Divine Chocolate Cake

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 cup plus 2 Tbs sugar
7 Tbs Hershey's cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 stick melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with spray oil (I only had a 9 inch square pan).

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour,sugar, cocoa powder and baking soda. (I used my stand mixer).

Make a well in the middle of the mixed ingredients, add eggs and milk and whisk gently to a thick batter, whisk briskly for 30-40 strokes. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla just until smooth. (Again...I used my stand mixer on low).

Scrape into prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Let cool completely and dust with powdered sugar.

Serve and enjoy!

Adapted from Rachael Ray magazine recipe :) You can put a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan and spray it too and then invert the cake onto a plate when cool and then dust.

Best Hard Boiled Eggs

Howard Helmer from The American Egg Board says - from Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine...

Hard boiled eggs shouldn't stink! It's the boiling too long that causes the sulfurous stench.

To avoid that, place a single layer of eggs in a pot and cover with water by one inch, put a teaspoon of salt in. Pop on a lid. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Let the eggs stand covered for 10 minutes before plunging them in ice water.

I have tried it this way a few times and they are the best eggs!!!

Deconstructed Lasagna

Ingredients

1 pound fusilli Noodles
2 Tbs olive oil
1 pound lean ground sirloin (beef)
1 small carrot, grated
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
1 cup beef broth
1 large can diced or crushed tomatoes with basil
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tub ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Instructions

Cook pasta to package directions, drain.

In a large saute pan brown ground beef in olive oil for about 5 minutes, add onions, carrots and garlic cook 5 more minutes. Add beef broth and tomatoes, salt and pepper and stir. Simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in noodles and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and heat through for 5 minutes.

Mix ricotta cheese with Italian seasoning in a small bowl.

Serve 1 small scoop ricotta on plate and put lasagna mixture over it and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Serve

I made this a bit different than RR did. I didn't use fresh basil or fresh Parsley and she did. It still turned out very yummy.

Yukon Gold Potatoes- Jacques Pepin Style

From the Rachael Ray show... We love these. Simple and yummy!

3 pounds of small Yukon gold potatoes
salt & pepper
3 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons butter
2-3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley (optional)

Place the potatoes in a deep large skillet and add salt and pepper to taste. Cover potatoes halfway with chicken stock, add the butter and cover skillet with a lid. Cook 5-8 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes. Remove lid and cook on medium high until stock evaporates (the butter will brown the bottom of the potatoes). Once the stock has evaporated pop each potato using a ladle (do not smash just flatten). Allow the potatoes to brown on both sides, about 5 minutes, re-season with salt and pepper if needed or desired. Remove potatoes from skillet to serving tray and garnish with parsley if desired.

Two of My Favorite Things

Hamilton Beach Smooth Can Opener... I can't open cans with out one and it doesn't cut the can so no sharp edges! Even the pop top cans can be opened with this...I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond for $31 and I saw it on Amazon.




Rachael Ray Food Mover
I found mine on Cooking dot com and it has been great! Use it to scoop up your chopped food and move to the pot or bowl! Love it!

Bolognese Sauce with Thick Pasta

Adapted from Rachael Ray's Recipe...I made a few changes. She doesn't mind :)

Rachael says to Double this recipe and freeze the other half for a quick meal when you need it.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound bacon, diced small
2 pounds ground lean hamburger
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, shredded
2 celery stalks, diced
2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
Salt & Pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 bay leaves
1/2 tablespoon thyme
1/4 cup tomato paste
5 cups beef stock
1 pound of thick pasta like papperadelle (I found this at Trader Joe's)
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped for topping

Preparation

In a large pot heat olive oil over med-high heat, then add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and reserve.

Add the hamburger to the pan the bacon was cooked in and brown well, about 10 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and cook, stirring until soft, 4-5 minutes.

Add salt, pepper, allspice, bay leaves and thyme and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Add the reserved bacon back into the pan and stir in the tomato paste. Cook 3-4 minutes to caramelize. Add in 2 cups of the beef stock and scrape the tasty stuff off the bottom of the pan (wooden spoon). Cook until half of the liquid is evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the rest of the beef stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to med-low and simmer until the sauce is thickened. About 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours stirring occasionally to keep sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan. This could be put in a crock pot at this stage and cook on low for 5 hours.

Cook pasta according to package, drain, reserving one cup of pasta water, and add back to pan along with reserved pasta water and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add 1/2 the sauce (reserving the other half to pour over top) and toss well to coat.

