Mama's Chocolate Chip Cake

I love going "home" to visit my mama, and I feel especially lucky when I get one of her home cooked meals. I don't know what it is about moms, but somehow they always cook it better than we do! Anyway, despite the both of us trying to eat healthier, she made this scrumptious chocolate dessert. We couldn't walk away from it and had to give the rest away to my in-laws just to stop ourselves!

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did... and the bonus is that it's so super easy. I can't promise it'll be as good as my mama's, but I'm sure it'll come close ;)
-Allison Y.

Mama's Chocolate Chip Cake

Ingredients:
1 package yellow cake mix with pudding
1/2 cup sugar
1 package instant chocolate pudding (3 oz.)

3/4 cup water
3/4 cup oil
4 large eggs

1 carton sour cream (8 oz.)
1 cup chocolate chip morsels

vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix with wire whisk: cake mix, sugar, and instant chocolate pudding. Add water, oil, and eggs. Stir. Next, stir in sour cream and chocolate chip morsels. Pour into the bundt pan and bake for one hour or until a tooth pick come out clean. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Banana Muffins

I continually buy bananas and let them turn brown before I ever get a chance to eat them. Instead of throwing them away this morning, I used two medium-sized bananas to make these little muffins. Luckily, I had all the ingredients needed in my cupboard, which is a rarity! I can't wait to have one with my coffee tomorrow. Hey moms, this would be a good back to school breakfast treat next week! :)

Enjoy!
Allison Y.

Banana Coconut Muffins
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed (about a cup)
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

*This recipe calls for a muffin tin with 8 muffin cups. My tin holds 12 muffins, but I did not use them all. To prevent your muffin tin from warping, put a few tablespoons of water in each of the cups not in use.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Grease the bottom and sides of your muffin (or cupcake) tin, or line muffin cups with paper liners.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together bananas, butter, sugar, nutmeg, sugar, egg, vanilla, and 1/2 cup coconut in a large bowl until combined well. Then, fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened.

Spoon batter into muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining coconut. Bake for about 20 minutes or until muffins are puffed and golden. Transfer muffins to a cooling rack until ready to serve.

*These are best served warm with a little with a smear of butter.

We Want Morzo Orzo!

This side-dish was recently served at a potluck cookout, and I didn't rest until I got the recipe (thanks Trish!). I ate more than my fair share and even took some home. The good news is that the orzo in this recipe goes a long way, so plenty was left for the other guests to enjoy!

We were hunkered down waiting for Hurricane Irene to storm through town. I made this Friday night to last the whole weekend. Wes loved it, so it's husband approved... even without any meat!

Happy eating!
Allison Y.

Orzo, Pine Nut, and Feta Salad
Courtesy of Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients:

1 pound orzo - I found this pasta at Walmart.

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2/3 cup pine nuts, toasted - The bag I bought was already toasted, but you can toast your own in the oven at 350 for 5 to 10 minutes.
1 1/2 cups feta, crumbled
1 cup thinly sliced scallion greens

Directions:
Cook orzo according to package directions in salted water. Drain well in a colander.

Meanwhile, whisk together lemon juice, oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Then add hot orzo and toss. Cool orzo completely. I put mine in the fridge to speed up the process. Finally, toss the orzo with pine nuts, feta, and scallion greens. Season with salt and pepper. Serve cold.

Tips for finding, cutting, and pitting an avocado

When going to the Farmer's Market or the grocery store picking the perfect avocado can be a frustrating task. 

Finding the perfect avocado:

Give the avocado a squeeze and if it does not yield at all then it is too firm and not ripe just yet.  If you are able to press the skin and it yields a little, but still returns to its original shape then it is ripe.  However, if you press the skin and it dents the avocado, then it is bruised and past it ripeness. 

I also like to check to see if this fruit is still good by pulling of the stem.  If it is still green you have the perfect avocado.  However, if it is brownish under there, it is bad and will be filled with brown spots.  I do not recommend buying an avocado that has brown under the stem.

Cutting and pitting an avocado:

1. Cut the ripened avocado right down the center. Rotate the fruit right around the knife. That allows it to open it easily.

