Epic Chocolate Cake

I found this recipe on Pinterest, and let's be honest, how could I not make it?

Yield: 10-15 servings (depending on number of chocoholics!)

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
2 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups milk
1 cup butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract

For Frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Extras:
Liqueur for drizzling over cake (I used Baileys...)

1 cup melted chocolate chips (for drizzling)
2 cups chocolate chips (sides of cake)
2-3 Tbs. heavy cream
Mini candy bars for top (I used Twix, Hershey Bars, Butterfinger, and Kit Kat) 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and three 8-inch cake pans and set aside.

Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine milk, butter, and vanilla extract. Mix in dry ingredients until combined. Pour batter into pans. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. Sift together powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add butter, cream and vanilla extract. Beat together until fluffy.

Finally, it's time to assemble the cake! Place the first layer on a plate. Lightly drizzle with liqueur, then spread a layer of frosting, being careful not to press too hard and break the cake. Place the second layer on top of the frosting and lightly drizzle with liqueur, then add frosting to the top.  Add the final layer, drizzle with liqueur, then cover sides and top of cake with frosting.

Next, using your hands (and a lazy susan if you have one) cover the sides of the cake with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Then layer the top with assorted chocolate candies.  I used mini candy bars that you can buy in ten packs and simply broke them in half.

Melt the remaining chocolate chips in the microwave and drizzle over the top of the cake, allowing (or encouraging!) the chocolate to drip down the sides.  Voila!

Tips:  Covering the sides of the cake will take a while and create some spillage - I was finding chocolate chips on my floor for weeks!  If you have any issues (as I did) you can always use extra frosting to camouflage the problem area and add extra chocolate chips over it!

 

Here's Kyle, trying to attack the finished cake.  Unfortunately for him, I made it for my co-workers, so I grabbed it away and was able to bring it to work unscathed.  There may have been a few missing chocolate chips and/or candy bars, but no one noticed anything...

Cherry Colada Jello Shot Hearts

I found this recipe on That's So Michelle, another cooking blog. The number of beautiful jello shot recipes on her site astounds me... umm, I really like jello shots!

Yield: 24 jello shots

Ingredients:
1 cup Bacardi Torched Cherry Rum
1 3 ounce box cherry jello
1/2 cup coconut milk
4 tablespoons sugar
1 packet Knox Gelatin
24 cherries with stems

Either a heart shaped candy mold, or a mini muffin pan + a heart shaped cookie cutter

Directions:
To make the white layer, pour 1/2 a cup water and 1/2 cup coconut milk into a sauce pan. Sprinkle 1 packet of Knox gelatin on top. Turn on medium heat and stir until dissolved. Add 1/4 cup sugar and heat until dissolved, then add 1/2 cup of the rum.

Next, lightly grease the pan you are using with baking spray. I used a heart shaped candy mold I found at Target, which made perfect bite sized jello shots. Or, you can use a mini muffin pan and a mini heart cutter to do this. Either way, fill pan halfway with coconut jello and rum mixture.

Prepare cherries by drying them and slicing off the bottoms so they sit flat on the coconut layer. Place cherries directly in center of the tins, then place white layer in fridge for 1 hour to set.

Now, add cherry jello packet to 1 cup boiling water in a small sauce pan. When dissolved allow to cool and then add 1/2 cup rum. Carefully pour cherry jello mixture into the cupcake pan on top of coconut jello so that the top of the cherry is visible.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight. When ready to unmold, use a knife to rim the exterior, then remove from pan, and if using cookie cutter, cut out heart shape. Serve to delighted guests! Enjoy!

Steak Sandwich with Caramelized Onion-Jalapeno Sauce

If you want to make something special, take this sandwich into consideration!  I think this might be the most delicious thing I've ever made.

Yield:  2 savory sandwiches

Directions:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound skirt steak

4 bacon slices

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 fresh jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

½ cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

2 sturdy rolls, halved lengthwise

1 cup lettuce or salad greens

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Pat steak dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Cook steak to desired doneness - for medium rare, 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and cover with foil.

