Strawberry Rhubarb Cake

I was looking for an amazing, fruity cake for a BBQ. I wanted to use rhubarb because it's in season and of course strawberries because they pair perfectly. I had an idea of what I wanted so I found two recipes and mashed them together and made them my own! Baking a cake like this can be a lot of work. Especially if you have a toddler ha! I baked the cakes two days in advance and froze them. Then I made the mousse and buttercream day of, placed it in the fridge and took it out 2 hours before serving it so it could come up to room temp. This cake is super yummy and I received a lot of compliments! 

Cake: Adapted from Eats Well With Others

1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 tbsp vanilla bean

1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 cups diced rhubarb

Strawberry Mousse: Adapted from The Galley Gourmet

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
2 cups fresh strawberries, diced
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Vanilla Bean Buttercream: Adapted from Eats Well With Others

6 egg whites
1/4 tsp vanilla beans

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 lb unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, slightly cooler than room temperature

CAKE:

preheat the oven to 350. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray and line with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes on medium-high. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating thoroughly and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla bean paste.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low, add a third of the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture. Add in half of the buttermilk. Repeat with the second third of the flour and the remaining buttermilk. Add in the remaining flour and still until just incorporated. Fold in the rhubarb.
Divide the batter among the three pans and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted comes back clean. Set aside to cool.

MOUSSE:

Sprinkle gelatin over water in a medium bowl; let stand for five minutes. Place strawberry and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat. Add the gelatin mixture to the strawberry mixture, whisking constantly until gelatin has dissolved. Chill until cool, stirring occasionally, about 30-45 minutes.
Using a whisk or hand-held mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into strawberry mixture until no streaks remain. Cover and chill for 30 minutes or until mixture is thick enough to hold its shape when mounded between cake layers. Spread about 1 cup of the strawberry mousse filling between each cake layer, leaving a 1/4-inch border around all edges; cover and chill for 3 hours or until mousse is set.

BUTTERCREAM:

Put the egg whites and vanilla bean and extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
In a large saucepan, combine the granulated sugar with 1 cup of water. Stir constantly over medium heat until the sugar has melted. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. As the temperature of the syrup reaches 225F, start whisking the egg whites so that they start to get foamy. Continue heating the syrup until it reaches 240F. It may take a while but it will get there.
Slowly pour the syrup down the side of the stand mixer bowl, into the egg whites with the mixer on medium-low. Increase the speed to high and whip until the egg whites form stiff peaks and the bowl is cool to the touch.
With the mixer on medium, add the butter one tbsp at a time. Whisk until mixer is smooth and creamy. It will look like its breaking but its just emulsifying so don't worry, just keep mixing until it starts looking creamy.
Coat the cake with the buttercream and top with fresh strawberries. Serve cake at room temp.


Cake & buttercream adaptation: *http://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2013/06/recipe-strawberry-rhubarb-dream-cake.html?showComment=1372644938264#c7772713176382973747
Mousse adaptation:http://www.thegalleygourmet.net/2013/04/fresh-strawberry-mousse-cake.html

Zucchini Crust Pizza

Since my diagnosis with gestational diabetes I have been really paying attention to what I eat, cutting carbs and sugars. This hasn't been easy since I love my carbs and ever since my second trimester I have been craving sugar like crazy! So some serious adjustments had to be made. I didn't want to have to give up some of my favorite foods like pizza so I just tweaked the recipe a bit! Here is a version of zucchini crust pizza that turned out awesome.
Note: you can use any type of squash with this!

Crust:
6 cups zucchini, shredded (approx 3 zucchini's)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup coconut flour (or almond flour)

Pizza Sauce:
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, chopped
1tsp dried onion
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
pinch salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 500F. In large bowl mix shredded zucchini, cheese, egg, garlic, oregano basil and salt. With your hands, mix until everything is incorporated. Add flour and again mix with hands until incorporated. On a piece of parchment (approx 15" piece), pat down dough until about 1/2 inch think. Transfer crust with the parchment on an round pizza pan or pizza stone. Place in oven and bake crust for 8 mins.
While crust is in the oven, make pizza sauce in small bowl. You may have some leftover depending on how much sauce you like on your pizza ;)
Once the crust is golden around the edges, take out of the oven and top your pizza. I usually do sauce, cheese, veggies and then another layer of cheese. You can do whatever you'd like! Bake for approx 8-10 mins or until cheese is golden and bubbling. Let sit for 5 mins before you slice and enjoy!

