Month: April 2011
Easter Lemon Pastel Pound Cake
Happy Easter! If youâre anything like my family, youâve already begun preparing. In my family, each family member brings a different dish and then everything comes together perfectly as we sit down to dinner together. When I was at the grocery store on Wednesday people were already buzzing around buying things in preparation! I think everyone just likes the thought of it finally being nice outside and everything becoming so beautiful during spring.
So in honor of Easter I decided to make a colorful pastel pound cake. This recipe is pretty easy and will have everyone asking how you made it look so pretty! It is the same technique used for the rainbow cake but it can be whipped up a lot faster.
Easter Lemon Pastel Pound Cake
Preheat oven to 350°
You will need:
â1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
â1 1/2 cups white sugar
â1/2 cup butter
â1/2 cup sour cream
â3 eggs
â1 pinch baking soda
â1 lemon, you need zest and juice
âfood coloring
1.) Begin by creaming the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Next, mix in sour cream, lemon zest and eggs until well blended.
2.) Meanwhile, mix flour and a pinch of baking soda together, then slowly mix this into wet mixture.
3.) Next, divide the mixture into 4 bowls, or however many colors you will be making. You can use whatever colors you like but I used 4 colors: pink, green, yellow and purple. I used the new gel food coloring which made things even easier! I love these so much because the colors are so vibrant.
4.) Then you grease and flour a pound cake pan. I also found this awesome spray that has the oil and flour in the can!! How cool is that!? It is a lot faster and worked SO well. Then layer the batter one at a time, smoothing the layers out but making sure not to mix them. Bake for 1 hour.
5.) As the cake is baking mix the juice of the lemon and 1 cup of confectioners sugar for the glaze.
6.) Remove cake, allow to cool and glaze! Donât worry if it doesnât look exactly like my cake because it will obviously vary greatly due to how it bakes and how you layered the batter.
I hope you enjoyed this fun recipe and share it with your family! Canât wait to see how everyone is going to celebrate :)
P.S. Be sure to check out other Easter treats at Sweet As Sugar Cookies.
Kitchen Consigliere
I often am asked if I like blogging and what it is about blogging that keeps me going. The answer is quite simple and I can answer in one word. Sharing. I love sharing everything from my experience at restaurants and recipes to my photos of my friends and family eating something delicious. Food is something more than just fuel; it is something I am passionate about. And why not share something that you love?
So when others recommend recipes or restaurants, I usually take the advice pretty seriously. Which is why when I was recently in Collingswood, NJ (one of my favorite little towns!) in my favorite little jewelry store (Aenigma) and an employee recommended Kitchen Consigliere , I had to go.
Jay and I had attempted to bring friends here one night and when we decided to call last minute, there was no available space! It made me want to visit even more. If it was so loved that we could not even get in for dinnerâŚthis place had to be good.
When we first walked in on an unusually cold night in April, the temperature in the room was not the only thing that felt warm. We were greeted with open arms and sat a perfect table where I knew Iâd be able to get some great photos.
Collingswood is a dry town which I think is a great thing for those dining. It helps to lower the bill and you can bring that favorite bottle of wine. But at Kitchen Consigliere you donât even need to BYO (unless youâre really thirsty that is) because a complimentary glass is served with dinner. And a really good glass at that!
After browsing over the menu for a few minutes we realized that the menu was rather simple but included all of the Italian favorites. Little did we know, the list of specials was incredible. So for those who desire something more unique than a classic Italian dish, listen carefully because you might just miss what youâre craving.
At this point in the meal Jay went to the bathroom and came back giving me a weird look. You see, the most research I do about a restaurant is checking out their menu. But little did we know, the executive chef and owner, Angelo Lutz, is a former criminal who was involved with the mob. There is an article posted on the wall inside the restaurant that further explains Angeloâs story, or you can check out his cooking show, where he talks about his experiences in each episode. Since serving time, Angelo has proven now more than ever that he really is a âcook, not a crookâ.
Most meals included the house salad which is dressed with an olive oil and vinegar dressing. I was really excited to see that there were chickpeas on the salad. I always feel like they had an extra meaty flavor that just makes the salad come together. I thought it was the perfect size and everything was very fresh and crisp. A perfect start to the meal.
