pizza pera

^^ While in Utah we ate a place called Pizzeria Limone and we fell in love. I watched and asked questions as they made my pizza and quickly came home to start experimenting. I don't have quantifiable measurements because I just kind of wing it, but here's the general idea (below): ^^

Pizza Pera

Dough (I use a thin crust recipe)

Olive oil

Aged mozzarella, cut into 1/4" cubes

Fresh mozzarella, big slice torn into chunks

3 cheese Italian blend

3 slices prosciutto

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1/4 pear, sliced very thin

1/4 cup sugar, divided

Fresh basil

Preheat oven to 500F with the rack 5 inches from the top.

Mix onions with a TB of sugar in a bowl, set aside.

Roll the dough out really thin--like almost see-through. I use cornmeal on a baking sheet because I don't have a pizza stone.

Spread a couple tablespoons of olive oil to cover the dough. Add aged mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, and fill in any holes with the Italian cheese blend. Add prosciutto and onions.

Dip both sides of the pear slices in sugar, coating really well (this helps it caramelize in the oven).

Bake for 10 minutes.

Add basil.

strawberry lemonade cake

This is my go-to cake recipe and it has never failed me. It's fluffy and dense at the same time; tangy from the buttermilk and lemon juice; and the strawberries...mmm! I made this cake for my good friend, Amber's, baby gender reveal party. It's a boy! Too bad I didn't get a photo of the blue frosting inside.

Strawberry Lemonade Cake
from Heather Christo's Generous Table
Yield: Serves 12
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes-includes chill time

Tart lemon cake sandwiched between layers of sweet strawberry buttercream frosting and freshly sliced strawberries. This is the perfect summer cake!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
2 1/2 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1/3 cup cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup buttermilk
8-10 large strawberries, hulled and sliced

For the Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup butter, softened
5 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
2-4 large strawberries, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray two 9-inch round baking pans with baking spray.

2. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, place the butter, sugar and lemon zest. Beat until light and fluffy.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients and set aside.

4. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, combining thoroughly in between. With the mixer still running, add the lemon juice. (batter will look curdled, but it's not). Add one third of the dry ingredients and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk. Mix, then stop and scrape the sides of the bowl. Repeat, adding another third of the dry ingredients and the remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk. Mix, then stop and scrape. Add the remaining third of the dry ingredients and mix until completely combined and the batter is light and fluffy.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool before removing from the pans.

6. While the cakes are cooling, make the strawberry buttercream frosting. Combine the butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl or standing mixer. Mix together on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the milk and strawberries* and mix on high speed until the frosting is very fluffy and pale pink in color, with flecks of strawberry.

7. Invert one of the cake rounds onto a cake plate; generously spread with frosting and top with strawberry slices. Repeat with the remaining layer of cake and frosting. Frost the sides of the cake. Put in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to allow the frosting to set. Serve at room temperature.

*This time I didn't add the strawberries to the frosting, but rather, used them to decorate the cake.

pumpkin curry soup

My grandma gave me this recipe and I make it every fall at least three or four times. It's so good it will even convert the non-pumpkin eaters!

Pumpkin Curry Soup
serves 6

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed

2 cups canned pumpkin
4 cups water
6 chicken bouillon cubes

3 chicken breasts, seasoned, cooked, & cubed

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon curry
Pinch nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups half & half

2-3 cups cooked rice



Melt butter in sauté pan. Sauté onion and garlic in melted butter. Add everything but half-and-half and cooked rice. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add half and half and rice and simmer for 5 minutes.

20 best fall recipes

Who doesn't love fall food? Crazy people, that's who. Here are my top fall recipes; I've either already made them or they are on my to-do list. Enjoy!

Snickerdoodles with Pumpkin Cream Cheese

Chocolate and Granola Apples

Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese

Apple French Onion Soup

Apple Cider Floats

Caramel Apple Bread

Glazed Pumpkin Donunts

Butternut Squash Risotto

Butternut Chorizo Pizza

Caramel Apple Cider

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake

Butterbeer

Apple Pie

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Starbucks Pumpkin Scones

Maple Glazed Pumpkin Scones

Sweet Potato Soup

Baked Apple Puff

strawberry lemonade cake

Holy crap. This cake is good. To anyone who had a slice of summer at our party a few weeks ago, I attribute none of its goodness to myself, but all to the recipe that came from all that is baking holy, Heather Christo's Generous Table.

