Benihana Ginger Dressing

It's been a while. 

Let's catch up.

*Disclaimer* This post is lengthy and chalk full of photos.  Proceed with caution.

The weather finally cooled down enough to open the windows and discontinue the non stop AC.  For a week.  The cool spell was short lived and we are anticipating at least 10 days of 90 degree heat.  That's October in Southern California for ya.  So speaking of being able to open our windows...I have a Dear Abby question for you all.

Dear Abby,

We live in a townhouse and have shared walls with neighbors on both sides.  Our living room opens up to a small patio area and allows a nice cross breeze of fresh, cool air.  Except when our neighbor smokes on her patio.  Her smoke immediately comes in all open windows on the back side of our townhouse, which also includes 2 upstairs bedroom windows.  The breeze is not so fresh.  She smokes a lot.  I'm enjoying her secondhand smoke right this minute, at 7:57 pm on Sunday.  We usually just shut our door and then get hot because the fresh cool cross breeze is no longer.  Thus far, both Hubby and I have not had the courage to say anything to her.  Like, hey, why don't you smoke in your own house instead of on your patio?  Oh, you don't want your house to smell like smoke?  Interesting. Maybe that's not the best approach.  Is it even reasonable to say something?  It's her place afterall.  How would you handle it?

Sincerely,
Sick of second hand smoke

Please feel free to put on your Dear Abby hats and leave any suggestions you might have in the comments. 

Okay, sorry for the advice detour.  Let's get back to catching up.

My two Aunt's on my Dad's side of the family came to visit from Connecticut for a few days in September.  In honor of their visit I made a giant 3 layer apple cake with caramel buttercream frosting and caramel sauce on top (recipe from Baked Explorations). 

It was delicious.

While my aunts were here, my step mom, aunts and I walked in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K on September 23rd. 

The walk was awesome, with 18,000 plus registered walkers participating.  That's a lot of walkers!  And I raised $1150 for the cause which is near and dear to me.  So THANK YOU to my awesome family and friends for your support!  You guys rock!

At the end of September Hubby and I spent a long weekend in central California to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. 

We were married in 2002 in Sedona Arizona, next to Oak Creek.  I love this picture.  It's like an enchanted forest.

Hard to believe 10 years has already passed. 

We stayed at a little hotel in Cambria on Moonstone Beach.  It was gorgeous. 

We drove north up the coast and hiked in Big Sur.  Also gorgeous. 

If you have never driven on Highway 1 through the central coast, immediately add it to your bucket list. 

We ate at our favorite restaurant in Cambria, Indigo Moon for our actual anniversary.  We spent a day at a food and wine festival called Savor the Central Coast and ate and drank some fantastic foods and wines.  So fun.  This was our first food and wine festival, and it will certainly not be our last.  We already talking about going back next year.

I started a diet on October 1st.  I have my sights on losing 11 pounds to be exact.  Because that's what I've gained over the last couple of years.  As of week one, I'm down 1 pound.  We'll see how I do tomorrow for my week 2 weigh in.  My strategy is simple.  Count calories.  I log them on a free website called Fit Day.  This worked well for me 3 1/2 years ago when I lost 30 pounds (I did excercise during this time as well).  I'm thinking about exercising now too, but not fully committed to that just yet. 

Speaking of excercise, remember when I told you all I started running?  And knowing myself like I do, I couldn't say if it was going to be a regular routine.  Well it didn't last long...not because I gave up...because I injured my feet.  Like to the point where I was wondering if I would ever walk normally again.  For real.  Thankfully after 2 full weeks of hobbling, my feet returned to normal.  Then I made a serious investment in new shoes...meaning no more excuses.  I'll report back.
   
I sent my October box off to the military over seas last week. 

Included in the box was ginger snaps, two types of shortbreads and I did my first fall baking with pumpkin bread.  What I love about Baking GALS is I can bake, ship it off and not have to worry about too many temptations in the house.  Which is key when you are counting calories.

I continued fall baking with an attempt at baked pumpkin oatmeal. 

Unfortunately the result was a bit of a flop, lacking in pumpkin flavor, sweetness and a touch of salt.  But I like the idea, so I'm going to do a little tweaking to the recipe since I still have some pumpkin to use up.  If I can make it work, I'll post the recipe.

