Whip It Up - Week 8! - Frozen Boston Cream Pie

Well! This is it, the final week of Whip It Up. 8 new recipes, a few hits, one total WTF miss, a few what did I do wrong experiences, a few future adjustments. All in all it was a good structure to get me out of the usual boxes. But, I'm still glad it's over!

I'm going to admit I'm cheating a little - the theme this week is dessert, and last week was my birthday, and we made a fun, different kind of cake (ok, actually my much maligned (mostly deservedly so) husband made the entire thing), so that'll be my final recipe. It even uses box cake mix, but again, who cares. Use your favorite pound cake recipe instead if you've got the time and energy and don't have 25 people, 6 of whom are under 5 years old, arriving at your house in a couple of hours.

It's from Woman's Day, the August 1 issue this year. Annoyingly, it's not on the website, so no professional picture, which really helps sell it.

Frozen Boston Cream Pie
1 box pound cake mix (16 oz)
3 cups firmly packed light vanilla ice cream
3/4 heavy cream
4 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 oz chopped semisweet chocolate

Prepare cake mix as box directs. Transfer batter to 2 9-inch round cake pans; bake 25 to 30 minutes until wooden pick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes.
Unmold from pans and cool completely on wire racks.
Transfer ice cream to a ziptop freezer bag; freeze until ready to assemble cakes
To assemble: Place one cake layer on serving plate. Rub bag of ice cream between your hands to warm slightly (makes piping easier). Snip off one corner of ziptop bag; pipe ice cream onto cake. Using back of a spoon, spread ice cream evenly. Top with other cake layer and freeze for 1 hour, or wrap and freeze overnight.
To serve: Heat heavy cream in saucepan over medium-high heat just to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in chocolates. Keep stirring until well combined and melted. Pour chocolate sauce onto the center of the cake and gently spread it out to edge. Place in freezer to set chocolate, about 30 minutes.

Per serving (makes 12): 348 cal, 5 g protein, 47 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 17 g fat

Was the recipe easy to follow?
Yes - we were having a party, in a frenzy if setting up and cleaning, and box mixes are easy. What can I say. Am slightly embarrassed by my reliance on packaged goods. Also, two types of chocolate? Please. Use half a bag of Nestle morsels and it'll be good. We used leftover dark chocolate eggs from Easter. Not kidding.

Did it taste good?
The fact is, anything covered in chocolate ganache is good. There's just nothing that isn't improved by a little chocolate and cream. Plus pound cake, plus ice cream, plus a little chocolate ice cream on the side? This is one delicious birthday cake. And it looks so cool - very much like Boston Cream Pie, but is delicious ice cream cake......

Kid friendly?
Are you kidding? Ice cream cake? Heck, yeah.

Would I make it again?
Yum. Perhaps for my daughter's birthday next month, then my husband's the month after, then the holidays.........

Thanks for reading. I know this has been a little outside my usual boxes, but it's been fun. I sort of had this fantasy of taking detailed step by step photos of each recipe, in the detailed, amazing way of Bean Paste, but that quickly fell by the wayside. HOLY MOLY - check out the dalmation cake SHE just made. Jeez, I need THAT recipe. I think I am salivating.

Whip It Up - Week 7 - Warm Lentil-Potato Salad with roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Week 7 is over - only one more to go. Last week, desperate for something to make for dinner, pulled this recipe out of a folder. Washington Post, I think. No idea when.

Warm Lentil-Potato Salad with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
Lentils and potatoes make a classic French pairing in this salad that can be served alongside roast meats, ham, or sausages, or served as an easy main course. Fresh herbs, instead of dried, can be used in greater amounts when available.

8 oz dried brown lentils (about 1.5 cups)
1 lb russet of baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
1 tablespoon roasted garlic (see NOTE)
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar (or vinegar of your choice)
1 teaspoon dried herbs, such as tarragon, chives, or parsley
salt/fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup mild olive or vegetable oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin live oil

For the salad: rinse and drain the lentils; sort through to discard any debris (I have never done this a single time I have made lentils with no ill effects - what is up with this direction in every lentil recipe?). Place them in a medium pot and add enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Cover, with the lid slightly ajar, and cook over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes.
While the lentils are cooking, place the potatoes in a medium pot filled with cool, slightly salted water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, the reduce the heat to medium to maintain a low boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
For the dressing: whisk together the garlic, vinegar, dried herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Slowly add the oils, whisking to form a smooth dressing.
Drain the lentils and the potatoes; combine in a serving bowl. Add three-quarters of the dressing and stir gently to combine. Let the salad sit for a few minutes, then taste and adjust seasonings. Add the remaining dressing as needed or pass at the table. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
NOTE: to roast garlic: slice the top off 1 head of garlic so that the tops of the cloves inside are exposed. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until the garlic has softened and browned. Set aside til cool enough to handle, then squeeze the softened garlic cloves out of their skins and discard their stem ends.

