Fork and Knife Sloppy Joes

I'm back! And I plan on staying :). I apologize to those who take an occasional gander at my blog, and have not seen any new posts the past few months. The blog always crosses my mind, however, my laziness overtook me and I have not posted some very fabulous recipes. Again, I apologize. I do plan to stick around and make this blog a priority! I hope some of you can keep me on the path :).  In an attempt not to skip yet another month of blogging, I am posting this TONIGHT!

Tonight's dinner was a blast from the past...sloppy joes! It has been YEARS since I have had one, and growing up in a Pakistani family, these American favorites were always a treat my mom or I would whip up. These sloppy joes on tonight's post have a little twist, are a little more grown up, and must be eaten with a fork and knife. I experimented with beer this time...I do on occasion cook with wine in my meat sauces and soups, however, never beer. My inspiration came from this past weekend's Saint Arnold's one pot cook-off, and then the same day I ran across this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Homesick Texan, which also used beer. I figured, hmm, an opportunity to try something new.  I used the basic recipe and technique, however, made my own changes depending on what I had at home already. I limit my trip to the grocery store per day, at the most, twice. Maybe three...

These yummies went over very well with my hubby. They were sweet and savory, the beer gave the meat sauce some depth, spices gave it smokiness, and the cool, creamy guacamole was just perfect for the heat of the sandwich. I served the sandwiches with roasted garlicky asparagus and green beans.

My birthday is coming up in March, and if any of you lovelies would like to get me a thoughtful gift, I would love Homesick Texan's cookbook!

Tweeked Recipe adapted from Homesick Texan's Tex-Mex Sloppy Joe:

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, de-seeded and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 15 oz. can tomato sauce (I used 3/4 of the can)
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 12 oz. beer (Saint Arnold's pale ale, or any other lager)
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1/2 cup cilantro, divided
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- salt and black pepper to taste
- hamburger buns
- Guacamole, onion, jalapenos, cheese, etc for toppings (Made homemade guacamole)

How-to:
Brown meat in skillet on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Drain excess fat. Add onions and bell pepper and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for about a minute.

In a large measuring cup, mix together the tomato sauce, oregano, cumin, paprika, chili powder, red chili flakes, and hot sauce.  Pour tomato mixture, beer, ketchup, and 1/2 the cilantro into the meat. Stir well and let simmer.  Cook for 15-20 minutes. Add remaining cilantro and lime juice. Add salt and pepper and additional seasonings to taste. Stir well.

Serve on toasted buns topped with homemade guacamole. Feel free to add additional toppings, but I had just enough energy to make some homemade guacamole.

Grab a knife and fork and get to eating!

Banh Mi Cravings

Every weekend my husband and I get asian foot massages (not as weird as it sounds, they are actually quite AMAZING), and then treat ourselves to vietnamese sandwiches (banh mi) at either Don's, with the best chicken, or Givral, which is right behind Don's and actually accepts credit cards, something rare in the Bellaire Chinatown area. If you are ever in the Bellaire area definitely grab a sandwich. I promise you will not be disappointed by either establishment. They use fresh ingredients and incredible, crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, french baguette that is either baked in house or ordered from a bakery. Not only are these sandwiches so delicious and fresh, but also inexpensive at around $2.50 per sandwich. Subway $5 subs have nothing on banh mi sandwiches!

I was craving these sandwiches the other day and thought, why not just make these yummies at home? They were pretty quick and easy to assemble and oh, so good. They were not as traditional as what you may find at either Don's or Givral because I did not use pate or fresh baked french bread, but they definitely hit the spot. Also, if you would like to know where to go for the best asian foot massages, send me a message!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. shredded carrots
2 tbs. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1 lb. beef milanesa steaks
1 tbs. soy sauce
1 tbs. hot sauce
garlic powder
sea salt
black pepper
red pepper flakes
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1 tbs. chili garlic paste
2 tbs. butter, softened
1 tbs. srirarcha, or to taste
4 small loaves of french bread
cucumber cut lengthwise
sprigs of cilantro
jalapeno, de-seeded and de-veined, cut into slivers
lime wedges, quartered

- Preheat oven to 400*

- Marinate shredded carrots in rice wine vinegar and sugar, and set aside.

- Whisk together soy sauce, hot sauce, and spices. Rub marinade over steaks. Grill on high heat 'til tender. Let steaks sit before cutting into slices.

- Mix together mayo and chili paste. Set aside.

- Mix together butter and sriracha. Set aside.

- Slice open french bread and spread bottom with the spicy mayo and the top with spicy butter.

- Lay strips of steak on bread and pop in oven until the bread is nice and crispy. Remove from oven.