I found an online group dedicated to canning called Can It Up!  The group is founded by Hima of All Four Burners.  Hima loves canning and decided to ask others to join her with a monthly canning project centered around one ingredient.  You choose your own recipe and can it anytime during the month.  October's ingredient is apples.  I made Caramel Apple Jam this weekend and can't wait to share it with you later in the week.  It's pretty yummy.

Wow, this really is a long post.  Congrats for sticking it out.  The finish line is in sight.

Now, a little on ginger dressing. 

Do you ever eat at Benihana?  You know the teppan style restaurant where chefs cook the food in front of you and do antics like catching shrimp tails in their hat and making a steaming volcano out of onions?  I've spent a lot of birthdays over the years at Benihana.  They serve salad with fresh ginger dressing alongside all their meals.  I LOVE that dressing.  LOVE. I ask for an extra bowl of just dressing so I can thoroughly douse my salad in it.  Really I do.  It's a bit obscene.

So years ago, I called my local Benihana and asked if they have the recipe for their famous ginger dressing.  I think I gave them a story about food allergies or something.  My memory is fuzzy, it was a while ago.  Anyway, they actually faxed me the recipe. 

The recipe is very faded as it's on that old style fax paper where the print disappears over time.  You can see at the top of the page it's from Benihana in Encino, CA.  So it seems legit.  But I still I find it hard to believe they would just hand out their recipe (already portioned down for a home cook's kitchen).  Who knows?  Well as much as I love the dressing, I have never gotten around to making it at home...until now.

It's not exactly like the restaurant's version.  I used baby ginger root instead of mature ginger, so perhaps that had an impact.

I can't quite say what is off in the recipe, but I'll be playing around with this one.  The most surprising ingredient?  Tomato paste.  That's what gives it that bright orange color.  Would have never guessed that one. 

Even though it's not an exact replica, it's tasty and it's diet friendly.

Enjoy!

Ginger Dressing
from Benihana

1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger root (peeled and minced)
1 tablespoon chopped celery
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Dash of salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.

Makes 6 ounces

Fig Balsamic Jam

 

Secret Recipe Club has arrived for September.  A big smile spread across my face when I received my blog assignment for this month.  Authentic Suburban Gourmet is one of my favorite blogs to visit and has been a long standing regular in my Google Reader.  Lisa is the gourmande behind this inspiring blog and hails from the San Fransisco area.  Her recipes are bursting with fresh and simple ingredients.  They are elegant and gourmet, yet really approachable.    Authentic Suburban is one of those blogs you read and you immediately want to invite yourself over to Lisa's house to sample the gorgeous food that grace her posts.  I don't know Lisa personally, but I guarantee you she throws a kick butt dinner party. 

I'm pretty familiar with Lisa's blog, so I knew I would have a hard time choosing a recipe.  There are worse problems to have, right?  Her appetizers are always making me drool.  She does a crostini up like no one's business.  But ultimately I was drawn to her recipe for fig balsamic jam.  Lisa has a number of recipes that incorporate the jam, including a crostini.  Lucky for me I have 2 half pint jars to use up and I will be making her fig jam straws next.

I think you all know I'm a big fan of making jam and preserves.  It is up at the top of my list of favorite things to make. There is something completely satisfying about taking a pile of fresh seasonal fruit, combining it with a little a sugar and citrus and next thing you know you have jars of your fresh made fruit preserves lined up on your kitchen counter. And you if make a big enough batch, the process of canning and preserving isn't as hard as you might think.   Lisa also has a love for making her own jams and chutneys...including making up to 40 jars at once!  How do I get on Lisa's jam gift list???

The funny thing about being drawn to Lisa's fig jam recipe is I've never worked with or eaten figs.  I really don't count the one time I tasted a fig newton as a kid.  I immediately decided they weren't for me.  But now that I'm grown up, I've been wanting to give real figs a try.  I found a flat of beautiful mission figs at Costco and off I went. 

The jam was easy to make and I loved the result.  Figs on their own are fairly mild in flavor.  The balsamic vinegar really punches it up.  The end product was reminiscent of a lush raisin like flavor.  To make the crostini, Hubby and I visited the farmer's market this weekend and picked up a fresh baked baguette and locally made basil goat cheese.  The flavors went perfectly with the sweet and tangy jam.   After the fact, I thought adding a bit of crisp pancetta or bacon would be pretty outstanding.  Because everything is better with bacon.  Next time!