Per 8 servings, with 1 tablespoon dressing: 153 Cal, 9 g protein, 27 g carb, 1 g fat, 9 g fiber

Was the recipe easy to follow?
It was, except I had no roasted garlic, no time, and no full head of garlic. So I skipped. So what. Also, two types of oil? Please. I probably used just 1/4 cup of whatever olive oil was in the front of the cabinet.

Did it taste good?
The vinaigrette, despite no roasted garlic, jazzed up what could have been bland lentils. So a nice change from my usual desperation standby, lentils and white rice. Of course, it was lucky I had potatoes in the house!

Kid friendly?
Yes, she's a semi-fan of lentils, and I think liked the tang of the dressing.

Would I make it again?
Yes. Maybe with roasted garlic just to see what it's like, but then a regular, basic entree. Good, fast vegan option, especially when the weather cools into fall/winter.

Whip It Up - Week 6 - sweet potato salad

Aiieeeee. Busy week. We're having a few people over tomorrow for a small-ish birthday-ish party. My husband wants it to be a birthday party, I want to pretend we're just having friends over. Anyway, almost forgot whip it up. Luckily, I had tried a new recipe this week, from The Washington Post. No pic, though. I'm getting through this recipe thing by the skin of my teeth.

Sweet Potato Salad

2 small sweet potatoes (about 15 oz)
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup chopped red onion
about 1/4 cup roasted red bell pepper (may sub 2.5 oz jarred pimentoes, drained)
1 teaspoon dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt/pepper

preheat over to 425; lightly grease a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Peel potatoes and cut into 3/4-inch to 1-inch cubes. Toss in 2 tablespoons of the oil until evenly coated, then scatter in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake 15-18 minutes until browned at the edges; toss once or twice during baking so they brown evenly. Transfer to a medium bowl to cool completely, then add red onion and toss gently. Use a stick blender or food processor to puree the red pepper, mustard, honey, and red wine vinegar in a bowl until smooth. With motor running, slowly drizzle in remaining 3 tablespoons of oil to form an emulsion. Season with salt/pepper to taste. When ready to serve, add half the vinaigrette to the vegetables and toss gently to combine. Taste and add more as needed.

222 cal; 3 g protein; 31 g carbs; 10 g fat; 5 g fiber

Was the recipe easy to follow?
Easy and fast. Of course we were out of honey....

Did it taste good?
Yum. This may be our favorite way ever of eating sweet potatoes. Neither my husband nor I are huge fans of traditional methods of serving them, and my daughter always turned her nose up at them. But we all liked. Made some substitutions - my husband isn't wild about raw onions, so I cooked them with the potatoes - but it potatoes take far longer to cook than onion. Should add onion no more than halfway through cooking time. Also used molasses instead of honey, out of desperation - honey would be better.

Kid friendly?
Yes - for once, she actually ate sweet potato. Only a few pieces, and no leftovers, but it was progress.

Would I make it again?
DEFINITELY. Regular rotation.

Whip It Up Week 5 - Peach-Blueberry Cobbler

Last weekend we went to a pick your own fruit orchard and came home with 20 pounds of peaches. Yum.

Sunday night I whipped together a fast cobbler, which I've never made before, and it meets the fresh produce theme of this week's challenge, so while it's a bit of a cheater (bisquick!), it definitely counts.

Peach Blueberry Cobbler

2-1/2 pounds peachs, peeled, cored, and sliced (or 2.5 pounds frozen peach slices, thawed)
1 pint blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon each fresh grated lemon zest and juice

Heat oven to 400. In bowl, combine peaches, blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and juice, pour into 11 X 7 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

For topping, combine 2 cups baking mix (bisquick) with 1/2 cup milk. Drop over fruit and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon sugar.

Bake til bubbly and topping is lightly browned and bicuit-y.

