Mmmmm Cake!

Another thing to share in order to catch up! A co worker at work had a birthday, so I decided to make a cake. Everyone was pretty excited seeing as how a) they got cake and b) it was the first time since they all started working together that someone actually recognized that people had birthdays!

I decided to forgo my normal box cake mix when making SPECIAL cakes, so I used a recipe from my KitchenAid directions/cookbook. This was also my first attempt outside the world of fondant.

KitchenAid Easy White Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup low-fat milk (I used skim and it was fine)

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 egg whites

Combine dry ingredients in mixer bowl. Add shortening, milk, and vanilla. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to speed 2 (low) and mix about one minute. Stop and scrape bowl. Add egg whites. Turn to speed 6 and beat about 1 minute or until smooth and fluffy.

Pour batter into two greased and floured 8 or 9 inch round baking pans (uh, I used square; big surprise). Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack. Frost if desired.

IF DESIRED?! Well of course you must have MORE SUGAR in the form of frosting or icing :)I used Wilton's Buttercream Icing, but I think I used too much milk.

http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Buttercream-Icing

TaDa! My first attempt at a buttercream cake :)

Well, my next attempt is more cheesecake :)

Buffalo Chicken Pizza and Devilish Chicken and Cool Green Beans

Change on 9/12/10- Gluten Free notes for the chicken dish at the bottom of this post.

Ok, so I know it's been a REALLY long time since I posted, but I have been cooking. So I have a back log of yummy recipes to show. Woohoo!

First up is another pizza. Well...when you're married to a pizza lover and a buffalo chicken lover, why not make a Buffalo Chicken Pizza? I didn't really have a recipe for this; I just kind of made it up. I did pretty much the same thing for the dough as my last pizza, and the sauce was pretty similar, too. I put both Blue Cheese crumbles as well as a shredded cheddar and mozzarella blend on top. For the buffalo chicken, I created a sauce from Tobasco sauce believe it or not. It was kind of surprising to me. I finished it off with sliced green onions, and here is the result!

And my taster enjoyed, but he got a little tongue burn from being too excited to eat it!

Next up is a recipe that I've made before. Henry's parents and littlest sister came into town one weekend, and I made this Devilish Chicken and Cool Green Beans from my Rachael Ray 30-minute Get Real Meals cookbook, so I decided to make it again since we liked it so much. It's rare for me to make things twice, so you have to know this is good for me to make it again.

Mmmmm....as it simmers!

OH boy! The green beans are a steamin'. I added these little guys as a compliment to dinner, and my compliments go to Mr. Pillsbury. Haha! I just really wanted to use my small bar pan from Pampered Chef. Thanks Ronnie, Teresa, Ash, and Chase!As it was plated, Henry was drooling I'm pretty sure...
Ok, so that's all for now, but I do have more to show you :) They will be more of the sugary kind, so be prepared! For all who thought, "Oh she's not cooking since she got a job," oh no no. I'm still at it, just not posting as often. More to come though!

New: It's December 2nd, and my sweet friend Courtney has just made me realize that I have not included the recipe for this Devilish Chicken. So sorry all! Please enjoy this recipe, as it's most definitely a reasonable yummy one! From Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Get Real Meals...

Devilish Chicken and Cool Green Beans

Yields 4 Servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons EVOO

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon dry mustard or 1 tablespoon spicy mustard

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 6 to 8 ounces each

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, quartered lengthwise, and sliced into thin strips

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth

1 to 1 1/2 lbs green beans, stem end trimmed

10 fresh mint leaves, chopped

A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons cold butter

Directions

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of EVOO (twice around the pan) over medium-high heat. Mix the paprika and mustard with some salt and pepper and season chicken breasts on both sides. Add the seasoned chicken to the skillet and brown on the first side for three minutes, flip, and then sear the second side, 2 minutes. Remove the chicken and reserve on a plate under a foil tent. To the pan, add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes. Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock to the vegetables and bring it to a simmer. Add the reserved chicken back to the pan and cook for 10 minutes more, turning the chicken over every now and then.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the cool green beans. Heat a medium skillet with the remaining tablespoon of EVOO, then add the green beans, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken stock and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the green beans are tender. Add the mint and half of the parsley.

Remove the chicken from the skillet to a platter. To finish the sauce, turn the heat off and add the remaining parsley and butter, stirring to melt the butter. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve both the chicken and green beans immediately.

Make it Gluten-Free!
-Ensure that your chicken stock is gluten free.  Some brands are gluten free while others are not.