Cracker Barrel Memories

Today, I pay homage to my lovely former roommate. Every fall, we would tromp into our local Cracker Barrel, have the broccoli cheddar chicken with hash brown casserole and carrots (you know-- to make it a balanced meal.) (wink wink.) To make our evening complete, we would share a piece of the coca-cola cake with ice cream. This meal was the epitome of the perfect fall evening. We would also show up in our pajamas, but no one looked twice... it's how we rolled.

My friend and I are far apart now, but every time I make this cake, I think of her. It's a delicious cake though, and it may not have sentimental value to you, but you will make it again and again just because it is that good... and easy too. I've mentioned this cake before, but making it yesterday reminded me of it again. I thought you could use a refresher too.



Click here for the cake's directions.

Raspberry Truffle Cake

I've stated before that I am mildly Pinterest obsessed. I've had a picture saved to my desserts board, and I couldn't stand simply looking at it any more. The one thing about making a cake of three layers is that you really need an excuse to make it. It would be considered glutenous to make a cake for just two people, so I needed a large group; enter snack week.

Yesterday was my turn to bring snacks to my community group, and I decided to make a raspberry chocolate truffle cake. I saw this cake on Annie's Eats, but I tweaked it slightly. I have a chocolate cake recipe that I love and will never stray from. I used the raspberry filling and frosting recipe and the chocolate ganache recipe that hers called for. I decided not to add the chocolate glaze just because I thought it had enough chocolate and richness as it was. Below is my finished product. If you would like the original recipe, you can find it here.

Photo Compliments of my Lovely Husband :)
He does a much better job than me.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake:
Click Here

Raspberry filling:16 oz. frozen raspberries, thawed
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. lemon juice

Ganache filling:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Raspberry frosting:
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
21 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup strained raspberry puree
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

To make the raspberry filling, drain the thawed berries, reserving the juice in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough water so that the total liquid equals 1¼ cups. Add the liquid to a medium saucepan with the sugar and cornstarch. Heat over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Continue whisking so no lumps form. Once thickened, remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice. Fold in the drained berries with a spatula. Cover and chill until ready to use. (The filling will continue to thicken as it chills.)

To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Immediately remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let stand 1-2 minutes, then whisk together until a smooth, thick ganache is formed. Whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until completely incorporated. Let the ganache sit to thicken a bit so that it is suitable for spreading and piping. (To speed thickening, place the bowl in the fridge or freezer and whisk every 10 minutes to ensure even cooling until the desired consistency is reached.) Transfer about ½ cup of the thickened ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip about ½-inch in diameter. Reserve another ½ cup of ganache in a small bowl or container. (This can be used later for decorative detailing, if desired.)

To assemble the cake, place one of the cooled cake layers on a cake board or serving platter. Spread ½ cup of the ganache in an even layer over the cake. Using the reserved ganache in the pastry bag, pipe a border around the perimeter of the cake layer. This will act as a well to help hold in the raspberry filling. Spoon some of the raspberry filling inside the ganache border in an even layer. Top with another layer of cake and repeat this process, layering with another ½ cup of ganache and additional raspberry filling. Top with the remaining cake layer.

To make the raspberry frosting, combine the sugar and egg whites in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. (I used my mixer bowl here to dirty one less dish.) Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes. (The bowl should be cool to the touch.) Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer – don’t worry, it will come together!) Blend in the raspberry puree and vanilla until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Frost the top and sides of the assembled cake with the raspberry buttercream, smoothing the surface as much as possible. Chill until ready to serve.

White Chicken Lasagna

The other day, I stumbled upon a recipe for White Chicken Lasagna. You may have noticed in reading my blog that I have a love for all things cheese, so when I saw this recipe, my heart skipped a beat. It requires some of my favorite things, and so I deemed it perfect. I made it on Wednesday, and my husband and I have been eating it since. That says a lot because normally Scott gets sick of leftovers quick, but the two of us have nearly devoured the whole pan like a swarm of locusts.

I did make a few changes to the original recipe though. When I first saw the picture, I was drawn to it (for the cheese) and for what I thought was sweet potato. Upon further investigation, I found that it was butternut squash. Now I love butternut squash just as much as another, but my heart was set on sweet potato. So that's what I decided to add. You do what you'll like, but I will say the sweet potato was divine.

So on to the recipe...

White Chicken Lasagna
Adapted from One Ordinary Day

*Lasagna noodles (I used one box-get two to be safe though.)
* 1/2 c. butter
* 1 onion, minced
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 c. flour
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* ground black pepper, to taste
* 2 c. chicken broth
* 2 c. milk
*4 c. mozzarella cheese, divided (I didn’t actually measure out my cheeses…I stopped when I hit cheese capacity)
* 1 c. shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, divided
* Italian spices
* 1 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
* 2 c. cooked and shredded chicken
*1 small box frozen spinach, thawed and drained; liquid squeezed out (Buy a good brand. I bought Kroger's - and normally Kroger brand is awesome - but this time the spinach was all stemmy. Next time I will consider sauteing my own.)
2 medium sweet potatoes, boiled then whipped - butter or milk aren't necessary

(I used the sweet potatoes in place of 1 small box frozen butternut squash puree, thawed)

Directions:
Melt butter in a large sauce pot. Add onions and garlic and cook over medium heat until translucent. Add flour, salt, and pepper. Cook flour mixture 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1 minute. Turn off heat and add 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese.

