Those old-timers know their baked goods

Have you ever heard of a burnt sugar cake? Before last week, I know I hadn't. My 94-year-old yahtzee buddy told me about this cake that her sister used to make, describing it as "out of this world." I knew that was a lot to live up to, but I still planned to surprise my buddy by making a burnt sugar cake for her birthday this week.

So, the internet searches  began. I found a few different recipes and finally settled on this one... mostly because it had pictures and the blogger thoroughly described each step. I didn't want to screw this up.

Old-Time Burnt Sugar Cake

Ok... you've seen the picture. Need I say more?

This may be one of the moistest, flavorful cakes I have ever had. It is nice and dense like a home made banana cake, but with a flavor and richness that is all its own. The frosting that the recipe calls for actually didn't work out for me. It had a nice caramel flavor after it sat a bit, but I think it just had way too much powdered sugar for my taste. Some might like it just fine, but I really thought I could do better. So I did.

Caramel Frosting II Recipe

This frosting was outstanding. I didn't want to stop eating it. There are a million different ways of making caramel frosting, and I actually picked this one because it seemed like one of the simplest recipes and had a lot of good reviews. I've only made my own frosting a handful of times, but this was the closest to what I was used to. I guess I knew I really couldn't go wrong when it started by melting a stick of butter with a cup of brown sugar.

So, if you'd like to try your hand at this unique cake, I have two suggestions:

1. Reduce the amount of burnt sugar you make in the recipe (you only use 1/2 cup for the actual cake, the rest is reserved for the frosting) and make the caramel frosting instead.
2. Work quickly when spreading the caramel frosting. It sets up pretty fast and I just barely finished frosting the cake before it was really starting to harden and clump on me.

I know this cake doesn't win any points for being "light," but it certainly gets a 5/5 review from me for sweetness, texture, and flavor. Hey, if you're gonna splurge, might as well make it worth it!

Oh, and my yahtzee buddy? She loved it!

Smmmokin'

One of my sisters recently sent me a link for a Rachel Ray homemade mac and cheese recipe. Although there are countless recipes and variations on this traditional favorite, this particular recipe struck me because of its unique flavors and stove top cooking method. So last week I grabbed the special ingredients I would need - spiral pasta, smoked cheddar (found in the fancy cheese section, not with the regular block cheese), and chipotle chilis in adobo sauce. Friday night was testing time.

Smoky Chipotle and Cheddar Mac

Overall rating: 4/5

So, if you look at the recipe it actually calls for chorizo, but I wanted to make a meatless mac and cheese so I just left that part out. The only other change I made was substituting 2% milk for the whole milk, which I fear may have been my fatal mistake. The flavors of the dish were wonderful - the combination of the smoked cheddar, spicy tomatoes, and chilis in adobo sauce gave it a unique smoky and spicy flavor that tasted unlike anything I have had before. The problem was in the cheese sauce... not sure if the 2% milk just caused it to be too thin, or that the cheese didn't properly combine with the milk, but I didn't get that thick, creamy consistency that you would want. Next time I think I need to either reduce the amount of milk or stock or try the whole milk and see what kind of difference that makes. I've read some of the reviews and it sounds like some others had similar problems with a runny sauce. 

The best part of this recipe is that it made a LOT (I know it says 4-6 servings, but I'd definitely say it is on the 6 serving side), so we have been able to eat leftovers. My husband and I found that just melting a piece of American cheese in and adding a little salt really brought this dish together to make it creamy and cheesy. 

If you try this one, I'd be curious to hear how yours turns out.  Those who are a bit more sensitive to spicy foods should beware - you may want to try a milder flavor of diced tomatoes or only add one chili instead of two.

Take 2... or 4

Remember how I said that I had never had a flavor of Snack Pack I didn't like? I should have said that I have never had a Snack Pack that wasn't totally delicious.

Snack Pack pudding - Lemon flavor 

Where purchased: Meijer
Price: $1.00 on sale ($1.20 regular)
Overall rating: 4/5

So, the color may be less than "natural," but the taste is completely worth it. I just have three words: Lemon Meringue Pie. (Consequently, I think they actually have a lemon meringue pie flavor in their "layers" line. So... if you think you need some vanilla mixed with the lemon go for that one. If you just want more lemony deliciousness, stick with this one).

YUMMMMMMM.

