SECRET RECIPE CLUB: TEXAS SHEET CAKE

Posted in Desserts, Desserts, Sweets, Secret Recipe Club by sallybr

September is here! The month that brings with it the end of the summer, and the beginning of Sally’s foul mood. Aren’t you thrilled? Well, I cannot let meteorology ruin the mood of my favorite event in the whole blogosphere: The Secret Recipe Club‘s Reveal Day is here, for us members of Group A. My assignment was the blog Crazed Mom, hosted by Nicole, from St. Louis. Crazed Mom, what a cute name for a site, it tells it all. Nicole is a mom to five teenagers. Let’s make a brief pause to let that sink in. Five teenagers. She also takes care of a toddler and a newborn on a regular basis. Five teenagers. One toddler. One newborn. I have a full-time job that demands quite a bit of energy and commitment, but I am always in awe of women whose job is to take care of one or several kids. How do they do it? I know there are plenty of rewards, but imagine having to deal with kids at different phases, one going to school, dealing with homework, sleepovers, another too young to leave your radar, some very picky eaters, some with food allergies. And of course, you are also a woman, a wife, a daughter, maybe a sister, with goals and dreams for yourself. Not easy to find balance. But Nicole does it all and blogs about a ton of interesting stuff, in fact she’s been a presence online for 12 years! Unreal! I had a lot of fun browsing her site, even if this past month was particularly sad and stressful for us. I did not have as much time as I normally like to indulge in the stalking process, but still composed a list of possibilities to share with you today. Here they are: Chicken Kiev with a Twist, The Best Blueberry Muffins, Caramel Coconut Cupcakes, and Spicy Gingerbread with a Mocha Glaze (if that doesn’t make you go weak in the knees, you need therapy). But once I saw her take on a Texas Sheet Cake, I decided I had to make it. I’ve often heard about it, but had never tasted or even seen one face-to-face. I had to take matters into my own hands, and jump on this opportunity to enlighten myself on this American classic.

TEXAS SHEET CAKE
(from Crazed Mom)

for the cake:
1 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

for the icing:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1 box (1 pound) confectioners’ sugar (sift it first to remove lumps – otherwise icing remains lumpy)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the cake: In a saucepan, combine the butter, water and cocoa over med. heat until the butter melts. Don’t let it cook too long. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, flour, salt, eggs, and baking soda. Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients. Careful, it’s hot. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix well. Pour into a sheet cake pan or jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

For the icing: In a saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa and milk over medium heat and bring to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and combine with confectioners sugar and vanilla. Mix well with a mixer to remove lumps. Spread over the sheet cake while it is still hot.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This is a rich cake. Very rich. As Nicole says, eat a slice and go take a walk. But I tell you one thing, it is decadent delicious, it’s the kind of cake that with each bite you feel more and more naughty, which is a good feeling to have every once in a while. I took it to our department and it was basically gone within 45 minutes. I also got several visits to the lab of colleagues thanking me and giving me hints of “you can bake this one again anytime!” I guess by now they realized that a food blogger rarely repeats recipes and once something really good shows up in the mail room, they better enjoy. Be Zen. Savor the moment. Literally.

Confession time… My friend Gary is my guru for all things involving baking. I was wondering about the size of pan to use and wanted to run a question by him, so I texted. Then I told Phil about it. I just texted Gary, I had a question about that sheet cake I’m making today. Phil almost lost it, laughing so hard – “what kind of cake are you making????” It turns out that my spoken sheet apparently sounds exactly like another word that starts with SH. It’s a good thing accents don’t travel by text.

Nicole, I loved stalking your site, and agree with you, this is one amazing cake, I am not surprised that you requested it every year for your Birthday. If we have to get one year older, might as well celebrate in style!

And, for all my readers, you can delight yourself with the recipes made by my virtual friends with a poke in the blue frog smiling quietly at the end of the post.

ONE YEAR AGO: In My Kitchen, September 2015

TWO YEARS AGO: Sour Cherry Sorbet: A Labor of Love

THREE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen – September 2013

FOUR YEARS AGO: Raspberry Sorbet at Summer’s End

FIVE YEARS AGO: When three is better than two (four years with Buck!)

SIX YEARS AGO: Grating Tomatoes (and loving it!)

SEVEN YEARS AGO: A Peachy Salad for a Sunny Day

2Sep2016

SOMEONE TURNED 93 TODAY!

Posted in General by sallybr

Wish we were there to celebrate together…

Mom & my niece Fernanda at her party in São Paulo

31Aug2016

TURKEY STIR-FRY WITH ALMOND BUTTER

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

I was not going to blog on this recipe, since it was one of those improvised things, quickly assembled for lunch on a weekday. But I tasted a spoonful straight from the saute pan, and the “Must-Blog-This” alarm went off, loud and persistent. I quickly transferred some to a serving bowl to be immortalized on camera. The almond butter takes this simple stir-fry to a higher level of deliciousness. Amounts for the recipe are pretty flexible, I was just using stuff that I had in the fridge so you can go with the flow and add a bit more of this, a bit less of that. If you care about this type of info, this concoction would be low-carb and also Paleo-friendly. But what I really care about is that it is mighty tasty.

TURKEY STIR-FRY WITH ALMOND BUTTER
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 pound ground turkey (preferably not super lean)
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons almond butter (a must!)
5 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
fresh lemon juice

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the mushrooms, season with a little salt and pepper, saute for about 5 minutes. Add the ground meat, Aleppo pepper, a little more salt and regular pepper, cook moving it around every once in a while, until the meat is golden brown. Add the almond butter, incorporate well, keeping the pan in medium-heat.

Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Right before serving, squirt some lemon juice all over the meat. Adjust seasoning if needed.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I’ve mentioned many times I was a picky eater as a child. Very. One of my favorite things to eat was ground beef and rice, which Mom called “picadinho.” Ground beef and rice. I know, so exciting, right? One summer we were all in my Grandma’s home in São Sebastião, a beach town between São Paulo and Rio, and my Aunt Sônia was getting ready to feed her three very spoiled Siamese cats. She cooked a big batch of ground beef and rice for them, and I was fascinated! Those cats were very lucky to get my favorite food on a daily basis. From then on, whenever Mom would make me “picadinho“, both me and my Dad would call it “comida de gato” (Portuguese for cat’s food). I was actually complimenting her cooking, I suppose Dad was more in his usual teasing mode. Good times. Decades passed by, but ground meat (chicken, pork, beef) is still something I resort to often for my lunch, although usually with additions that would make my younger self leave the table screaming in horror. When I make some, I always ask Phil “would you like some comida de gato?” It is blatantly clear that I am a lovely wife…

Wanna say it like a native? Click …

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27Aug2016

TOMATO AND CUCUMBER SALAD WITH ALMOND VINAIGRETTE

Posted in Salads by sallybr

The salads we make at home are so simple that they never make it to the blog. A little bit of slicing and dicing, a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and nothing else. But this recipe from a recent issue of Food and Wine, is definitely worth talking about. I had never sautéed nuts to add flavor to a vinaigrette, and was amazed by the outcome. I adapted the original recipe to include Neo, the single cucumber produced in our backyard. You know, The One. We are good at biochemistry, my friends. Or so we hope. Gardening? Not so much…

TOMATO AND CUCUMBER SALAD WITH ALMOND VINAIGRETTE
(adapted from Food and Wine magazine)

Heirloom tomatoes, sliced thin
yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Cucumbers, sliced thin
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon agave nectar
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil, in chiffonade

In a medium skillet, cook the almonds in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about  7 minutes. Strain the oil through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl; reserve the almonds for the salad. Immediately whisk in the vinegar, lime juice and agave nectar. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Allow it to cool to close to room temperature.

Spread the tomato and cucumber slices on a large baking sheet lined with paper towels. Season with salt and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. On a serving platter, scatter half of the almonds  and top them with  the tomato and cucumber slices. Drizzle with the dressing and top with the remaining almonds and fresh basil. Serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The first adjective that came to my mind when I tasted the salad was “intense.” The toasted almond flavor permeating through the oil is a real game-changer. Other nuts could be used instead. Consider a macadamia, pistachio, perhaps a hazelnut version. I must make it again soon to profit from summer tomatoes, still so juicy and delicious. Not much hope for another homegrown cucumber, but there’s always next year… Next time I will slice the cucumber a bit thinner. Other than that, it is a winner. If you check the original recipe in Food and Wine, you’ll notice it called for several types of fresh herbs, but I only had basil around, so that’s what went into it. I already feel the sadness of summer leaving us. Might as well make batches of tomato salad while we can. With a tissue nearby in case I get too emotional…

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ONE YEAR AGO: Eggplant Tomato Stacks

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FOUR YEARS AGO: Blueberry Galette

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SIX YEARS AGO: Journey to a New Home

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Friday Night Dinner

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23Aug2016

THE FABULOUS THREE

Posted in General by sallybr

Bogey1
For four long years we had to deal with serious dog aggression issues between Buck and Chief. Serious as: if left alone Chief would get killed by Buck. Simple like that. It was a huge challenge to keep it all under control for such a long time, and for obvious reasons we were worried about bringing Bogey, an adult, strong-willed dalmatian to our home. After getting advice from our friend Cindy and also reading a lot of stuff online, we planned our strategy. Phil would pick up the dogs at the kennel, I would stay with Bogey in the house. When he arrived, we would take first Oscar and Bogey for a walk together. I would be outside the house (neutral territory) with Bogey on a leash, Phil would bring Oscar with him, also on a leash. We would go up and down the street, then release them in the backyard. Let them be there for a while, then do the same with Buck (the problem child) and Bogey. I cannot tell you how nervous and anxious I was. First thing that happened, Oscar and Bogey snapped at each other. Not too bad, but that was their first hello, and my world seemed to collapse a little. Phil did not let that bother him, decided it was a normal reaction and we should follow with our plans. Soon they started sniffing each other’s behinds, and apparently they liked what they sniffed. They hung out together in the backyard, no issues.

Then, with my heart racing, we did the same with Buck, and there were two pretty serious snapping episodes from Buck, matched with a scary growl, but then he calmed down. I was so anxious that I could not witness the release of the beasts in the backyard. I was sure it was going to end in a horrible dog fight. Well, I was wrong. They were totally fine! Next step was to have the three together outside, and you can see for yourself how it went:

Here’s the amazing turn of events: Buck behaves like a pot of honey, whereas the one causing a bit of trouble is Oscar, very jealous of me. He is always following Bogey and showing his displeasure for him being around. He lies on Bogey’s bed the moment Bogey stands up and leaves his spot, grabs his toys and takes them away, just like a spoiled brat. Yeah, that’s our Oscar. But he is not a fool and knows not to pick a fight with a dog who outweighs him by more than 40 pounds. So we turned a big page and life should slowly get back into a new routine. Bogey has a lot of adjustment to go through. He was used to sleeping in a bed cuddling with his Mom, he was always inside staring at the window and furiously barking at passing cars and dogs… Now he will be part of The Pack of the Fabulous Three. I thank my friend Elaine for the term, by the way, although truth be told, her real term was “The Fabulous Five.” Is she super nice or what?

😉