And what kind of Italian meal would it be if there wasnât bread? A basket was served along with olive oil and vinegar, as well as butter.
I wound up choosing one of the specials which included tortellini, shrimp and sundried tomatoes in a creamy sauce. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the creaminess of both the cheese in the pasta and the sauce melded flawlessly with the bite of the sundried tomato. And texture of the shrimp was just right, firm but not chewy, which is especially important.
Jay had chicken parmesan which was served with a side of pasta.
As we were eating we kept watching other tables eat ginormous slices of cake so once the idea was planted in our head, we knew that dessert was most definitely on the menu for us that night. I started with a cup of coffee while we talked and digested a bit.
Then we had a piece of homemade chocolate cake. Holy delicious. It was rich, moist, chocolate cake with a melty chocolate middle and garnished with white chocolate chips and a chocolate candy. It was mouth watering and big enough to feed a family of 5, or maybe the mob.
There was even some left over.
Coming from an Italian family, I would say that I am a bit judgmental when it comes to good Italian food. But Kitchen Consigliere really exceeded my expectations with not only the food, but the hospitable atmosphere. It is a place where I feel like I could come back week after week, try something new and really feel at home. And I wasnât even threatened by the mob to say that.
Letâs Celebrate!
So what exactly are we celebrating?! National grilled cheese month of course! What, you havenât celebrated yet? Well good thing there is still half of the month left!
Jay and I actually had this meal planned before we realized it was a glorious cheesy month, but why not go with it and call it a celebration!
This potato was the size of my head! And I have a big noggin.
We started off by making two different kinds of fries. Old bay fries and parmesan fries.
In case you donât know what Old Bay fries are, (I realized this was a regional in a previous post!) it is simply fries with Old Bay seasoning, which is a common mixture put on seafood, especially crab legs. And we love parmesan truffle fries, but we were lacking truffle oil so we just made them parmesan fries by adding some parmesan cheese, olive oil and parsley.
The potatoes took quite some time to cook, which is why they were the first priority. They actually wound up shrinking quite a bit in the oven!
And while the fries cooked I worked on a salad for myself. I chopped some cucumber, red pepper, carrot and tomato over some spinach. This salad was quite similar to one that Kath would prepare, including her honey and olive oil dressing.
Then it was time to make the grilled cheese! I left this up to Jay, who is a great sandwich maker.
I had cheese, tomato and a slice of ham on my sandwich.
Jay had just cheese and ham on his.
Oh, and to go with the Old Bay fries we made a quick American cheese dip, which is usually served with these fries when you have them in a restaurant.
We had quite the spread! Jay said he liked the Old Bay fries best but I was undecided because they were both so good!
I love making these kinds of meals, where we can recreate ideas we have tried when we go out to eat. It is definitely less expensive and healthier, especially when you know exactly what you are eating. The only problem? I wish it could be Grilled Cheese Month 12 times a year!
Salami-Mozzarella Calzone
First, I want to announce the winners of the POM juice coupons!
1.) Ellie from fitforthesoul.wordpress.com
2.) Christina from dessertfortwo.com
3.) Katie from ktbwood.wordpress.com
Please email me (allieatfood@gmail.com) and give me your address and Iâll send the coupon out ASAP!
Thank you to everyone who entered :) I always love giving things away and I canât wait until I have another opportunity to do so!
Iâm also really excited to share another delicious recipe with you. I found this recipe while browsing through the latest Food Network magazine.
Salami-Mozzarella Calzone is a pretty simple recipe that definitely got my wheels turning. Prior to making this calzone I never attempted to make one before. And while Iâm sure it is even tastier when you make your own dough, using premade pizza dough made it more even more quick-and-easy-foodie friendly.
Preheat oven to 400°
You will need:
â˘2 eggs
â˘1/4 cup chopped parsley
â˘1 tsp lemon zest
â˘1/4 pound shredded part skim mozarella
â˘1/4 pound salami
â˘1/4 pound provolone
â˘1 13.8 oz. refrigerated pizza dough
â˘1 small jar giardiniera vegetables, drained
1.) Begin by putting a baking sheet in the oven while it preheats. This will make sure that it becomes nice and crispy on the bottom. Next, mix eggs, parsley and lemon zest in a bowl.