Strawberry Lemonade Cake
Yield: Serves 12
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes-includes chill time

Tart lemon cake sandwiched between layers of sweet strawberry buttercream frosting and freshly sliced strawberries. This is the perfect summer cake!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
2 1/2 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1/3 cup cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup buttermilk
8-10 large strawberries, hulled and sliced

For the Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup butter, softened
5 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
2-4 large strawberries, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray two 9-inch round baking pans with baking spray.

2. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, place the butter, sugar and lemon zest. Beat until light and fluffy.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients and set aside.

4. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, combining thoroughly in between. With the mixer still running, add the lemon juice. (batter will look curdled, but it's not). Add one third of the dry ingredients and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk. Mix, then stop and scrape the sides of the bowl. Repeat, adding another third of the dry ingredients and the remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk. Mix, then stop and scrape. Add the remaining third of the dry ingredients and mix until completely combined and the batter is light and fluffy.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool before removing from the pans.

6. While the cakes are cooling, make the strawberry buttercream frosting. Combine the butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl or standing mixer. Mix together on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the milk and strawberries and mix on high speed until the frosting is very fluffy and pale pink in color, with flecks of strawberry.

7. Invert one of the cake rounds onto a cake plate; generously spread with frosting and top with strawberry slices. Repeat with the remaining layer of cake and frosting. Frost the sides of the cake. Put in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to allow the frosting to set. Serve at room temperature.

strawberry cream puff cake

I made this dessert over the weekend and Johnny said it was a repeat recipe (it takes a lot for him to think a recipe I try out is worthy of a second time). And it was pretty simple. Win win.

Strawberry Cream Puff Cake
From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS
Cream Puff Base:
5 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
2/3 cup flour
3 eggs
Cream Cheese Mixture:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. For the cream puff layer, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring the butter, water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the flour all at once and stir quickly until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir the mixture until smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until the mixture is shiny with a satiny sheen. Don’t overbeat. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan (or in a pinch, you could use a 9-inch circle cake pan). Using an offset spatula, spread the mixture on the bottom and one inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and prick pastry with a toothpick 10-12 times. Return to the oven and bake 5-10 minutes more until golden brown but not overbaked (you can insert a toothpick into the center and if it comes out with sticky dough, it still needs longer in the oven). Cool completely.
2. For the cream cheese mixture, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar (if you want to ensure there are no lumps, sift the powdered sugar into the cream cheese) and beat with the cream cheese until mixture is smooth and light. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread onto the cooled cream puff shell.
3. Top with fresh sliced strawberries (I mixed 2 cups of strawberries with 1 teaspoon sugar and let them hang out in the fridge while I was prepping the cake) or you can use a 16-ounce bag of frozen strawberries that have been thawed. Mix the thawed strawberries and juice with 1-2 teaspoons sugar and bring to a simmer in a saucepan. Cook until slightly thickened. Cool completely and use as topping for the cake.

crepe cake

I love crepes so I came up with this recipe to make my favorite breakfast into a cake. I made it up as I went so the measurements aren't exact. You might have to tweak them (specifically the filling).

Crepe Cake

Ingredients
Crepes
3 cups flour
3 cups milk
6 eggs
9 TB melted butter
1 cup 2 TB water
1 1/2 tsp salt

Filling
4 cups sour cream
4 tsp coconut extract
4 tsp pina colada syrup
2 TB lemon juice
1 cup sugar

strawberries and more pina colada syrup for garnish

Instructions
For the crepes, blend all the ingredients in a blender (you might have to do it in two batches depending upon the size of your blender). Heat a medium-size pan and pour about 1/4-1/2 cup of crepe batter. Cook on both sides until golden yellow. It might take 2-3 crepes of testing to get the heat of the pan just right. I made about 35 crepes.

For the filling, mix all ingredients together. Adjust flavor to your liking.

Layer one crepe at a time with a generous amount of filling in between each. If you skimp on the filling, the cake comes out kind of dry.

