Jen's 'Little Treasures' Carrot Cake ~ Celebrating National Carrot Cake Day, February 3rd! ~ a Guest Cook Post from Jennifer's Kitchen

My friend, Jennifer, shared her family's favorite carrot cake recipe with me, complete with photos.  Since February 3rd is National Carrot Cake Day, I thought today would be the perfect day to post her recipe on the blog.  So, here it is, in her own words on how her traditional, tempting, fruity, rich and spicy carrot cake came to be.  Enjoy!

Celebrating New Year's Day ~ Pennsylvania Dutch Style ~ Guest Cook Post

Our friend, Barbara, invited us over to her home to celebrate New Year's Day.  She made her traditional New Year's family meal, full of Pennsylvania Dutch flavors.  We had a fantastic time, enjoying ~ great conversation; beautiful winter views on the lake; a home full of holiday spirit; great food and wine; and delightful desserts.

Barbara, thanks again for inviting us to share in your family's tradition!  What a wonderful way to start the New Year.   x/o

 

I didn't get Barbara's actual recipe for the dessert she made, but, I did find recipes for Apple Crisp with Pecans and for Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream that sound pretty close to the flavors of the desserts we enjoyed.

As you can see from all the photos, Barbara is a marvelous cook and hostess.  Everything she prepared was wonderful.  My son was all over the baked brie and Barbara also made him some homemade root beer that he went nuts for.  Now he wants me to buy one of those do-it-yourself soda machines, too.  :)  Between me and my foodie friends, I think we're teaching my young son to be a budding gourmand... and that's a good thing!   Here's wishing everyone a fantastic 2013!

 

White Tiger Zebra Cake ~ and other goodies baking in Jennifer's Kitchen ~ Guest Cook Post

I've mentioned my friend, Jennifer, on the blog before.  She is one of the reasons I've got this blog.  It was one innocent comment from her that started it all... BACK STORY ~  When I started posting my dinner photos on my Facebook page, she said one of the meals looked pretty good & would I share the recipe, so I did.  Well, that day in April 2011 - the blogging seed was planted, but I didn't know it yet.  It took me until December 2011 to actually get the blog going, and I've never looked back.  What a quick year it has been!  Here are the very early meal photos, that started it all.   OK, Back Story finished... on with the post. :)

A while back, Jennifer called to tell me about a really cool cake she was baking for her son's 6th birthday.   She was making a ~ Zebra Cake, with a White Tiger theme.  Cool!!  How she explained it to me sounded pretty neat, so I asked her to send me some photos of her making the cake & links for the recipes she used.  Here is what she sent.  I think my son would get a kick out of making this type of cake and it would be a fun baking project for when the winter weather keeps us inside.

So, here are Jennifer's comments on how she created her really cool ~ White Tiger Zebra Cake...

Zebra Cake recipe adapted from here.

- But I added a little sour cream for moisture since my test run came out a little dry.

- Used half kefir/half milk since I like that slight twang it gives.  Plus it's a natural leavener.

YouTube link for making the cake.

Frosting ~ recipe came from the Martha Stewart Coconut Buttercream recipe.

- Didn't use coconut extract but rather added toasted coconut in the filling between the cake with this frosting.  And left it vanilla for the outside of the cake.

Bought the black and orange fondant ~ SatinIce Fondant

 ~ it's tastier than other fondant I've used.

When you slice the cake it does look like zebra stripes and it's not hard to do.  It's visually appealing!

Here are some other tasty treats that have come from Jennifer's Kitchen...

Summertime Peach Ice Cream ~ Jennifer says ~ I tried this since it was so kid friendly and easy.  Not bad.  Not to die for but wow was it easy and quick.  And of course if I didn't have my little helpers, it would have overflowed...

Triple Chocolate Brownies

Jen ~ I thought it would be fitting to end 2012 with a post sharing the goodies from your kitchen since it was a comment from you that got me started sharing recipes for my photos, first on Facebook and now on this blog.  Thanks a million!  (or, should I say just under 1.3 million (pageviews) ~ not too bad for my first year as a blogger :)

Middle Eastern Flavored Scrambled Eggs ~ from Dan's kitchen & The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook ~ Guest Cook Post

Middle Eastern Flavored Scrambled Eggs ~ from Dan's kitchen and The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook

More creative cooking from my friend Dan's kitchen and The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook. (with a little flavor boost from making ~ Homemade Ghee)  This time Dan made ~ Middle Eastern Flavored Scrambled Eggs.  He served them with the Union Square Zucchini recipe that I shared with you last week.

