Polka Dot Cake

You guys, my baby turns 1 in a week.  I have a 1 year-old and a 4 year-old, excuse me, 4 AND A HALF year old (that's very important to include these days, apparently).  Time to sob in a corner, buy more anti-aging cream and bake some birthday cake.  Which is only my favorite thing to do in the world (bake, that is, I hate skin care).  Let me refresh your memory with Jack's first birthday, his second, his third and his fourth.  See?  I obsess.  This birthday was no different.  A friend showed me this Polka Dot Cake recipe probably 6 months ago and it was decided.  Done!  I knew little Etta Bo Betta would be smashing her face in polka dots by the time she turned one.  While that is still a week away, I made this cake for a small family gathering last night and it was a success!  Fairly simple, not overly time-consuming, and it yields fantastic results.  I used a store-bought cake mix for the cake balls and bought this (oh, I think I just might use it again), I used this recipe for the actual cake, and made my buttercream seen here.  With the leftover balls, I decorated the bottom of the cake and also I ate them.  

Happy 1st Birthday to my spunky little tiger, we love you : )         

Balls!

White cake batter...

Little Avenger helping out...

It's the whole family!  Etta wants out.

Bye bye balls...

And hello again!  

(I've heard freezing the balls helps them to not rise to the surface during baking, but in the end it didn't really matter much.) 

Frosting and layering...

Polka Dot Party!

Even her baby book matches which was a total accident.  

My breakfast...

Brown Sugar Peppered Bacon

As a kid, if I ever found myself in a breakfast buffet type situation, I would typically eat close to 10 pieces of bacon.  Multiple trips, zero willpower, lacking parental supervision??  It is my weakness.  As long as it's crispy, of course.  I recently tried a sweet and peppery bacon that might be the best thing I've ever put in my mouth.  If you ever find me rocking bath and forth in a dark corner, all 500 pounds of me, it's because this bacon took over my life.  I knew I could easily recreate this deliciousness at home, and so I did.  You can, too:

 Preheat oven to 350.

Line a baking sheet with tinfoil.  Place a rack on top.

Put bacon on rack, as much as you can fit.

Sprinkle with brown sugar and freshly cracked black pepper.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until it's CRISPY.   

*Tara, you have won the Annie Chun's Giveaway!  Please email me your mailing address.

Ramen Burger + Annie Chun's Giveaway

Have you heard of the latest culinary craze, the Ramen Burger?  It's a burger sandwiched between two patties of fried ramen noodles, in place of a bun.  Sounds absurd, yes?  It is absurd.  AND WONDERFUL TOO. 

I was sent some products from Annie Chun's - a variety of all natural Asian Cuisine - and someone from their team suggested I try out the new "bun" with the ramen noodles.  It was easy to do and the result was oddly fantastic - crispy Ramen framing a juicy burger, yum. Follow these simple steps to create your own at home:

1. Cook noodles in 1 1/2 cups of boiling water for 1 minute.  Drain.  (I did not use the flavor packet)

2. Divide Ramen into 2 bowls or ramekins that resemble patty size. 

3. Place plastic wrap on top of noodles and weigh down with cans - tuna worked well for me.  Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. 

4. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.  Carefully remove noodles from bowl and cook until golden brown on both sides. 

And now, a giveaway...

Please comment below to win all of this!  And let me know if you would try a Ramen Burger?

Giveaway Rules:

1. You must be an official follower of this blog to win (click follow icon on the right).

2. Follow me on Twitter for an extra entry (comment below twice if you do).

3. Only open to residents of U.S. and Canada.

4. Winner will be chosen at random on Monday, August 26th at 8am PST.

Parmesan and Garlic Lavash

Carson's mom, the woman behind this fried chicken, makes a lot of delicious things.  Most recently, this super easy appetizer that you will hover around like a creep until it's gone in your belly and your belly alone.  Seriously, if you're in charge of an appetizer at a party, assemble this and pop it in the oven when you get there and watch the madness ensue.  5 ingredients: lavash, olive oil, garlic, Parmesan and basil.  Soak the chopped garlic in some olive oil...    

...spread it on some lavash (which can be found at most grocery stores)...

...sprinkle the top with Parmesan and fresh basil...

...and bake it at 350 for 10 minutes or so (keeping an eye on it) until it gets all golden and crispy.  Break it apart into pieces, or just eat the whole sheet on your own.

Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu

I can't believe how early school starts these days.  Mid-August and summer is over for kids.  What happened to Labor Day buttoning off the season??  I suppose when my kids are grown and bored, I'll be anxious to send them off to school early.  But for now, I'm trying to cling on to every last minute of warm weather and lazy days outside.  Durrrr, except for this meal I made the other night that SCREAMS fall and was absolutely delicious...

I'm a short ribs girl.  If they're on a menu, I will order them.  So when a reader sent me this recipe for a Short Rib Ragu that you throw in the crockpot and forget about, I instantly bookmarked it.  I was trying to wait until fall to make it, but I am not a very patient person when it comes to food.  Listen, whatever month of the year it is, make this recipe.  Very few ingredients, simple as can be, and a total crowd pleaser!  Now go to school.  (Recipe here.)

p.s. If you can't find boneless short ribs like the recipe calls for, use bone-in ones like I did.  The meat will just slide off the bone once it's done cooking and it only adds to the flavor : )

S'mores Cake

Remember S'mores Cookies and S'more Cookie Bars and my sister's S'more Pops?  Well now I present you with S'Mores Cake.  Thank you Food Network for this recipe.  I was convinced it would be an overly sweet monstrosity but it was not!  The bittersweet chocolate ganache certainly helped, and I also went with 3 layers instead of 4.  Tip: definitely microwave the marshmallow fluff for 10 seconds (no more than that or it will explode!) to make it easier to spread.  And don't worry about the presentation of the cake - s'mores are supposed to be a gooey, sticky mess of deliciousness.  Also, it's even better the next day.  I used a boxed chocolate cake, by the way, so go ahead and judge me.  Make this!!  The perfect way to end the summer.

