cake of the month, part 6: prince william’s groom’s cake

Remember when I oh-so-casually mentioned that I am distantly related to the Lady Kate Middleton?  Well, apparently obscure genealogical relations don’t get you an invite to the royal wedding.  Or even to the royal bridal shower! I mean, the nerve!  If anyone should’ve been there to see the Queen Mum give Kate a ten-piece set of non-stick cookware, it’s me.

But in the interest of peace during the Christmas season, I decided to put my anger and disappointment aside and instead embrace the royal couple by making Prince William’s Groom’s Cake.

I say “making” and not “baking” because, though he will someday be ruler of all the British land with lots of money and plenty of schmancy bakers on-call, Prince William apparently prefers refrigerator cakes to a more elaborate concoction.  How very approachable of him.

What’s a refrigerator cake? Well, it’s a cake that requires no baking.  You use ingredients that are pre-baked (like the cookie/crackers used here) and, in this case, lots of melted chocolate chips.  Like, bags of them.  Yummm…

The end result is a treat that resembles a cake, but tastes like a giant, extra-chocolatey Milano cookie.  It’s crumbly and doesn’t cut all that easily, but that certainly didn’t deter myself or the Thanksgiving crowd I shared it with.

Check out the other Cakes of the Month!

June

July

August

September

October

holiday pumpkin bread

Andddddd I’m back.  The last time we chatted, ’twas the night before Thanksgiving and I was in baking/cooking hyper-drive.  I ended up working well into the night on cakes, broccoli salad, and candied pecans, all of which I’ll be sharing with you soon (the recipes are definitely keepers).  But today I want to share something I whipped up last night on a whim.  A treat that was almost an after thought.   A recipe for Holiday Pumpkin Bread from King Arthur Flour.

Now, if you aren’t familiar with King Arthur Flour’s wonderful website AND blog, then hop over there right now (but make sure you come back). Lovely, right?  I just can’t get enough of it and have been known to spend inordinate amounts of time oohing and ahhing over the beautiful photos.  But, I have to give full credit to my cousin’s amigo, Andrew, for pointing me in the direction of this particular recipe.   We were catching up the Friday after Thanksgiving, and he casually mentioned that he had made this amazing pumpkin bread that was a hit at the holiday table.

I immediately assumed he was talking about a sweet bread (like banana bread or zucchini bread), but after a little Googling, I realized he had made a more standard, dinner table-type loaf.  And being a sucker for fresh baked bread, I picked up the few ingredients I didn’t have on hand and set to work.  Though “work” really is an overstatement.  You toss the bread ingredients in a bowl (including the yeast–since it’s rapid rise, no proofing is necessary), knead them with your hands or stand mixer, and then let the sticky dough rise in a lightly oiled bowl.

Take your dough and braid it according to the directions, then create a dough-wreath in the center of a lightly greased cake pan.  Let it rise one more time and then bake it.  Simple.

I halved the recipe, because we certainly don’t need two enticing bread loaves around this house right after a major eating holiday, and the loaf came out beautifully (bake it for slightly less than the prescribed 30 minutes, if you’re doing just one loaf like me).  The flavor is lightly pumpkin-y, and even Nater Nater Pumpkin Hater enjoyed a few slices for breakfast this morning.  I consider that a real holiday miracle.

pork chops with spinach and shallots

Does anyone else feel like the days before a holiday drag on, and on, and on, and on, and…

This Monday, for example, was the longest day ever.  Tuesday was twice as long as that.  And Wednesday…well, don’t get me started.  I was positive that I worked 36 hours today, except that the sun didn’t set and my desk calendar kept assuring me that, nope, it’s still just November 23.  There could be some sort of conspiracy going on, but I’m too busy to figure it out.  Because tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I have baking to do!

But even before one of the best food holidays of the year, a gal and her husband still need to eat a sensible dinner.  Preferably one that isn’t too heavy, and the quicker the better.