- Top steak with shredded carrots, cucumber slices, slivers of jalapeno, and sprigs of cilantro. Squeeze a quarter of lime wedge if desired onto the sandwich.

ENJOY!!!

German Chocolate Cake and Pretty Shoes

Birthdays, birthdays, and more birthdays! My kitchen aid mixer is working hard this month baking up goodies! My brother in law's birthday just recently passed this past weekend and he requested a German chocolate cake, a cake I've never made. So I was pretty excited to bake something new!

Also, my past week has been pretty crazy with a major layoff at work and over 1/3 of our staff facing unemployment. They are all definitely in my thoughts and I hope the best for all of them. So to calm my nerves and seek some relaxation, I gladly took this opportunity to bake and treat myself to some pretty shoes :). Both are pictured below. I felt my new buy matched my new cake, how perfect! I have absolutely no self-control when it come to pretty and shiny shoes...

I began first with making the coconut and pecan custard filling, so that it would cool for a couple of hours and thicken. Then I made my chocolate cake with Baker's German chocolate. I did not frost the sides of the cake because I thought the effect of the custard peeking out through the layers gave the cake more depth and more of a tower effect. Isn't it purrrrtyyy?!?

German Chocolate Cake

INGREDIENTS:

Cake layers
- 4 oz. Baker's German chocolate, roughly broken into pieces
- 2 1/4 c. cake flour
- 3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1 c. strong vanilla coffee, brewed
- 1 c. buttermilk
- 1 1/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
- 2 c. sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Filling
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 c. sugar
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 3/4 c. unsalted butter
- 1 (7 oz.) package sweetened coconut
- 1 1/2 c. chopped pecans
- candied pecans for garnish

For cake layers:

Preheat oven to 350* and line 3 round cake pans with parchment paper. Spray pans with butter and dust with cocoa powder, shaking off excess.

In a double boiler**, melt chocolate. Remove from heat and cool in the fridge.

**create a double boiler by placing a clean, dry bowl on top of a pot of boiling water**

In a bowl, whisk cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large measuring cup whisk together coffee, buttermilk, and vanilla.

In your mixer, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl after each addition. Add flour, on a lower speed, alternatively with coffee/buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Turn off mixer, remove bowl, and fold in the melted chocolate.

Divide batter between the 3 pans and bake 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Once cool, remove cakes and let cool completely on wire racks. Let cool completely before adding the filling.

For filling:

Toast coconut and pecans in oven until coconut is lightly golden in color.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk together egg yolks, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Add sugars and butter. Stir often until thickened. Turn off heat. Stir in coconut and pecans and let cool. I put my filling in the fridge to thicken and cool.

To assemble the cake, I filled each layer with a 1/3 of filling and topped the top layer with candied pecans.

ENJOY!

October!

Cooler weather, pumpkin spice lattes, Halloween costumes and candy, football parties, CARDIGANS, boots, and one month closer to Thanksgiving! October has finally arrived!

In celebration of October and all things brown, orange, green, and purple, I made pumpkin muffins last night. What better way to bring in the season of fall than with some pumpkin and spice?

Not too many people in my life are fans of pumpkin, especially my husband and sister, so I rarely make anything pumpkin, except, during Thanksgiving linner (that in-between time of lunch and dinner), I make pumpkin pie cheesecake. I'll post that recipe as we near the holiday. SO. FREAKING. GOOD.

These muffins are long overdue payment for a brother's friend. Probably should get these delivered before I start getting collection calls :/. I ended up making a few extra for my family and a couple of friends who said they like pumpkin things. They went over really well with them! The taste isn't overwhelming with pumpkin, which is good. I felt they had a nice spice mixture and were VERY moist, always important! Plus the added dollop of cream cheese icing was sooo yummy. I will definitely be making these more often.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin and Spice muffins

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup pure pumpkin (out of 15 oz can)
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 1/4 c. white sugar
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
1 tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350*

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda in bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, sugar, and spices.

Gradually add flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until smooth.

In a small bowl combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter. Sprinkle brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Bake for 20-25 min, or until toothpick comes out clean.

You can enjoy them plain or add a dollop of cream cheese icing, which I've posted in my carrot cake post.

Pad Thai my way...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOOOOVE thai food and had a major craving for some last night. So I skipped bikram yoga, and decided to stay in and cook a nice experimental dinner for me and my hubby.

Normally I am not a fan of pad thai at Thai restaurants (pad kee mao for me...drunken noodles), however, I figured I would try making my own version in the hopes of enjoying this popular Thai dish. Plus my dad gave me a few pounds of the biggest prawns I have ever seen and I needed to clean and use them soon.