Cut strawberries and soak them in a few tsps of pina colada syrup. Use to garnish the cake. Chill before serving.

pretty party cake

For Easter I made this cake from the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook. A-ma-zing. You cannot go wrong with anything from that book. The only thing I might recommend changing is the amount of butter used in the frosting. I had no idea buttercream frosting really is just that--butter.


Yellow Layer Cake with Buttercream Frosting
from Cook's Illustrated
serves 10 - 12


Cake Ingredients
1/2 cup whole milk
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
16 TB butter, softened


Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350 and grease two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Whisk mild, eggs, and vanilla in small bowl.
3. In stand mixer, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, an salt to combine. Add butter, 1 TB at a time and mix for 1 minute.
4. Add all but 1/2 cup milk mixture, increase speed to medium-high for 1 minute. Add remaining milk mixture and beat 30 seconds.
(At this point, I divided the batter into three bowls and dyed them with food coloring.)
5. Divide batter evenly among pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Let cakes cool on racks for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and let cool completely before frosting.


Frosting Ingredients
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
1 pound butter (I would only use three sticks)


Instructions
1. Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in bowl of stand mixer and set bowl over saucepan containing 1 inch water barely simmering. Whisk gently until mixture is thin and foamy.
2. Fit stand mixer with whisk and whip ugh mixture on medium-high for 5 minutes. Reduce speed and add butter, then whisk on high for 1 minute. Let frosting set for two hours and give it one last whisk.

cream cheese pancakes

These pancakes have no sugar and no carbs, but they taste like cheesecake--win, win!

Cream Cheese Pancakes
makes 4 pancakes

INGREDIENTS
4 oz low fat cream cheese
4 eggs
2 droppers full of Stevia (sweetener)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS
Blend all ingredients together. Pour a quarter of the batter into a frying pan and cook like a crepe. Serve with fruit and powdered sugar (if you need a little sugar, like me).

german pancakes (popeye pancakes)

I grew up calling these Popeye Pancakes but nobody ever knew what I was talking about. It took me forever to figure out the rest of the world calls them German Pancakes, and they're probably my favorite breakfast ever. We had them this weekend and they made my day :)


German/Popeye Pancakes


INGREDIENTS:
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
6 TB butter


INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Mix eggs in blender. Add flour, milk, and salt.
Melt butter and pour into 9x13 pan.
Add egg mixture to pan and cook 13-15 min.

the holy grail of cookie recipes

Brown Sugar Crinkle Cookies

Photo by Ashley Evanson

I FINALLY got the Kitchen Aid I've been dreaming of for the past five years. Her name is April Sunshine and we are best friends. Our other friend is the new Cook's Illustrated Cook Book, where I found this most amazing of all cookie recipes. I don't know if I'm allowed to post their recipe online legally or not, but what the heck. Enjoy the best cookies of your life.

Brown Sugar Crinkle Cookies
recipe from Cook's Illustrated
Makes 2 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (about 1 3/4 ounces)
2 cups packed dark brown sugar (14 ounces)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter to melt; set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. In shallow baking dish or pie plate, mix granulated sugar and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, rubbing between fingers, until well combined; set aside. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl; set aside.

3. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter; mix until no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

4. Divide dough into 24 portions, each about 2 tablespoons, rolling between hands into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, toss balls in reserved sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, 12 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but it will take 3 batches.)

5. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone; see photo below), 12 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not over bake.

6. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

mini german pancakes

Photo by Ashley Evanson


We made these for breakfast this weekend--delish.

Mini German Pancakes

from Real Mom Kitchen

1 cup milk

6 eggs

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. citrus zest (optional--I used grapefruit)

1/4 cup butter, melted

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Blend first six ingredients (milk thru zest) in a blender.  Be careful to see that any flour clumps get well-blended.
• Blend in butter a little at a time in order to temper the eggs.
• Grease muffin tins well and distribute batter evenly (about halfway full). Bake for about 12 minutes, or until puffy and golden on top.
• Serve with your favorite toppings. 

hummingbird cupcakes

Photo by Ashley Evanson

Going to the cupcake isle at Orson Gygi is dangerous. I ended up buying like ten different prints of cupcake wrappers, and now I have to make cupcakes to fill them all.

