German Chocolate Bundt Cake

As I have previously mentioned, I married a German and when my Mr. German gets a "bee in his bonnet", as his mom used to say..."Look Out"!!  What's worse, is when my Mr. German gets a sweet tooth and I have "PMS", which in my house means "Putting Up With Mark's ****", it always makes an interesting combination.

Add to this, we are fully into Fall here and when there is a chill in the air, all I want to do is bake!  It makes the house so warm and cozy and the wonderful aromas from the oven always make everyone happy (including my hips).  So last week's issues of having no "treats" in the house have now turned into my husband complaining that he has to go down one notch on his belt.  Really?  I just can't win around here some days.....

German Chocolate Bundt Cake

For The Cake:
1 box (16.5 oz.) Devil's Food chocolate cake mix
1 cup Best Foods Olive Oil Mayonnaise
1 cup water
3 eggs
1 tsp. ground cinnamon 

1 Tablespoon brewed coffee (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray bundt pan with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.

Beat cake mix, mayonnaise, water, eggs, cinnamon and coffee 30 seconds in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed. Beat on medium speed, scraping sides occasionally, 2 minutes. Pour batter into bundt pan.

Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 30 minutes before inverting onto serving platter.

For The Frosting:
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, and butter to a boil. Stir over medium heat until mixture thickens to the likeness of pudding . Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, coconut, and pecans. Let cool and thicken a little.

Spoon frosting on top of the cake, letting it run down all the inside and outside of cake.

Spaetzle with Gruyere and Carmelized Onions

As a side dish with last week's Oktoberfest Slow Cooker Sauerbraten, I made Spaetzle with Gruyere and Carmelized Onions. These three ingredients marry so well together and were the perfect combination with the roast.

I will warn you, this recipe calls for making your own homemade Spaetzle.  At this point in my life, I have neither the time nor patience to attempt homemade Spaetzle, especially on a weeknight.  Perhaps some day I will get the courage to try it, but for now my box of Panni Spaetzle by Knorr fulfilled my "semi-homemade" need just perfectly.

Spaetzle with Gruyere and Carmelized Onions
Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese (5 ounces)
1 3/4 cups milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons peanut oil 

**Option in lieu of homemade Spaetzle:  (2) 9 oz. boxes of Panni Spaetzle by Knorr
Make according to box directions and go on to step 3.

1.  In a small bowl, whisk the milk with the egg yolks and egg. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Using a wooden spoon, stir the egg mixture into the flour, leaving a few lumps. Cover and refrigerate the batter for at least 1 hour or overnight.

2  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Carefully hold a colander with large holes over the boiling water. Add about 1/2 cup of the batter to the colander and press it into the simmering water with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Repeat until all of the batter has been used. Cook the spaetzle for 2 minutes longer, then drain. Immediately transfer the spaetzle to the ice water, swirling the dumplings until all of the ice melts. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.

3.  Preheat the oven to 400°. Oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Spread the spaetzle in the dish and dot with the butter. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the spaetzle is hot and the cheese is just melted.

4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and cook over high heat until softened, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to moderately low and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Scatter the onion over the spaetzle and serve.

Make Ahead The spaetzle can be prepared through Step 2 and refrigerated for up to 1 day.

One Year Ago:  Apple Dumplings

Slow Cooker Sauerbraten

The other morning, I was frantically looking for my laundry and found it in a business developer's conference room where they were working on payroll....Yes, my brain is still on overload and I am still having the most "off the wall - make no sense" dreams (when I am able to sleep, that is).

I don't know if I am going to make it through high school this second time around and I think I am putting more time, effort and brain power on the upcoming end of season volleyball dinner, more than I did my own wedding.

Once I get through the banquet the middle of next month, then two weeks later our son is coming for Thanksgiving with his family and we are meeting our twin grandbabies for the first time.  Then, two weeks after that is my husband's birthday...then two weeks later is Christmas, then our girls' sweet 16 birthday at year's end.  I can't imagine why it's so hard for me to get a decent night's sleep right now.

Well for now, I'm working on Oktoberfest fun.  I married a German and each year I try to up my German dish repertoire, even though I can barely pronounce some of the recipes.

