Chimichurri Sauce

What do you get when you combine cheese, wine, sauce, dessert, gourmet fanciness, and down home goodness? You get a group of awesome ladies going into their 4th year of monthly gatherings of meals, wine, and laughter. I can't imagine life without these girls!

Our theme this month is a meal inspired by our diva name. Since I am Saucy Diva, I am sharing a recipe for homemade chimichurri sauce. Chimichurri sauce is great because it can go on pretty much anything! I will be serving on top of grilled steaks, but you can also use it on chicken, salmon, in salads, on tacos, or just dip your chips in it.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves (about 1 cup before chopping)
1/2 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley leaves (about 1 cup before chopping)
2 T minced garlic
3 T fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (or less, if you're a wimp like me)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 cup olive oil

Preparation:
1. Finely chop the cilantro, parsley, and garlic, either by hand or in a food processor with steel blade. I HIGHLY recommend the food processor. It is a lot of chopping, especially if you're making a big batch. Which you should. Because this stuff is awesome!

2. Put ingredients into a bowl and add lemon juice, red wine vinegar, cayenne pepper and cumin and stir to combine. Then stir in olive oil until mixture is well blended.

3. Let sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes before serving. Store left over sauce in the fridge.

Italian Beef "Sammiches"

 I love that I grew up just outside of Chicago, although I don't think I really appreciated it until I moved to Indianapolis. Indy is great, and I don't foresee myself leaving anytime soon, but there are things I miss. The food one of those things.  There was rarely a family gathering, a sports banquet, or a weekend take out meal where Italian Beef Sandwiches ("Sammiches" if you're from the Chi) weren't served. I'm especially proud of this Chicago staple because they were "invented" on my side of town, the sout side (the h isn't pronounced).  My meal this month is an easy way to make that Windy City delicacy.  When you order one in the city, you're asked if you'd like it wet or dry.  Dry is just as it sounds...just the meat on the bread with the toppings.  If you'd like to try it wet, dip the assembled sandwich in the broth.  Both ways are delish although I prefer them wet!
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
 1 - 1 1/2 lbs roast beef (from the deli)
1 envelope of dry Italian dressing
1 can of low sodium beef broth (I use about triple the amount of broth.  The wetter the better!)
 4  French bread rolls - I know...WHAT?  Italian beef on french bread?  Yes!  It is all in the bread people.  French bread is soft and crusty, but firm enough to stand up to the "juice". 
Optional traditional toppings:
mozzerella cheese
banana peppers
hot peppers

Preparation:
-  In a large pot, mix the broth and the Italian dressing
-  Submerge the beef in the broth
-  Simmer on LOW for an hour
-  Assemble sandwich
- To dip or not to dip?  That is the question. Seriously, dip it.  You will not be sorry. 

There is an official beef sammich eating stance too!  Hold the sammy with both hands and rest elbows on the table.  Lean away from the sammich so you don't dribble on your shirt.  You're welcome.

Da Bears.

Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs

It's here! The 4th annual Diva "Ball" theme! We love us some spherical food. For this month's meal, I am making Hawaiian Meatballs that you can conveniently make in your slow cooker.





Ingredients:

32 oz. package of precooked, frozen meatballs
13.5 oz can of unsweetened pineapple chunks (put juice aside)
1 large green pepper, diced
1 cup of brown sugar
2 Tbl. cornstarch
2/3 cup of white vinegar
2 Tbl. Soy sauce
Rice

Preparation:
Place meatballs in crock pot and top with green pepper and drained pineapple chunks. In a separate bowl, mix reserved pineapple juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, vinegar and soy sauce. Pour sauce over meatballs, pineapple and green peppers. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through.

Prepare the rice and serve with the meatballs on top.

Does it get any easier??

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Happy Crock-tober! My meal for our October theme was found on Pinterest. I must have really thought it looked good, because I pinned it three separate times. The best part about it is the chicken goes in frozen, so you don't even have to remember to thaw first.

I served over rice.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, still frozen
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can corn kernels, do not drain
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 T cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t onion powder
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese

Preparation:
Put the chicken in the crock pot.
Top with the tomatoes, corn,
the drained and rinsed beans,
ranch dressing, cumin, onion and chili powders,
stir to combine then top with the cream cheese.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring one or twice
to blend in the cheese. (I didn't do this, and it was fine)
Shred the chicken into large pieces

Cabernet Onions

I couldn't pass up a music theme without doing a Cheeseburger in Paradise. The great thing about burgers is you can get creative! For DTD this month I have prepared a "fancy" burger topped with a thick slice of white american cheese, cabernet onions, and dijon mustard. It is served on a whole wheat bun.