2. Take your knife and very carefully aim and hack the pit and it will pull right out.

XOXO,
Esra

Hanover Bloody Mary Mix

Tis’ the season for Hanover Tomatoes. Hanover Tomatoes are hands down one of my favorites and I enjoy trying various recipes that allow me to use them. Why not make your own bloody mary mix with these homegrown wonders?!?
Cheers,
Esra


Hanover Bloody Mary Mix
3 Gals and a Kitchen

2 Hanover tomatoes
1 avocado
¼ c lime juice
2 TBSP prepared horseradish
2 TBSP chili lime hot sauce
1 TBSP ground mustard
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp pepper
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP crushed red pepper flakes
¼ c water

Using a blender puree the Hanover Tomatoes. Peel an avocado and add it to the blender, continue to puree until mixture is smooth. Add lime juice, horseradish, chili lime hot sauce, ground mustard, salt, pepper, and soy sauce and continue to mix. At this point, taste the mixture to determine how spicy you like your bloody mary. I prefer to have a kick so I added 1 TBSP of crushed red pepper flakes. Puree the entire mixture to ensure all of the ingredients have blended well. Add water to help thin the mixture.

In a glass, add ice, 1 jigger of premium vodka, and Hanover Bloody Mary Mix.

Garnish with a celery stalk, dill pickle, or olives.

Serves 4 - Feel free to freeze and save any extra bloody mary mix.

Still have leftover Hanover Tomatoes? Give our Tomato Pie recipe a try.

Tips when cutting and pitting an avocado:

1. Cut the ripened avocado right down the center. Rotate the fruit right around the knife. That allows it to open it easily.

2. Take your knife and very carefully aim and hack the pit and it will pull right out.

Another Twist on the Turkey Burger

Growing up, a burger was a plain old burger at my house - usually topped with American cheese and a little mustard and ketchup. I don't recall my mom ever adding anything to the meat before grilling up the patties on the 4th of July. Boy were we missing out! Every time I turn around, I seem to find another great twist on the turkey burger. I served these with sweet potato fries, and the meal was a hit at my house.

I hope your summer is treating you well!
Allison Y.

Grilled Turkey Burgers
Adapted from Cheese-Burger.net

Ingredients:
1 (1.25 oz.) package Jennie-O Ground Turkey
1/2 small onion, minced
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon mayo - I used the light version.
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon pepper
salt, to taste

Don't forget to buy:
cheese slices
hamburger buns
avacado
tomato slices

Directions:
Combine ground turkey with the onion, parsley, basil, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well but do not over mix or your patties will get messy.

Use the mixture to shape 4 patties that are about 1 inch thick. Grill over medium-high heat until they are cooked through, usually 6-7 minutes each side. Top with cheese slices to melt cheese before serving on burger buns.

I topped mine with sliced avocado and sliced Roma tomatoes - although I bet many of you are itching to use your Hanover tomatoes, which would also be terrific! I also like to mix together a little extra mayo and Dijon mustard to make a creamy topping to spread onto the buns.

Oven Fried Zucchini

One of my favorite things about the summer is collecting fresh veggies from all my friends who enjoy gardening. I am not a savvy gardener, and even if I were, the deer out where Wes and I live eat everything we try to grow! Anyway, these zucchini bites are really yummy dipped in ranch dressing. The bonus is they're oven fried, so you can indulge without the guilt.

Happy gardening (or shopping farmers' markets)!

Allison Y.

Oven Fried Zucchini
Slightly Adapted from Weight Watchers Weekly

Ingredients:
cooking spray
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 1/2 flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup dried Italian style bread crumbs
3 large egg whites
2 medium zucchini
2 Tablespoons Ranch dressing (I use the light version.)

Preheat the oven to 425.

Cut 2 medium zucchini in half crosswise. Then cut each half into 8 pieces lengthwise. I used larger zucchini, so I cut mine one extra time to make smaller slices.

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix Italian seasoning, flour, and salt. Place dried bread crumbs on a large plate. In a separate bowl (use one large enough to fit your zucchini slices), whisk egg whites until they appear frothy.

One at a time, dredge each zucchini piece in the flour mixture. Then dip zucchini into egg whites. Finally, dredge it in bread crumbs. When finished preparing all of your "fries," place zucchini on the baking sheet. Use the cooking spray to coat the zucs with cooking spray. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn once halfway through. Allow a few minutes to cool. Serve with Ranch dressing.

Note: You may need to shorten your roasting time to get your desired crispness.