Lazy Daisy Cake

This recipe came to me via my mom’s side of the family. It comes together very quickly and has a delicious brown sugar-coconut frosted crust on top. Yumm!

You will need:

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1 t baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 c milk
• 4 T butter, divided
• 2 T cream
• 5 T brown sugar
• 3/4 c coconut flakes

Then you will…

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×9-inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs well. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
3. In a medium bow, combine the flour with the baking powder and salt.
4. In a small saucepan, heat the milk with one tablespoon of butter just to a boil. Remove from heat.
5. Add some of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix.
6. Add some of the milk mixture and mix.
7. Keep alternative until all mixed well.
8. Pour into the prepared pan.
9. Bake 20-25 minutes until a tester in the center comes out clean.
10. Meanwhile, heat the cream with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and brown sugar until dissolved.
11. Stir in the coconut to the cream mixture.
12. Spread on the cake when nearly done and brown under the broiler.

Reuben Party Braid

It was only very recently that I learned about the Reuben sandwich. That is to say, I only recently ventured to try one. I really love the combination of sour and creamy with the corned beef and, for my Saint Patrick’s shindig, I wanted to make a version that was easy to grab and eat for my guests and found this one. If you aren’t a big corned beef or pastrami fan, then you could always make it a lighter option with turkey. Don’t like the dressing? Try adding more dijon instead!

You will need:

• 1 c (~6 oz) cooked corned beef brisket, chopped
• 1 1/2 c Swiss cheese, shredded
• 3/4 c sauerkraut, rinsed and excess moisture removed
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 T Thousand Island dressing
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 1/2 t dill weed
• 2 packages (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 T sesame seeds

Then you will…

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the brisket, cheese, kraut, onion, dressing, mustard and dill.
3. Unroll one tube of the crescent roll dough onto a baking sheet. Seal seams and perforations.
4. Spread half of the filling down the center of the rectangle.
5. On each long side, cut one-inch-wide strips to within 1 inch of the filling.
6. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across the filling. Seal ends.
7. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
8. Brush egg white over the braids and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
10. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes before cutting into slices and serving.

Irish Cupcakes

This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen and has been on my “need to try” list for a few years. Don’t ask me why it took so long, but I decided that they needed to happen this Saint Patrick’s Day weekend. You get some Irish stout chocolate cupcakes plus Irish whiskey ganache filling, and THEN you top it off with an Irish cream frosting…..oh my! The alcohol in the stout will cook out when you bake your cupcakes, but whiskey and Irish cream do not. It should be noted that if serving these to people who don’t drink, you may want to leave out the whiskey and substitute milk for the Irish cream. But then again, maybe you want the cupcakes to be the star of the party?!

You will need:

• 1 c stout beer (I used Guinness)
• 1 1/2 c (3 sticks) + 2 T unsalted butter, room temperature and divided
• 3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 c flour
• 2 c sugar
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 3/4 t salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 c sour cream
• 8 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 2/3 c heavy cream
• 1-2 t Irish whiskey (I used Jameson) – optional
• 3-4 c powdered sugar
• 3-4 T Irish cream or milk (I used Bailey’s)

Then you will…

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners.
2. In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the stout and 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter to a simmer over medium heat.
3. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, regular sugar, baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt.
5. In a separate large bowl, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend.
6. Add the stout-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and mix just to combine.
7. Add the flour mixture and lightly stir to begin mixing. Then use a rubber spatula to fold the batter until completely combined.
8. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full.
9. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes.
10. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.
11. Chop the bitttersweet chocolate and transfer it to a large, heatproof bowl.
12. Heat the cream until simmering and pour over the chocolate bits. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth.
13. If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains.
14. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of butter and the whiskey (if using). Stir until combined and glossy. This is your ganache filling.
15. Let the ganache cool until thick but soft enough to be piped. (The fridge will speed this along, but you must stir it every 10 minutes).
16. Use a 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer to cut out the centers of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake (about 2/3 of the way)…be careful not to cut through the bottom!
17. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out.
18. Put the ganache in a piping bag or squeeze bottle (or you could always spoon the filling in). Fill the centers of the cupcakes with the ganache up to the top.
19. Whip the remaining stick of butter with an electic mixer or by hand for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.
20. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Irish cream (or your milk) and whip it until combined.
21. If this made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case), beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.
22. Frost your cupcakes and decorate as you want!

Note: You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them. Once filled and frosted, they keep for a day in the fridge.

Twice-Baked Potatoes

I love potatoes! Growing up, we often had twice-baked potatoes. If you have never had some before, they are an amazing mix of baked potato filled with mashed potatoes. This recipe is from Food Network and has the twist of an added sweet potato.

You will need:

• 4 large russet potatoes
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1/4 c sour cream
• 3 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 3/4 c cheddar cheese, shredded
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil, for brushing

Then you will…

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put the russet and sweet potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake 30 minutes.
3. Pierce each potato a few times with a fork and continue to bake until tender, 15 to 20 more minutes for the sweet potato and 20 to 25 more minutes for the russet potatoes. Let cool slightly.
4. Peel the sweet potato. Transfer to a bowl and mash lightly with a fork until almost smooth. T
5. Trim a thin slice off the top of each russet potato, cutting lengthwise.
6. Scoop most of the flesh, leaving the shells intact.
7. Push the regular potato into a second bowl. Mash with a fork.
8. Add the sour cream and butter to the bowl and mix with a fork.
9. Stir in the scallions, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the nutmeg, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste.
10. Gently fold in the sweet potato mash.
11. Brush the potato skins with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
12. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
13. Generously fill with the marbled potato mixture and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
14. Place the stuffed potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until the cheese melts, 25 to 30 minutes.

Slow Cook Coconut Brown Rice Pudding

This is a recipe adapted from the Food Network Kitchens. I loved how easy it was to put together! When you make rice pudding on the stove, you need to stick around to prevent the sides from burning or something crazy from happening. Using the crockpot meant I could mix the ingredients together and work on other things AND still have a yummy/healthy dessert later. I topped mine with some freeze-dried pineapple and coconut flakes, but be creative!

You will need:

• 3 c coconut water
• 1 can (13.5-oz) lite coconut milk
• 1 1/2 c water
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground ginger
• 1 1/4 c short-grain brown rice
• 2 T unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 T lime zest

Then you will…

1. Lightly spray your slow cooker bowl with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In the prepared slow cooker bowl, combine the coconut water, coconut milk, water, sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and everything is mixed well.
3. Stir in the rice and cook on HIGH 4 hours or LOW for 5 to 6 hours.
4. Uncover, stir well and let stand 15 minutes.
5. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the butter. Continue to cool, stirring, until warm.
6. Stir in the lime zest.
7. Serve warm or chill until cold. Top as desired.