'The Girls'

Dan has a few chickens that he keeps in his backyard, so he usually has plenty of 'free range' eggs at his disposal.  But, 'The Girls' aren't laying right now, so he had to make do with store bought eggs.  That's why he made the Ghee, to add a little extra oomph.  (to 'Meet The Girls' check out this post from late last spring ~ when my son & I were taking care of them for a few days)  So, without further ado, here are Dan's photos/commentaries on...

Middle Eastern Flavored Scrambled Eggs with Homemade Ghee ~ from Dan's kitchen and The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook 
slightly adapted version

This is clarified butter also called Ghee. It is pretty simple to make. You take a couple of lbs of unsalted butter and put them in a slow cooker or sauce pan and warm slowly until it just simmers. Spoon off the milk solids and then strain through a few layers of cheese cloth into a quart jar. The clarified butter can be stored at room temperature for up to 6 months. It has a higher smoking point than regular butter and has a distinctly richer flavor than regular butter.  ~  (just finished Ghee on the left & cooled and ready for cooking/storage Ghee on the right)

Middle Eastern Flavored Scrambled Eggs and Union Square Zucchini ~  The eggs are flavored with cumin and cilantro. Valuable lesson to making scrambled eggs is slow heat. I used Ghee instead of grapeseed oil (that the original 4-Hour Chef recipe called for) to add some additional richness that these store bought eggs were lacking. (My girls haven't started laying since they moulted.) Great taste, and rich buttery texture.

'The Girls' ~ dining al fresco

Jude's Chuck Roast ~ from Dan's kitchen and The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook ~ Guest Cook Post

My friend, Dan, has more photos/commentaries of the recipes that he is cooking from The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook.  This time I'm sharing the recipe he made for ~ Jude's Chuck Roast.  Since I'm still waiting to see if Santa brings me my own copy of The 4-Hour Chef for Christmas, I'm once again pirating his hard work in the kitchen and sharing it on my blog.  He's happy about it, I'm happy about it and I'm guessing you'll be happy about getting more recipes/commentaries from/about The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook.

As a little bonus, Dan's mom, Pat, has shared some great tips on changing-up mashed potatoes.   Mom's who are good cooks always have the best advise when it comes to tweaking recipes and making them even better.  Thanks to you both!


Jude's Chuck Roast ~ from The 4-Hour Chef  Cookbook
~ Dan's slightly adapted version of the recipe with his photos/commentary

Jude's Chuck Roast ~ The recipe calls for a 2.5 lb chuck roast or rump roast. Place in pan, then add 15 ozs each of beef consommé, beef broth, and French onion soup. Add in three cloves of garlic and about a dozen Cipollini onions. I added a couple of stalks of celery and some carrots. The recipe calls for 350F degrees for 2.5-3 hours, but I chose to cook it for 4 hours at 300F degrees. This gave me the opportunity to prepare the dinner rolls...

Mom's Freezer Rolls ~  These are from a 70's era Pillsbury Cookbook I have that was my Mom's. (since I couldn't find the Pillsbury recipe online that Dan made, here is another recipe  from the 70's era that sounds like it might be similar)

The chuck roast came out as the French call it boeuf a la cuilliere (translated spoon beef) because you can eat it with a spoon.  Made some garlic mashed potatoes with the skins on.  So very good to have so many comfort foods in one great meal.

Dan's mom, Pat, has a tasty tip for jazzing up your smashed spuds even more ~ Another nice addition to mashed potatoes is adding butter beans. Take a can of butter beans, rinse/drain them and then squish them up in your fingers. Add them to your prepared mashed potatoes (could be garlic) and stir them together.  Also, a bit of lemon juice is nice as it makes them slightly tangy and I also like to add a dollop of either sour cream or Greek yogurt, just add at the same time as the butter beans and give it all a good stir.  Reheat if necessary and serve.

Union Square Zucchini ~ from Dan's kitchen & The 4-Hour Chef ~ Guest Cook Post

Union Square Zucchini ~ from Dan's kitchen & The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook

My friend, Dan, just shared a photo/recipe on Facebook, less than an hour ago.  It was of a zucchini dish he just made today ~ Union Square Zucchini ~ from The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook.  Man, that looks good!  I'm pirating his photos and written how-to of the recipe and am making it today's blog post. (I so want this cookbook for Christmas!)

Bet you didn't know you were doing another Guest Cook Post, did you?  : )  Thanks so much for writing this for me, Dan!  heehee

Union Square Zucchini ~ Dan's slightly adapted recipe from ~ The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook 

Made by slicing up a a small zucchini with the Star Peeler. (photo to left ~ it can be used as a peeler, but also as a thin slice handheld mandolin slicer) Warm skillet with Medium Heat, put about a 4" circle of olive oil in the skillet, then put about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes in the skillet, promptly stir with a fork that has a clove of garlic on the tines. This adds flavor and prevents scratches to your skillet.