Here is the recipe for the cabernet onions...

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cups sliced onions (about 2)
3/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine


Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium skillet over medium- high heat. Add onions, sprinkle with salt, and sauté until tender and golden brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue to sauté until very tender and well browned, about 15 minutes longer. Add wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cool, cover, and chill.

PF Chang's Mongolian Beef


PF Chang's takes me straight back to my early 20's. It was always a popular place for girl's nights and first dates. Besides the lettuce wraps, I almost always ordered the Mongolian Beef. It's great served over rice or rice noodles!

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)
1 lb flank steak
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 large green onions, sliced on the diagonal into one-inch lengths

Preparation:
1. Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat.
2. Don't get the oil too hot.
3. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.
4. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
5. Remove it from the heat.
6. Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices (Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts).
7. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef.
8. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.
9. As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil).
10. Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking.
11. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges.
12. You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later.
13. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.
14. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.
15. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute.
16. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions.
17. Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate.
18. Leave the excess sauce behind in the pan.

Blue Cheese and Pear Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Our Dinner assignment this month was to get fancy! I found this recipe for blue cheese and pear stuffed pork tenderloin on my favorite meal planning website, Relish!

As complicated as it sounds, it was actually very easy to prepare and did not require a lot of ingredients.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 shallots , thinly sliced
1 Anjou pear , chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons parsley
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Prep:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees

[1] Heat half of the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; cook 6 minutes. Add pear, wine, and thyme; cook 2 minutes. Cool. Stir in nuts, cheese, crumbs, and parsley.

[2] Slice pork lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Open halves. Place pork between sheets of plastic wrap; pound to 1/4 inch. Top pork with pears; leave 1/2-inch border. Roll, starting with long side; secure pork with picks. Sprinkle with salt.

[3] Heat remaining oil in a large ovenproof pan over medium-high heat. Add pork; sauté 5 minutes, browning all sides. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked but still slightly pink in the center. Remove pork from pan, and let stand 5 minutes, slice and serve.


Oh you fancy, huh?

In the words of Aaron Lewis (and some Island Spice Pork Tenderloin)

Originally posted: 6/5/11


"It's been awhile..."

Sorry, let's redirect our attention away from early 2000's rock to our regularly scheduled blog post. It has though, been awhile since a saucy blog post and I apologize. This will be the first of three (THREE!) posts today.

Our April DTD theme was recipes from blogs. One of the rules was there could be no Pioneer Woman. The other Divas said it was because we almost always have a PW recipe. I like to think it is because we still have no proof that P-dub herself has visited our blog like she said she would when we met her. C'mon Ree! It is not hard to post a comment or become a follower. Such a simple task for you is a life changing event in the eyes of 6 divas.

And so there's that.

One of my favorite foodie blogs just happens to be local! Annie, from Indianapolis happens to be a gal with a super cute blog (Annie's Eats) with some yummy recipes.

I chose the Island Spice Pork Tenderloin recipe because the flavors used in the rub and glaze were a reminder of past Caribbean vacations. It turned out to be one of our favorite meals that will definitely go on the repeat list. It is the perfect balance of sweet and savory and the spiciness can be adjusted to your liking.


Instead of typing the directions out for you, here is the link to the recipe

http://annies-eats.net/2010/03/17/island-spice-pork-tenderloin/

Make it a dining experience by turning on a little Bob Marley!

Nutella Swirl Pound Cake

Yes, you read correctly.

Nutella. Pound. Cake.

All good things people.

It's the 20th of the month, so that means its time to post for the Cake Slice Bakers. For those that don't know, Saucy Diva belongs to a cake baking bloggers club and every month on the 20th, we post the cake we've made for the month. September is the last month we'll be cooking out of the book "Cake Keeper Cakes" by Lauren Chattman. All in all it was a good cookbook that I would recommend. There have been some mishaps (Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips) but definitely more triumphs.