Lightly spray a 9×13″ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Ladle some cheese sauce onto the bottom to thinly cover. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Add a layer of lasagna noodles. Layer with more cheese sauce, sprinkle with spice, & add the chicken and the ricotta cheese. Add another layer of pasta. Top with cheese sauce, spinach, and 1 c. mozzarella cheese. Give another sprinkle of spices. Add another layer of pasta. Top with cheese sauce. Using a spoon, spread the sweet potato puree over the cheese sauce. Top with remaining 1 c. mozzarella cheese and 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese. Add another sprinkle of spice. Add final layer of lasagna. Top with remaining cheese sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly. If cheese doesn’t brown on top, turn on the broiler for the last couple minutes. Allow lasagna to sit about 15 minutes before serving for easier slicing.

Photo from One Ordinary Day

Bean Soup & Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Bread

Tonight for dinner I made a very easy meal, and it was really delicious. I found a recipe for Tuscan Bean Soup on the Better Homes and Gardens website, and to accompany it, I made Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread from the Let's Dish blog. This was the perfect Sunday dinner because all that I had to do was chop up a few ingredients, and dinner was good to go. It was filling and my farmer's market spinach tasted so fresh on top of my hearty soup.

Here's how to make the soup:

Tuscan Bean Soup
adapted from BHG

*2 carrots, coarsely chopped
*1 small onion, chopped
*3 Tbsp. olive oil
*2 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
*1 32-oz. box reduced-sodium chicken broth
*2 t0 3 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, crushed
*1 5-oz. pkg. baby spinach
*Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:
Heat one tablespoon of oil in a 4 quart pot. Add onions and carrots and cook until onions are translucent. Add beans, broth and seasoning. Simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil. Toss spinach until it is just wilted. Ladle the soup and top with the sauteed spinach.

And here is the cornbread:

Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread
adapted from Let's Dish

*3 cups flour
*1 cup yellow cornmeal
*1/4 cup sugar
*2 tablespoons baking powder
*2 teaspoons salt
*2 cups milk
*3 eggs, lightly beaten
*1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
*2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
*1/2 cup sliced scallions, divided
*3 tablespoons fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

Directions:

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until most of the lumps are dissolved. Do not over-mix! Mix in 2 cups of the grated cheddar cheese, about 1/3 cup scallions and the jalapenos. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Favorites

I have recently become obsessed with Pinterest. It has so many wonderful things on it, and it has the ability to consume so much of my time if I don't monitor myself. It's like a wonderful little rabbit hole that sucks me in deeper and deeper each day. I love blogs, and so I love to see what everyone is pinning from their favorites.

I see Pinterest as a delightful resource to help me find things, and today I was searching for dinner. I wanted to share some of my finds with you; try them and tell me if they are any good... I might be having them later this week.

Enjoy drooling with your eyes:

Hot Brown Tart
This chicken & broccoli dish is delish... I made it last week.
Chicken & Broccoli Casserole
Brisket & Brie Tacos
Oh so much cheese... yum.
Enchilada Lasagne

To view the recipes, click on the pictures.

Mulligatawny Chicken Pot Pie

(Sorry, the best lighting was outside!)

I have been meaning to post this recipe for a while now. A few weeks ago, I found this recipe for a Mulligatawny Chicken Pot Pie. I love Indian flavors, so this seemed like it would be right up my alley. This pot pie is absolutely perfect for a family of two because it makes wonderful leftovers. The pie had a nice, flaky crust, wonderful seasonings and a fresh twist that is not usually seen in a pot pie. It's a unique recipe, and I highly recommend it.

Mulligatawny Chicken Pot Pie
Cuisine At Home
Weeknight Menus

Ingredients:

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger root, minced
1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper, seeded, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons butter

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups sweet potato, diced

1/2 cup coconut milk
4 teaspoons cornstarch

2 cups shredded chicken
1 cup frozen peas

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400. Saute in butter: onion, curry, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, pepper flakes in a large pot on medium heat for 3 minutes.
2. Stir in broth and sweet potatoes. Increase heat to med-high and simmer until sweet potato is tender. (about 6 minutes).
3. Whisk together coconut milk and cornstarch and add to pot. Bring to a boil and simmer to thicken.
4. Off heat, stir in chicken and peas. Spoon mixture into 4 ramekins. Roll out the puff pastry and cut to fit the dishes. Brush pastry with butter, place on lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes at 400F.


*Note that this can be spicy... I thought it was fine, but I may have a higher tolerance than you do. Just make sure you keep some water near by. :)

Back to School...

Well friends, you can probably tell that I have been super busy this week. My posts have become fewer, but I plan to steadily continue. Tomorrow is the first day of school, and I am very excited. I have been thinking about and praying for the new little ones that will quickly become part of my everyday.

Here are some of my favorite school ideas that I will be testing out on them this year...

I love the idea of turning normal crates into lovely chairs... plus you can't beat the extra storage.
C.S. Lewis' quotes inspire me to think deeply about topics that I wouldn't always choose to consider on my own. Hopefully, he (and I) will do the same for my students.I've yet to meet a kid who doesn't like candy, so I'll take the help I can get to make them excited about reading.I love this idea too! What a fun way to remember birthdays!And of course I bake for them. They would simply love this. Last year I made my darlings maple bacon cupcakes, and I had them hooked. :)

So tomorrow, keep all the little children and their teachers in mind; it's going to be a long but exciting day.

For pictures click here.