clams open up... enjoy!

We made this paella with Los Al's Spanish Honor Society...  it was a hit!
If you have any questions, feel free to post a question. 

Easy Raspberry Brownies

Amy, Scott, and I brought these over to an old friend when we went visiting at the Christian Home...
An easy, thoughtful, homemade treat :)

Ingredients:
1 box dark chocolate fudge brownie mix
water, vegetable oil, and eggs called for on brownie box
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. raspberry preserves
turtle chocolate topping

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Make and cool brownies as directed for a 13x9-inch pan.
2. In small bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and preserves on medium speed until smooth.
Spread over brownies. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
3. Drizzle turtle chocolate topping over brownies. Enjoy! (Refrigerate and store covered.)

brownies baking

raspberry topping

finished product!

Brie Bread Bowl

Ingredients:
1 sourdough bread bowl
1 Brie cheese round (pick a sourdough round that will fit the Brie)
4 granny smith apples

Directions:
Cut and clear out part of the bread round, to make a bowl. "Unskin" the Brie and place it in the bread bowl. Place bread bowl lid on top of Brie. Save extra bread from inside to dip in the Brie.Wrap bowl in foil. Bake for approximately 45 min at 375 degrees. Don't over bake. Check every 20 minutes to see if the Brie is melting, and make sure the bread doesn't burn. Cut the apples, to dip.

Enjoy! This is a great appetizer and serves well with wine (or so I'm told)!

Lemon Gooey Bars (aka: Lemon Gooey Butter Cake)

I made this dessert for a BBQ my parents had this week, and the recipe has already been sent out!

These are similar to the original lemon bar, that you are probably familiar with, but these gooey bars are sweeter and have a yummy bottom layer.

Enjoy!

Lemon Gooey Bars

For the Cake:
1 (18.25 oz.) box of lemon cake mix
1 egg
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted

For the Filling:
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened 
2 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 (16 oz.) box confectioners' sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted
1/4 c. lemon juice (or use 2 fresh lemons, zested and juiced) 

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan.

Using an electric mixer, combine cake mix, egg and butter. Mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside. 

Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and beat well. 

Reduce speed of mixer and slowly pour in butter. Mix well. 

Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. "Don't be afraid to make a judgment call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures vary. You want the center to be a little gooey, so don't bake past that point!" ~Paula Deen

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares. (Serves 24)

For a lovely presentation: sprinkle some powdered sugar on top, and garnish with a strawberries, blueberries, and/or raspberries