Ever since I purchased this book this time last year, I secretly hoped that one month the members would vote to make the Nutella Swirl Pound Cake. No such luck. Thankfully, September was "choose your own adventure" month (I named that, not an official theme)! I have an unhealthy obsession with Nutella and can often be caught eating it straight from the jar. So combining it with my favorite kind of cake was a no brainer.

Make this cake. Seriously.

Ingredients:
4 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups, unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
i jar (13 oz) Nutella

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and dust with flour.
2. Combine the eggs, vanilla in a small bowl.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
4. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric
mixer until fluffy.
5. With the mixer on medium low, pour the egg mixture and mix until combined.
6. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 a cup at a time. Mix
for 30 second after the last addition.
7. Scrape 1/3 of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Spread 1/2 of the Nutella (I warmed it up a bit in the microwave first) and smooth. Scrape another 1/3 of the batter over the Nutella and smooth. Repeat in layers until you end with the last 1/3 of batter on top.
8. Run a knife through the batter to create the swirl effect. Do not over mix.
9. Bake the cake until golden brown and it can pass the toothpick test. About an hour and 1/2. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Slice and serve.

*thanks to Sprinkle with Salt for the picture!

Stuffed Tomatoes

The Saucy household is overflowing with fresh veggies! I have been loving all the cucumbers, zucchini, peppers and tomatoes that we've gotten from our garden and the gardens of family and friends.

This past weekend was filled with grilled deliciousness and these stuffed tomatoes are the perfect side for such meals.

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup green onions, chopped

Prep:

Hollow out the tomatoes, much like you would a pumpkin. Make sure to leave a little bit of tomato "meat" around the edges.

Combine cheese, mayo and green onion.

Fill tomatoes with the cheese mixture, filling to the top.

Grill or broil until cheese is melty.


Special thanks to the Berndt family for supplying this weekend's tomatoes.

Cilantro Lime Marinated Pork Tenderloin

This month's theme is Original Recipes. I'm not going to lie, this freaked me out! I am very quick to admit that I'm a chef wannabe. I love to cook, but I'm not at the level of making up my own recipes.

The other night I made a (non-original) chicken with cilantro sauce recipe and liked the flavor so much, I tweeked the sauce recipe to make it marinate and paired it with pork tenderloin...because let's be honest, what ISN'T good with pork tenderloin.

I know that creating a marinade is the equivalent of a baby step, but I hope you enjoy my first attempt at an original recipe.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano

Directions:
1. Mix together the marinade
2. Place pork and marinade in a Ziploc bag, marinate over night
3. Heat grill to medium high
4. Discard marinade and grill for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through.
5. Let stand for 5 minutes, then slice thin.

Marinated Steak Kabobs (from Saucy Diva)

[This is a repost of a previous recipe...it was so good we had to have it again!]

This was my contribution for the April DTD meeting. The weather is starting to get nice and these are perfect noms for the grill!
* thanks to www.tasteofhome.com for the great picture!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
1/8 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper seasoning
2 oz lemon lime soda
1 pound beef sirloin steak cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
a variety of veggies and things to "kabob" (I used mushrooms, green peppers, onion, cherry tomatoes, and pineapple)

PREP:
1. Place meat in a large ziploc bag. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, seasoned salt, garlic pepper, and soda in the same bag. Refrigerate overnight.

2. Chop veggies into big pieces.

3. Preheat grill for high heat

4. Assemble kabobs by threading steak and veggies onto a skewer.

5. Lightly oil the grill grate. Cook kabobs on the prepped grill for 10 minutes
or to desired doneness.

Goes great with a cold beer!!

May Cake: Orange-Almond-Caramel Upside-Down Cake

I took this cake over to a friends to have after a delicious dinner. The overwhelming response to the cake...."Meh".

I have to agree. "Meh" was my initial thought too. It was good, not great. The texture and the topping were the shining stars of the cake. Saucy Hubby thought the orange zest was a little strong. Amazingly the cake got better after a few days. Almost like it needed time to let the flavors blend.

This turned out to be a great cake, and that almond caramel topping is a keeper. Here is the recipe in case you want to give it a whirl.

Ingredients:

Topping:
1 cup sliced almonds
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cups light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey

Cake:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch round nonstick cake pan and dust with flour (THIS IS SO IMPORTANT). Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper (ALSO IMPORTANT)and grease and flour the paper.