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner dessert

"You know I like Snack Pack... why can't you just gimme a Snack Pack!"

Snack Pack pudding - Cinnamon Roll Fun Flavor

Where purchased: Meijer
Price: $1.00 on sale (Regular $1.20)
Overall rating: 4/5

Who doesn't love a Snack Pack? It's cheap, delicious, and satisfies a sweet tooth with only 110 calories and 3.5 grams of fat. While looking at the selection of flavors and trying to decide what I would be craving this week, I came across a new flavor - Cinnamon Roll. I can't say I have ever had a flavor I didn't like, but this one did sound particularly delicious. So into the cart it went.

One spoonful elicited the desired response - YUMMMMM. Very creamy and full of flavor, the taste almost exactly mimics that of a cinnamon roll. An ewey gooey sweet cinnamon roll... but with far less damage to the diet. I ate this as a post-lunch snack at work, and I'll admit it took considerable restraint not to lick the plastic cup clean.

ConAgra released this flavor along with a new Blueberry Muffin flavor, hoping to create a snack that people will want to enjoy any time of day - including mid-morning or as a late night snack or dessert. I think they accomplished their goal.

Chocolate travesty

Chocolatey delight? No, there was nothing delightful about the "chocolate" pieces in this cereal.

Kellogg's Special K Chocolate Delight cereal

Where purchased: Meijer
Price: $2.50 on sale
Overall rating: 2.5/5

Don't get me wrong. I like Special K. It's a crunchy, slightly sweet and hearty cereal. And the one with red berries? Delicious. So I figured this chocolate delight variety would not be a huge gamble. At most, I thought, there would be very few chocolate chunks and I'd think to myself "I might as well have just gotten the regular Special K."

Instead, I found an abundance of "chocolate" chunks. The problem was... they tasted nothing like chocolate. They looked like chocolate, but tasted like... well, nothing. They didn't even have a fake chocolate taste. So all you end up with are a bunch of strangely-textured things in your cereal that get stuck in your teeth and keep tricking you into thinking sooner or later you are going to taste chocolate. I actually went through and picked out all of the chocolate-looking pieces when I ate my second bowl.

Disappointing, Kellogg's. I expect more from you. But now I know better than to believe your commercials claiming that this cereal will fulfill that late night chocolate craving. No... I think I'd be better off eating some chocolate chips. Or chocolate pudding. Or chocolate covered raisins. Heck, I'd even go for my Chocolate Outrage Gu Energy Gels - they may not be actual food, but it at least they taste chocolatey!

The perfect pair

Several months ago, one of my sisters requested that I explore some "non-traditional" uses for a couple of items - goat cheese and tomatillos. I had never tried goat cheese, so I purchased some goat cheese crumbles and tried them on my lettuce salad in place of the crumbled feta I had recently been favoring. I wasn't a huge fan. The taste of the cheese just didn't seem to quite "go" with the flavor of the salad. Not knowing what else to do with it, I kept it in my fridge and searched for some recipes highlighting goat cheese.

When I stumbled upon a recipe using both goat cheese and tomatillos, I knew I had to try it. So I patiently waited as the tomatillo plant in our garden grew and grew. Last week, it finally produced some mature tomatillos - and my recipe was waiting!

I picked up a few ingredients I needed at the grocery store that I don't normally have on hand, including an avocado and some pita bread (the recipe calls for miniature white pita rounds, which I couldn't find. I decided regular white pitas cut into 6 slices worked just as well) and awaited my opportunity. Tonight was the night!

Guacamole-Goat Cheese Toasts

I give this recipe a 5/5 - it was delicious! It turns out that avocados and goat cheese crumbles are actually the perfect pair. I can't say I go crazy for either ingredient on its own, but together with the red onion and other seasonings, this was a fantastic little appetizer. The pita bread provided the perfect amount of crunch without being too hard or crumbly, and the components of the topping all complemented each other while also providing their own unique flavors. As someone who does not particulary enjoy raw tomatoes, I loved the sweet tomatillos on top (I also used yellow pear tomatoes instead of a plum tomato). This is a great alternative to the traditional chips and guac - a bit more sophisticated, but really just as easy. It can be made ahead of time, and can be served at room temperature.

You can bet I will be making this recipe again for the next appropriate event! Thank you, Keels, for inspiring me to get creative and find a new use for a couple of tasty ingredients!