These hummingbird cupcakes taste more like a really sweet breakfast muffin, but they are SOOO pretty. Just make sure to give yourself plenty of time to dry the pineapples.

Hummingbird Cupcakes

from Martha Stewart

Makes 24 cupcakes 

Ingredients

    3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
    2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    2 cups sugar
    3 large eggs
    2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large)
    1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
    1 cup chopped walnuts, or pecans
    1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
    Cream Cheese Frosting
    Dried Pineapple Flowers

Directions
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.with rack in center. Line cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.

    In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, vanilla, and sugar until combined, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next. Beat at medium speed until mixture is pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

    In a medium bowl, stir together banana, pineapple, walnuts, and coconut. Add to egg mixture, mixing until combined. Stir in flour mixture.

    Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes.

    Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with dried pineapple flowers, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

panama recipes

A lot of people asked for the recipes from our Panama party, so I figured the easiest way to distribute them was through our blog. Enjoy!

EMPANADAS:

* 5 cups flour (unsifted)
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1 cup shortening (Crisco preferred)
* 1 cup milk

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl. Cut in shortening until it resembles crumbly meal. Gradually sprinkle in milk stirring until dough clings together. Knead 10 times. Let rest 1/2 hour.

Filling:

* 2 lbs. ground beef
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* hot sauce (optional)

Mix ground beef with all the ingredients except tomato paste. Fry slowly in 1 tablespoon oil until cooked. Mash around a bit so it's crumbly. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste (so that it's thick), stir very well. Turn off heat and let filling cool. Add as much hot sauce as you like. On a very well-floured surface, roll dough as thick as you would for pie crust (can divide it into 2 parts if desired). Cut 5"circles (using any container with 5" opening) and place filling on center of each circle. Brush beaten egg on lower edge of circles. Fold over and press edges with fork dipped in flour. Fry in lard about 2 minutes on each side until brown. Make sure there is enough lard to cover the empanadas--- about 3 - 4" deep.

SEVICHE:

* 2 pounds of raw corvina (or whitefish) in filets
* 2 small onions, chopped
* 1 cup lemon juice
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 hot chili pepper (without the seeds), chopped
* 2 tablespoons olive oil

Dice the fish filets and put them in a glass or porcelain bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. Rectify the salt and serve with salted soda crackers.

ARROZ CON POLLO (Chicken with Rice):

1 3 lb. chicken
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large onion
1 green bell pepper
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tomato puree
1 lb. rice
5 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
dash of saffron
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can red peppers
1/2 cup green olives

Cut the chicken into pieces and season with salt, pepper and orange juice. Let stand for 1 hour. Heat the olive oil and brown the chicken pieces. Take the chicken out of the pan and add the chopped onion, green pepper and garlic. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes and add the tomato puree. Continue cooking for some more and the chicken and the rice. Stir well and cook 3 more minutes. Add the stock, salt, and green olives. Cover and cook over high heat until it boils and the rice pops.

Uncover and lower heat. Pour the wine over the rice and continue cooking until the rice is completely cooked and the chicken is tender. Take the chicken out of the rice and take the meat off the bones. Return the chicken meat to the rice and stir well. When ready to serve, put on a serving dish and decorate with the red pepper strips. 8 servings.

JOHNNY MAZETTI:

* 2 pkg. egg noodles
* 1 1/2 lbs.- 2 lbs. ground beef
* 1 lb. green peppers
* 1 lb. onions
* 1 stalk celery
* 1 large jar green olives
* 1 can tomato paste
* 1 can tomato sauce
* 1 can arturo sauce (I had to look online for a recipe to make this)
* 1 large can mushrooms
* 1 lb. grated cheddar cheese
* 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Brown ground beef, drain, then put in large pot. Chop peppers, onions, celery, olives and mushrooms. Add the seasoning and garlic powder, put in the pot with the drained meat. Mix those ingredients well. Add sauces and paste then mix again. Put on medium low fire. In another pot, cook noodles -- when done, add them to the mixture and stir very well. Place mixture in long oblong pan in layers. On each layer, place shredded cheese but leave enough for the top.

Place about 4 teaspoons of butter on the top, and put into the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes. Don't worry about leftovers - place portions into ziplock freezer bags (preferable over tinfoil). It freezes well and taste twice as good the next time.