Was the recipe easy to follow?
Easy and fast. Peeling peaches is a pain, there's no denying it, but the payoff is worth it. And bisquick - what can I say? There's a "heart-healthy"or something version with no transfats, and it just makes life easier. It just does (waffles, pancakes, biscuits - in a flash). So take away my authentic cook label. I don't care. I can make homemade, but sometimes easy is, well, easy.

Did it taste good?
It did, though I think the zest made it too tart. You add lemon juice to peaches because they brown easily, and to cut the sweetness a bit. But still, it was a tad tarter than I wanted. We also didn't have vanilla ice cream or even cream, which might have countered the tart. I'd leave out the zest next time, I don't even think I did a full tablespoon. But it's proven to be a very nice breakfast option this week!

Kid friendly?
Oddly, she won't eat it. Dunno why. Totally rejected. Maybe too goopy.

Would I make it again?
Definitely!

Whip It Up - Week 4 - Blueberry Cinnamon Muffins

I'm just going to admit it - I'm tired of this challenge. Too much pressure to make a new thing each week, though, looking at my life, discipline is what I lack. Without this pressure, I'd never get my files organized.

So onto this week. The theme was vegetarian, but in going through the files I stumbled across another old Southern Living clipping (date unknown, probably 1066) for low-fat muffins. Since blueberries are in season and we love them, and my daughter has shown an interest in baking, thought I'd give them a whirl.

Blueberry-Cinnamon Muffins

1/4 cup regular oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk
1 cup fresh blueberries
cooking spray

Stir together oats, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, set aside.
Beat butter and granulated sugar at medium speed with eletric mixer til fluffy. Add egg substitute, beating til blended. Stir in vanilla.
Combine all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, ending with flour mixture. Gently stir in blueberries (tip: to prevent berries from bleeding, toss them in flour then gently fold into batter). Spoon batter into muffin pans coated with cooking spray, filling two-thirds full. Sprinkle evenly with oat mixture.
Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes or until tops are golden. Cool muffins in pan 5 minutes; remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

Prep: 25 Minutes, Bake 20 minutes, Cool 5 minutes.

Makes 15 muffins, per 1 muffin: Calories 174, fat 4 g, protein 3.7 g, carb 31 g, fiber 1 g, chol 9 mg, iron 1.1 mg, sodium 249 mg, calc 39 mg.

Was the recipe easy to follow?
Easy and fast. Easy for almost 3-year old to "help."

Did it taste good?
It did, though not great. See picture - they didn't rise any. Now, I was whipping through making these, trying to do it all for breakfast, so played fast and loose, but still, I expected a rise of some sort. Definitely added the powder and soda - maybe they were old. Wanted to make this cause we had egg substitute that was just hitting its use by date, so that was old too. The batter was DELICIOUS and I was quite excited about them when I put them in oven. But the result was eh.

Kid friendly?
Yes - she also enjoyed helping make it. Easy.

Would I make it again?
The batter was DELICIOUS. Did I say that already? I might try. I had thought of pulling all dry ingredients together the night before to make it easier to make in the morning, and that might have helped get measurements right, etc.

Whip It Up - Week 3 - saucy pudding cake

The recipe challenge continues. I made a dessert on Sunday night from a recipe ripped out of Southern Living. I'd had it clipped for years, because it was a take off of a recipe I love - Brownie Pudding. I have a 1960's era Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, originally published in 1953. They've since revised a number of times, most recently last year, but my mom learned to cook with this version and when I moved out, she found another one at a yardsale for me. Some of the recipes crack me up - prune whip, lots of spam, canned products. But there are still classics. The revised version changed the sugar cookie recipe, which my mom has used for decades. Heresy! Anyway, on page 190, there's a recipe for a quite delicious brownie pudding. You make this batter that's sort of like a cake batter, then top it with a mixture of brown sugar and cocoa, then pour on boiling water. Pop it in the oven, and as it cooks, the layers separate into a yummy chocolate pudding topped by a decent cake. Love. I've seen the recipe tons of other places over the years - it's relatively lowfat because it uses cocoa - but almost never credited to Better Homes and Gardens. Here's an exact duplicate of the BHG recipe. Note the serving size listed is for 4, which is ridiculous - serves more like 6-8, or even more. Anyway, make this recipe - it's easy, tasty (have ice cream on hand), and relatively not terrible for you. I've only had one person not like it in years of making it for potlucks - she wasn't a fan of cocoa for the chocolate, felt it wasn't rich enough.

