Dinner Tonight- Baked Pasta

Just before Christmas we had dear friends over for dinner and they requested this dish. It is supposed to be made with spaghetti, I decided to try something different and used spiral-shaped pasta instead, and it was not as good in my opinion. I will stick to spaghetti from now on.

Ingredients: 

1lbs. spaguetti

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 lbs. ground beef

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

6 button mushrooms, sliced ( clean mushrooms with damp paper towel before slicing)

2 minced cloves of garlic

2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes

1 (15oz) can tomato sauce

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend

Directions: 

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. 

In a large Dutch oven, cook beef and garlic salt over medium-high heat until beef is browned and crumbly. Drain; set aside.

In the same pot, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, mushroom, and garlic, saute until tender. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Add beef, bring to a boil. Remove from heat. 

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup sauce on bottom of prepared pan, Top with half of spaghetti noodles, half of spaghetti sauce, and 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients, ending with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until  cheese melts.

                                  The main dish.

We served it with a simple homemade white bread; and had tomato brushetta ( made by Dear Husband) and olive tapenade ( store bought) to top it up.

Bolo Formiga ( Coconut/Chocolate Cake)

I haven't posted anything in a while, I have been on vacation and doing a whole bunch of nothing. One would think that with more time in my hands I would post more, but it turns out the less you do the less you want to do! Anyways, yesterday some Brazilians friends and I had a small get together and I brought one my favorite cakes from my childhood, bolo formiga ( which translates into Ant Cake because the sprinkles on top look like ants are crawling on it). I decided to bake it on a bundt pan to look pretty, and it was, but it was also too heavy for that pan. Next time I will stick to a regular 9x13.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 cups of sugar

2 cups of flour

1 cup of milk

1 cup shredded coconut

3/4 cup chocolate sprinkles

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup butter

Ingredients for the Frosting:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 can milk ( I use the condensed milk can for measuring)

1/2 chocolate powder ( I use Nesquik)

1/4 cup butter

Directions for  the cake:

Beat eggs and sugar until creamy. Add flour and milk alternating them, starting and ending with the flour. Beat well. Then stir in coconut, chocolate sprinkles, and baking powder. Bake at 350F on a greased and floured pan for about 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove cake from pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Directions for frosting:

In Brazil this frosting is called brigadeiro, and is something that everybody grows up learning how to make, as it is a staple dessert made very often. It can be eaten alone, as frostings, fillings, flavored with fruit....the possibilities are endless. It actually deserves its own posting, I will work on that.

Back to the directions: put all the ingredients on a pot over medium-high heat and stir it non-stop for about 30 minutes, until it resembles pudding consistency and feels "spreadable"

Pour the frosting on top of the cake, top generously with chocolate sprinkles and enjoy!

Nutty Caramel Corn

Last Sunday the Brazilian community had a Christmas party here in Central Texas, potluck style. Dear Husband and I brought turkey and cranberry sauce. For no reason other than  I was feeling like it, I decided to make some Nutty Caramel Corn to give out as party favors. Because we had 22 families present I made 2 batches, which was no big deal since it is really easy and fast. The only thing is that because it yields a lot four hands are really needed to stir the syrup with the popcorn, and I am lucky Dear Husband was eager to help me.

I am going to post the basic recipe but keep in mind you can customize it according to your taste, add more sugar, less peanut butter, different types of nuts - just make sure you don't skip the vanilla or the baking soda at the end, as they make the final product come together.

Ingredients:

3 packages plain microwave popcorn

1 cup salted peanuts

1 cup roasted almonds

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cups butter, cubed

3/4 cup corn syrup ( I used light)

3/4 cup peanut butter ( I used creamy)

1/2 cup molasses ( spray the measuring cup with a little cooking spray, this works for the corn syrup as well)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup pecan halves

Directions:

Pop popcorn in the microwave as usual. After all bags are popped put it all in a very large bowl, remove the unpopped kernels and add the pecans, mixing well. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the peanuts, almonds, brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, peanut butter and molasses. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and baking soda ( mixture will foam, pretty cool).

