kentucky butter cake !!

so one of my favorite cakes to make is a "crack cake" IT REALLY IS CRACK you can ask anyone who i have made it for. one of the things that makes the crack cake so special is because at the end of baking you make a wine/butter sugary sauce to pour on top. and as the cake cools it makes the cake super moist and it forms a sugary crust on the outside. the cake only gets better the longer it sits. this recipe is similar to crack cake but instead of wine its butter and more butter! if your on a diet i advise you stay away!


3 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
1/2  tsp baking soda

butter sauce
1 cup sugar
1/4 water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

pre heat oven to 350

beat butter and sugar together , then add all other ingredients. bake for 1 hour. or until tooth pick comes out clean. on the stove put all ingredients in sauce pan except for vanilla bring to a light boil. once sugar is dissolved turn off heat and add in vanilla and pour over cake (in the pan) once it cools take out of cake pan and enjoy!

thai shrimp soup!

corey and i adore thai & vietnamese food! one of our favorite spots is little siagon in downtown orlando. we have been going there for years! and they know us by name. one of our favorite things to order is the #2 with a #47 which is a summer roll served with a peanut sauce and a seafood soup. we love the food because it is much healthier , cheap and light but very fulling. so when i saw this recipe for this shrimp soup i had no choice but to give it a try and it is soooooooooo delicious! and cooks up in minutes! 30 to be exact ;)

• 1 cup uncooked basmati rice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 tablespoon red curry paste
• 2 (12-ounce) cans unsweetened coconut milk
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• Juice of 1 lime
• fresh cilantro

• In a large saucepan of 1 1 /2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
• Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add shrimp, salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
• Add garlic, onion and bell pepper to the stockpot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Whisk in curry paste until well combined, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in coconut milk and vegetable stock, and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in rice, shrimp, lime juice and cilantro.
• Serve immediately.

pintrest saved the day! holy yum chicken !

last minute dinner. i found this recipe on pintrest today. its so easy! it called

boneless skinless chicken thighs

1/2 cup of dijon mustard 

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon rice wine vinager 

*fresh rosemary

*a splash of cream

pre heat the oven to 450.  combine all ingredients except the rosemary & cream and dip the chicken in and coat. place in a baking dish and cover with reaming mixture. bake for 45 minutes. when its done remove chicken and make a sauce by a splash of cream and garnish with fresh rosemary. serve over rice or mashed potatoes. 

chicken chili with corn bread dumplings!

SO good news! business for me has been BOOMING!! i mean so much so i haven't had time to write one single post in a few weeks! (needless to say there has been a lot of take out around here )  i'm telling you though, there is no greater feeling than being your own boss, people loving what you do and getting paid for it!

back at the home front (yesterday was crazy!) i came down with some sort of stomach virus ! it was horrible (i will spare you the details) thankfully no one else got it and today i'm feeling 100%. with that being said today  was a great day! i went grocery shopping, cleaned the house,car and even did a little gardening (my basil is growing beautify!) and i'm finally getting a handle on things. i've been working so hard that even though i've been home i was starting to feel homesick. so i thought what better way to get back into the swing of things than to make one of my favorite comfort foods. white chicken chili with corn bread dumplings.  sooo good !



ingredients:
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1/2 onion diced
2 garlic cloves
1 can of corn
1 can of white beans
1lb of boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 can cream of chicken
1 small can of chopped green chiles
1 packet of taco seasoning (i used homemade, i will attach the recipe)
a splash of cream

corn bread dumplings:
1 box of jiffy corn muffin mix
1 egg
1/4 cup scour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup green onions
1/4 cup of cheese
** you will not use all of this dough only about half

in a duch oven bring chicken stock and water to a boil. add onions, garlic (minced) and chicken cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes. next add the rest of ingredients and cook for another 10-15 minutes (until chicken is done) last spoon in the dumpling mixture 1 tsp per dumpling into the pot (cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes)
that's it! comfort in a bowl :)

home made taco seasoning
1 T chili powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 r onion powder
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/4 t oregano
1/2 t paprika
1 1/2 t cumin
1 t salt
1 t black pepper

bacon and cheese croissants

last night i didn't sleep at ALL. for the past few days my neck & back have been KILLING ME! complements to my 72 metal screws in my back. (long story for another day). but you know what? i can't complain. because without these 4 metal rods, my 72 screws and shaved hip i  probably wouldn't be here today blogging with you. so with that being said GOD IS GOOD and i'm so grateful that i KNOW him! today is memorial day! its the day that we give thanks & pay our respect to all of the men and woman who gave their lives so that we can continue to live free. so because i am here today alive and well. i decided to put my complaining aside try something new for breakfast.bacon and cheese croissants! so simple and so good!

its made with just 5 ingredients :

1 sheet of puff pastry (cut into 6 rectangles)

1 egg

6 slices of bacon (cooked and cut into pieces)

1/2 block of good quality pepper jack cheese

1/4 cup of apricot or orange preserves

pre heat your oven to 350. line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. on the stove, cut up bacon into bite size pieces and cook until crisp (drain on a paper towel) . then cut 6 very thick slices of pepper jack cheese. 

to assemble:

cut puff pastry sheet into 6 rectangles. place cheese and bacon onto the egde of the dough and roll it over until you get a little croissant. repeat for the following 5. and then brush the tops with the egg.

bake until golden brown 20-25 minutes. 

when its done put 1/4 cup of preserves in the microwave for 25 sec until melted. brush on top of croissants. serve immediately with a side of eggs! 

the sweet of the preserves, spicy from the cheese, and salt from the bacon is an out of this world combination! i promise you will love it :) 

a rustic bridal shower.

i love cake! it's probably my favorite food!but to be totally honest im only a fan of certain types of cakes. i love old fashion pound cakes, rum cakes, bundt cakes , sweet breads. basically i like a hearty cake. not so much that you have to chew it forever or its dry. but i like it to be dense with some weight to it. there is nothing better than eating a thick slice of warm cake with some ice cream yummmmm! today i made this cake for a bridal shower & im so happy with the outcome. carrot cake with a coconut cream cheese frosting! sometimes simplicity is best.

easy beef wellington

i adore cooking for banquets. i swear its like the food just taste better. and lets not talk about all of the leftover food i get to take home ;) well one of the most requested things on the menu is beef wellington. which is basically a roast beef baked inside of a puff pastry. it's ridiculously easy to make and comes off super fancy. the only down fall is the roast is pretty expensive. so i found a way to enjoy all of the goodness of beef wellington with out the beef wellington price. and that's to use ground beef in place of a roast. and let me just tell you it takes little to no effort. and it taste delicious! i don't get caught up by the name . if you can form a meat loaf and roll a Pillsbury crescent roll. you can definitely handle this! enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6):

1 medium onion
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
1 potato
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1.5lbs ground beef
salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 sheet puff pastry

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Peel and chop the onion, carrot, celery and potato into cubes.

Place all vegetables and rosemary leaves into a frying pan with olive oil. Fry and stir for about 8 minutes or until vegetables soften and color.

Put vegetables into large bowl to cool completely.

Add the ground beef to the bowl with salt, pepper, dried parsley and garlic powder. then and 1 egg. mix with hands to form a roll .

Place mince mix along one long side of pastry sheet, in sausage shape.

Brush edges of pastry with egg wash and roll pastry to cover the beef completely. Squeeze ends together. sprinkle with sea salt, and fresh pepper 

Put onto baking tray, brush with remaining egg. Bake for an hour until golden. Slice and serve with gravy.