 

This jam is very versatile and I'm looking forward to more adventures with both fresh figs and this awesome jam.

Enjoy!

Fig Balsamic Jam
from Authentic Suburban Gourmet

1 pound of figs, stems removed and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Fresh lemon juice (about a Tablespoon)

Combine figs, sugar and balsamic vinegar in a medium heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium high heat.  Bring to a simmer and reduce to medium low, maintaining a gentle simmer.  Continuing simmering until jam thickens (this took me about 15-20 minutes).  Stir in a tablespoon of lemon juice and taste the jam (be sure to cool your taste first).  Add more lemon juice if desired.  You can leave your jam chunky or use an immersion blender (stick blender) to puree until desired texture is achieved.  I prefer a smoother consistency so I pureed the jam.  

Store in a sealed container or jar in the refrigerator for up to a month.  Or use a canning method to process the jam.  This recipe yielded exactly 2 one half pint jars of jam.  However I did not process them as I plan to eat them asap.

Watermelon Limeaid

I've been in a bit of blogging funk lately.  I've only posted for the cooking and baking groups I belong to for the last month and a half.  If it wasn't for those groups, it would have been radio silence over here.  I don't know what my deal is.  I have a stash of recipes I've been making over the weeks along with photos to accompany them.  But every time I found myself in front of the laptop, I also found my mind to be blank.  The words did not come and the days continued to pass. 

I don't have a bunch of good excuses, like the dog cat ate my memory card with my photos on it or I was watching a Real Housewives of New Jersey marathon.  Okay, maybe I was watching the Real Housewives, but not a marathon.  I watch those episodes within 24 hours of airing because I'm completely sucked into the train wreck of ridiculousness.  The point is, I have no excuse for my blogging pause.

Even as I sit here today, I'm not exactly sure where this post is going, but the bottom line is I know that I miss blogging.

And I didn't want miss the opportunity to share this watermelon limeaid with you before the summer passed us all by.  I made it on 4th of July when we had an other couple over for an impromptu barbecue.  It's a fun refreshing drink and nice to have something different.  You know, it feels special.  The watermelon and lime juice are very complimentary.  And it could be extra special if you splashed in a little vodka.  Either way, it's perfect for a Labor Day barbecue.  What are your plans for the long weekend?

Isn't it pretty?  And it tastes as good as it looks.

Enjoy!

Watermelon Limeaid
adapted from A Cozy Kitchen

Makes 6-8 small cups

1 cups water
1/2  cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon lime zest
1 cup lime juice (from about 7 limes)
1 three pound watermelon, trimmed and cubed
Fresh Mint

Heat 1/2 cup of the water, sugar and lime zest in a small saucepan until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and add lime juice.

Line a colander or mesh strainer with a cheesecloth.  Place it over a large bowl and strain the sugar mixture to remove the pieces of lime zest.

Puree the watermelon in batches in a blender with the remaining 1/2 cup of water.  Strain the watermelon juice through the cheesecloth into the same bowl with the sugar/lime juice mixture.  It will take about 10-15 minutes to drain.  Gather up the cheesecloth and squeeze out the remaining juice.   Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator.  Serve over ice and garnish with fresh mint.

Non-Dairy Banana Chocolate Ice Cream Pie

Is it really August?  The time is flying and I can feel fall coming right around the corner.  That feeling is in my mind and not due to any sign from the hot and unseasonably humid weather that doesn't seem to let up.  I guess the thought of fall is more like wishful thinking at this point  But doesn't a pumpkin spice cake or warm apple pie sound delicious? 

In the meantime, I have this banana chocolate ice cream pie to cool me off.  I love the combination of banana and chocolate! 

Today marks another round of Secret Recipe Club.  This month I was assigned Deanna's blog, The Mommy Bowl.  The Mommy Bowl is dedicated to gluten free and dairy free recipes.  There's a charming story behind how The Mommy Bowl got it's name.  Deanna had a bowl, actually 3 bowls, that have been with her since childhood.  She managed to hang on to them through college dorm rooms, apartments and eventually marriage and children.  The bowls are still in Deanna's life and she always keeps one of the bowls at the ready for her morning cereal--The Mommy Bowl.  Her bowls have been filled with various things over the years and her blog is the journey to document what will fill her bowl next.  Don't you just love that?