Directions for the topping:
1. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Whisk in the brown sugar, turn the heat to low, and cook, whisking, for 2 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Drizzle with the honey. Scatter the toasted almonds over the honey. Set aside.

Directions for the cake:
1. Comine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Comine the sour cream, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla in a different bowl and lightly beat.

2. Comine the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in the orange zest.

3. With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides.

4. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture a 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.

5. Pour the batter over the almonds, gently spreading it into an even layer.

6. Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 - 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand for 5 minutes.

7. Holding the pan and a plate together, immediately invert the hot cake onto the plate. Peel away the parchment paper. Let the cake cool for at least 20 minutes.

April's Cake: Cold Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I'm a little behind in posting for the Cake Slice Bakers. We're supposed to post on the 20th of each month, but while I'm not behind on the baking and eating of the cakes, I'm behind on the posting of the cakes.

April's cake was on of my favorites! Cold Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake was moist and dense and the ginger added a special zing! One way that I judge pound cake is by the "crust". I like a golden brown and chewy crust and this recipe fit the bill.

The only thing I may change is to add less lemon zest. This is definately a must make again cake!

Ingredients:
3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Directions:
1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

2. Combine the butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and ceram with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 mintues, scraping down the sides as necessary.

3. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, ginger, and lemon zest.

4. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.

5. Place the cake in a cold oven. THurn the oven to 325 degrees and bake, without opening the oven door, until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 65-80 minutes. **Mine took about 90 minutes

6. Cool the cake in pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Goes great with some fresh whip cream and raspberries!

March Supper Club (Spicy Diva)

One of my favorite parts of Supper Club is the beginning....where we come face to face with prepared deliciousness to devour before getting to work. We were greeted with a wide variety of food items when we arrived at Wine Diva's house.

I'm not sure of the name nor the recipe, but these are pure heaven to the tastebuds.


We also enjoyed Dessert Diva's delicious meatballs.


After we filled up, we got straight to work.

Saucy Diva and Gourmet Diva putting together the Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Chicken.


Dessert Diva working on her Chicken Pot Pie.


Preparing the chicken for the Chicken Pot Pie.


We each left the Supper Club with Chicken Crepes, Chicken Pot Pie, Mom's Spaghetti Sauce, Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Chicken, and Chicken 'n' Dumplings. Can we say YUM!?!?

Personally, I've already greedily devoured the Chicken Pot Pie and am longing to have another one already prepared in my freezer.

Check back in late April to get a glimpse of just a few of the bloggers we stalk for the pure pleasure of food. We are all choosing a recipe from fellow food bloggers like us :)

Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Chicken (Saucy Diva)

I love coming home to dinner waiting for me in the slow cooker. This savory bbq chicken sandwich is delicious paired with a salad and corn on the cob.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups of ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
4 hamburger buns

Prep:
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown the chicken, turning once, for 4 minutes per side. Remove from heat and place in slow cooker.

2. Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, vinegar, mustard, pepper, and garlic salt. Pour over chicken.

3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Remove chicken, shred, and return to the sauce. Serve chicken mounded on the buns.

Oh, oh.....I want s'more!

Greetings from Florida! It is time for my monthly Cake Slice Bakers reveal! I made this simple cake before I left for my conference. This month's cake is a graham cracker, chocolate chip snacking cake with a marshmallow frosting. I was very excited to try this cake because I heart s'mores!

While the cake was baking, I made the frosting and SHWEET SHMELLOW its good!!! I'd even go as far as saying that it saves the mediocre cake.

Over all, this is a good (not great) cake. It didn't have as strong of a s'more taste as I would have liked, but it was moist and chocolaty. I highly recommend eating it warm, whether that means eating it when it comes out of the oven or sticking it in the microwave for a few seconds. The frosting is definitely worth making again.

Here is the recipe...

January’s Cake: Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake
(Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)

For the Cake
8 whole graham crackers, finely ground (about 1 cup) *
¼ cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
6 tbsp (¾ stick) butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup milk
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the Frosting
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup confectioners sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup marshmallow fluff *

Method – Cake
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8inch square baking pan and dust it with flour, knocking out any extra. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. With the mixer on low speed, add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat until smooth.
With the mixer on low speed, add a third of the flour mixture, then half of the milk, stirring until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk, ending with the flour. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up to cool completely.