I had never made Sauerbraten, but I figured anything I can put in a crockpot can't be all that difficult. This was awesome!!  I threw it all together before we all went off to work and school and came home to the most amazing roast dinner.

Slow Cooker Sauerbraten
Courtesy of Taste of Home

1 boneless beef chuck roast or rump roast (3 to 4 pounds)
4 cups water
1 bottle (14 ounces) ketchup
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon mixed pickling spices
3 bay leaves
1-1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies (about 30 cookies)

Gravy:
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

Cut roast in half. Place in a 5-qt. slow cooker; add water. In a
large bowl, combine the ketchup, onion, brown sugar and vinegar;
pour over roast.

Place pickling spices and bay leaves on a double thickness of
cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with string to form a
bag. Add spice bag and cookie crumbs to slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove roast and keep warm. Discard spice bag. Strain cooking juices;
transfer 4 cups to a large saucepan. Combine cornstarch and water
until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook and

stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice roast; serve with
gravy.

I also served it with the most amazing Spaetzle with Gruyere and Carmelized Onions

One Year Ago:  Weeknight Ravioli Bake

Tee Shirts, Tacos and Ice Cream Cake Treat

This past weekend we hosted the girls' volleyball team over for "Tee Shirts and Tacos".  They made their warm up shirts for the upcoming "Dig Pink" for breast cancer games in October and we served them a full taco bar for dinner.

It was a complete education in making tee shirts for me.  All I can say is thank God for Hobby Lobby and YouTube.  I am now an aficionado in tie-dye shirts!  We started with the tie-dye pink process, then iron-on transfers, then finished with bubble paint for their names and numbers.  

It was also an opportunity to serve my finale of "Dips, Dinners and Desserts".  I actually made this when Steve and Leslie were here, which he eloquently titled the dish "Big *** Ice Cream Sandwich Thing".  Unfortunately, we were all too full to dig into it, so I saved it for the girls.

This dessert is Heaven on a platter - nothing more to say.

So incredibly easy beyond belief.

You can make it as small or large as needed.

Start with a layer of ice cream sandwiches. 

Then add a second layer, stacking and laying them the other direction.

"Frost" with Cool Whip topping

Drizzle alternating lines of chocolate and caramel

ice cream sundae (squeeze bottle toppings).

Use your toothpick for streaming the lines,

into a decorative pattern.

Ingredients:
Ice Cream Sandwiches
Cool Whip Dessert Topping
Chocolate Sundae Topping (in the squeeze bottle)
Caramel Sundae Topping (in the squeeze bottle)




One Year Ago:  Quick Candy Cookies

Garlic Parmesan Filet Mignon

In the final dinner of "Dips, Dinners and Desserts", this one is a really special night dish.  Not one that you would do on a school night, but for one of those special occasions.  

It calls for Filet Mignon, but we used small Beef Tenderloin Medallions, to keep it budget friendly. Honestly though, I think any good cut of meat would do, as it's all about the preparation and Dijon combination with the Parmesan and garlic ending.

**I baked off some hash brown patties and let the steaks rest on the cooked hash browns.  It gave it a fun steakhouse effect without your typical baked potato and the juices from the steaks flavored the hash browns beautifully.

Garlic Parmesan Filet Mignon
Courtesy of Traeger

2-4 Filet Mignons (we used small Beef Tenderloin Medallions instead)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard for each filet
1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced

Turn grill on high.  While the grill is heating up, season the filets with salt, pepper and garlic salt. In a separate bowl, mix the minced garlic and Parmesan and combine.

When the grill reaches temperature, place filets on the grill and cook for 4 minutes on each side. (Keep on longer if you like them less pink and more well done).  After 8 minutes total (or until they are done to your liking), spread the filets with the Dijon mustard sauce and dip in the minced garlic and Parmesan cheese mixture and place back on the grill for another 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Pull from grill and let rest for 5 minutes and serve.


One Year Ago:  Sunday Night Pot Roast

Blue Cheese and Carmelized Shallot Dip

Today was an absolutely glorious weather day.  Crisp, cool and sunny.  I decided it would be a great day for my husband and I to get out of the house and enjoy some great outdoors.  We ventured out towards Rocky Mountain National Park to a charming little town called Allenspark. 