So, over the past years, I've clipped out other recipes for pudding cakes, but never tried another version. Sunday night was the night. From Southern Living, July 1998. Yes, 1998. My files know no age.

Saucy Pudding Cake
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons butter/margarine, softened
1 large egg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 1/2 cups boiling water

Beat 1/4 cup brown sugar and next 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Stir together flour and next 5 ingredients. Add to sugar mixture alternately with 1/2 cup water, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in oats, raisins, and walnuts. Spoon into a lightly greased 8-inch square pan, and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup brown sugar. Pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over top. Do not stir. Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. 6 to 8 servings.

Was the recipe easy to follow?
Super easy and fast.

Did it taste good?
It did, though not great. It made the pudding, and maybe the biggest problem was no ice cream to eat with it. But there's something a little off about the flavor. The pudding is a little, I don't know. Off somehow (remember, pregnant - texture is a Big Deal). I think it'd make a good fall dessert - maybe add chopped apples? - with the spices. The oatmeal maybe isn't great? But I think something is needed for body.

Kid friendly?
Yes - she also enjoyed helping make it. Easy.

Would I make it again?
Not as good as the brownie version, that's for sure, but given how easy and relatively tasty, a keeper. Now I just have to find the other version I clipped years ago and give that a go, too.

Here's the wrap up from last week, week 2. There were some yummy things tried.

Whip it Up - Week 2

Well, a bit of a miss tonight. I'm just going to link to the recipe this time.

Creamy Gorgonzola Polenta with Summer Squash Saute

From Eating Well magazine. It has a small number of reviews and 3.5 stars (out of 4? dunno), but just didn't do it for me. One of the comments mentioned it wasn't solid enough right away. It was weird - the polenta was fine, exactly like it should be. Added the gorgonzola, took it off heat, stirred it a bit, all seemed fine, and went and played with my daughter for a few minutes as the rest of dinner cooked (meat eater husband and daughter were also having pork chops.) And came back after 5 minutes or so to find it totally liquid-y. It tasted ok, but nothing great. And now, as it continues to sit on the stove cooling, it's just getting more and more liquidy, which is seriously creeping me out. Bleah.

Here it is on my plate, not showing up well since I used white corn meal and plate is white:
And here it is in the pots on the stove. I wish I could convey how liquidy it is - there is absolutely no body left in it whatsoever. And folks, I make cheese grits quite frequently. And they are delicious. And this was not.


Was the recipe easy to follow?
Yes, and much quicker than the 40 minutes listed.

Did it taste good?
Well, yeah, it did. I like gorgonzola. I mean the flavor was good. The texture was bleah.

Kid friendly?
HA. That's a hell no.

Would I make it again?
Probably not. Seriously squidged out by liquid polenta.

So what the hell happened?

Whip It Up - Week 1

Went through my disorganized recipe clippings today and separated them into drinks, desserts, and the rest. Step 1 in getting them organized in a way that allows them to be useful. Found a recipe from, I think, either a Family Circle or Woman's Day circa who knows. But then I got flummoxed by ingredients and seasonality, so didn't quite make the recipe. I can't quite decide how to do this - I semi-followed a recipe, but not really at all. So do I post the recipe? Post my modified recipe? Post both? Hmm. Let me know what you think of this treatment.

Not really-Creamy Orzo with Asparagus and Prosciutto

Serves 4; Prep 10 minutes; Cook time 18 minutes

3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (or, 3 cubes vegetable bouillon with 3 cups water)
1 1/3 cups (about 8 oz) orzo
1 Tablespoon olive oil (or, cooking spray)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 1/2 cups (about 3/4 pound) asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (or, same amount green beans in favor of seasonal ingredients)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (or, none at all if it turns out your container of sour cream is growing a field of mold - ew!)
1/2 cup (1 oz) julienned proscuitto (or, bacon if you're broke and you've got bacon in the fridge)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley (or, whatever kind of parsley is growing in garden - why does flat-leaf matter?)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a medium covered saucepan, bring broth and 1 cup water (4 cups water, 3 bouillon cubes) to a boil. Add orzo, then return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered until al dente (~11 minutes). Drain pasta and set aside the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat until hot but not smoking (oh for goodness sake, spray pan with Pam). Saute onion for about 1 minute or until it just begins to soften. Toss in asparagus (green beans) and saute for 2-3 more minutes (or 5, get impatient and turn heat up high and scorch onion and green beans). Remove from heat.

