strawberry yogurt cake

i'm an avid avoider. i've actually perfected the art of finding something to do in lieu of doing what i'm supposed to. today it was baking. i baked a beautiful cake so that i could push those pesky interims back a few hours (or days, that's yet to be decided).

i'm also a batter-taster. some people don't like to do it because of the raw eggs, but i firmly believe you can tell if your baked good will be successful by tasting the batter. the batter to this one was divine and the cooked cake was even better. i think the yogurt is the true secret here. it creates a super moist cake. if you've got free time, or have something to do and want to avoid it, try this one out!

ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 tbs fresh lemon juice, divided

one lemon, zested

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

8 oz vanilla greek yogurt

12 oz fresh strawberries, diced

1 cup powdered sugar

to prepare:

preheat oven to 325

spray and flour a bunt pan

sift into a bowl 2 1/4 cups flour, the baking soda, and the salt

add the zested lemon to the dry mixture and set aside

in a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy

add the eggs one at a time

stir in 1 tbs lemon juice

add the yogurt and the flour mixture alternately until well combined

toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/4 cup of flower (gently)

fold the strawberries into the batter

pour the batter into the bunt pan and place in the oven. cook for 60 min.

remove the pan from the oven and let rest for about 10 min.

transfer the cake to a wire rack to cook completely

mix together the remaining 2 tbs of lemon juice with the powdered sugar to create a glaze

drizzle the glaze over the cake and ENJOY!

slow-cookin

when i heard the forecast was calling for snow, i immediately dusted off my crock-pot. there is nothing that goes hand-in-hand with cold weather like a slow-cooked meal. much to my dismay it was 60 degrees yesterday, and it seems as if our snowy forecast may be nothing but rain and slush. oh well, the dinner was still yummy.

i love cooking in a crock pot, because it's so incredibly easy. i've always been a fire-paranoid person (i get it from my mamma), and i still can't wrap my brain around the fact that it's ok to leave a hot pot plugged in all day in an empty house. no fires so far, so i guess it's safe.

last night we had beef stew, chinese salad, and corn muffins. combined, it was comfort-food to the max, and i'm looking forward to eating left overs today. here are the recipes:

beef stew ingredients:

2 tbs olive oil

2 lbs stew beef

2 tbs butter

1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced

3 tbs flour

3 c. beef stock

2 tbs tomato paste

1/4 tsp dried thyme, oregano, and basil

1 lb. potatoes, sliced into bite-size pieces

1 c. baby carrots, halved

1 sm. (8.5 oz) can peas and lima beans

salt and pepper

to prepare:

generously salt and pepper the stew meat

heat oil in pan on med. high heat

once the pan is really hot, brown the stew meat for a few minutes on both sides.

put the meat into the crock and add the butter, flour, mushrooms, stock, tomato paste, and herbs. cook on high for one hour.

after an hour, add the potatoes and carrots. continue cooking for 5-6 more hours.

add the peas and lima beans and turn to low. cook for another 30 min to an hour. the liquid should be gravy-like. add more seasoning to taste if needed.

chinese salad

this recipe is courtesy of tina renninger. tina is my "work mom." she was my mentor the during my first year as a teacher and ever since we have been great buddies. tina is retiring at the end of this year, and i truly can't imagine work without her. it's going to be a big adjustment for me. i will miss her tremendously.

tina made this salad and brought some left overs in for lunch one day. she let me try her salad since she knows how much i love to eat (i regularly finish her lunches, since she eats like a bird). it was so yummy and i asked her for the recipe. i made it for the first time last night and it was delicious!

ingredients:

1 bag pre-shredded coleslaw mix

6-8 scallions, sliced

2 packages raman noodles (i used oriental flavor)

1/4 c. oil

1/3 c. sesame seeds

4.oz slivered almonds

for the dressing

1 tsp. soy sauce

1/3 c. oil

1/3 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. sesame oil

1/4 c. rice wine vinegar

salt and pepper

to prepare:

add oil to pan over med-low heat

break up the raman noodles

add noodles and seasoning packets to the pan to brown (be careful not to burn them-keep mixing!)

add sesame seeds and almonds, brown slightly

put slaw, scallions, noodles, sesame seeds, and almonds to large bowl.

whisk together ingredients for the dressing and add to dry ingredients. mix well.

i put mine in the fridge for about a half an hour to let the dressing absorb, however, it can easily be served immediately!

hollaaaaa bread

the finished products
heading to the oven

andy made challah bread last night. he pronounces it "ch"allah bread, just to be annoying. i pronounce it hollaaaa bread, just to be gangsta. however you choose to say it is up to you, but you should try it because it's really yummy. i mean, who doesn't love homemade bread? tonight for dinner we're having asian shrimp tacos.

