A couple of announcements

I know I haven't posted here for a while, but that's because I've just finished cooking something I've had in the oven for the past nine months:

That's Andrew, and he's been taking up most of my time lately, so I haven't had too much of a chance to be in the kitchen.

I'd also like to mention that I'm honored to have joined The Foodie Blogroll, hosted by Jenn (a.k.a. The Leftover Queen). As soon as things settle down around here, I'm excited to start exploring this wonderful forum, and to resume my adventures in the kitchen!

Strawberry Margarita Cake

¡Olé! My office celebrated cinco de mayo on Friday with a Mexican-themed potluck, complete with tacos and fajitas and all the fixins. I knew I wanted to make something, but I kind of had a lot going on last week and I didn't want to commit to anything too labor-intensive (such as the margarita cheesecake I originally signed up to make...I didn't really feel like messing with a "water bath" or any such thing; I'll have to save that one for another time).

Betty Crocker to the rescue! On the very day I needed to do my shopping for the potluck, I got my weekly e-mail from Betty Crocker, which included a recipe for strawberry margarita cake. I couldn't think of a thing that sounded more delicious and festive, and it looked really low-maintenance. And, it was alcohol-free...which meant that little old pregnant me would be able to enjoy it, too.

I'm so glad I decided to go with this recipe! It was so simple to make; I'd forgotten how convenient boxed cake mixes can be sometimes. Everyone at work raved about how delicious this cake was, and it was gone before I could even get picture of it! It offered the perfect balance of sweetness from the strawberry margarita mix and tartness from the lime zest, and it was really moist, just like the cake mix box promised! A definite winner, and one I'll probably be going back to every cinco de mayo!


Strawberry Margarita Cake
Source, recipe and photo: Betty Crocker

3/4 cup bottled strawberry-flavored non-alcoholic margarita drink mix
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix
Vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box
1 tablespoon grated lime peel
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Strawberries, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350° (325° for dark or nonstick pan). Grease (or lightly spray with cooking spray) bottom only of 13 x 9-inch pan. Add enough water to drink mix to measure 1 1/4 cups.

2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, drink mix, oil and egg whites on low speed 2 minutes. Pour into pan. Bake and cool as directed on box.

3. Gently stir peel into whipped topping; spread over top of cake. Garnish with strawberries, if desired. Store covered in refrigerator.

Root Beer Pulled Pork

No baking this weekend; there was too much cake left over from my baby shower on Saturday for me to justify bringing even more sweets into the house!

Saturday was a busy day all-around, and since I knew I just wanted to relax today, for dinner tonight I wanted something very low-maintenance. Pulled pork sandwiches have sounded good to me for quite a while, so I thought I'd try a recipe I've seen variations of on a lot of food blogs: root beer pulled pork cooked in the slow cooker.

This was an absolutely delicious meal! The root beer added a nice, subtle flavor to the pork, and the meat was so tender it just fell apart. Very, very yummy -- I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! My changes are in purple.


Root Beer Pulled Pork
Source: All Recipes

1 2-pound pork tenderloin
Salt, pepper and garlic powder
1 12-ounce bottle or can of root beer (I used A&W)
1 18-ounce bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used KC Masterpiece honey-flavored)
8 hamburger buns

1. Season pork tenderloin with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place the pork in a slow cooker and pour root beer over the meat.

2. Cover and cook on low until well-cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Drain well.

3. Stir in barbecue sauce and serve over hamburger buns. Top with cole slaw, if desired.

Cheese-Filled Meatloaf; Mashed Cauliflower

Meat loaf and mashed potatoes is one of those meals that just screams comfort for me. After a long day at work today and a baby kicking me persistently in the ribs all evening, some comfort was just what I needed.

Last year, I saw a recipe for meat loaf in one of my Taste of Home magazines that, for some reason, just stuck with me. It was a stuffed meat loaf, filled with sour cream, cheese and pimiento-stuffed olives. I'd been wanting to try it for a long time, and tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity. I decided to try something new with the "mashed potatoes" portion of the meal: I mashed cauliflower instead. I've seen this idea floating around on a couple of the food blogs I frequent, and I wanted to create my own spin on it.