Reduce heat to medium. Melt butter in now empty skillet.  Add bacon slices, onions, cilantro, jalapeños, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Next, remove bacon and set aside on a paper towel to dry. Stir cream in with vegetables and cook until warm, about 5 more minutes.  Stir in vinegar, taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary.

To assemble, slice steak thinly on the bias.  Top one side of each roll with greens and arrange steak on top.  Spoon sauce over steak.  Top with reserved bacon slices, if desired.  Also, as you can see from the pics, I added these tempura jalapeno slices on the side.  Yum!

Tempura Battered Jalapeno Chips

Tips:  Cooking the bacon in with the vegetables and sauce gave it a sweet, smoky flavor that I really enjoyed.  It was soft because it wasn't fried.  If you do not like bacon soft like that, you can fry it in a separate pan, or omit it altogether.  Enjoy!

Tempura Battered Jalapeno Chips

So I recently had a burger at some chain and they served it with slices of deep fried jalapeno on top. The burger was so so, but the jalapenos were delicious! I decided to recreate them at home.

Yield:  20 crispy bites

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (about 1/2 jar) nacho jalapeno slices (mild or hot, your choice!)

1/2 cup tempura (make according to package directions)

1 cup vegetable oil

salt, to taste

Southwestern Ranch Dressing (optional dipping sauce)

1 cup picante salsa
1 cup sour cream (greek yogurt will work too)
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tbsp lime juice

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

This one is simple!  Heat oil in a large pot.  Dry jalapeno slices off and dip in tempura batter.  Fry in oil until brown and crisp.  Remove to paper towel lined plate to drain; sprinkle with salt.

To make dressing, simply combine all ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Art Show

I had an art show in December to share my work.  Then I went out of town for the holidays.  In early January, we had a fire in our unit, and some of these paintings were still hanging on the walls....  so this is both a party post and an obituary for those pieces!  The one above was my newest work and it was burnt to a crisp.  Sad.


The party was a lot of fun and I made a delicious menu.  Here are the recipes, interspersed with my art!

Grilled Zucchini & Goat Cheese Rolls

This next painting was destroyed too, which is a shame, because I had just renamed it "Industrial Revolution".  It took years to come up with that name!

Smores Shooters

I served these smore's shooters, which are always a hit.  Here we are enjoying them!

Here is a painting that survived the fire - yay!

Mini Bacon Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce

Many of Kyle's film student classmates came to the party, and they proceeded to have an impromptu photo shoot in the dining room, with entertaining results.

Cranberry Lime Sangria

Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Bites

Chipotle Shrimp with Avocado Salsa

 This next one perished in the flames....

 but this one was untouched!

Pomegranate Splash Cocktail

Here's Chad, posing as butler and delivering these drinks for me.

and here he is again, posing as a troll and hiding within my dining room table.

Savory Mango and Cheddar Palmiers

Survivor.

Murdered by firemen.  Yes, it's true - some wildly violent fireman speared a piece of wood directly through the heart of this painting, like they were trying to vanquish a demon.

Saved! 

Filet Mignon over Rosemary Potato with Bordelaise Sauce

Paul and I look so cozy!

And then there was dessert....

Candy Coated Pretzel Rods

Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Cocoa Thumbprints

A casualty at just one week old:

 

And another casualty....

At the end of the day, I'm content that the fire didn't destroy all of my paintings.  My art room is in the back of the house, so only the paintings that were hung throughout the apartment burned.  This also means that all of my canvases, paint brushes, and paints are still with me.  In another words, I need to get to work and make some new pieces!  Nothing like a disaster to motivate the artist within.


I'll leave you with a final entertaining photo.  My painting (this one lived) being used as some sort of fiery death match background.   Pretty cool.

To view more of my work, check out my art site at www.yessy.com/leahjeanw

And, dear readers, be sure to keep your renter's insurance up to date!