stay tuned.

ingredients:
4 tsp dry active yeast
1 1/2 c. water (use hot water out of the faucet, it needs to be between 105-115 degrees)
7 1/2 c. flour
4 eggs, room temp. plus one for egg-wash
3 tbs salt
1/2 c. sugar

to prepare:
-mix yest and water until foamy and let sit for 10 min.
-add the water mixture to the flour and mix (either in a stand mixer on low with a hook or by hand)...we have a stand mixer with a hook and andy still did it by hand.
-add sugar, salt, and the eggs one by one until the dough begins to form and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
-take the dough out of the bowl and kneed until everything is incorporated.
put the dough into a well greased bowl and then flip the dough over so that the other side gets greased, as well.
-cover with a damp dish towel and let sit for 1-2 hours or until dough doubles in size.
-take the cloth off, punch down the dough, kneed it ten times, and divide into two equal-sized balls.
-divide the two balls into 3 equal-sized balls and roll them out into 18 in. long ropes
-braid the ropes, tucking the ends underneath.
-put braided loaves on a lightly greased baking sheet and cover with a damp towel until they double in size (about 30 min.)
-preheat oven to 375
-right before putting them in the oven, crack an egg into a bowl with a tsp of water.
beat the egg and brush the egg-wash over the loaves.
-put the loves in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until browned.

skirt steak with stuffed poblano peppers and homemade chips

i've been super negligent to ellabird. it's not that i haven't been eating. i've actually been eating like a crazy person. the other day at work, a fellow teacher was reading an excerpt from a book about hibernating animals. the line she read said something about how hibernating animals stuff themselves right before they go into hibernation. she then paused, turned, looked at me, and asked if i was preparing for hibernation. to say i've been eating like a bear would be an understatement.

i'm feeling especially guilty about ignoring my blog because andy has been making some amazing dishes. he actually made homemade gnocchi the other night. it was his first time making gnocchi from scratch, and it was divine. i didn't even get a picture. again, i was too busy eating to care much about anything else.

well, i'm going to change my ways and get back into the blogging ballgame. i'm coming back with a bang, too. andy made this fabulous dinner the other night, and though it's a bit complicated, it was scrumptious.

please don't let the never-ending list of directions below deter you from trying this one. it will take some time, but it is not difficult. if you like spice, and are in for a hearty meal, you've got to give this one a shot.

ingredients:

2 poblano peppers

1. cup cooked wild rice

1. cup finely diced potatoes (dice in cubes and make sure they are all about the same size)

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

olive oil

1 1/2 lb skirt steak

8 whole wheat tortillas

salt and pepper

for the marinade:

1 bunch chives

six cloves garlic

1 jalapeno, whole

1 thai chili, whole

dash soy sauce

dash brown mustard

2 tbs honey

put all ingredients in a blender. blend on high while adding olive oil (about a cup) until all ingredients are well blended.

once finished, reserve 1/4 cup.

put the rest of the marinade in a baggie or a bowl. add the steak and coat. put in the fridge for at least an hour

to prepare stuffed peppers:

preheat oven to 375 (put a cast-iron pan in the oven... you'll see why later!)

roast the peppers over an open flame until the skin chars and blisters.

next, put peppers in a bowl and cover the bowl in plastic wrap for 30 minutes.

dice the onion and garlic.

heat oil in a frying pan over med. heat. sweat onions for 5 min (do not brown)

add garlic and sweat with onions for 4 min, or until tender

add salt and pepper to taste

remove from pan and put into a bowl.

add more oil to the pan, and pan fry the potatoes until crispy (about ten minutes)

add the potatoes and rice to the onion/garlic mixture

add cheese and mix well.

take the plastic-wrap off of the bowl. use a paring knife to remove the skin. because the peppers have been in a sauna, the skin will fall right off.

cut the peppers vertically and remove all seeds from the inside

add the stuffing and put in a frying pan that has about 2 tbs of water on the bottom

put the pan in the oven for 40 min.

meanwhile....

for steak:

take cast iron pan out of oven and transfer it to med-high burner

pull the steak out of the bag or bowl and wipe off the marinade.

salt and pepper the steak

cook on each side for 8 minutes, rotating 90 degrees half-way through

add the steak to the already hot 375 degree oven for 12 min. or until cooked through (135 degrees)

take out of the oven and put on a cutting board. Let the meat rest for at least 8 min.

for chips:

cut whole wheat tortillas into quarters

lay on a cookie sheet lined with foil

sprinkle with salt and add to oven for 2-3 min.

serve steak with stuffed pepper and chips. add reserved marinade to the top of steak. you can also use it for dipping sauce for the chips.