Fun in Newport, KY…
Posted in Entertainment, Fun, Photography, Travel | Tagged Newport On The Levee, Travel, Wordless Wednesday |
Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows that I LOVE chocolate and I think caramel is pretty tasty, too. My MIL subscribes to a magazine called “Midwest Living”, which is a lot like Southern Living just about the Midwest. This awesome looking cake was featured in one of these books and I knew I had to make it as soon as possible.
I think I have found my new favorite cake recipe because this is one of the best things that I have ever put in my mouth. I am not a coffee fan. Love the smell, hate the taste, so I have never been brave enough to try a chocolate cake recipe with brewed coffee as an ingredient. Coffee is included in this cake and now I know why so many recipes to include it. There wasn’t a strong coffee flavor, and the cake was so moist from it. This would make an awesome birthday cake or even a groom’s cake. It is that good!
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk (see note)
2/3 cup cooking oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder + a little extra for dusting the pans
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Frosting (see recipe)
1 1/2 cups pecan halves, toasted
3/4 cup purchased caramel ice cream topping
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 9” cake pans by spraying with non-stick spray and dusting with extra cocoa powder. Then line them with wax paper circle. In a small bowl, combine the egg, buttermilk and cooking oil.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, beating with an electric mixer until combined. Gradually beat in hot coffee. Pour batter into prepared pans; spread evenly. Layers will appear thin.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes in the pans then turn the cake layers out of the pans to cool completely.
Chocolate Frosting
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter
12 ounce package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate pieces
1 – 2 teaspoons freshly brewed hot coffee
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and milk. Add butter. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add semisweet chocolate pieces. Using a wire whisk, mix until smooth. If frosting is too thick or grainy, stir in coffee.
Now here comes the fun part…
Place 1 cake layer, top-side down, onto a serving plate. Using an icing spatula or wide knife, frost the top of this layer with one-third of the frosting, pushing it out slightly from edges to make ripple or petal effect. Arrange one-third of the pecans on top and drizzle with 1/4 cup of the ice cream topping. Top with the second layer, top-side down. Repeat with frosting, pecans and caramel topping. Top with the third layer, right side up. Repeat with remaining frosting, pecans and caramel topping. Chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving.
Just look at all that decadence. Mmmmm…wish I had a piece right now.
Posted in Cooking | Tagged Baking, Cake, Caramel, Chocolate, Cooking, Midwest Living Magazine, Turtle Cake | 18 Comments »
Welcome to this Friday’s edition of Book Beginnings here at Picture Perfect Cooking. Join me and other avid readers/bloggers over at Rose City Reader for this awesome link party that highlights the books we are or have been reading recently.
Today I am bringing you the first lines of a young adult book named "The Mortal Instruments Books 1: City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare. A few short months ago, I wouldn’t be caught dead reading young adult fiction because I thought I was too old for the drama and angst of this genre. I am here to tell you that I was so so wrong. Not all of YA fiction is my cup of tea, but I have really enjoyed a few series such as Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. Here is the first paragraph of City Of Bones:
" "You’ve got to be kidding me," the bouncer said, folding his arms across his massive chest. He stared down at the boy in the red zip-up jacket and shook his shaved head. "You can’t bring that thing in here." "
Now I will admit that these first words are not the most inspiring, but the book is pretty good. The writing style is a little more simple than HP or Hunger Games, but so far it has been enjoyable. Enjoyable enough that I will more than likely read the rest of the series when time permits
Posted in Books | Tagged Book Beginnings, Books, Cassandra Clare, City of Bones, The Mortal Instruments | 1 Comment »
Baby burley…
Posted in Home | Tagged Farm, Home, Wordless Wednesday | 1 Comment »
Can there be too many versions of taco soup? I don’t think so, especially when it originates from a local source. A lot of local churches produce cookbooks for fundraisers and this recipe comes from a co-worker’s church. Well, the original comes from this cookbook, but I changed it up a little or maybe a lot. This called for three different kinds of beans and I am just not a huge bean eater so I pared that down to one kind. I also cut back on the amount of ground beef to make it a little more economical and it didn’t hurt the taste at all.
1 lb. ground beef
1 15oz. can pinto beans
2 10oz. cans chopped tomatoes with green chiles
1 29oz. can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can Mexicorn
1 pkg. taco seasoning
Cook the ground beef and onion until the beef is cooked through. Rinse and drain beans. Mix all of the ingredients together in a large pot and simmer on medium-low for 30 minutes. Top with shredded cheese if desired. If the soup is thicker than you want, add about 2 cups of water while it is simmering.
That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!
Posted in Cooking | Tagged Cooking, Soup, Taco Soup | 3 Comments »
It has been a few weeks since my last gardening update and, my goodness, how things have changed! C & I have been munching on lettuce for a couple of weeks now and it is so so good. The cucumbers have tiny little cucumbers growing so I seeded the second generation this past weekend.
The green peppers are doing great with one plant already having a little pepper on it. My sauce tomatoes and watermelons are also growing like gangbusters. The plants just love the warm and rainy weather we have had.
Here is a overview of the two raised beds:
My flowers are doing just as well as the veggies…
C & I moved these two Knock-out roses from my grandparents’ yard to ours and we were so afraid that they wouldn’t make it, but they did!
I just love this time of year! Every color seems intensified and all of the plants are so lush.
Posted in Gardening, Home, My Thoughts | Tagged Gardening, Thoughtful Thursday |
A beautiful June day in Kentucky…
Posted in Home, Photography | Tagged Home, Nature, Wildflowers, Wordless Wednesday |
I am always on the hunt for new supper ideas that we will like. I am a little more adventurous than C is when it comes to trying new things, but he does pretty well if I don’t go crazy. One thing that holds me back severely is that I am very very allergic to chicken and turkey. Those are two meats that you will never find on my blog because I can’t even touch them without getting a reaction, let alone eat any. It definitely limits my options.
That means I am thrilled when I find a new ground beef recipe that looks promising. This recipe did more than look promising; it was delicious! I served these with chopped fresh veggies and oven baked fries on the side and it also made enough for lunches for the next two days. This is definitely a keeper!
Another great thing about it is that it is totally customizable to your burger preferences. Give this a try!
1 lb. hamburger
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. minced onion
2-3 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 can crescent rolls
Cook the ground beef over medium heat until there is no pink left. Add the minced onion, bacon, and cheese; stir to combine and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a cookie sheet. Unroll the crescent rolls into individual triangles. Place about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture onto the big end of the roll. Roll the dough toward the small end and tuck the ends under to make a package.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm with ketchup or you favorite dipping sauce.
Posted in Cooking | Tagged Cheeseburger, Cooking, Crescent Rolls, Main | 6 Comments »
Picture Perfect Cooking 