The meat loaf turned out great, besides the fact that it fell apart and thus ended up looking nothing like the pretty picture in my cookbook. Yeah...I'm not so good at rolling things up, apparently. I may want to avoid jelly rolls this holiday season until I practice a little bit more. The meat loaf itself was delicious, though, despite its appearance: very moist inside, and crusty on top just like I like it. The pimientos gave it a nice tang, and the sour cream added a nice flavor and interesting texture. The cauliflower was delicious, too; I chose not to puree mine and instead left it a little bit chunky -- just like I enjoy my mashed potatoes. The verdict: Mashed cauliflower really does provide the same comfort factor as a steaming pile of mashed potatoes. I'll definitely make both dishes again. My modifications are in purple.


Cheese-Filled Meat Loaf
Source: Taste of Home 2008 Annual Recipes

1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup crushed cornflakes (I didn't have any, so I used regular potato chips instead)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons finely chopped celery (I omitted)
1 teaspoon salt (I used 1/2 teaspoon, since I used salty potato chips)
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 cup (4 ounces) finely shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives

1. In a large bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. On a large piece of heavy-duty foil, pat beef mixture into a rectangle. Sprinkle sour cream to within 1/2 inch of edges. Sprinkle with cheese and olives.

2. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting with a short side and peeling away foil while rolling. Seal seam and ends. Place seam side down in a greased 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish.

3. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 65-75 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink and meat thermometer reads 160°. Let meat loaf stand for 10 minutes before slicing. 6 servings.

*****


Mashed Cauliflower
Source: Cassie

1 medium head cauliflower
1 can chicken broth
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used colby-jack)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook cauliflower in a saucepan over medium-high heat in chicken broth until tender, 10-12 minutes (add some water to cover, if necessary). Drain.

2. Mash cauliflower with a potato masher (or puree, if desired). Stir in sour cream, butter, cream cheese, shredded cheese and salt and pepper.

LiveSTRONG: Glazed Pineapple Cookies

When I think of the words "live" and "strong," the first person that comes to mind is my mom, because strongly is exactly how she lived her life. That's why, when I recently learned about the A Taste of Yellow blogging event (hosted by Barbara at winosandfoodies) I knew I had to take part: to remember my mom and others who lost their battle with cancer, to celebrate those who won, and to raise awareness for this horrible disease.

My mom's battle with cancer began when I was nine years old. She was diagnosed with brain cancer on Halloween of 1992. After two surgeries, two rounds of radiation and some intensive chemotherapy, she was declared cancer-free, which she remained until 2005. In February of 2005, though, her routine yearly MRI revealed that the cancer had returned to her brain, and this time it was determined to take her. She had two more surgeries and countless rounds of chemotherapy, but she finally succumbed to the disease on January 22, 2007.

My mom was the strongest woman I have ever known and will ever know -- independent, with an engaging personality and a smile that was a more brilliant yellow than any food I could possibly make. People gravitated towards her for a reason; she exuded confidence, strength and faith every single moment she lived. Even as she died, her faith and her strength remained. I can't even begin to describe what it felt like to lose her -- what it still feels like as I wake up every day without her in my life. I hope that I can be half the mother -- half the woman -- she was.


It's shocking how many lives and how many families are affected by cancer. That's why the work that Lance Armstrong's foundation and other organizations around the country do is so important. I have to believe that, with enough awareness and research, our world can be free of this terrible disease.

Okay, enough seriousness! On to the food. As soon as I learned about this event, I knew I wanted to use pineapple as my "something yellow." Spring is upon us now, and nothing says spring to me like a deliciously tangy and juicy pineapple. I found a scrumptious-sounding recipe for pineapple cookies in one of my cookbooks, so I decided to go for it. They don't really look very yellow after baking, but they're wonderful cookies. Their texture is both moist and cake-like, and I love the little explosion of pineapple flavor in every bite. I think the addition of some toasted coconut mixed in with the glaze would add a nice tropical flavor, so I may try that next time. Hmmm...And now that I think about it, some white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts would be a nice addition to this cookie, too! Really, though, they're delicious just as they are. (Also, I know I glazed my cookies when they were still too warm, because the glaze ran everywhere...but I just couldn't resist! I had to try one of the cookies immediately, and it was worth it!)


Glazed Pineapple Cookies
Source: The Ultimate Cookie Collection (page 52)

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple
1/2 cup shortening (I used butter-flavored)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Drain the pineapple, reserving 3 tablespoons juice. Set pineapple aside; set juice aside for glaze. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add egg; mix well. Add pineapple and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture.

2. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 17-20 minutes or until golden. Immediately remove to wire racks to cool.

3. For glaze, in a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar with enough of reserved pineapple juice to achieve a smooth consistency. Spoon glaze over cooled cookies.