Monday, December 27, 2010

Benne cakes


When you want to wish your family a good luck for the New Year, you can't go wrong in serving benne cakes for Kwanzaa! Benne seeds (sesame seeds) are said to bring good luck to those who eat them. Benne cakes are a snack cookie that originated in Africa; making it an ideal choice for Kwanzaa in that regard as well.

So, today, serve this treat and explain its significance to your family,

Chubby Yummy

Thursday, December 23, 2010

lip-smacking good


Well, tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and yet I am still scurrying to find the last gift for a family member. So, forgive me for a very short post. 

Tonight, we drink eggnog w/rum (brandy) while eating two (2) large slices of my lip-smacking good Eggnog Cheesecake. 

Enjoy!

Chubby Yummy

Recipe: Eggnog Cheesecake
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  •  
  • 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup eggnog
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons rum
  • 1 pinch ground nutmeg
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a medium bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar and butter. Press into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan.
  3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool.
  4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  5. In a food processor combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour and eggnog; process until smooth. Blend in eggs, rum and nutmeg. Pour mixture into cooled crust.
  6. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
  7. Reduce heat to 250 and bake for 45 minutes, or until center of cake is barely firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and immediately loosen cake from rim. Let cake cool completely before removing the rim.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

My Gift

I learned another valuable lesson this morning… “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.” 

With the frantic busyness of the holiday season, it’s important for me to remain grounded in the renewed hope and love for God in my life.  It’s so very easy to lose sight of this hope because I, like so many, are feverishly seeking to affirm (acknowledge) my affection for family, friends and neighbors with gift giving. So, if I am not careful, the holiday season (Christmas) becomes an unwelcome task of events to satisfy a hunger (desire) to make people happy.

Of course this is not a bad thing, right? After all, no one would agonize over the notion that to give is better than to receive. But, here’s my dilemma… when do you draw that preferable line in the sand and say, “I just can’t get everyone a gift.” 

So, with that in mind, I’ll give to you that which is precious to me: my admiration for your kindness, and a cake recipe to fill your stomach.

Chubby Yummy

Recipe: Cream Filled Cupcakes
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup butter oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  •  
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 36 muffin cups with paper liners. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the eggs, 1 cup milk, water, oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well. Fill each muffin cup half-full of batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool. Make filling: In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening together until smooth. Blend in confectioners' sugar and pinch of salt. Gradually beat in 3 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Fill a pastry bag with a small tip. Push tip through bottom of paper liner to fill each cupcake.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Caribbean’s favorite dessert…

Many would argue that bananas are the “perfect” fruit. Bananas gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy; providing enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. It helps overcome and/or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must add to our daily diet. But I challenge conventional wisdom and introduce an equal alternative: the Pineapple.

The Pineapple is one of those foods that are heaven to eat; and, a good, juicy ripe pineapple can satisfy the sweet craving as well as any chocolate bar. It is packed with vitamins and minerals including calcium, potassium, fiber, and vitamin C. And yes, it is low in fat and cholesterol.

So, tonight, we are going to put the kids to bed early; tell the spouse we have a headache; turn-up the volume on some old-school music; and, feast ourselves on a “big” slice of the Caribbean’s favorite dessert… the Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

Recipe: Pineapple Upside-down Cake.

  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 (10 ounce) jar of cherries, drained
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup flaked coconut
  • 1 (8 ounce) can sliced pineapple, drained with juice reserved
  • 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained with juice reserved
Directions:

In bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt with a wire whisk; cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix until completely combines. Slowly add flour alternately with milk. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat the bottoms and sides of each 9 inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Sprinkle the bottom of each pan with 1/4 cup of brown sugar. 

In one of the pans, sprinkle coconut over the brown sugar. Lay pineapple rings in a single layer on top of coconut. Place a cherry in the center of each ring. In the other pan, spread the drained crushed pineapple. Divide batter between the two pans remembering which pan has the pineapple rings.Bake for 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool in pans for 20 minutes. While the bottoms of the cake pans are still warm to the touch, invert the layer with the crushed pineapple out onto a serving dish, then gently invert the layer with the pineapple rings on top of it for a dazzling two layer pineapple upside down cake.