So, I went to the trusty interwebs, to one of my new favorite sites, Skinny Taste.  She had a recipe for pork chops, shallots, and mushrooms that looked awesome.  But I didn’t have mushrooms.   What I did have was frozen, chopped spinach, so I did a wee bit of subbing, and came up with pork chops with spinach and shallots.  And I have to admit, I’m pretty impressed.

The pork chops were so juicy.  The spinach was best flavor buddies with the shallots, and were a fantastic stand in for the mushrooms.

I tweaked the recipe a bit, so I’m sharing it down below.  But if shallots and mushrooms are right up your alley, then I’m sure the original recipe will be just as delicious.

Pork Chops with Spinach and Shallots

Adapted from Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Shallots, Skinny Taste

-1 tsp butter

-4 pork chops (boneless), 1 inch thick

-1 tsp kosher salt

-fresh ground pepper

-1 shallot, finely chopped

-3/4 cup chicken stock

-10 oz pkg of frozen, chopped spinach, cooked following microwave directions on the box

-1 tbsp dijon mustard

In a large frying pan, head butter over medium-low heat.  Season chops with salt and pepper.  Once the butter has melted in the pan, raise the heat to medium and sauté the pork chops for 7 minutes.  Turn and cook until the chops are browned and done to medium, about 7 minutes longer.  Remove chops to a plate and tent the plate with tinfoil.

Add shallots to the pan and cook, stirring until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add the stock to deglaze the pan, stir in the mustard, then add the spinach.  Season with fresh pepper and cook for about 3 minutes.  Add the chops back to the pan for an additional five minutes, until thermometer in the center of the chop reads 160 degrees.

Enjoy!

madelines

Unfortunately for my husband, I recently found out that I’m (very) distantly related to Princess Kate Middleton.

I say unfortunately because he has now spent the past few weeks listening to me babble on about tiaras, etiquette, fascinators, and how she seems so in love with William.  Which I’d have to say,even if I didn’t think so.  I mean, the Prince is family now.

I guess you could say I’m taking my new relation to royalty in stride.  I’ve got the cupped-hand-pivoting-on-the-wrist wave down.  My accent is a solid 70% British, with about 20% accidental slips into Australian, and 10% slips into Jamaican, mon.  And I’m even starting to understand the rules of cricket.

All of these changes will ensure that when (not “if”) I meet the Princess, she will be overjoyed to know that I am her kin.  Then she will invite me to a sleepover at the royal palace, and we’ll paint each other’s nails and play tricks on the Queen Mum.  Pip pip cheerio, etc.

In the meantime, I’m embracing the British tradition of afternoon tea, complete with “biscuits” (cookies).  Specifically, Madelines.

Part cookie, part cake, Madelines are a fluffy, buttery shortbread.  Shaped like a seashell (I don’t totally understand that part, but I go with it).  Add lemon or orange zest for a bright flavor, or some almond extract for a more warm and homey touch.  Or leave them plain.  It’s like trying to choose the prettiest crown jewel–there is no right or wrong answer.

three-minute chocolate peanut butter fudge

You know how they say that there are moments in life that will define you?  Moments that you will look back on and think, there’s a line drawn in the sand of my mind, and there’s only me before that moment and me after that moment.  Have you had one of those moments yet?

Well, now you have.  This is one of those moments.  Yes, the moment you learned about three-minute fudge.  Everything before this moment will pale in comparison.  Have you graduated from college?  Gotten married?  Had kids?  These events will now seem like teeny, tiny blips on the radar of your history.

Am I overselling this a bit?  I’d argue that I’m not overselling this enough.  Fudge in three minutes!  It’s practically a miracle, and it isn’t even Christmas yet.