Serve the pasta on shallow dishes. top with additional sauce and sprinkle with chopped parsley and cheese.

Rachael used red wine for two cups of the beef stock. She also put in a cup of heavy cream to the sauce at the end but I decided to keep the calories lower by not adding the cream. The alcohol in the wine cooks off and does leave a great flavor but I like to use non-alcoholic wine.

Rachael Ray's Quick Pickles

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white vinegar, eyeball it
• 2 rounded teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 clove cracked garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh dill leaves, chopped or snipped
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 kirby cucumbers, cut into 1-inch slices on an angle

Directions

Heat small saucepan over medium high heat. Add vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, salt, and garlic to the pan and cook until it begins to simmer and sugar dissolves. Toss the dill, bay leaf, and sliced cucumbers together in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the simmering liquid over the cucumbers and stir to evenly coat. Allow to cool to room temperature or chill before serving.

Caprese-Stuffed Meatballs with Tomato-Pesto Sauce

Ingredients

* 5 to 6 slices of bread, torn up
* 3/4 cup milk (eyeball it)
* 1 pound ground sirloin
* 1 pound ground veal (I use all Ground Sirloin)
* 4 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
* A small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
* 1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
* 1 teaspoon allspice
* 1 egg
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 4 cherry tomatoes, any stems removed
* 4 bocconcini (mini mozzarella balls), look for ones that are about the size of a cherry tomato. If they are bigger, cut them in half
* 2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus additional for drizzling, divided
* 1 28-ounce cans San Marzano plum tomatoes
* 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought basil pesto (eyeball it)
* Zest of 1 lemon, if using store-bought pesto
* A loaf of crusty bread

Yields: 4 servings
Preparation

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Place the torn bread in a small bowl with the milk (make sure all the bread is submerged) and reserve.

In a large bowl, combine the ground meats, garlic, parsley, grated Parmigiano, allspice, egg, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Squeeze out the excess milk from the soaking bread (it should be loose and in small pieces) and add it to the meat mixture. Mix everything with your hands to combine.

Divide the meatball mixture in half, and score each half into eight sections with the back of your hand. Take one of the portions of the meatball mix and slightly flatten it out in your hand. Place a cherry tomato in the center and evenly wrap the meat around the tomato, completely encasing it in the meat.

Transfer the stuffed meatball to a baking sheet, using one half of the baking sheet for the tomato ones and the other for the bocconcini ones so you can keep track of which is stuffed with what. Repeat the processes until the rest of the tomatoes and bocconcini have all been rolled in a portion of the meatball mixture. Drizzle the stuffed meatballs with some EVOO, transfer to the oven and roast 15-18 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch.

While the meatballs are cooking, place a saucepot over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the canned tomatoes and break them up with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon. Add a little salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and simmer while the meatballs are cooking.

Once the meatballs are ready, remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the pesto. If you are using store-bought pesto, add in the lemon zest. Transfer all of the sauce into a serving dish and nestle all of the meatballs into the sauce, keeping the cherry tomato-stuffed ones on one side and the bocconcini-stuffed ones on the other. Serve with some sliced crusty bread alongside.

Copyright MMVIII KWP STUDIOS INC. All rights reserved.
132 E. 43rd St., P.O. Box 543 New York, NY 10017, 917.332.3100

This is one of our favorites!!!

Tangerine Dream Chicken with Curry-Carrot Couscous

Rachael's Daytime Talk Show
Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* Salt and pepper
* Juice of 4 tangerines or 6 Clementine’s, zest of 1
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 1 teaspoon hot sauce
* 2 cups chicken stock, divided
* 1 cup shredded carrots
* 4 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias
* 1 tablespoon curry powder
* 1/2 tablespoon turmeric
* 1 1/2 cups couscous

Yields: 4 servings
Preparation

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and cook in the hot pan until brown on both sides and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.


Add citrus juice and zest, brown sugar, sliced ginger, cinnamon stick, hot sauce and 1/2 cup chicken stock to skillet and simmer until syrupy, 5-6 minutes.


While the sauce cooks, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO in a saucepot over medium heat and sauté carrots and scallions for 3-4 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups stock, bring to a boil then stir in curry, turmeric and couscous. Cover the pot and turn heat off. Let couscous stand 5 minutes, fluff with fork.
Step

To serve, slice chicken breasts on a bias and fan them out on a bed of couscous. Drizzle tangerine sauce over everything.

This one rocked!!!

Copyright MMVIII KWP STUDIOS INC. All rights reserved.
132 E. 43rd St., P.O. Box 543 New York, NY