Black and White Angel Food Cake

When I saw this on the cover on the April issue of Cooking Light it caught my eye immediately. For fairly obvious reasons I had to make it. I had Hershey's dark cocoa in my pantry waiting to be used, so this seemed perfect.

Now for the occasion? My friend Heather is leaving island in a month, this last Thursday was her last practice at church. Naturally, I wanted to send her off well. This was a perfect cake to make. Fairly easy, yet impressive(at least I thought so). However, next time if travelling I would probably put on the strawberries upon arrival. Naturally, they shifted and some fell inside the middle of the cake. Apparently carrying level means sideways to the Hub, haha.


Either way this still tasted great, the chocolate was a nice contrast to plain angel food and it went great with strawberries. I added about an extra tablespoon of cococa because the batter didn't look quite dark enough. The cream cheese glaze was perfect, but you can't go wrong with cream cheese. You can find the recipe here or in the April 2007 issue of Cooking Light.

Happy National Chocolate Chip Day

This recipe actually seems befitting since I found out May 15th is National Chocolate Chip Day. I made these yeterday(which was the 15th here) because I was craving chocolate chip cookies. Who even created this holiday? Along with this holiday are many others I should probably keep in mind.

I had found semi-sweet baking chunks while grocery shopping and bought them with this in mind. These were made by Baker's and are so much better than chocolate chips.

I used Giada's recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies with Hazlenuts and didn't change a thing other than subbing the chunks for chips. These are perfect. Loaded with chocolate, toffee pieces, oatmeal, and hazlenuts they satisfy your sweet tooth and then some. You can find the recipe in her cookbook, Giada's Family Dinners[which I recommend!] or here.

Challah

Lately I have been on a bread kick. These seem to come and go in spurts throughout my life. I haven't been so great at photographing lately, but, I've made Honey Oat bread from Bon Appetit, Cinnamon Swirl(a combination of recipes) and many others. I've also taken to Quick breads for breakfast time. Carbs are dangerous.

This was my first attempt at making Challan. Very good, a very rich bread, is the only way I can describe it. I had never had it before, but enjoyed it very much. The Hub finished it off in a day. Hopefully it'll last a little longer next time so I can make french toast or bread pudding with the leftovers. Although, I highly doubt it will happen.

Flank Steak

I suppose my go to cookbook lately has been Great Food Fast. When making my meal plans for this past week, I seem to have moved on though. This was made a few nights a go and sadly I am just now getting to posting it.

It was a flank steak, which is a really great cut of meat if you know how to cook and slice it properly. My first few tries with it were less than sucessful, however I have gotten the hang of it. It is very affordable, which is perfect for a family.

My only gripe, if I were to have one is since the slices are so thin, it tends to go cold quickly. The night I made this, the Hub was home a bit later than expected and if he were to nuke it, it would've been cooked to much and unedible probably. It doesn't taste bad at room temperature, so he opted to do it that way. I think it's more of a mental hang up.

Overall, this was perfect for a weeknight fix; the marinade was a cinch to put together, throw it all in a ziploc bag, let sit for 30 minutes, throw it on the grill and in no time you have dinner.

On a side note, we finally found out or next assignment: North Dakota. Argh, who goes there? I am remaining positive despite all the negativity we have heard so far and am determined to make this just as great as anywhere. It's all in your attitude really. However, I must say, I'll miss my grill!!

Flanks Steak with Lime Marinade
1/3 c. fresh lime juice
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 1/2 lbs. flank steak
vegetable oil, for grates
salt and pepper

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the lime juice, soy sauce, scallions, ginger, and red pepper. Add steak and seal bag(place in a dish to catch leaks); marinate the steak in the refrigerator, turning occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Heat grill to high; lightly oil the grates. Remove steak from marinade; let excess drip off; season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill; cover. Cook turning once, until meat has reached desired doneness, 6 to 8 minutes for mediium rare. Let steak rest for 10 minutes before slicing then.

Turkey Burgers

IMG_5638, originally uploaded by slaggs.

Another recipe from Great Food Fast. These were the Favorite Turkey Burgers. Turned out perfect, they were moist and not too dry like burgers tend to be. The Gruyere lent a lot of flavor to the sometimes bland ground turkey, I will have to remember this in the future. Served on wheat rolls with lettuce and additional gruyere, these were a perfect lunch.

Also served were the Parmesan fries. These were a great baked alternative to fried fries. I was a bit skeptical at first, but they ended up browned and crisp and I really enjoyed the addition of the parmesan.