We came upon this amazing stream that had incredible little falls.  Being a Pisces, I can never get enough water.   It was really fun hiking around the creek.

As this is the final dip in "Dips, Dinners and Desserts", I have saved the best for last.  I so love this dip that our family turned me on to.  I could eat it by the spoonful!

Blue Cheese and Carmelized Shallot Dip
Courtesy of Epicurious

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1-1/4 cups thinly sliced shallots (3-4 medium sized shallots)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese, room temperature

Heat oil in heavy medium saute pan over medium-low heat.  Add shallots.

Cover and cook until shallots are deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool.

Whisk together mayonnaise and sour cream in medium bowl to blend. Add blue cheese.

Using rubber spatula, mash mixture until smooth.  (I used my emersion blender) Stir in caramelized shallots.  Season dip to taste with salt and pepper.  Cover dip and refrigerate until flavors blend, at least 2 hours.

(Can be made 2 days ahead.  Keep refrigerated.)  Serve dip chilled with cut vegetables or kettle potato chips.

One Year Ago:  Sour Cream and Chicken Enchiladas

Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Bars

Halloween season is upon us and that means one thing...Reese's Peanut Butter Cups galore!!! 



I cannot get enough of those little bites of heaven.  I freeze them for that added crisp, chilled goodness.  I also have to freeze them so they are out of sight and out of mind (that's the plan anyway).

I saw Trisha Yearwood make these bars a few weeks ago.  Since I am not the biggest fan of butterscotch, I changed them to add chocolate chips instead.  WOW!!!  A Reese's Peanut Butter BAR!!  Let's just say these did not last long in our house.

Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Bars
Adapted from Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
6 ounces butterscotch chips (about 1 cup) (I added chocolate chips instead)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish with butter or non-stick baking spray.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and 1/2 cup of the peanut butter. Add the egg and vanilla. Sift the flour with the baking soda and the salt. Mix the oatmeal into the flour and stir the flour into the creamed mixture. Spread the batter in the baking pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the batter and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until browned around the edges.

Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, milk and the remaining 1/4 cup of the peanut butter until smooth, then spread the glaze evenly over the warm bars. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Rosemary Lemon Grilled Shrimp with Marinated Tomato and Polenta Stacks

I know that I am getting old and showing my age when my children are gone for the evening and instead of getting all dressed up and hitting a night on the town with my husband, we would rather get into our comfy clothes, open a nice bottle of Zinfandel and make a gourmet meal at home.

I never thought we would be one of those couples (you know, like our parents).  I have to say though, I would take it over any other date night at a restaurant.  There's just nothing like being in the comforts of your own home and creating a new meal together.

This one was supposed to be Traeger recipe, but I was too lazy to go out and get bacon that I forgot, so it morphed into a completely different dish.  Then, I decided it needed a little color, so I made marinated tomatoes.  As I was working on the two pieces of the meal, I took it one step further and added the stacked element.  Now my husband has never been a fan of polenta, but he is hooked now. All the flavors melded together so beautifully.  Can't wait for our next date night!!!

Rosemary Lemon Grilled Shrimp with Marinated Tomato and Polenta Stacks

Dedicated To Date Nights

For the Marinated Tomatoes: 

1 pint red grape tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon jarred pesto

1 clove garlic, pressed

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

Halve the tomatoes and add them to a gallon plastic zippered storage bag.  Add the olive oil, vinegar, parsley, pesto, garlic, salt and pepper.  Seal the bag well and give a little shake to get all the flavoring around the tomatoes.  Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

While the tomatoes are marinating....

For the shrimp:

1 pound cleaned large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails off

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Rinse shrimp well under cold running water and dry thoroughly on paper towels and set aside.

Make the shrimp marinade.  In a large bowl combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary.  Add the shrimp and coat well.  Cover bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the polenta, I just purchased the pre-made tube of prepared polenta and cut it into half inch slices. Heat saute pan to medium heat with a teaspoon of olive oil.  Add polenta slices and sear until fully warmed through and golden brown on each side.

For the shrimp, heat a grill pan to medium-high heat and let it get very hot.  Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook about 3-4 minutes on each side, until fully cooked and pink.