Put in half of the zucchini that you have dried with paper towels into the skillet. After two minutes, put the zucchini in the skillet to the side, then add remainder of the zucchini and squeeze half a lemon for juice. Let sit for two minutes. Promptly move to plate. I add a bit more red pepper. You can salt and pepper to taste, but it is pretty good without. This is the second time in two days, I have made these. They are great! Nice citrus/sour flavor mixed with the spicy hotness of red pepper flakes.

 

Osso Bucco ~ from The 4-Hour Chef & Dan's Kitchen ~ Guest Cook Post

Osso Bucco ~ Made by my friend, Dan.  Photos taken in his kitchen, following the recipe in the new cookbook ~ The 4-Hour Chef ~ by Timothy Ferriss.  It looks absolutely AMAZING!  I've got to try this in my kitchen!

My friend, Dan, just got the new cookbook by Timothy Ferriss ~ The 4-Hour Chef.  On Wednesday night he made the recipe for ~ Osso Bucco ~ and posted the pictures on Facebook.  I was so impressed with the photos of how the dish turned out, that I just had to share his pictures and his commentary on my blog.  I'll be getting a copy of this cookbook for myself and will be trying out some of the recipes.  If they're all as good as this one looks, I think we're all going to be in for a treat!

Osso Bucco ~ photos and commentary by my friend, Dan...

I am a big fan of Tim Ferriss' books. The 4-Hour Chef came out yesterday. I am about 120 pages in so far. ~ The recipe ~

Beginnings of Osso "Buko". Typically, Osso Bucco is made with veal shanks, but using lamb shanks turned out just as delicious.

After placing carrots and lamb shanks in the pot, you take the canned whole tomatoes and pour on top.  ((San Marzano Tomatoes ~ definitely a difference from our Red Gold tomatoes))  Then you pour in white wine and cover with spices.

 

It took ten minutes to prep and it took another 2 hours to cook, but was definitely worth it. Unfortunately it only took a few minutes to devour . . . I was hungry. 

** a little more detailed cooking instructions from Dan, slightly adapted from The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook. ~~  Recipe is roughly:

Scrub bunch of carrots and cut off ends.  Place in bottom of dutch oven.  Take your lamb shanks and place on top of those.  Open can of San Marzano tomatoes and pour puree on top as well as squeeze each tomato with your thumb first then squeeze them with full hand and drop in.  Then drizzle about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over the top.  Then take about 3 big 3 finger pinches of salt and sprinkle on top. Also, 10 good grinds on a peppermill.  Then pour the dry white wine (what ever dry white you like) so that it is up to 1/2 or 3/4 of the lamb shanks. Cook in preheated oven, covered, at 350F for 2 hours. Can go for up to a half hour longer in oven if necessary for timing.

I love it when friends of mine share their photos of what they're making in their kitchens.  It inspires me check out what cookbooks are inspiring them to get creative in the kitchen.  Can't wait to crack open this cookbook and take a peek!  Dan ~ Thanks so much for sharing your photos and how you made the meal!

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UPDATED 11/26/2012 ~ Kris, from over at the blog ~ The Iceland Trail ~ suggested you sear the meat before cooking, so you will get a better overall flavor to the dish.  Read his comments for more recipe ideas. Thanks for sharing, Kris!

UPDATED 12/6/12 ~ Kris, from the blog~ The Iceland Trail ~ let me know he now has a recipe blog post for his version of making Osso Bucco.  He has step-by-step photos, showing how he  makes his.  Cool!

Since I already had lamb arm chops ready to go, I followed his recipe and then tweaked it a bit.  I added bell pepper, more onion, fresh garlic, a big can of crushed tomatoes and dry vermouth. (had to make due with what I had on hand) and a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary. (the last from my garden)

 

I cooked it in my new Dutch Oven, at 325F degrees, for a little over 3 hours. I served it with steamed new potatoes and mushrooms.  It turned out AMAZING!  Roy and I both went back for seconds, we didn't lick the plates clean, but we did do the next best thing ~ we got out the bread and butter. : )  Roy was VERY happy with the meal, as was I.  This cut of lamb can be a tad greasy, so we had to fish around a bit to get everything on the plate. I have a container of leftovers, so in the morning I'll just skim off the remaining fat and we'll be good to go for round two. (or would that round three? heehee)

I think using all the additional veggies/herbs gave the dish a flavor of ~ a cross between Osso Bucco and Cacciatore.  I'll be making this meal (or a variation of it) quite a few times over the course of the winter.  Thanks to both of you guys, this is now one of my favorite new recipes!