Add hot syrup mixture to popcorn and toss to coat, this is where you need 4 hands due to large amount. Be aware it will be sticky, but you can spray your hands with some cooking spray to make your life easier. Spread onto parchment paper, wait ten minutes until it cools, break into chunks for easy storage and consumption.

                  In take-out boxes ready to be gifted.

                   In the pan, a delicious sticky mix.

At the end, after adding vanilla and baking soda, ready to be mixed with popcorn.

              Cooling on parchment paper.

Pao-de-Queijo( Brazilian Cheese Bread)

This is comfort food at its best! A light, gluten-free bread that is light and fluffy and Oh So Tasty! In Brazil we usually eat it in the morning with our coffee, or in the afternoon with tea. Here in the US the expats serve it as an appetizer. But I promise you it's good anytime with anything! I made some last night for our baby-shower planning get together, but forgot to add salt! That's what happens when one tries to do too much in too little time. So we added salt as we ate, it was still good but not as good as the 'real' thing. Oh well there is always time.

There are as many versions of pao de queijo as there are Brazilians, I like this one because it's so light. But it yields a lot, about 48 little breads. When making 1/2 recipe use 3 eggs.

Ingredients:

5 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
3 cups tapioca flour ( called polvilho in Portuguese)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese ( I always use DiGiorno)
1 tablespoon salt

Direction:

Preheat oven to 375F. Blend all the ingredients together in a blender, pour into greased mini-muffin pans. Bake for 18 minutes. Enjoy!

                     These are best when fresh out of the oven!

Lemon Cake

I had a girl's get together last night, it is always so much fun to eat and talk thru the evening. I am only sorry I work, otherwise I could do it every day! Imagine the possibilities! Back to reality, yesterday's gathering was particularly special, as we were planning for the upcoming baby shower of a dear friend. Stay tuned for the goodies that we will  be making for that occasion.
I baked a new lemon cake recipe, and as Dear Husband put it " It's a keeper!" Sooooo moist and bursting with delicious lemon flavor.

Lemon Cake ( Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients for the cake

1 cup butter ( no substitutes), softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
5 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sour cream

Ingredients for the Icing:

1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in lemon juice, peel and extract. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternatively with sour cream. Beat just until combined.

Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350F. for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

For icing, in a small mixing bowl, beat the sour cream and butter, until blended. Gradually add confectioner's sugar. Beat in lemon juice and peel. Drizzle over the cake. Store in refrigerator.

 The final product. I didn't have time to let the cake cool completely before icing it, therefore it melted and feel on the pan.

                     My fancy lemon squeezer LOL.

                           Zesting the lemon.

Pumpkin Bread

One of my favorite things about fall is baking with pumpkin. The cool weather combined with the sweet aroma of pumpkins makes for such a cozy feeling. I wish it could be fall all year- althought I probably wouln't appreciate it as much.
I decided to bake some pumpkin bread a couple of nights ago since I still have some frozen pumpkin puree left over from the giant pumpkin I baked the other day. I had to substitute walnuts for pecans because I accidentaly burned my walnuts, that's what happens when one doens't pay atttention! I must take charge of the ADHD in me. Despite that it came out pretty good, nice and moist. Speaking of moist, because the pumpkin was frozen and thawed it was very liquidy, so I added a little less oil than the recipe called for. Another thing I always do, even when the recipe doesns't call for it, is lightly toasting my nuts, it really enhances the flavor.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread ( Epicurious Recipe)

Ingredients

3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 16-oz can solid pack pumpkin
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts ( optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans. Beat sugar and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin. Sift flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir in pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Mix in walnuts, if desired.

Divide batter equally between prepared pans. bake until tester inserterd into center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool.

                                   Loaves cooling on rack. Yum!

                                 I love the color of the fresh pumpkin.

                                 Going into the oven.