2.) Split the egg mixture in two and add the mozzarella to one bowl. The other bowl with the egg mixture will be used to brush the calzone.
3.) Line another baking sheet with foil (or parchment paper) and brush with olive oil. Unroll the dough and spread over baking sheet.
4.) Spread the mozzarella on half of the dough, leaving about an inch around all sides so that you can fold the dough without the cheese escaping. Then top with salami, followed by veggies, then provolone.
5.) Fold dough over and crimp edges. Pierce the dough in some places along the top so heat can be released.
6.) Slide calzone onto heated baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and brush with remaining egg mixture.
7.) Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. Cool for at least 5 minutes.
Now what kind of calzone do I make next?! Hawaiian, Cuban, grilled chicken, veggie….
POM Fro Yo + Giveaway
The recent outbreak of self serve frozen yogurt shops makes me ecstatic! They are so much fun… choose your own cup size, flavor (s), toppings and spoon color. Not only are they really fun but you get to chose how much, or little you want and then pay by the oz. I think this is a great way to pay! It just makes sense that the more you eat, the more you pay.
Now the only bad part is that Iâm craving frozen yogurt more often. But I decided that since Iâve got a great ice cream maker and some creative foodie-ness…why not make my own.
This recipe is easy, adaptable, healthy, inexpensive and goes a long way.
Blueberry Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt
You will need:
â˘An ice cream machine
â˘2 cups plain greek yogurt
â˘2 cups plain regular yogurt
â˘1 cup Blueberry POM juice
â˘2 TBS splenda
I just wanted to briefly talk about my CuisinArt ice cream maker.
It comes in 4 pieces:
The base.
Stirrer/scraper and lid.
And of course the frozen ice bucket.
All you have to do is put the ice bucket in the freezer (I always do it overnight to make sure it is nice and frozen solid) and then put the bucket on the base, the stirrer in the bucket, followed by the lid. It is that easy and the results are always great.
1.) Begin by mixing the yogurt in a bowl.
2.) Next, add the juice and stir.
3.) All that is left to do is pour the mixture in the ice cream maker and let it do its thing! I had it on for a half hour. Depending on what kind of consistency you like you can freeze before eating or just eat right rom the maker!
This was a sneak peak in the mixer.
I served my yogurt with fresh strawberries. I canât wait for strawberry season (late May!) so we can pick our own sweet berries.
Giveaway
So now that youâre craving some POM frozen yogurt, you need a nice bottle of POM juice, right? Well, youâre in luck because Iâm giving away 3 coupons for a bottle of POM juice! All you have to do is leave a comment saying what your favorite POM juice flavor is (original, cranberry, blueberry, kiwi, nectarine, cherry, mango) or what kind youâd like to try or what youâd do with the juice!
I will pick the 3 winners using random.org on Monday night at 11:59 EST and then email you asking for your address. Good luck!
The Cheesecake Factory…Itâs Whatâs For Brunch
If you havenât noticed by now…Jay and I like going out to eat. Itâs something that I donât really pay attention to, because we do it so often. And while this may seems extravagant to some, we usually only see each other on the weekends so we like to go all out.
And like I said to Jay today, I like to live life on the edge. He laughed at this because while “living on the edge” might mean doing crazy things for some people, for me it means going out to eat and buying the fancy groceries I like. :)
We usually do our dining out on the weekends. This past weekend we decided to go to The Cheesecake Factory! But not just to eat any meal… we were having brunch!
Iâm not much of a morning person, Iâm not going to lie. But getting up for brunch? I can definitely wake up for that. And Iâm not normally a breakfast person, but I do like restaurant breakfast. If you arenât feeling breakfast though, not to worry.
Because The Cheesecake Factory has a big book as their menu and you can order anything on it, brunch or not.
Oh, and there was coffee involved. I never thought Iâd be one of those people that needed coffee to function…but slowly it is happening.
I had a latte and I loved how it came out in this glass. I think itâs fun to see the layers :)
Light fluffy foam
Dark Foam
Coffee