FLAN DE CARAMELO (Caramel Custard):

1 can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sugar (for caramel)

On the upper pan of a double boiler place the sugar with 1/4 cup water to make a caramel.

Mix the milk, eggs, vanilla and sugar and pour in the caramel pan. Place over a double boiler and cover. Let cook over medium heat for 1 hour until the custard is set. Let cool completely and then place in refrigerator. Once cold turn over onto a serving dish and serve.

TRES LECHES (Three Milks Cake):

For the spongecake:
6 eggs, separated
2 cups sugar
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the cream:
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 cup whipping cream

For the topping:
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
3 cups water
1/4 cup of light corn syrup, such as Karo

Make the spongecake: In a the bowl of your mixer place the egg whites. Beat at low speed first and then increase the speed to high until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, letting it dissolve well before adding more, and beat until firm. Add the egg yolks one by one, beating well after each addition. Now mix the flour with the baking powder and add to the mixture alternating with the milk. This operation has to be done quickly or the batter will loose the lightness in it. Finally, add the vanilla. Pour this batter in a large rectangular pyrex,greased and floured, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a 350°oven.

While this is baking, prepare the cream. Very simple: just mix everything together in a blender and pour over the still warm spongecake.

The frosting: Place the water, sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan and let boil. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add the hot syrup in a string and continue beating at high speed until all the syrup has been added. Beat until no longer warm. To serve the Tres Leches: Once the soaked spongecake is at room temperature you have to let it cool in the refrigerator. Then you can spread the frosting and put back in the cold. This is supposed to be served very cold. You can decorate this Cake with Silver dragées or you can also make some caramel and let some strings of it just casually over the frosting.

DELICIA DE COCO (Coconut Delight):

1 spongecake 9 x 13 in.
1/2 can "Coco Lopez" or coconut milk
2 cans evaporated milk
4 egg yolks
3 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 tub extra heavy cool whip
3-4 drops of coconut extract

Prepare the cream: In a saucepan mix the 2 cans evaporated milk, egg yolks, cornstarch, and the sugar and let boil. Let cool for 10 minutes. Cut the spongecake in 1 inch slices and arrange a layer in the bottom of a pyrex dish. Moisten the spongecake with the coconut milk or Coco Lopez. Pour half the cream and cover with another layer of spongecake. Moisten again with the rest of the coconut milk or Coco Lopez. Pour the rest of the cream. Repeat until you finish with some spongecake. To make the topping, mix the cool whip with a few drops of coconut extract and spread over the top of the cake. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. If you like, decorate the cake with shredded coconut.

FRIED BANANAS:

Ingredients:
1 quart oil for frying
2 plantains
1 cup sugar
2 tbs cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat.
2. Peel the plantains and cut them in small slices.
3. Fry the pieces until browned and tender.
4. Roll around in the cinnamon sugar mix.

Chocolate Trifle

I made this the other day and it was so good, I ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yeah, I'm a pig.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package brownie mix
• 1 package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 bar chocolate candy

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares.
2. In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 8 ounces whipped topping until no streaks remain.
3. In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the brownies, half of the pudding mixture and half of the 12 ounce container of whipped topping. Repeat layers. Shave chocolate onto top layer for garnish.
   

Sicilian Ricotta Cheesecake

This is the most refreshing dessert for a hot summer day. It's not super sweet, but very rich. The recipe comes from an old Italian man, which I think makes it taste better!

• 2 pounds ricotta cheese
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 eggs
• 3 teaspoons amaretto
  
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 1/2 inch springform pan, and tap out excess flour.
2. Place the ricotta in a large mixing bowl, and stir it as smooth as possible. Stir the sugar and flour together thoroughly into the ricotta. Stir in the eggs 1 at a time. Blend in the amaretto, vanilla, and salt. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the center of the oven for about 1 1/2 hours, until a light golden color. Make sure the center is fairly firm, and the point of a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. It will sink slightly as it cools. Cover, and chill till serving time.

Summer BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:

10 chicken drumsticks (or breasts)

2 Tbs. paprika

2 Tbs. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 cups bbq sauce

1. Mix paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper.

2. Coat chicken with spices and chill for 20 min.

3. Coat with bbq sauce as you bbq them. Yummy!