iN THe MooD FoR BaKiNG...

How do I love thee...let me count the ways!!!

Well, today I decided to suprise hubby with some lovin' from the oven. I made 2 types of desserts and I wanted to share them with you.

The first was something I originally made for a recent birthday. White cake (mix ~ in the interests of time), with a seedless raspberry filling and lemon buttercream frosting. This is very simple to prepare and doesn't take a lot of time.

Prepare the white cake mix as directed. If you have a recipe to doctor the recipe, like the Cake Mix Doctor, that is fine too :o) Sometimes the little additions of sour cream and vanilla, make all the difference. I baked my mix in 3 greased and floured cake pans until they were cooked, per whatever test(ie. toothpick) you like. Let cool completely.

The seedless raspberry filling I purchased from a local cake supply place in Norfolk, VA called http://www.wineandcake.com/index.htm . You can find it at most any cake decorating place though. You can also use other fillings, to your taste, I just love raspberry. My container of seedless raspberry filling was enough for two recipes.

For the buttercream, you can use any recipe you like. Mine usually consists of confectioner's sugar, shortening, water(you can use milk but I prefer water for storage purposes) and most importantly...a little lemon oil (lemon extract can be substituted here). If you are using the lemon oil, use sparingly, you can always add, but difficult to take away. You can always add more of the other ingredients but may wind up with a ton of frosting! I purchased the lemon oil from my favorite store Williams Sonoma and it has lasted me a long time.

To assemble the cake, place the first layer on the cake plate. Put some of the buttercream in a small ziploc bag and cut the corner tip off. Twist the bag and squeeze a ring of frosting around the edge of the cake. This acts as a reservoir for the filling. You don't want it seeping out as you are assembling and frosting. Spread a layer of raspberry filling inside the ring and place a cake layer on top. Repeat with the ring and filling and place the last layer on top. Completely finish frosting the cake top and sides with remaining frosting.

Keep covered.

I'm including a picture of the finished cake. It's not perfect but it is delicious! No complaints here! I hope you try it or mix it up, make it your own! Stay tuned to tomorrow's post for the second dessert. It's not an original recipe, but a good 'quick!!! company's coming!' dessert.

aN iNTRoDuCTioN To a NeW aDDiCTioN...

FoR MY FRieND LeeNe...

Now whether or not she is really going to like me for doing it remains to be seen :o)

I introduced her to La Bella Italia, a little grocery/restaurant I've been going to for a couple of years now. I've already confessed my love for good bread and today I've decided to share that with her.

They have this country bread, soooooooo delicious! Baked fresh daily and how fresh it is! I love it dipped in a good olive oil or slightly toasted and a pat of european butter spread on it. (If any of you are lucky enough to have access to Costco~like me...thanks Trace!~you would be wise to try the Kirkland Toscano Olive Oil. Very reasonably priced, yet delicious as olive oils go.) You have to see this bread to believe it and of course I took a photo to prove it!



Look at the crust! Isn't that amazing! And the smell...incredible!

My friend did make a little purchase of her own...they have a beautiful collection of cookies and I suggested she try the pignoli cookies for sure. She bought a nice selection and I photographed it for all of you :o) The pignoli cookies are a great cookie for those of you that are lactose intolerant. There are nuts in this so be careful if you are allergic, please avoid.





Look for the Pignoli Cookies I recipe on allrecipes website. I love this website because I get feedback from other cooks who have made it. There's a great picture of one there too!

(By the way, I replaced the 'stock' photo I used for the mafaldine in an earlier post with one I took today. It was nagging at me...haha! Look forward to seeing something made with it very soon!)

Hope everyone had a great day! Until tomorrow...

BuRGeRS, THe WaY iT'S SuPPoSeD To Be

What is it about hamburgers that used to make me nervous about getting them right. Mine were always too thick or not juicy. I always wanted to reach for the box of ol' reliable bubba burgers. At a cost of about $10 for 6-8 burgers (approx. 1/3 lb each), that can be more like $4-5/lb for ground beef. Kinda high imho, soooo...

I once watched Paula Deen on tv add water to her hamburger meat and grill it. Tried it, okay, but nothing to write home about.

What do those Bubba people know that I don't know anyway???

So one day I decided to make my own BUBBA burgers. I pulled out my digital scale, hamburger patty maker, wax paper and a cookie sheet and got to work. I cut the wax paper (more like ripped...) into 6x6 inch squares. Make sure the scale is tared. The scale seems a bit much, BUT have you ever noticed that bakeries use scales? It's for the consistency. Without a scale, you can get CLOSE but that may mean the difference between a dried up patty or a juicy one. Measure out about .65 oz of ground beef for each patty(I use 81%, you ARE grilling and the grease WILL cook out). If you decide to go with a leaner blend, they may wind up dry. Place this meat into the patty maker and depress. I then remove the patty and flatten it a bit more carefully to spread out the patty. The idea is to get them about 1 inch thick keeping the nice shape, they'll shrink yet still fill the bun. I lay them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and freeze for about 1 hour covered with wax paper. Remove and vacuum seal or bag, removing as much air as possible. When you purchase the ground beef on sale, approx. $2/lb, it is a great deal cheaper to do it this way.

Now for the grilling...Throw the burgers on the PREHEATED grill FROZEN. These will not take long to grill. Leave them on, do not flip until you see some nice grilling color all over the patty, then flip.

It has taken me many years to try this and I don't want you to waste another day looking for a solution to your burger grilling problem.

I always visit my local salad bar and pick up fixins to top my burger. Like olives? Try an green olive burger but mixing green sliced olives stuffed with pimientos along with some miracle whip salad dressing. Spoon on top of the burger. I prefer mine with a slice of cheese romaine lettuce, red onion, tomato and ketchup with mayo.

Try this burger tip. See if it works for you :o)