One of the things I enjoy about cooking is that you can make a recipe your own by adding and deleting ingredients to please your tastes. Or, you can be that annoying restaurant customer who adds and deletes on a dish that a chef has made a certain way. Let's not be THAT girl/guy.

Please note that this is not an authentic version, but a tweaked one because of the ingredients I had on hand, and I was going for something particular that suited my craving.This recipe is simple, flavorful, and just plain yum!

Serves 4.

12-16 large prawns/shrimp
2 eggs
3 tbs. soy sauce
1-1/2 tbs. creamy peanut butter
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbs. water
2 tbs. chili paste or sriracha (I used sambal oelek, check your fridge/pantry, I'm sure you have it)
*use more or less depending on your spice level*
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tbs. brown sugar
1 tbs. rice vinegar
3 green onion, sliced, white parts set aside
Bean sprouts, handful
3-5 leaves basil
1 pkg medium rice noodles
2 tbs. canola/vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
lime wedges

For peanut sauce, whisk together peanut butter, 2 tbs. soy sauce, chili paste, water, and lime juice in a bowl 'til creamy and set aside.

Place noodles in hot water for 8-10 min. They will soften up and be ready to cook up in the sauce.

Whisk eggs with 1 tbs. soy sauce and scramble on medium heat. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok and toss in garlic, ginger, and the white parts of the green onion. Sauté til fragrant. Be careful, there may be spattering.

Add shrimp and bean sprouts; sauté until shrimp turn opaque.

Drain noodles, add to wok and toss with shrimp. Add peanut butter sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar. *At this point you can add salt and pepper to taste*. Stir fry and toss noodles. Add scrambled eggs and basil and stir fry for an additional minute or so until basil wilts.

Serve with a sprinkle of green onion and a lime wedge.

Enjoy!!

Birthday Baking- Carrot Cake

I've finally come around to starting my blog! Like everyone else who starts one, I hope I keep up with mine and not let it fall to the wayside. Keep your fingers crossed for me! My goal with this blog is to share recipes with family, friends, and readers, so with your readership, hopefully this blog will be successful.

On to my first recipe!

This past weekend I celebrated one of my really good friend's birthday, and as I do for all my favorites' birthdays, I made her a special birthday cake! Birthdays are a big deal for me, so to make my family and friends feel special and loved, I bake! I never make a normal chocolate or vanilla cake because that's just boring. It's always something that I've imagined and want the excuse to experiment :). Since my friend does not eat chocolate by choice (odd I know...but I love her!), I did ask her what she wanted and she requested a carrot cake. First thing that popped into my head was gajaar ka halwa (carrot halwa)! I made a quick call to my mom and got the proper technique on making this halwa and went on from there!

Halwa is a traditional pakistani/Indian dessert made with vegetables, fruits, or grains. This particular one I am referring to is made with carrots and ricotta cheese. It adds a south Asian twist to a traditional carrot cake and I felt that this cake would suit my friend perfectly.

Unfortunately in my hurry to leave the house in time for her birthday brunch I was not able to take a nice picture, but trust me, this cake looks and tastes delicious and is perfect with an evening cup of chai :)

*I found a not-so-great picture on my phone in a last minute attempt*



"Gajar ka halwa" (Carrot halwa) Carrot Cake w/ cream cheese frosting:

Carrot Halwa:

3 c. shredded carrots
2 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. whole milk ricotta
1 tsp. ground cardamom seeds
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 c. slivered almonds

In a medium saucepan, on medium-low heat, cook carrots with cardamom seeds, cinnamon, ginger,and nutmeg in milk until milk reduces down to about 1/2 cup and carrots are tender. This will take some time, so be patient, I promise it will come together.

Add ricotta and almonds, and continue cooking the carrot mixture until the milk has cooked off.

Set aside.

Cake:

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. light brown sugar
3 eggs, room temp.
1/2 c. milk, room temp.
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350*

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix together milk, cream, and vanilla in a separate bowl.

In your mixer, beat sugars and butter 'til light in color and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl after each addition.

On low speed, add flour mixture in 3 increments, alternating with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape down bowl after each addition.

Add carrot halwa mixture into cake batter until incorporated.

Spray your cake pan(s) (I used 3-9" circle cake pans), with oil or butter spray and sprinkle with flour. Distribute cake batter into pans and bake for 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
3-3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
3 tbs. heavy cream

In your mixer, mix together butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar in increments on low speed until fully incorporated. Increase speed to medium and add heavy cream 1 tbs. at a time until desired consistency is reached. Fluff frosting on highest speed.


For my friend's cake, I made a 2 layer cake, and saved the 3rd layer to take to my parents, but you could easily make a 3 layer cake for added height. I topped her cake with finely crushed almonds and pistachios.

Enjoy!