Beach Birthday Cake

This beach birthday cake was made for a LOVELY young lady who celebrated her 9th birthday this week! It was a fun distraction from Thanksgiving cooking and shopping prep for black Friday! I hope you had a wonderful birthday Chloe! (and enjoyed your cake)Thanksgiving has come and GONE . . . again . . . our family had a great time AND this years black Friday shopping was a LOT less crazy than in years past! We also hit a few new places to eat and have been filled to the gills for the past few days . . . all in all it was a great Thanksgiving and I hope you all had a wonderful holiday too!

Laser Tag Birthday Cake

My kickin' nephew B-man asked me to make his birthday cake again this year . . . (You may remember his Pirate Cake from last year . . .) I swear these kids must think I am like Miss Artist/Sculpture/Baker extraordinaire with there cake requests! I wanted to be an artist when I was a kid and still enjoy painting watercolors but I cannot sculpt worth beans kiddles . . . so your cake figures may look cartoonish at best . . .
. . . but you devour them in a flash . . . and seem pretty tickled in your macho manly high five giving ways . . . so I'm a happy Aunt! (And love you to pieces!) I made a ricotta vanilla cake this year and the Birthday boy requested a laser tag cake with "two guys shooting each other" (with lasers). Next up is a beach themed cake for a birthday girl . . .

Caramel Apple Oven Puffed Pancakes with Apple Butter, Buttermilk Syrup

I am not a huge pancake fan . . . I don't go for "regular" pancakes often . . . but I do LOVE Ricotta pancakes . . . and any "jazzed up pancakes." I made these pancakes with the plethora of apples waiting patiently in my kitchen to shine.I am in love with the apple butter, buttermilk syrup! It would make anything taste good! In fact it was a pretty decadent breakfast! Caramel Apple Oven Puffed Pancakes with Apple Butter, Buttermilk Syrup
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese, or blended cottage cheese, or strained sour cream, or strained yogurt
3/4 cup Flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp Sugar
1/8 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Milk
3 eggs, divided
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Tbsp Apple Butter
2 Granny Smith Apples, cored, peeled, and sliced
2 Tbsp Butter
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add butter and brown sugar to an oven safe skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the sliced apples and cook until softened and the butter and brown sugar have thickened a bit.

2. While apples are cooking whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar together in a medium bowl. Seperate egg whites and yolks. Combine ricotta cheese, milk, eggs yolks, apple butter and vanilla in another bowl, mixing well. Combine the flour mixture with the ricotta mixture and set aside.

3. Beat the 3 egg whites until stiff. Gently fold egg whites into ricotta batter.

4. Turn off the burner and arrange apples evenly on the bottom of the skillet. Butter the sides of the skillet and then pour the batter over apples and bake in a 375 oven until pancake is puffed and golden brown. Flip pancake onto a plate so that the apples are on top. Serve with butter and syrup or fruit preserves if desired. Enjoy!

Apple Butter Buttermilk Syrup
1 cube Butter (or margarine)
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1/3 cup Apple Butter
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the sugar, buttermilk, apple butter and vanilla. Cook and stir until thick. Add the baking soda, stir and serve warm.

Carolina Style Nectarine BBQ Pork Ribs

Halloween has come . . . and almost gone again. It is now time to trade in the spider webs and ghoulish decor in our home for fall leaves and turkeys. To welcome fall I made a killer BBQ sauce to baste some amazing ribs for dinner. We loved it!
The next day I shredded the leftover ribs from this recipe, added a little cider vinegar to the meat and made pulled pork sandwiches that were unbelievably delish! I LOVE BBQ! My hubby took me to Troy's BBQ in St. George UT for lunch a few weeks ago and um yeah . . . it was amazing! I am all over their pulled pork and fried leeks! If you haven't been their . . . try it! Carolina Style Nectarine BBQ Sauce
Recipe by: Emily
1 cup *Nectarine Mustard
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup light Brown Sugar
3/4 cup Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Cayenne (optional)
1/2 tsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Butter
1/2 Tbsp Liquid Smoke
Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients in a sauce pan except butter. Simmer 30 minutes. Stir in butter and simmer for 10 more minutes. Use to baste meats, or as a dipping sauce. Enjoy!

For the ribs I put boneless pork ribs in the crock pot smothered in Carolina Nectarine BBQ Sauce and slow cooked them until nice and tender. I usually reserve 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce and lay the ribs on a baking sheet when they are done, baste them with more sauce and broil them for a minute to get an intense BBQ sauce coating.

*I made nectarine mustard this summer and canned it . . . use any mustard in place of it if you need to!