Add in orzo, 1 cup of reserved cooking liquid, sour cream (oops), prosciutto (nope), pepper and parsley, and stir until well combined. Divide among 4 bowls, top with Parmesan (and bacon!) and serve.

Nutrition (1 cup): 369 calories, 12 g fat (4 saturated), 49 g carbs, 16 g protein, 4 g fiber, 129 g calcium, 3 mg iron, 593 mg sodium.

Here's the green beans, onions, and broth simmering (trying to cook beans a tad bit more). Bacon cooking in other skillet.

And here's my plate with one slice bacon. I don't think I've ever said I used to be a vegetarian - since 1999. Though I went through my daughter's entire pregnancy and nursing without any meat, this spring I started adding bits and tastes and small amounts back into my diet. But very little. But bacon is good.


Was the recipe easy to follow?
Yes, and modify.

Did it taste good?
Well, the sour cream mold experience threw a definite wrench in the works. Thankfully, it was perfectly fine without the sour cream, though I bet that would make it richer and smoother. Overall good. Actually I did not like it when I got tastes of parsley. Maybe non-Italian parsley makes a difference?

Kid friendly? (am adding question to official Whip It Up questions - see, cannot resist modifications)
Kid loves bacon, so ate her piece happily. Would not taste orzo until I said no popsicle til she had the one "no thank you" bite (eat one bite and if you don't like or want any more, you can say no thank you). After taste, I quote, "the rice has ..... something ....... spicy!" Note to those without a two year old - spicy is the kiss of death for a toddler. Not sure if she just happened to get a bit with one pepper flake in it? Who knows. I think under the right circumstances she'd eat it.

Would I make it again?
I think this makes it into regular rotation. Filling, tasty, cheap, relatively easy, and healthy. One downside - it used a bunch of pans, so a lot of cleanup (orzo pot, reserved liquid pot, bacon frying pan, skillet). We like easy all the way through.

So, whew, made it through week 1. Maybe my goal should be to have all my recipe clippings organized by week 8. Ha, hahaha.

What did you have for dinner tonight?

eta - so should have googled this recipe before posting to at least make an effort to find the source - Shape Magazine. Includes picture of how recipe should look. Also found another blogger who tried this and stayed truer to the recipe, though still modified. She liked it.

recipe clutter

I did end up joining Whip It Up, the recipe challenge. So by Thursday I have to do up a new recipe. The suggested theme is pasta. Hmmm. Any ideas?

A few years ago I decided to gather up all the magazines I had stashed around the house and organize them by month. Then, each month I had my reading material. My rule was read the magazine, rip out anything that was of slightest interest, and THROW the magazine out. I've been ruthlessly reading and tearing stuff out since. If I didn't make it through the pile of Januarys in January, I'd put the remaining in a stack and start in on February. And now not so many magazines left scattered around the house. It would all probably fit on one stack, but I've made good progress this Spring.
I've been filing the ripped out pieces in manila folders - gardening, jewelry, exercise routines, craft projects, blah blah blah. And recipes - those are the bigger files on the right. They're "organized" in the sense that there is one folder for desserts and a second, larger, for everything else. Nice, huh? Aren't I organized? But then there's this - I also clip recipes out randomly and shove them in a drawer in the kitchen. Though a few years ago I decided to make a binder out of recipes we tried and liked and so were staples (instead of forgetting there was a recipe there and didn't we like some squash recipe out of this book or that book? Or was it broccoli?

Sigh.
You'd think this wouldn't be hard, given these resources, including my thankfully reasonably sized recipe book collection -
There's $10 in our checking account and my husband gets paid on Friday. And we're out of all fruit and veggies, so in the interest of a balanced diet for my two year old that's where the money is going (though I found a can of peaches in the back of the cabinet tonight, so that's covered for couple of days). Now, my check will clear on Wednesday, so I'll be flush (ha) then. That leaves tomorrow to find a recipe. For something pasta. Or not, the suggested theme is just that, a theme. Yeah. I didn't think this would be this hard when I signed up. Actually I sort of hoped it might make me organize the various clippings cluttering my house.

The dill, oregano, sage, and parsley are all doing well, so maybe something summery and herb-y.
Even the basil is doing great, despite pest invasion.
So, whaddya think? Any ideas for me?