When I first started browsing Deanna's blog, I'm not going to lie, I got nervous.  I have only baked gluten free once and butter and eggs, among other dairy products, are regular characters in my kitchen. What would I make?  The reality is whatever recipe I selected, I would have to go out and buy ingredients which are not staples in my pantry.  I was having a little bit of the fear of the unknown....but this is what Secret Recipe Club is all about.  Making new things.  New, tasty things.  :)

I ultimately decided to make Deanna's Non-Dairy Queen Ice Cream "Cake" a.k.a Banana Chocolate Ice Cream Cake.  But I turned mine into pie because I didn't have the mold rings Deanna used for hers.  But I do have a cute 6 inch mini pie pan.  And it worked perfectly!

What I enjoyed the most about making this was seeing how alternative ingredients turn into flavors that I'm familiar with.  Like turning dates, cocoa powder, honey and water into fudge sauce.  And it really does have a dark chocolate fudgey taste and consistency.  I would never guess I was eating dates!  Kind of cool!  It turns out my gluten free, dairy free fears were unfounded.  This ice cream pie is a delicious and refreshing summer treat.  It reminds me a lot of eating a chocolate covered frozen banana topped with nuts.  Who doesn't love those?  Especially on a hot day.

Thanks to Deanna for turning me onto the goodness of a non-dairy frozen dessert!  If you are looking for a variety of gluten free or dairy free recipes, including a ton of baked goods head over to The Mommy Bowl.

Enjoy!

Non-Dairy Banana Chocolate Ice Cream Pie
adapted from The Mommy Bowl

Note: The Mommy Bowl makes an ice cream "cake" version using a round English muffin mold.  For this presentation head over to her site. 

Makes one 6 inch mini pie

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1/3 cup whole almonds
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (heaping) raw cacao (I used cacao nibs)

Fudge:
3 dried dates soaked in water for 1 hour
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder (I used cocoa powder)
1 teaspoon honey (not in original recipe)
1-2 tablespoons water

Ice Cream:
2 large bananas, peeled and frozen (I used 3 small)
2 tablespoons non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)

Chocolate Sauce to drizzle on top:
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder (I used cocoa powder)
1 tablespoon coconut nectar, agave nectar or maple syrup (I used clover honey)
1 teaspoon water

Prep:
Start by peeling and freezing the bananas.  I recommend doing this the night before you plan to make the dessert.  Prepare your mini pie pan (or you could use a 6 inch cake pan) by spraying it with non stick cooking spray. 

Make the Crust:
Next make the crust by combining all ingredients in a mini food processor until the nuts begin to break down and release some of their oil.  The crumbs should stick together when you press them together.  Press crumbs along bottom and sides of the pie pan.  Place pan in freezer for about an hour or until crust feels solid.

Make the Fudge:
While the crust is freezing, make the fudge by combining all the ingredients in a mini food processor and blend until smooth.  Spoon the fudge layer over the frozen crust, on the bottom and up the sides stopping about 1/4 inch from the top of the crust layer.  Return to the freezer for another hour or until the fudge is frozen.

Make the Ice Cream:
Blend bananas and non dairy milk in a large food processor until smooth and creamy and no chunks of banana remain.  Fill the pie with the banana "ice cream" and return to the freezer for 2-4 hours or until frozen through.

Make the Chocolate Sauce:
Mix the sauce by stirring all the ingredients together in a small bowl until it reaches a drizzling consistency.  Drizzle sauce over the frozen banana pie and return to the freezer for one final set up, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Cut, serve and enjoy!

Strawberry Jell-O Salad

I started a walk/run routine first thing in the morning.  And when I say routine, I mean I've done it 4 times in the last 5 days.  Don't get me wrong, it's a good start.  But in reality, I don't trust myself.  I need to check back in a couple of weeks to determine if it really has the potential to be a routine.  I'm doing a 3 mile circuit and I walk some and run some.  My goal is to run the full route at some point.   I think it's necessary that this become a regular part of my day.  Mostly so I can eat more of this Strawberry Jell-O Salad and the array of other desserts my sweet tooth craves.

