Chocolate chip Cookie Cake

So I was a bad wife two years in a row and forgot my husbands birthday..... I know men everywhere are screaming in outrage :) Yes women forget too. So this year I was on the ball and decided to try and incorporate something my husband LOVES into a cake :) First off he LOVES Cookie dough. In ice cream, on a spoon from the bowl, you name it. So I thought ok how can I make a cake and incorporate cookies. So bam this is what I came up with.

Ingredients needed- 1 box Duncan Hines Yellow cake mix, (all ingredients on the box-Vegetable oil, 3 eggs and water) Cooking oil spray(or just oil to grease the pans) 1/2 bag mini chocolate chips, 1 32 oz bag confectioners sugar, 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, 1 cup  shortening, 1 tablespoon butter extract, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1/4 c milk or cream(you may need more or less, add until consistency is right), couple tablespoons flour for dusting the pans, One batch of cookie dough or one large tube of store bought cookie dough. I always just use the recipe on the back of tollhouse cookies. You will also need wax or parchment paper and 2 8" pans(I have non stick)

Frosting- In my opinion Wilton has one of the BEST recipes for butter cream, My aunt has used it for years and I continue to use it.

Mix 1 cup solid vegetable shortening  in stand mixer, add 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.), 1 tablespoon butter and vanilla extract and 2-4 tablespoons milk. Mix until frosting is thick and all mixed together, Add more milk if you need it thinner to frost with. Cover and set aside.( You can find this recipe @ http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Buttercream-Icing)

 

Cake- Mix cake as instructed on the pox and pour 1/4 into a each of the greased(add parchment circles to the very bottom, make sure they do not come up the sides just the bottom) roll out 1 tablespoon balls of cookie dough(you will need about 6 per cake) and flatten evenly. Place them on the batter that has been poured into the pan in a circle and then one in the middle and pour the second half of the cake batter into each pan(You should have 2 pans so 1/4 into each pan firstly is half then after cookie dough is added pour remaining on top evenly between cakes to cover the cookie dough.)

 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 33 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Set aside for 20 minutes then remove from pans and let cool all the way.

 

Chocolate Ganache- 1 cup mini chocolate chips 3 tablespoons milk or cream, dash of salt.

 

 

Heat over a double boiler(or a sauce pan with a heat resistant bowl that sits on top with no gaps) You will make this when you are ready to put it in the middle. This way it doesn't harden or crust up.

 

Bake the remainder of your cookies around the same size because you will use them as the border.

 

Once your cakes are cooled flatten the tops by cutting off the excess. Place on surface(either where you or going to decorate or the cake plate)

Put the bottom layer down. Using a piping bag(either with or with out a tip) make a ring around the inner edge so that the ganache does not leak out.  Spread the ganache evenly inside. Place second layer cut side down onto the ganache. Gently push down to make a seal. Frost outer cake. It does not have to be pretty just evenly coated. Push the cooled cookies onto the side.(side note I thought about this after the fact but you could crunch the cookies up and make them a crumble and put that on the edge. Whatever works best for you)  Decorate the top as you like. I used the frosting to make little peaks and then placed a little cookie in the middle I cut out and sprinkled with a handful of mini chocolate chips. It turned out Amazing! 

 

 

 

 

Out of town

Well I missed my Thursday and Friday meal. I had to go out of town to see some family and unfortunately was unable to complete my days 13 and 14 of the 2 week blog. I will be getting some new recipes for this coming week and I am going to be having a leftover week. Should be quite interesting :)  Stay tuned for some amazing dishes to come.

Baked Chicken Breast with Mashed Sweet potatoes and roasted Veggies

Easy, Easy, Easy! Ingredients needed-2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, Salt, Pepper, 1 tsp garlic and onion powder, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 cup broccoli, cauliflower and sliced carrots, 2 sweet potatoes, 2 Tbls butter.


Roasted Vegetables-

Pre heat oven to 425. Add vegetables to baking dish and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and half each of the garlic and onion powder. Put in oven for 1 hour.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes-

Bake sweet potatoes until soft. Remove skin and put in bowl. Add butter and salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken-

Coat chicken breasts with oil and add salt, pepper and remaining garlic and onion powder. Put on a sheet pan on a rack. Let bake for 25 minutes at 425. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Make a plate!

Baked Halibut with mashed sweet potatoes and sauteed vegetables

Tonight was an easy prep night. Ingredients needed-1 lb. halibut, 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs(I use croutons and crush them with my rolling pin. Helps get out any aggression :)   ), 1 cup broccoli chopped, 1 cup cauliflower chopped, 2 carrots peeled and sliced, 3 Tbls shredded Parmesan cheese,1 large sweet potato or yam, 1 Tbls butter,  Olive oil, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder ,salt and pepper to taste.

Halibut-

Cut fish into serving size portions(3-4) and brush with olive oil. Add garlic, onion, salt and pepper to bread crumbs. Toss fish 1 at a time in the bread crumbs. Set in a baking dish.
Bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Let set 5 minutes before serving.