Better still, all it requires are four ingredients (one of which is water), a bowl, a spoon, and a microwave.  Yes, that easy.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Gather your materials:

-1 and 1/2 cups of chocolate morsels (I used Ghirardelli semi-sweets)

-1/2 cup of sweetened, condensed milk

-1/4 cup of peanut butter

-1 tablespoon of water

-Any topping you can imagine (I used peanut butter chips, but I imagine toffee bits, chopped up white chocolate morsels, mini-marshmallows, anything really, would be amazing)

First, combine the morsels, condensed milk, peanut butter, and water in a microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave the mixture for 30 seconds, stir, and then return the mixture to the microwave.  Nuke it for 30 more seconds.  Stir again.  If the mixture is smooth (and it probably will be by now), pour the melted mixture into an 8×8 Pyrex baking pan (no Pam or greasing necessary).  If it isn’t smooth yet, give the mixture a spin for another 30 seconds.

Sprinkle your toppings on top of the fudge, gently pressing them into the surface, and then pop the Pyrex into the fridge for about 2 hours to set.  Cut the fudge into squares and put in a tupperware in the fridge until you’re ready to consume.  Which will be immediately.

Then, BAM, consider your life changed.  For the better, and fudgey-er, of course.

chicken with creamy mushrooms and peas

I went to the mall the other day. Which, if you know me, is no small feat.

Namely because I hate the mall.  With a passion.

Yes, it contains pretty jars of glittery eye shadow and tubes of lotion that smell like baked goods and shoes out the wazoo.  Yes, you can try everything on BEFORE buying, instead of having to hope for the best when you’re flip-flopping between ordering the skinny jeans and the slightly-less-skinny jeans.  And, yes, you get to go home and play with your goodies right away–no waiting for the UPS guy to arrive.

But there are people there.  And not your normal, run of the mill people.  No, these are frantic people.  Harried people.  People with screaming babies covered in food court ice cream. People who hoard a dressing room for an hour, using the one sales clerk as their personal shopper.  People who work at kiosks and follow you around the mall shouting, “Ma’am, may I ask you a question?” NO, you may not.

When I was younger, I could spend all day in a mall.  Nowadays, I can typically stand somewhere in the vicinity of 30 minutes before I run screaming.  Nate has gotten used to this and is no longer disturbed by my 100 meter dash-like shopping trips.

But I digress.  I went to the mall the other day and left feeling a hundred years older.  So I went home, made the Food Network’s Chicken with Creamy Mushrooms and Peas (a phenomenally yummy and easy dinner), and felt 100 percent better and one hundred years younger.  Amazing what food can do, huh?

I mean, this dinner is as easy as pie without nearly the number of calories.  The chicken is crispy and flavorful, and you’ll be doing the happy tummy dance (a little something I invented that includes a combination of rubbing your belly and shaking your money maker) with every chicken/pea/mushroom bite.

Don’t you want to have a happy tummy dance moment?  Call it an early Christmas present from yours truly.

chicken rollatini with zucchini, mozzarella, and parmesan

Has anyone else noticed that the daylight hours have gone from “abundant” to “zilch”?

Now, before you let out a resounding, “DUH,” let me explain.  I get that starting with the summer solstice, the days start getting incrementally shorter.  But I honestly didn’t notice the difference until this week.

I mean, I’m waking up in darkness.  I coming home in darkness.  And that isn’t the worst of it. All of this pitch-blackness means I spend the first four hours of my work day trying to wake up.  Which isn’t a pretty sight.  Instead of a fresh-faced youth, my coworkers have to contend with a squinting, grumbling, frowning gremlin.

My already-waning energy levels only decline throughout the day, leaving me with barely enough strength to press the buttons on the remote by the time I arrive home.  Meaning a complex dinner is almost always out of the question, leaving me to consider only the simplest concoctions in my repertoire as dinner options.

Thus, Chicken Rollatini with Zucchini, Mozzarella, and Parmesan.  Long name, short prep, tasty (and pretty!) results.  Think the yumminess of chicken cordon bleu without the ham (and added calories).  Wonderful.

For this recipe and other lovely, healthy dinner ideas, check out SkinnyTaste.com.