I've had my eye on this recipe ever since I bought Baked Explorations about a year and a half ago.  It was an easy pick when I was asked what recipe I wanted to host for this round of Club:Baked.  I can't say exactly why it originally caught my eye.  Probably because Jell-O brings me back to childhood.  My family never made a dessert quite like this when I was a child, but I can say my family surely enjoyed it when I brought it for a gathering this past weekend. 

I'm not exactly certain why it's called a salad...but call it what you want, it's damn tasty.  This dessert "salad" is layered in a 9x13 pan.  The bottom is a salty and slightly sweet crunchy pretzel crust.  The middle layer is smooth cream cheese filling that is lightened up by folding in fresh whipped cream.  The top is good old strawberry Jell-O from a box studded with fresh sliced strawberries.  Bring it all together in one bite and I'm a happy girl.

Each component of this recipe is easy to make.  It does require some planning ahead and a little bit of patience to allow the Jell-O to set up properly.  When I took my photos, I think my salad could have used a little more fridge time as it wasn't long until the Jell-O layer started to slowly slide off the cream cheese layer which resulted in far fewer photos than I would normally take. 

I doubled the recipe...sort of.  I wanted to take a full recipe to my family gathering on Sunday, but I didn't think setting up a photo shoot at the event would be the best approach.  And it's not so classy to bring over a dessert that's already been cut into.  So I made a small version just for me!  Problem is I misread the amount of Jell-O thinking it called for a 3 ounce box, when it actually called for a 6 ounce box.  After I was already well into the recipe, I realized that I had double of everything except Jell-O.  Despite the miscalculation, it still worked out just fine.  I had slightly thicker pretzel and cream cheese layers than pictured in the Baked book, but in the end it all tasted delicious.

To see how other Club: Bakers "salads" turned out head over the Club: Baked site.  Enjoy!




Strawberry Jell-O Salad
from Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

Ingredients:

Jell-O Layer
1 six ounce package strawberry Jell-O
2 cups fresh strawberries sliced (about 14 ounces)

Pretzel Crust
8 ounces salty pretzels (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 pieces
2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar

Cream Cheese Layer
1 eight ounce page cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream

To make the Jell-O layer
Prepare the Jello-O according to the instructions on the package.  Stir in sliced strawberries and refrigerate until it is partially set (about 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of the container you use--I used an extra large, shallow bowl and it took 1 hour to partially set).  While you wait for the Jell-O, make the other components of the recipe.

To Make the Pretzel Crust
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Prepare a 9x13 pan by buttering the sides and bottom or spray with non stick cooking spray.

Using a food processor, place in the pretzels in 2 batches, pulsing until coarse crumbs form (don't over process into a powder).  If you don't have a food processor you can crush the pretzels in a zip top bag using a rolling pin or the smooth side of a meat mallet until coarse crumbs form.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter over low heat.  Whisk in the brown sugar and remove the pan from the heat.  Stir in the pretzel pieces until well combined.  Pour pretzel mixture into your prepared pan and gently press it evenly across the bottom of the pan.  You can use your hand or a flat metal measuring cup to press the crumbs into a crust.  Don't press crust up the sides of the pan.  Bake for 10 minutes and set aside to cool.

To Make the Cream Cheese Layer
Place the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl of stand mixer, or use a regular bowl and hand mixer (this is what I did) and beat on medium speed until fully combined (about 2 minutes).  In a clean bowl whip heavy cream on medium high speed with your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or you can whip it by hand with a whisk) until soft peaks form.  Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the whipped cream in batches into the cream cheese mixture until fully combined.

Assemble
Spread the cream cheese over the fully cooled crust.  Chill for 5 minutes in the refrigerator.  Pour the Jell-O over the cream cheese filling and cover and chill for 2 more hours or more before serving.

Store tightly covered and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Gateau au Chocolat

Chocolate cake or jalapeno poppers?

Chocolate cake or jalapeno poppers?

Jalapeno poppers or chocolate cake???

We all know what wins in the end with me.  Chocolate.  Cake.

My first love in the kitchen is baking.  And my kitchen is filled with warm chocolate smells right at this very moment.  My little beauty is out of the oven and I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that I didn't over bake it.  Guess we'll find out later.