This is a picture before the fish went into the oven.

Sautéed vegetables-

 Take a small drizzle of olive oil and add garlic and onion powder. Add veggies and cook till tender. Garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Bake sweet potato at 375 for 1 hour or until a knife inserts and comes out easily. Scoop out inside of potato and mix with salt, pepper and butter.

Tartar Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise, 2 pickles, 1/4 of a white onion, dill weed, 1 Tbls capers and pepper.
Grind the onion, capers and pickles in a small electric chopper or food processor.  Mix mayo, ground pickle, onion and capers, dill weed pepper and a little splash of pickle juice. Set aside and let sit in fridge

Add them all together and what a delicious and healthy dinner!

 

I served my fish with home made tarter.

 

 

Day off

Had to Pass on Day 9 of 14 because my mom made me the most delicious Salmon Alfredo with cheddar biscuits and Salad. It was amazing. I had spent the entire day helping my dad get his deer meat ready for packaging and I helped remove silver skin to ready it for sausage. I was pooped! But I did enjoy a nice day off from cooking :)

Sesame Ginger Teryiaki Salmon with fried rice and Vietnamese Spring Rolls with a peanut dipping sauce

So I am updating this one a little late due to I wasn't home this weekend. The Hubs went deer hunting with my father and me an my Mom spent the weekend together! On Saturday my Mom and I got a wild hair and decided to make some delicious stuff! Compliments to my mom for the fried rice :)

Ingredients needed- 20-30 medium shrimp, 1 salmon fillet(we used 3 smaller pieces of fillet), 1 bunch of cilantro, 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce, Napa Cabbage(2 cups sliced thinly),2 slices of bacon chopped, 4 cups green leafy lettuce, 1 cup chopped basil, 1/2 cup chopped mint, 2 green onions cut thinly into strips about 3-4 inches long, 2 green onions diced, 1 cup cooked rice noodles, 20 rice paper spring roll wrappers, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3 Tbls sesame oil, 1/8 cup sesame seeds,3 Tbls Vegetable oil or bacon grease, 3Tbls fresh grated ginger, 1/2 finely chopped diced carrot, 2 cloves garlic finely minced, 1/2 tsp pepper flakes, 1/2 cup  peanut butter, 1 lime zested and juiced, 1.4 cup frozen or fresh peas, 2 eggs(scrambled and set aside), 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 cups cooked and cooled jasmine rice.

Cook the shrimp on medium heat with pepper flakes, a pinch of zest, a little bit of the lime juice, a pinch of garlic and ginger. Cook all the way through and set in fridge to cool. Cut shrimp into 4-5 pieces each.

Spring rolls-

You will need 1 bowl large enough for warm water that you can dip the spring roll wrappers in. Clean counter space and dip wrapper into warm water for 5-10 seconds until it begins to get soft. Set flat on counter. Place a small amount of rice noodles, 2-3 strings of onion, a sprinkle of basil, mint and cilantro and a small handful of cabbage and lettuce in the middle of the wrapper. Pull over one side and roll until halfway then fold the ends in and finish wrapping. Repeat until done.

Salmon-

In a baking dish large enough for the fish to lay flat place garlic, ginger, sesame oil, brown sugar, sesame seeds, most of the lime zest(save about 1/4 tsp for rice) lime juice, 3/4 of the soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and mix. Lay salmon in marinade and let sit for 1/2 hour. Heat grill or oven(if you do the oven put it on 375 and you will cook for 15 minutes) Put on foil on grill and let cook 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside and let rest.

Fried Rice-

Heat  vegetable(I prefer to use bacon grease in this recipe) oil in a pan. Put chilled rice in pan and break up. Add carrots, diced green onions, peas and bacon into pan. Cook and scrap crispy rice bits off the bottom. Add remaining soy sauce(about 2 Tbls) and mix. Add scrambled egg and break it up into the rice.


Peanut Sauce(used for dipping the Spring rolls)-

4 Tbls peanut butter, 1 tsp finely grated ginger, 1 Tbls sambal(more if you like it spicy),  1 Tbls lime juice, 1 1/2 Tbls soy sauce, 1 Tbls brown sugar and a sprinkle of cilantro. Mix thoroughly.

Make a plate and Enjoy!

Baked "Fried" Chicken Strips

Have a really easy recipe for baked "fried" chicken. Ingredients needed- 3 large chicken breasts or 15 chicken tenders, 2 Tbls light Mayonnaise, Olive oil cooking spray, 2 cups bread crumbs(I use plain and add 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper) 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbls cornstarch and 1/4 cup flour. Cut chicken breast into strips. and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.


Put bread crumbs, seasonings, flour and corn starch into a gallon zip lock bag, Coat the chicken strips into the mayonnaise and mix around until lightly coated. Put 1-2 strips into the bag and shake.

Cover a baking sheet with foil and coat with olive oil spray. Lay chicken strips out evenly and pray olive oil spray on top.

Bake for 8 minutes then flip and bake another 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
 I served mine with a baked potato and Salad.