Tag: Fiesta Friday (Page 16 of 40)

Mango Pound Cake

February 17, 2017 / Jenny / 16 Comments

Moist and delicious with the added flavor and deep golden color of pureed fresh mango, this cheerful mango pound cake will brighten up any table!

I like to cook and bake with foods that are in season as much as I can. But in the middle of February in Michigan, sometimes I need to just let that go and bake something with tropical fruit! Sometimes we just need that burst of flavor and color, and thank goodness tropical fruits are available to us in February if we want them. (My local grocery store even has mangoes on sale right now!) The sweet bright flavor of mango adds a burst of joy to this beautiful mango pound cake.

Cooking shows are some of my favorite things to watch on TV. We don’t watch a lot of TV in my household, but when we are home and want to relax in the evenings, my husband and I sometimes turn on PBS and look for cooking shows and travel shows. That is how I found the inspiration for this delicious mango pound cake. We were watching Pati’s Mexican Table recently, and Pati made this beautiful, yet quite easy, mango pound cake while her main dish was cooking.

I love her show. Her enthusiasm for food is inspiring, and I love the way she embraces food as a way to bring family and friends together. And this mango pound cake is right up my alley because it can be made fairly quickly, yet the mango makes it special and fun. I found the recipe on her website and tried it. The cake turned out great–moist and flavorful, and I will definitely make it again.

The weather here is supposed to be quite warm (for winter time, anyway) and sunny this weekend. After a pretty gray few weeks, I am looking forward to getting out into the sun! It has been a strange winter here, with lots of rain and not much snow. We have not been able to do our usual winter outdoor activities. I think a lot of us are a bit deprived of the benefits of sunlight. But this morning, this sunrise was just beautiful.

And it looks like we will have at least a couple days more of sunshine! I hope you all have a great weekend, and hope you get a chance to get out in the sun. I think that is why I was drawn to this mango pound cake–mangoes taste like sunshine to me. I will be sharing this recipe over at Angie’s virtual potluck Fiesta Friday, co-hosted this week by Zeba @ Food For The Soul and Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook.

Mango Pound Cake

Servings: 8-10
Time: about 20 minutes of prep time and about 30 minutes of baking time
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Ingredients:

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus a little more for greasing the pan
1 and 1/3 cups of granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 and 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, plus a little more for dusting the pan
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of course sea salt
1 and 3/4 cups of diced fresh mango (about 2 mangoes) or thawed from frozen
1/4 cup of buttermilk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of almond extract
confectioners’ sugar for dusting the top (optional)
fresh berries for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and lightly dust it with flour.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until soft, for about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to beat for about 5 more minutes, until the mixture is soft and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until smooth and creamy, about 2 more minutes.

In another large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Place the diced mango, buttermilk, vanilla extract and almond extract in a blender. Puree until very smooth.

In four additions, add the flour mixture and the mango mixture, little by little, to the bowl with the butter mixture, beating after each addition, and alternating adding the wet and dry ingredients. Beat on low speed or gently with a spoon. Mix just until everything is completely combined, but be careful not to over-mix.

Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake in your 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the cake is lightly golden brown on top, springs back when touched, and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.

Allow the cake to cool. When it is cool, flip it upside down on a board and then turn it right side up onto a platter. Dust the top generously with confectioners’ sugar. Or, just leave it in the pan and cut slices from the pan, if desired. Enjoy!

This recipe is adapted from Pati Jinich @ patijinich.com.

Chocolate Honey Cake

February 10, 2017 / Jenny / 10 Comments

Deep, rich, and moist, this chocolate honey cake is naturally sweetened with honey and topped with a strawberry jam glaze. Supremely decadent, yet at the same time full of whole food ingredients, this cake is a beautiful treat.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I have had chocolate and strawberries on my mind. Also, my husband and I will celebrate our wedding anniversary tomorrow! So I wanted to make something special for us. Plus, I always like to bake something sweet for the kids for Valentine’s Day. This cake is the solution for all those things!

The recipe, like many recipes, is a combination of different sources. I adapted the cake recipe from an old favorite cookbook of mine, Mollie Katzen’s The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. (My husband and I went to her restaurant, the Moosewood Restaurant, when we lived in Ithaca, New York! Very delicious!). When I made the cake this time, I used Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder instead of classic cocoa powder, and it turned out great. For the glaze, I got inspiration from the blog dessert for two. The glaze is super-easy to make (just whisk strawberry jam, powdered sugar and milk together), and it adds so much flavor and is such a pretty pink color! We have some of my mom’s delicious homemade strawberry freezer jam in the refrigerator, so the glaze is packed with intense strawberry flavor that goes with the deep flavor of the chocolate beautifully. To be honest, it was hard to finish photographing this cake because I wanted to take a bite so badly!