Method – Frosting
Place the butter in a medium mixing bowl and beat until creamy. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in the vanilla and the marshmallow fluff and beat until smooth. Use immediately or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Cut the cake into squares and serve each one with a dollop of frosting on top. (Bring the frosting back to room temperature first if it has been stored in the fridge). Store any uneaten cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Cranberry Cake (from Saucy Diva)

Good news and even better news! Good news...this cake is delicious!! Better news...This will be my last blog post without pictures! I'm getting a really nice camera from my really nice husband for Christmas!

Ok, back to this cake. This is my December Cake Slice Bakers cake from the book "Cake Keeper Cakes" by Lauren Chattman.

I did not have much luck with last month's cake. It was a downright disaster. So I was really nervous about this month. Was I not cut out to bake with these talented ladies? Was the book selection a nightmare? Fears were calmed when this warm strueulsly cake cake out of the oven. Here is the recipe. I suggest eating it with a big mug of coco.


Ingredients:
For the streusel:
1 cup of sliced almonds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

For the cake:
2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 bag fresh cranberries (12 oz) - I substituted a 12 oz bag of craisens I had left over from the big cookie bake.

Prep:
Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 10 inch round spring form pan.
streusel:
Combine all ingredients for the streusel until large crumbs are formed. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cake:
Whisk together dry (except white sugar)ingredients in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, white sugar with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low, add the butter and vanilla. Turn the mixer to medium and beat another 2 minutes.
Gently fold in the flour mixture and the cranberries.
Scrape batter into the prepared pan.
Sprinkle the streusel on top.
Bake until golden brown about an hour and 10 minutes.
Release the sides of the pan and cool completely before slicing into wedges.


LikeI said, this cake is delish. I love it's simplicity. Oh, and I love streusel. Streeeeuuuuusssssseeellll. It is even fun to say. One thing though...this cake is dying to be in muffin form!

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 10 inch round spring form pan.

Paula Deen's Chicken and Rice Casserole

I am the queen of efficiency!

Ok, not really. Things just worked out really well for me this month. Not only was this recipe the October Cookbook Club recipe (chosen by my fellow MCHS alum, Molly) but the theme of DTD this month was comfort food.

This recipe is definitely comfort food! The ingredients were simple, the preparation easy, and the outcome was delicious. I'll admit that I was a little nervous about adding water chestnuts to a casserole, but it adds a whole new dimension of texture.

I'll be adding this recipe to my regular rotation!

Oh! And it's pretty too! You'll have to trust me on this one. I totally forgot to take a picture before we scarfed this one down. My apologies.

Ingredients:
3 cups diced, cooked chicken
1 medium onion, diced and sauteed
1 - 8oz can of water chestnuts, drained and chopped
2 - 14 oz cans french cut green beans, rinsed and drained
1 - 4 ounce jar of pimentos, rinsed and drained
1- 10.5 ounce can condensed cream of celery soup
1 cup mayo
1- 6oz box of Uncle Ben's long-grain and wild rice, cooked according to directions on the box
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese


Prep:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a 3 quart casserole dish.
3. Bake for 25 minutes.

WARNING! This recipe makes ALOT of casserole! It can easily serve 6-8 people. I halved the recipe for DTD and it was still plenty for 3-4 people.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake (aka...Autumn in a Loaf)

I love the word loaf. Good things come in loaves. I enjoy loafing around the house. So I was super excited to see that my first Cake Slice Bakers recipe was for a pumpkin chocolate chip pound cake...in the form of a loaf!!

What is Cake Slice Bakers you ask? Well its a somewhat "secret society" of bloggers who work out of one cake cookbook a year and one recipe a month. On the 20th of each month, we reveal our recipes on our blog. So drumroll please.....

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake!!

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Prep:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat the inside of a 9x5 loaf pan.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg
in a medium mixing bowl.
- Comine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric
mixer on medium high speed until fluffy.
- With the mixer on medium, add the eggs one at a time. Stir in the pumpkin,
vanilla, and milk.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time until well
combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
- Bake until firm and an inserted toothpick comes out clean...about an hour (mine
took about an hour and 15 min.)
- Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Invert cake onto wire rack, flip back over and let
cool all the way.


Taaaaaaadaaaaaaa!

I loved preparing this cake! My entire house was filled with the smells of fall. It turned out to be a beautiful orange color with delicious chocolate bites throughout.