Chicken Chow Mein with Crispy Wonton Noodles

I am a home body when it comes to eating . . . I like eating out here and there but there is nothing quite like cooking at home and knowing what you put into your food and having the satisfaction of presenting something delish to your family and enjoying it together.
This recipe is proof that making dinner surpasses going out in my mind. Last night was the perfect night to kick it at home with my handsome husband, eat chow mein and watch Halloween movies! The wonton noodles were ueber yummy and we dusted the remainder noodles with cinnamon and sugar and munched some more during our flick. Es Smeckt!
Chicken Chow Mein
Recipe by: Emily

1/4 cup Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
1/2 cup Boiling Water
1 medium Onion, sliced into "moons"
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp Celery Salt
3 cups low-sodium Beef Broth
3 Tbsp Cornstarch
2 Tbsp Vegetable or Canola oil
2 tsp Soy Sauce
2 tsp Brown Sugar
1 cup Celery, sliced about 1/4-inch thick
2 Large Chicken Breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small can sliced Water chestnuts, drained
1 can Bean Sprouts, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Place mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with the boiling water allowing mushrooms to seep for 10 minutes. Remove mushrooms and save for another recipe. Set the mushroom broth aside to use.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and brown on all sides. Add the onions and cook until the chicken is done. Set the chicken and onions aside in a bowl while preparing the gravy.

3. Add the garlic to the pan that the chicken was cooked in and cook for 1 minute. Add 2 1/2 cups of the beef broth and the reserved mushroom broth, and bring to a boil.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup beef broth, cornstarch, celery salt, 2 teaspoons brown sugar and soy sauce. Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan and return the mixture to a boil. Add the chicken and onions back to the pan and reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the gravy is slightly thickened. Add the water chestnuts and sprouts. Serve over crispy wonton noodles. Enjoy

Crispy Wonton Noodles
2 cups Vegetable oil
1 package Wonton Wrappers, cut into thin strips about 1/4-inch wide

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet or pan with deep sides until it reaches 350 degrees F. Fry the strips in the hot oil, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until crispy and golden brown. Remove from the heat with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

* Coat any leftover crispy wonton noodles with cinnamon and sugar and enjoy as a snack!

Dulce De Leche Banana Pie

I think we are going to have this pie on our dessert menu for our Halloween festivities! We loved it! Easy, fast, no fuss, and delish!!! I love recipes like that. I think it would also be awesome to add a no bake pumpkin layer to it too! I think this is the easiest and fastest recipe I have ever posted! Dulce De Leche Banana Pie
Recipe: Emily

1 can Dulce De Leche
2-3 Bananas
1 Graham Cracker crust
1 Tub Cool Whip

Spread 1/3 of Dulce De Leche on the bottom of a graham cracker crust. Slice bananas and add one layer over the Dulce De Leche. Spread another 1/3 of the Dulce De Leche over the banana layer and then top with another banana layer. Spread the remaining 1/3 of Dulce De Leche over the second banana layer. Top with cool whip and refrigerate until serving. Enjoy!

Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches

I have been following the food truck competition on the Food Network on and off the past few weeks and became obsessed with trying a Banh Mi Vietnamese sandwich!!! They looked SOOOO good on the show and I had never tried one . . . so after tinking in the kitchen and trying out a few recipes . . . this is the winner that I found! Pork Banh Mi Marinade
Recipe by: Emily

1 lb Pork, sliced thin, use loin or chops
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
3 tsp Sugar
1-2 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1 tsp Sesame Oil
3 Tbsp Shallots, minced
1/8 tsp Onion powder
Juice of a Lime
Pincc of Red Pepper Flakes

1. Combine all of the marinade ingredients and allow pork to marinade for at least 2 hours or overnight. Grill in batches over medium low-medium heat to caramelize the meat.

Pickled Carrot Slaw

1 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
Dash of Red Pepper Flakes
1 Green Onion, chopped
2 cups of julienned vegetables- I used carrots alone . . . but you can use one cup of carrots and 1 cup of daikon radish if you like. (I am not a radish fan)

1. Combine rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper flakes in a microwavable bowl. Microwave for one minute and stir to dissolve sugar and salt. Add julienned carrots to vinegar mixture and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight. Add the green onion just before serving.

Additional Sandwich Ingredients:

1 Crusty loaf of French Bread or 2-3 Small Baguettes
Cucumber Slices
Fresh Cilantro
Mayonnaise

To assemble the sandwich portion the french bread into 3 pieces and slice each in half length wise. Lightly toast the bread on a grill or in the oven. Spread the bread with mayonnaise, layer meat, sliced cucumber, pickled carrot slaw, and cilantro sprigs onto bread. Enjoy!

