JAMSquared

We had a busy weekend. Jessica’s baptism was yesterday and we had a lot of family in town. There will be a bunch of posts related to the baptism and this first one involves the Orange Bundt Cake I baked for the brunch/lunch we held after the baptism.

It is a very moist delicious cake that I like to make when I buy orange juice, because I have a tendency of forgetting about it being in the fridge. This is the kind of cake that Sandra Lee would call semi-homemade.

Orange Bundt Cake

Source: James’ mother

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 18-oz. package orange cake mix
• 1 3.4-oz. box instant vanilla pudding
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 4 eggs

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1-2 tablespoons orange juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil and flour Bundt pan.

In a large bowl, blend all cake ingredients at low speed until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan and bake at 350°F for 38 to 43 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

For the glaze, mix confectioner’s sugar and orange zest; add enough orange juice to make it thin enough to spread. Drizzle over cake.

Yield: 12-15 servings

Yesterday, I made a cake called Susan’s Lemon Cake that I found on the Cake Mix Doctor’s website. I picked it because it contained no dairy and we were going to have dinner with some friends, one of which is lactose intolerant. The cake turned out delicious. It went very well with the watermelon fruit basket Clarisse had put together.

After dinner, we hung outside a little bit watching the sunset. Dalton, of course, had to spend time with his favorite sucker James.

A few weeks ago, I made this utterly delicious Choco-Holic Cake for my friends when we got together to make cards for the troops.  I actually didn’t make the glaze, as I had run out of time, but the cake was still delicious and so moist. I found the recipe on one of the baking sites I like to go to, VeryBestBaking.com. You can set up an account and put recipes in your recipe box for later perusal.

A few nights later, I made Chicken Pasta Toss for dinner and it turned out beautifully. We enjoyed it and James said I could make it again. That’s a big thumbs up from my picky husband.

Chicken Pasta Toss

Source: Taste of Home’s Simple & Delicious, March/April 2008, page 25

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon salt (I use kosher salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• dash cayenne pepper
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (I used less dried parsley since I forgot to pick up some fresh at the store)

Directions:

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute garlic in butter. Add chicken, onions and seasonings; cook, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes or until juices run clear.

Stir in cream. Bring to a boil. Reduc heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Drain spaghetti; toss with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Yield: 4 servings

My friend Kristy’s birthday was October 8th. Since she works at AMD with my husband, I baked up a cake for him to take to the office.  Kristy likes angel food cake, but I didn’t  have quite enough eggs, so I baked a chiffon cake, which requires about a third less eggs. According to Kristy and James, the cake was a  gastronomic success, regardless of my cake leveling skills. If I make it again, I would use a bit more orange juice in the glaze.

Orange Chiffon Cake

Source: Betty Crocker’s Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour or 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
  
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 3/4 cup cold water
  
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  
• 2 tablespoons grated orange peel
  
• 7 large egg yolks (with all-purpose flour) or 5 large egg yolks (with cake flour)
  
• 1 cup large egg whites (about 8 )
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Orange Glaze

Directions:

Move oven rack to lowest position. Preheat oven to 325°F.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Beat in water, oil, orange peel and egg yolks with electic mixer on low speed until smooth.

With clean beaters, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gradually pour egg yolk mixture over beaten egg whites, folding in with rubber spatula just until blended. Pour into ungreased angel food cake pan (tube pan), 10×4 inches.

Bake about 1 hour 15 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly. Immediately turn pan upside down onto heatproof funnel or bottle. Let hang about 2 hours or until cake is completely cool. Loosen side of cake with knife or long metal spatula; remove from pan.

Spread Orange Glaze over top of cake, allowing some to drizzle down side.

Yield: 12 servings

Orange Glaze

Source: Betty Crocker’s Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup butter or stick margarine
• 2 cups powdered sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 2 to 4 tablespoons orange juice
  

Directions:

Melt butter in 1 1/2-quart saucepan over low heat; remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and orange peel. Stir in orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and consistency of thick syrup. Glazes one 12-cup bundt cake, 10-inch angle food or chiffon cake or top of an 8- or 9-inch layer cake.

***

I made her the following card using a Stamp Something sketch challenge. I’m really happy with how it turned out, maybe my best card yet. A great technique I used in making this card is the easy peasy bow embellishment. I then decided to decorate a paper mache box I had picked up at Hobby Lobby to match the card and house Kristy’s gift, a Stampin’ Up stamp set she had pointed out to me.

Stamps: SU Knobbly Gnomes
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up Real Red, Whisper White; striped and textured paper from my scrapbooking stash
Ink: Stazon black
Accessories: Stampin’ Up Real Red eyelets, Real Red grosgrain ribbon; various colored pencils; dimensionals

One of my co-workers and his wife are expecting a baby girl in mid-May, so last week we threw them a baby shower at lunch. It was a potluck Mexican-food themed lunch with everyone pitching in some money for a gift basket that I put together. As this is their third child, the gift basket contained primarily consumables such items as diapers, baby shampoo and Boudreaux’s Butt Paste^®, which I’ve been told is really good stuff. Everyone seemed to have a really good time.

I baked the White Cake and Creamy Vanilla Frosting from Betty Crocker’s New Cake Decorating. Overall, the cake was good and the icing was tasty, but I had to add additional milk to make it more spreadable. I also need to practice my cake decorating skills.

For the lunch, I made a Chile Relleno Bake, a recipe my mother sent me.

Chile Relleno Bake

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground chuck
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup salsa
• 5 4-oz. cans whole chilies, drained (I only used 3 cans)
  
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese with peppers
• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• ⅓ cup yellow cornmeal
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups milk
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon hot sauce
• sour cream, optional
• chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13×9-inch baking dish.

In a large skillet, combine ground chuck, ground sausage, onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until meat is browned and crumbly. Drain well. Stir in salsa.

Cut chilies in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Place half of chilies evenly over bottom of baking dish. Spoon half of meat mixture over chilies. Sprinkle evenly with half of cheese. Place remaining chilies in an even layer over cheese. Spoon remaining meat mixture over chilies. Top with remaining cheese. Sprinkle cornmeal evenly over cheese.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and flour until smooth. Whisk in milk, salt, and hot sauce. Pour over cornmeal. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until set. Let cool 10 minutes. Cut into squares to serve. Garnish with sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.

Servings: 8-10