Giveaway Winner + Painted Rocks

Many of you have been asking about these painted rocks I keep babbling on about.  Well, here they are.  I'm making a collection to put in a bowl on my coffee table.  I'm really enjoying myself!  Maybe I'll turn this into a Rock Painting Blog!?  No, that won't happen.  But if you find yourself with some time and some rocks, I highly recommend partaking in the activity.  

Now, the winner of the Stretch Island Fruit and ips Giveaway is... Jordan (comment #44), Jordan please email me (at the top under 'Contact') your mailing address!  Thank you all for playing, there will be another giveaway later on this week : )

Friday Giveaway!

It's been awhile since I have given you fine people something wonderful, so that's what I'm going to do today thanks to some wonderful products.  The people over at 'ips' (Intelligent Protein Snacks) and Stretch Island Fruit are letting me give away some delightful and healthy snacks.  I've been a fan of Stretch Island Fruit Leather for a long time - it's the perfect snack to keep in your purse - but I had never tried their fruit chews and was excited to let my hardest critic give them a go: Jack.  As a four-year-old, he's a fruit snack connoisseur and did I mention picky?  Well he loved them.  Also there are fun games on the packaging - sold.  Now ips - chips made with egg white protein - were something new to me.  The founder came up with the idea after realizing how much his kids (and I, even though he doesn't know me) enjoyed the crispy edges of eggs he cooked for them.  So he turned that concept into a chip!  Corn, egg whites, and other natural ingredients and they're awesome.  I'm giving away 3 different flavors.

Comment below to win!

Giveaway Rules:

1. You must be an official follower of this blog to win (click follow icon on the right).

2. Follow me on Twitter for an extra entry (comment below twice if you do).

3. Only open to residents of U.S. and Canada.

4. Winner will be chosen at random on Monday, August 19th at 8am PST.

Salted Caramel "Cronut"

I never cheated in school.  I didn't steal.  I always make sure the cashier at the market scans the items some people forget at the bottom of the cart (almost always - one time I accidentally walked out with a 6 pack of Guinness and I didn't go back I'M SORRY UNIVERSE!).  But, sometimes I cheat when it comes to baking.  Because I have two kids under five, and because my days spent entirely devoted to baking are behind me, and because when you find ridiculously easy recipes you should try them.  Like Pillsbury's version of a Cronut - the half croissant half donut craze that originated in NYC and has taken over the country.  I'm not a huge donut fan, but I LOVE croissants.  Has anyone tried them?  I didn't get a chance when I was back East, but Carson has tried them so I asked him to be the judge of this Pillsbury recipe.  He said they were close.  Still lacking a little of that cakey donut flavor, but close, and delicious.  You should try them, I don't think you'll be sorry that you cheated.  Recipe here.  

Smoked Albacore Dip

I am in vacation mode.  Every August, we rent a house in the same town on the same road and I do the same things that I never do the rest of the year: I read, I ride a bike, I watch Showtime series, I paint rocks.  Yup, I really paint rocks and it's becoming an unhealthy obsession.  I also cook, and although that's nothing new, I try to cook light, beach-y meals.  Like this dip Carson and I attempted two years ago.  Only this time, we made it with Smoked Albacore (found at Gelson's) and instead of flaking the fish with a fork, we put it in a food processor.  It gave the dip such a lovely and professional quality.  In fact, we might set up a Lemonade Stand and sell our dip on the side.  Of course, you'll also be able to purchase my painted rocks for only $500 a pop.  What, they're really special.  

Green Goddess Chopped Salad

Two salads in a row, can you handle it?  Are you like, Siri, make a cronut already you idiot.  Don't call me an idiot!!  I'll get to the unhealthy stuff, but another salad I wanted to recreate from our New York trip was one we ate at a restaurant called Quality Meats.  If you're ever in the city, go there, and order the Broccoli Cheese Bites.  But also order the Green Goddess Chopped Salad, it's so good.  I tried to remember the gist of it - chopped romaine and spinach, granny smith apples, avocado, parmesan cheese and sunflower seeds - and I made it at home with a store bought dressing.  But you could also make your own dressing here.  It's a delicious salad and you are a delicious person.

Pesto Quinoa Salad

WHAT UP BLOG?!  Sorry, it's been awhile, I've forgotten how to do this.  I should probably not start by sounding like a tween.  Is that how tweens sound?  I'm a cool mom.  ANYWAY.  I've missed you guys!  Last week, in New York, all I could think about were things I wanted to cook and share with you.  Like this salad we ordered in our hotel room one night.  It was so simple and delicious and I knew it would be easy to recreate and I was right.  I'm usually right, except for when I'm wrong, which is most of the time.  

Pesto Quinoa Salad

(Serves 6-8)

Printable Recipe

2 cups quinoa

4 cups water

2 T olive oil

2 small zucchini, diced

1 yellow pepper, diced

3 cups arugula, chopped

1 7oz. store-bought pesto, defrosted

Salt and pepper

In a medium-sized pot, combine water and quinoa and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.  Uncover, fluff with a fork, and remove from heat.  Set aside.  While quinoa is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add zucchini and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add arugula and cook for another minute or so.  Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.  In a large bowl, toss quinoa and vegetables and add pesto.  Stir, and season with salt and pepper to taste.    

Sneak peak...

...at our new kitchen:

And to come this week: Quinoa Pesto Salad, Green Goddess Salad and Salted Caramel Cronuts.  

Yup, you just read that right.