This year for my birthday, I did not make anything special with the cake...just yellow cake with "funfetti" (stir in jimmies to any light colored cake batter for a festive flecking of color). The frosting, on the other hand, was a luxurious tasting Nutella butter cream! It was very easy to make and "poshed up" the cake quite nicely. I'm sorry, there are no photos of my cake, but for the record, it just looks like fluffy chocolate frosting. I'm going to give you a small amount based on how much stuff you need, per stick of butter. But you'll probably be better off with 1.5x as much as this recipe makes for a two layer 9-inch cake. This frosting is good for those, like myself, who don't like frosting that is too sweet.
Nutella Butter Cream
1 stick (1/2 cup) softened, unsalted butter
1/2 cup Nutella
1 tsp dutch process cocoa
Whip the butter in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer. When it is smooth add the Nutella, and cocoa. Whip until thoroughly combined, and frost your cake! This is so easy, it's almost not a recipe!
Turning 25...it's kind of like that. (Except Rebecca Black is NOT invited.)
This year, for Thanksgiving I parted with tradition and had a very pared down meal. Instead of cooking a turkey and entirely too many side dishes, Brad and I had a light dinner that centered around cod! I used ingredients that echoed the flavors of my mom's turkey recipe, and it turned out great. Hey, if cod was good enough for the first Thanksgiving at Plymouth, it's good enough for my table, too! It was, as my Grandma Kathie said, "Very New England." I have to tell you, this recipe is so quick and easy, it could work for a week night dinner!
Thanksgiving Steamed Cod
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 an onion
1/2 an orange
1 sprig of fresh sage
4 individual sized cod fillets (adds up to about 1.5 lbs)
salt and pepper
1/4 cup white wine or light broth
When splitting the onion to make the 1/2 onion called for in the ingtredients, cut from pole to pole, not around the equator. Slice the half onion thinly into arches, chopping again, from pole to pole. Cut the 1/2 orange into 1/4-inch slices, reserving the smaller discs and the "nub" to squeeze juice over the fillets later.
In a large frying pan, heat your oil on medium heat. Add the onions. Sprinkle a little salt over them to encourage them to throw their juice to add to the liquid for steaming. Next layer the oranges and the sage on top of the onions. This is all going to make a nice flavorful bed of steam for the fish. Generously salt and pepper your fish fillets before placing them on top of the bed of produce. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes. By 2 minutes, it should look like your onions are making some progress. Pour the wine (or broth- something light like chicken broth or fish stock) over the fish. Return the lid and steam for 5 minutes more. You'll know the fish is done if it is flaky. Be careful not to over cook it, or it will be rubbery and dry.
I did not eat the onions or oranges...but I don't see why you couldn't pull the oranges and sage out, and continue to cook the onions down into a nice relish or something like that, if you have the time.
I came up with the filling after fiddling with a cream of mushroom soup recipe my Aunt Lorraine sent me.
Just some words of advice before you start: It is of the utmost importance to have all your chopping and measuring done before you start cooking. It really makes things a lot easier. Also, when I say to add the broth slowly while stirring constantly for the gravy, I mean it. If you just dump the broth in all willy-nilly without stirring, you will end up with clumps of flour floating in chicken broth. Actually, adding the broth is a great task for a junior assistant. If you don't have one on hand (like me) it is possible to do it on your own, but be warned that if you don't ever make gravy with an assistant the long and glorious tradition of beautiful gravy may end with you. I don't think it's possible to learn the art of gravy making without first assisting one who has mastered it. I'll do my best to explain it here, but I encourage you to take advantage of any opportunity to experience the benefits of a mentor/disciple relationship presented to you, especially when it comes to making gravy.
Chicken Pot Pie
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, 1/ 2 inch cubes
1 potato, 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 medium onion, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
1 cup frozen vegetables*
Salt & pepper to taste
1 frozen pie crust, thawed
In a medium pot, over medium high heat, melt 2 tbsp butter. Add the chicken breast to the butter and brown the meat. Season the chicken with a bit of salt as it is cooking. It should take the chicken about 2 minutes to brown completely on the outside. It doesn't have to be cooked all the way through, because you'll be cooking it further later. Taking care to leave behind the butter and juices of the chicken, remove the meat from the pot and set it aside.
Add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter to the pot and reduce the heat to medium low and add your onion and potato. Season with a little more salt (just to get the onion to throw its juices). Cook and stir occasionally until, the onion is turning translucent and is soft, about 3 minutes. Then sprinkle your flour over the potatoes and onions and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly.You're making a rue, so it will look sort of like a paste when you're ready to add the broth. S l o w l y add the chicken broth to the mixture while stirring constantly, until the liquid thickens a little to what looks like a nice consistency for chicken pot pie. <-- I know that's vague, but you'll know it when you see it.
Add the chicken back to the pot, along with the frozen veggies. Then add the milk and put it over low heat until it comes to a simmer (NOT a boil). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
If you want you can stop here and enjoy a lovely cream of chicken soup...
OR
After you have chopped the veggies and meat but before you've added your butter to the pot, preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F). Place a 9-inch cake pan on a cookie sheet. Put the soup in the cake pan (you think it won't all fit, but it does). Lay the pie crust over the soup and seal the edges. Put the pie (cookie sheet and all) into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust is golden, brown and delicious. The cookie sheet is imperative because the filling that will be seeping out is capable of burning through an oven mitt...as evidenced by the one we just threw away.
Let the gravy stop boiling before serving, unless you want to risk pie explosion upon breaking the crust.
ENJOY!
* I used a bag that came with a mix of peas, carrots, corn and green beans. I think it helped to have the small pieces rather than something large, like broccoli.