When ready to plate, place one slice of the cooked polenta, add a small spoonful of marinated tomatoes and repeat.  Top with a little crumbled gorgonzola cheese.  Place the grilled shrimp and remaining tomatoes around the polenta stack.

Baked Fontina Cheese Dip

It is the official week of the beginning of fall and it has definitely been showing around here.  The leaves are turning their beautiful colors and there is a crispness in the air each morning...and then it goes back to 85 degrees.  Well, at least it feels like fall for a few hours each day.

This charming little farm is near our old house and my husband called me as he was driving by it the other morning to let me know that the pumpkins were out and so wonderfully displayed.  Thankfully I had my camera with me and was able to catch this great shot.  

For those cool nights, here is a warm cheese dip to take the chill off.  I will give you one warning, be careful when you are taking it out of the oven.  The olive oil and cheese are bubbly and popping and I gained a new grease burn from it (which I of course proudly shared with the chef at my cooking class).

Baked Fontina

Courtesy of Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa)

1-1/2 pounds Italian Fontina cheese, rind removed and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/4 cup olive oil

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 crusty French baguette

Preheat the broiler and position the oven rack 5 inches from the heat.

Distribute the cubes of Fontina evenly in a 12-inch cast-iron pan.  Drizzle on the olive oil.  Combine the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and sprinkle it over the cheese and olive oil.  Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and place the pan under the broiler for about 6 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and starts to brown.

Serve the baked Fontina family style, right out of the oven in the cast-iron pan with crusty chunks of bread.

** This recipe makes a large batch and is very rich, so I cut the recipe in half when I made it for our small family.

Blueberry Dump Cake-Cobbler-Crisp...and Chopped

I was in a Food Network "Chopped" Tournament.  I arrived very tardy, since I had to work late and I didn't know the "secret basket ingredients" and everyone else was already in the middle of preparing their meals.  My heart was racing trying to figure out what to make, on what was now an even more abbreviated time frame.  I told myself not to panic and pull it together. 

I ran to my refrigerator and started putting together a roasted pork tenderloin with creamy mustard sauce (one of my go-to dishes).  Then, I find out that the secret basket is a wedding theme meal and one of my opposing chefs brought her wedding gown to present her meals in...really???

So, I thought to make my dish look beautiful, I would serve the dinner on my white wedding china.  Ted Allen, the host, then announces "When the four nuns arrive to judge, you have two minutes to plate your dish for presentation".  I can't find my china anywhere, because my mom has them spread out in every room of our house, making it look like model home.  My blood pressure goes into overdrive and I really start to panic because now I have nothing to put my dish on and I am going to lose the competition.  I then hear my daughter, "Mom...it's 5:45, you need to wake up".  

Oh thank God, my Chopped Tournament dilemma was only a dream, but so real.  One of those dreams where you are trying to wake up from a heavy REM sleep fog and you can't catch your breath.

Clearly I have way too much on my mind right now, planning the end of season school volleyball banquet, which I am in charge of this year.  I have been speaking with restaurants, caterers, planning table settings, decorations and even figuring what color napkins and ribbons to wrap the silverware in.  Yes, too much going on in my brain!!

Well, this dessert will definitely get you the winning votes in any culinary championship.  You can call it a dump cake, cobbler, crisp, or you can just call it, oh so sweet deliciousness!

Blueberry Dump Cake

Dedicated To Dreams

(2) 14 ounce bags frozen blueberries (kept frozen)

grated zest of one lemon

1 (13 ounce) jar Stonewall Kitchen Wild Maine Blueberry Jam (or whichever brand you can find)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 box Butter Flavor Yellow Cake Mix

1 stick butter, cold

2 Tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with non-stick spray.

Gently stir frozen blueberries, lemon zest, blueberry jam and cinnamon together in a bowl.  Pour into prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle the dry cake mix all over the blueberry mixture so it is well covered. Cut cold butter into thin slices and place all over cake mix.  Sprinkle sugar all over butter pieces and cake mix.

Bake for approximately 45-60 minutes, until blueberries are bubbling and the crust is a light golden brown.

Serve cake warm, with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping...(or better yet, serve with both)