Balsamic Cucumber-Tomato-Feta Salad

My cross country/track coach sent me this recipe this past weekend, so I decided to try it.  It seemed way too simple and easy to throw together. And I was really skeptical before making it because of the mint...I'm not really a big fan of mint because it reminds me of toothpaste. I haven't had mint in many dishes either.  However, this salad turned out incredible!! The mint is very subtle and not overpowering at all.  It gives the salad an amazingly refreshing flavor.  I highly recommend using cucumbers and tomatoes that are in season for best flavor.  Refrigerating the dish brings all the flavors together and marinates the ingredients wonderfully.  My favorite ingredient that makes this salad different than other cucumber tomato salad recipes is the feta cheese.  It adds a little oomph of flavor, and pairs so well with the other ingredients. Another thing I love about this salad is that it goes well with almost every main dish.  I served it with my Cheesy Garlic Chicken, found here.  My parents and I love this salad and is now a favorite in our family.  So Coach Collins, if you're reading this, thank you!!!


Ingredients:
3 cucumbers, skinned and sliced

2 tomatoes, diced,

1 onion, chopped

1/4 cup of chopped cilantro

1/4 cup of chopped mint

1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Combine all ingredients with a blend of olive oil and balsamic vinegar (good quality for each).  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving, stirring after 1 hour.

Rich and Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

   

  

This is now one of my favorite side dishes. And I'm very proud to say that I created the recipe myself(:  It's the perfect comfort food addition to any meal.  The white cheddar in the sauce makes it so full of cheesy, delicious flavor, and the milk gives it an amazing creaminess.  I can't wait to experiment with different cheeses! I made this for my family's Easter dinner this year, served with roast beef and broccoli, and it was incredible.  It made the meal so perfect.  My dad insisted that we have the meal as an Easter tradition each year...and my mom and I definitely agree.

Yield: about 10 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 onion, chopped into medium/big chunks
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups milk
• 2 1/4 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
• 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 2 quart casserole dish.
2. Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the chopped onion, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
4. Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, removing the aluminum foil for the last 20 minutes.

Saint Patrick's Day Cake

This is officially the best cake I've ever had.  I was planning on making it for Saint Patrick's Day since it has that theme with the beer and Irish cream and all...but I never had time.  Sooo I decided to make it as my birthday cake instead!  I did only make one layer of this cake since there's only three people in my family and I wouldn't have wanted the cake to dry out if we didn't eat it in time.  If you choose to make one layer, then just half the recipe below.  But I recommend making the full amount because the cake lasts for a long time (I had the last slice today and it was the 3rd day, and it still tasted incredible) and you will definitely have no problem eating it all in a short period of time once you have your first slice.  I don't know about you guys, but I'm a huge sucker for alcoholic beverages in desserts.  I know...my parents aren't very happy about that...but I can't control my taste buds!  This cake is the absolute best chocolate cake/birthday cake/Saint Patricks Day cake I've ever tasted!  I think it's even better than my Best Chocolate Cake recipe (found here), which kind of defeats the title..but that recipe is still the best classic chocolate cake I've ever had.  However, this recipe is a little more jazzed up with the beer in the cake, the Bailey's buttercream frosting, and the chocolate ganache.  The chocolate cake layer itself is moist, rich, and perfectly dark chocolatey.  But the frosting and ganache is what really sets this cake from a 10 on a 1 to 10 scale to 100.  The Irish cream liquor gives this frosting an incredibly unique, sweet, and rich taste that I had never tasted before but instantly fell in love with.  If you are a big frosting fan, then I would recommend doubling it...it's very delicious to eat it by the spoonful as well(:  And then you have this incredibly chocolatey and rich deep chocolate ganache drizzled on top that makes the cake so beautiful and perfect.  I'm going to be making this for many holidays and birthdays to come in the future.

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 cup Irish stout beer (such as Guinness®)
• 1 cup butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
•  
• Frosting:
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar, or as needed
• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur (such as Baileys®), or as needed
•  
• Ganache:
• 1 heaping cup of bittersweet chocolate chips (or dark chocolate chips)
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
• 
  

• Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray.
  2. Pour the beer into a saucepan, add the butter, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the cocoa powder until the mixture is smooth. Allow the mixture to cool. In a bowl, beat the eggs and sour cream together until smooth with an electric mixer, and stir in the stout mixture to make a smooth, thick liquid.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pour the stout mixture into the flour mixture, and gently combine with a spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven until the cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove and let cool in pans for 5 minutes before inverting the cakes onto wire racks to finish cooling.
  5. Mix together the confectioners' sugar, butter, and Irish cream liqueur until the mixture forms a smooth and spreadable frosting (add more sugar or liqueur as needed to create the desired consistency). Spread half the frosting on top of each cake.
  6. Place the chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl. Bring cream to almost boiling in a small saucepan, and pour over the chocolate. Stir in the butter, and stir the mixture until the chocolate melts and the mixture is very smooth. Allow to cool until the mixture is pourable but not thin or overly runny, 10 to 15 minutes. Stack a cake gently on top of the other, frosting sides uppermost, and carefully drizzle the chocolate mixture over the cake, allowing decorative drips to run down the sides.