In addition to our anniversary and Valentine’s Day coming up, it has been an intense week. We have all been working really hard. We all need chocolate from time to time (some of us need it more often than others 🙂 ), and we have earned this treat. Maybe chocolate cannot save the world, but it can definitely do a lot of good for the heart and soul! I hope you all have a great weekend, and stay warm! I will be joining the virtual potluck Fiesta Friday, co-hosted this week by Ai @ Ai Make It For You and Petra @ Food Eat Love.

Chocolate Honey Cake

Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Time: about 15 minutes of prep time and about 30 minutes of baking time
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for the cake:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of unsalted butter (plus a little more for greasing the pan), at room tempterature
1 ounce (1 square) of bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup of honey
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder)
1 cup of unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

for the glaze:

Ingredients:

2/3 cup of powdered sugar
2 heaping tablespoons of strawberry jam
4-6 tablespoons of milk (adjust depending on the consistency you want)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8 x 8 inch square baking dish.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat until just melted.

Pour the honey into a medium-sized mixing bowl. With an electric mixer or a hand mixer, beat the honey for about two minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Then stir in the vanilla extract.

In another medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Stir well with a fork.

Beat the melted butter/chocolate mixture into the honey/egg mixture. Then fold in the dry ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine well. When everything is incorporated, spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish.

Bake in your 350 degree oven for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

While the cake is baking, you can prepare the glaze. In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar, strawberry jam, and milk. Whisk the ingredients together vigorously until a glaze forms. Adjust the consistency if you wish by adding more milk or powdered sugar. When you are ready to serve the cake, spoon or pour the desired amount of glaze over each piece of cake. Enjoy!

Broccoli Buttermilk Soup

January 27, 2017 / Jenny / 12 Comments

Warm, nostalgic comfort in a bowl, that is what I think when I taste a spoonful of this broccoli buttermilk soup. It is creamy without being too heavy, and the buttermilk gives it an extra tangy flavor that blends well with the broccoli and herbs. Two percent milk keeps this soup fairly light while still allowing it to deliver that smooth comforting taste we associate with broccoli soup. Top it with some shredded cheddar cheese, and it is even tastier!

Cold, gray skies make me long for soup. Uncertain times and difficult situations make me long for soup. Soup soothes a heart that is in need of comfort. Whether there is turmoil out in the larger world or turmoil in our daily interactions, the act of making soup is an act of positive creation, and a steaming bowl of soup represents the intent of that positive creation.

The richness, the creaminess, offset by the earthy flavor of the broccoli, has such a grounding, calming, and nourishing effect. This recipe is based on one I found in my Hollyhocks & Radishes cookbook by Bonnie Stewart Mickelson. It is quick and easy to make, and tastes great for lunch or as a side dish with a sandwich for a cozy dinner. Broccoli soup is a classic soup that has so many positive associations and memories for me. Sometimes a classic, nostalgic soup is just what a person needs.

With the weather so gray and with no snow on the ground, we have been doing some indoor things this month. One very simple and fun trip was to the conservatory at the botanical gardens near us. What a great place to visit in the winter! The air in the conservatory is warm and humid, and there are beautiful plants and flowers blooming everywhere. It’s like being magically transported to a tropical paradise for awhile!

Another fun winter trip was to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. My son is a car enthusiast, and so my husband’s brother and his wife, who know their way around Detroit, took us to the auto show and on a tour of part of the city as well. We thoroughly enjoyed this day, and Detroit is a city rich in history and positive aspects. One unexpected bonus of that day was listening to a concert by a jazz band from the Detroit School of Arts. Very inspirational for my kids, who both love music.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and if you are looking for a broccoli soup recipe, this one is really delicious! Stay warm and take care! I will be sharing this recipe over at Angie’s virtual potluck, Fiesta Friday. And I am sharing this quote that caught my eye today: “Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Broccoli Buttermilk Soup

Servings: 6-8
Time: about 30 minutes total
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Ingredients:

1/2 of a medium sized onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of butter
4 cups of chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon of dried sage
1/2 teaspoons of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1 and 1/2 pounds of broccoli (or about 2 large heads of broccoli), chopped to the size you want it
4 tablespoons of butter
6 tablespoons of flour
2 cups of milk (I used 2% milk)
1 cup of buttermilk
a dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
shredded cheddar cheese for the top (optional)

Directions:

In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Sauté the onion until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil, and then add the chopped broccoli. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the broccoli is tender.

In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and continue to stir with the whisk until it is bubbly and smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and buttermilk and stir until the mixture just thickens.

Add the milk mixture to the chicken broth/broccoli mixture. Continue to stir until everything is combined and very hot, but do not allow the soup to boil. Adjust the seasonings to your taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired. Enjoy!

This recipe is adapted from Hollyhock & Radishes by Bonnie Stewart Mickelson.