I found the recipe for this chocolate gateau on Rhonda's blog, The Kitchen Witch (TKW).  The Kitchen Witch is my blog assignment for this month's Secret Recipe Club.  For those of you that don't know, Secret Recipe Club is like Secret Santa for food bloggers.  Each month you are assigned a blog.  You pick a recipe to make and on the designated day, everyone in the group "reveals" their post featuring a recipe from their assigned blog.  It's fun to see what everyone makes.  I look forward to SRC reveal day each month. 

I've been in Secret Recipe Club with Rhonda for over a year now...and I always enjoy reading her blog posts.  She's adventurous, she's funny, she's always keepin it real and she's a bit of badass.  I mean come on, she has a regular feature on her blog called Motorcycle Mondays.  That's pretty cool!  Hope you don't mind I called you a badass Rhonda! ;)

Speaking of cool, I'm a little envious of Rhonda's most recent adventure...an intensive 5 month photography school.  Check out this inspiring post to see how she turned a big lemon into lemonade by pursuing one of her passions.  Kudos to you Rhonda!  She recently posted about one of her final photography projects...a video showcasing macro food photography.  It's really stunning.  If you have a couple of minutes I urge you to watch her beautiful collage of photos.

While Rhonda has been working hard on her photography, I've spent the last month pouring over her blog, pondering what to make.  She has a variety of recipes from down home cooking, like Loose Meat Sandwiches and "Red Neck Breakfast on a Croissant" alongside pretty dishes like "Brie, Bacon and Fig in a Phillo Cup" or "Goat Cheese and Proscuitto Crostini".  So many delicious choices.  Ultimately it came down to bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers and this chocolate cake.  I came really really close to going with the poppers...I adore jalapeno poppers and I've never made them at home.  Rest assured, I still plan to make these babies...I even have all the ingredients.  But in the end, the craving for warm sweet chocolate won. 

I'm so not sorry I went with the cake.  It's a perfect chocolate dessert.  The cake is rich, but not too rich.  It's chocolatey but not too chocolatey.  It has beautiful crackled top which deceptively hides the intensely moist interior.  The cake is incredibly light and airy (no doubt, due to the whipped egg whites that are folded into the batter).  It's brownie-esque...but lighter.  I really loved it.  The cake doesn't need much adornment.  A little sprinkle of powdered sugar will do it.  I threw in a few raspberries for color, but the cake definitely stands alone.  A dollop of fresh whipped cream would never hurt, though.

I halved the recipe and made it in a regular 6 inch cake pan.  The recipe calls for a spring form pan (I believe around 9-10 inches) but I don't have a small spring form.  So to ensure I could remove this delicate cake from a regular cake pan, I added two strips of parchment parchment paper under the round parchment lining on the bottom.  The two strips make handles to lift the cake from the pan.  I was a little nervous, but it came out of the pan easily. 

And thankfully, I didn't overbake it.  In fact, I think 3 more minutes would have been just perfect.  My 6 inch pan baked for 30 minutes.

This one's already been filed away in the keeper file. 

By the way, Rhonda doesn't claim to be a baker, but I think she has to face the fact that she's got some serious skills in the baking department.  Thanks Rhonda for sharing such a great recipe!

Enjoy!

Gateau au Chocolat
from The French Recipe Cookbook via The Kitchen Witch

3/4 cup sugar (3 tablespoons set aside)
10 ounces of semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 eggs, whites and yolks separated
1/4 cup flour, sifted
Pinch of salt
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Butter a 9-10 inch spring form pan.  Line the bottom with parchment paper and butter the parchment paper.  Sprinkle flour in the pan and shake the pan to cover the bottom and sides with flour, discarding any excess flour. 

Melt chocolate, butter and all the sugar minus 3 tablespoons in a medium sauce pan on low heat until chocolate is melted and sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Allow chocolate to cool slightly.

Whisk egg yolks and very slowly stream the yolks into the chocolate mixture, whisking continuously.  You don't want any scrambled eggs.  Stir in the flour and set aside.

Place egg whites in a stand mixer and mix on medium using the whisk attachment until the whites get frothy.  Gradually increase the speed to high and add the pinch of salt and continue beating until the soft peaks form.  Slowly add in 3 reserved tablespoons of sugar and continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form. 

Fold 1/3 of beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture.  Add remaining egg whites, stirring gently until fully incorporated.  Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan and gently tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles.  Bake for 35 - 45 minutes until cake rises and the top is dry and springs back when lightly touched with your fingertip.  Transfer the cake to a wire rack and remove the sides of the spring form pan and allow cake to cool completely.  (Or if you use a regular pan, allow to cool completely in the pan before removing).

Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar.

Meatball Marinara

Hubby's been on a pasta making kick which in turn has made me take an interest in making a great sauce for his fresh made pasta.  In my early cooking days I thought the best way to make a good marinara was to buy a jarred sauce and doctor it up with things like peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic and sometimes ground beef.  Those sauces were okay, but they were not anything that really gave you that wow factor. Coming up with a homemade marinara sauce that's wow worthy has been on my cooking bucket list for a while now...

I'm happy to say, I've found "my sauce"! 

I sort of threw this recipe together based on a You Tube video I watched (and eventually made the recipe ...to be seen here soon) and two other recipes I found online.  I didn't have all the ingredients for any one the recipes, so I made up my own combining these recipes and using what I had on hand.  Many timesSome times when I experiment in the kitchen, I am not always overwhelmed in a positive way by the results.  The marinara gods were with me, though, and this recipe has that special something something I've been looking for. 

Isn't homemade pasta pretty?

What makes this sauce special is actually the meatballs.  The Italian sausage flavor from the meatballs, perfume the sauce with a mild spice that takes the sauce to the next level.  And if you think turkey meatballs are "boring", I assure you these are not.  In fact, I really want to make this for my dad and not tell him the meatballs are turkey.  He pretty much believes turkey is NOT substitutable for beef.  But I'm pretty certain he'd like these.  The meatballs are tender and the Italian sausage flavor comes through, but doesn't over power.  It really is just right.  At least for me, Hubby and our niece who helped us make the most recent batch.  This recipe is most definitely a keeper.

I remembered to add some fresh grated parmesan...Mmmm

Note - If you are a vegetarian and don't plan to make the meatballs, I recommend following the sauce recipe and adding 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (depending on your spicy tolerance) to bring a little heat.  Also note, I haven't tired this myself, but this is what I would do based on tasting the sauce before the meatballs go in.   

We've been enjoying the sauce and meatballs over fresh made pasta, though dried pasta would work well too.  And it makes fabulous leftovers for a meatball sandwich! 

Enjoy!

Meatball Marinara
from The Ginger Snap Girl

Serves 6-8

For the marinara sauce:

3 tablespoons olive oil
8 roma tomatoes, cut in 4 slices lengthwise
4 cloves of garlic smashed with a pinch of kosher salt to form a paste
1 medium onion diced
2 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1/2 can (3 oz.) tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup white wine (or use chicken broth if you don't have wine)
1 cup chicken broth

Heat dutch oven or large sauce pot on medium high heat and add olive oil.  Add tomato slices in a single layer (slightly overlapping is okay) and season lightly with salt and fresh cracked pepper.   Cook in oil for 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes start to get tender.  Flip tomatoes over and add garlic and cook on medium high for 2 more minutes.  Stir the tomatoes and garlic.  You should smell garlic and the tomatoes should start to break down.  Add minced onions and cook until tender about 3-4 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and simmer the sauce.  Cover and cook for 20 minutes. 

While sauce is cooking, make the meatballs (see meatball recipe below).

When the sauce has cooked for 20 minutes give it a taste.  Does it need a little more salt?  Sugar? Pepper?  Add additional seasoning as needed (I've made it twice and added just a touch extra salt at this point).  Use an immersion blender to blend in sauce until smooth (there will still be some chunks, that's okay).  If you don't have an immersion blender, you can puree the sauce in batches in a stand blender and return sauce to the pot.  Add meatballs making sure each meatball is covered in sauce.  With heat on low, cover and cook 30 more minutes, until meatballs are cooked through but still tender, stirring sauce and meatballs every 7 to 10 minutes.  Remove cover and continue cooking on low for 15 minutes. 

For the meatballs:

1 lb ground turkey
1/3 lb mild (or sweet) Italian sausage
1 egg
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined and Italian sausage is even distributed.  Using a medium cookie scoop (about golf ball size) scoop out meatballs onto a baking sheet lined with foil.  Once all the meatballs are scooped, use your hands to roll into rounded balls.  Once all the meatballs are rolled, gently place each meatball in the sauce.

Serve over 1 pound of your favorite store bought or home made pasta.  Garnish with fresh grated parmesan cheese.