Chocolate Florentine Cookies

One night last week, I was in a baking mood (when am I not??) and browsed through my recipe folder, but everything was just kind of boring and same-old, same-old, when this caught my eye.  I'd heard of Florentine cookies, but they always seemed kind of difficult to make, so I never really gave them a shot.  I'm so glad I did though because they're amazingly delicious!! And way easier than I thought.  The hardest part was waiting for them to cool because I wanted to eat them so badly!   I did change up the original recipe to make it my own based on what I thought would taste best...and the result was perfect(: They're not very filling, so my dad and I (us being the chocoholics of the house) ate almost the entire batch that one night.  I've never had anything like them before, which makes me like them even more since they're so unique.  One suggestion: Make sure to follow the recipe exactly when it says drop by TEASPOONFULS THREE INCHES APART.  I didn't think they'd be big enough since the batter looks so small when you drop it, but they spread out a lot.  I did heaping teaspoonfuls for my first batch, and I ended up with one giant sheet of cookie since it spread out so much, so I had to break it into deformed pieces.  But hey - It's the taste that counts though, right?

Yield: about 20 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips (i used half semi-sweet, half dark)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil and grease the foil.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir together the oats, flour, salt and sugar; mix into the melted butter until well blended. Stir in the corn syrup, milk and vanilla. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls 3 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, until medium brown. Cool completely before removing from the cookie sheets. In the microwave or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate chips, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat. Spread chocolate onto the bottoms of cookies and sandwich them together.

White Almond Sheet Cake

This is my new favorite cake ever.  It was the first sheet cake I've ever made as well. It tastes very similar to my Almond Butter Cake (found here) except this one is more moist and has more of a buttery-almond flavor as opposed to the lighter flavor with a touch of apricot.  I baked this sheet cake last night to take to school today for a party in civics, and I honestly had to force my parents to not eat any more pieces after I gave them some.  My mom says - hands down - that it's the best thing I've ever made.  I swear, they would have eaten the whole cake.  I don't blame them though...I had to force myself to only a couple slices because I wanted to have enough to take to school.  And it was totally worth the wait because they were soooo delicious today as well!  I can't decide if I like this cake better warm or cold; it's phenomenal either way.  What makes this cake so good is the flavor of almond extract.  I absolutely love almond extract, and I know it has a tendency to be overpowering in desserts, but it was the perfect amount for this recipe.  The sour cream also makes this cake super duper moist.  One thing I love about this cake is that it bakes up so quickly! And putting the frosting on it when it's warm makes the frosting seep into the cake and soak up all that yummy, sweet flavor. Do NOT skip the frosting!  It truly makes the cake.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 
  
• Frosting:
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds (optional) 

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, bring butter and water to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in the flour, sugar, eggs, sour cream, almond extract, vanilla extract, baking soda and salt until smooth.
2. Pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean and cake is golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes.
3. For frosting, in a large saucepan, combine butter and milk. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in sugar, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Spread over warm cake.  Sprinkle with sliced almonds if desired.

The Best French Toast In the Entire Universe

 

Oh yeah.  I'm not kidding in the slightest...this is the BEST french toast recipe ever.  I first had it a few year's ago at my friend Lisa's house; her mom made it for us for breakfast.  I loved it so much...I had at least thirds.  I kept telling her how incredible it was, and she made it every time me and Lisa had a sleepover.  It cuts like butter, and the inside is perfectly eggy and soak up the egg/milk mixture sooo well.  The addition of orange zest gives it a wonderful, fresh taste that makes it so much better than any other french toast recipe.  And the honey makes it perfectly sweet and...ohmygoodness everything about this recipe is just SO perfect.  It's just as phenomenal every time I eat it.  It's one of those recipes where once you have it, you have to have it every couple weeks or so or you'll go insane because you love it so much. She gave me the recipe and I can honestly say I've only made it once, but I used a different bread, so it didn't turn out as good as she makes it. You have to use a good Challah bread, or it won't taste like the absolute best french toast in the entire universe.  But I promise you that if you follow this recipe exactly, it will be the best.  After you try this recipe, you will never eat another french toast recipe EVER again.  Whenever me or a friend or family member makes or orders french toast, it seriously tastes almost gross, because all you can think about is how much better this recipe is.  I recommend serving it will pure maple syrup, a little bit of powdered sugar, and fresh strawberries. Please try this recipe...it will not disappoint.  You can find this recipe here.

Chocolate Fudge Balls

 

I made these fudge balls for a party at my school, and they were a huge hit!  I made half coated with coconut and the other half coated with powdered sugar (in case some people didn't like coconut...what freaks).  They are nice and sweet on the outside, and fudgey and chocolatey and slightly chewy and rich on the inside. The addition of melted bittersweet chocolate (i used Ghiradelli) and coffee powder makes the chocolate incredibly delicious. They literally melt in your mouth and you have to stop and treasure the moment when you pop them into your mouth.  I was skeptical before I made them because they use raw oats, and I thought it would give them a weird, chewy, texture...but the result was so amazing.  You don't taste the oats; they just hold the balls together and make them chewy like fudge. 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups regular rolled oats
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 tablespoons strong coffee
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup 60% bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes or 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Mix the oats, sugar, and cocoa together in a bowl. Add the butter, and use your hands to mix the ingredients together to make a thick dough. Mix in the coffee, vanilla, and chocolate until thoroughly blended.
2. Place the coconut flakes or powdered sugar in a small bowl. Pinch off small amounts of dough and roll between your hands to make small balls, about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Roll the balls in the coconut flakes or powdered sugar. Balls are ready to eat, or may be refrigerated 2 hours to become firmer.