Coconut Shrimp Curry

I LOVE cooking with coconut milk . . . but try not to too often because it is some rich and heavy stuff (although I do opt to use lite coconut milk often enough when I do cook with it). Pairing coconut milk with curry is out of this world! This curry is rich and creamy . . . decadent if anything. My favorite curry is from Benja's Thai restaurant in St. George, Utah. The Yellow Curry is my very favorite . . . but everything else we have tried rocks too! If you ever get the chance . . . go there! The food is awesome and the hubs and I CRAVE their sushi 24/7!!!
I also ventured out today and bought a jar of italian pickled garlic . . . anyone ever cooked with it before? The girl at the store sold me on its many uses and how interchangeable it is in Italian cooking with regular garlic, and that it is awesome in salsa and good to eat on its own . . . we shall see . . .Coconut Shrimp Curry
Recipe by: Emily

1 1/2 lbs Shrimp, shelled, cleaned and tails removed
1/2 cup Red or Green Belle pepper, diced
1 cup Red Onion, diced
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Oil
1 can Coconut milk
1-2 tsp Curry Powder
1/4 cup Fischer Wieser-Mango Ginger Habanero Sauce
Garlic Chili Paste, optional- (add if you want more heat!!!)
1/2 tsp dried Basil or 1 Tbsp fresh basil, minced
1-2 Tbsp Soy Sauce, or Wasabi Soy Dipping Sauce, to taste
1/2 Tbsp Cornstarch, optional . . . add if you want a thicker sauce
Salt
Pepper

1. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large wok or skillet over medium heat, add the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes, then add the green pepper to the onions and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the garlic, curry powder and basil to the onion and peppers and cook for one minute.
2. Slowly stir in the coconut milk, mango habanero sauce, and soy sauce. Bring coconut milk to a simmer and add the shrimp. Cook until shrimp begin to turn pink. Whisk in the cornstarch and allow to thicken for another minute or two, taste and season if needed. Remove from heat and serve over rice. Enjoy!

If you can't find the mango ginger habanaro sauce, use mango or apricot jam instead with a teaspoon of minced ginger and a teaspoon (or more) of minced habanaro or jalapeno.

Baked Coconut Shrimp Po'boys

We were SOOOO craving coconut shrimp at our house the other day . . . but I so did not want to deal with splattered grease everywhere . . . nor did I really want to have anything deep fried . . . so we opted to make BAKED coconut shrimp . . . and they rocked!!!
The key to the toasty, crunchy, oh so delish baked shrimp was toasting the coconut before coating the shrimp. I also add a little panko in to ensure a good crunch and to not overpower the shrimp with coconut (can that really happen . . .?) Anywho we LOVED them and ate them one day as a main entree and another day utilized them to make Po'boys. My hubs approved all the way! Baked Coconut Shrimp Po'boys
Recipe by: Emily

1-1 1/2 lb Shrimp, peeled and cleaned with tails removed, medium or large
2 cups Sweetened Flaked Coconut
1/2 cup Panko crumbs
3 egg Whites
1/2 cup flour
Salt
Pepper
Franks Red Hot Wing's Sauce -Sweet Heat BBQ
Fischer Wieser-Mango Ginger Habanero Sauce
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
Lettuce
Tomato's
Hoagie Rolls, lightly buttered and toasted

1. Evenly spread coconut on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 5-7 minutes, until lightly browned.
2. Pat shrimp dry. Set up your breading station by combining 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in one bowl, the egg whites with 1-2 teaspoons of Franks Red Hot Wing's Sauce -Sweet Heat BBQ beaten together, and the panko crumbs and toasted coconut mixed in a third bowl.
3. Lightly dust shrimp with flour mixture then dip in egg white mixture and then coconut mixture.
4. Place coated shrimp on a lightly oiled cookie sheet to bake. Once all of the shrimp are coated bake for 8-10 minutes in a 350 degree preheated oven, turning shrimp over with a spatula half way to ensure even toasting. Serve shrimp with your favorite dipping sauce or make a Po'boy sandwich with lettuce, tomato and Em's yummy sauce. Enjoy!

Em's Yummy Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
a couple of drops of Franks Red Hot Wing's Sauce -Sweet Heat BBQ
2-3 Tbsp, Fischer Wieser-Mango Ginger Habanero Sauce
Squeeze of Lime

Mix together and serve as a dip for coconut shrimp, or as a spread for Po'boy sandwiches.