Quinoa Southwest Salad

It has been too long since I last posted! But with the wonderful news of my pregnancy, why not use Mothers Day as a great reason to post again?! I have been eating a lot healthier and really just trying to make the best decisions for baby. So when asked to make a side dish for a Mothers Day picnic, I wanted something high in protein, low in fat but something that everyone, including kiddos will love. You can add peppers, tomatoes, avocado if you'd like as well! So here it is:

2 cups quinoa*
1 can black beans
1 can corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp honey
Juice of two limes
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
salt to taste

Bring 4 cups of salted (about 1/4 tsp salt) water to boil. Add quinoa, turn heat to low and cover for approx 15-20 minutes. Moisture should be absorbed and quinoa should be fluffy. Place in fridge and cool.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl add beans, corn, red onion, green onion, cilantro, honey, lime juice and chili powder. Mix well. When quinoa is chilled, incorporate into bean and corn mixture. Add cotija cheese and salt to taste. Great to make a day in advance but not necessary. Makes about 6 cups and can serve approx 12+ people.

*Note: Its always good to rinse your quinoa before you cook it. This will help rinse the natural coating called saponins that is bitter and soapy and can also irritate sensitive stomachs.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

Super Bowl is here and our Seahawks are playing again! What does that mean? Big party at our place! This year we are making things super simple. Getting a keg of beer for the kegerator and making some snacks! On the menu are my Blue cheese meatballs! I cheat and buy Wing Dome's #3 Buffalo Sauce but you could use Franks or your choice of buffalo sauce. These can be made with chicken or turkey and can also be made gluten free! Here is how I make mine:

2 lbs ground turkey
1 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 tps salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs OR gluten free substitute (almond flour, rice flour, ect)
1 cup blue cheese crumbles
1 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup Buffalo sauce

Mix first 7 items in a bowl. Take approx 2 Tbps meat mixture and place a few blue cheese crumbles in the center and roll into a ball.
Heat butter and oil in large pan at medium heat. Place meatballs in pan and let brown on all sides until cooked through (approx 170 degrees F).
Coat meatballs in buffalo sauce and serve with carrots, celery and ranch dipping sauce! CROWED PLEASER!

Russian Tea Cakes

My mom always made a plethora of amazing cookies during the holidays. Its so hard to pick my favorite, between her almond roca, sugar cookies and peanut brittle....I chose one that is easy and really beautiful (and I was able to actually find her original recipe card).  Some call them Mexican wedding cakes, snowballs, southern pecan butterball...my mom called them Russian tea cakes so thats what I will stick with.  I used pecans, but feel free to switch it up w almonds or walnuts if you'd like!

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 flour
3/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 tsp salt
1/4  tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 400F. Cream butter, vanilla and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. In separate bowl mix flour, salt, baking powder and nuts. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Chill dough for approximately 2 hours (can be made 2 days ahead). Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on non-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. While warm, roll in powdered sugar. Makes approx 4 dozen.

Casserole-style Mashed Potatoes

I usually make my mashed potatoes in the pot with butter, milk, salt and pepper. Just like my mom did. Of course there is nothing wrong with this standard method but I found a recipe that was not only amazing but easy to make even a whole day ahead! Hands down the BEST mashed potatoes I have ever made. 

4-5 lbs of yellow potatoes

1 cup of milk (appox)

3/4 stick of butter 

12 oz cream cheese 

1 1/2 tsp granulated garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan 

Peel and chop potatoes into 1-2 inch chunks. Drop into cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 15 mins. Drain water and add butter and cream cheese. Mix with hand mixer to break up lumps. Add milk until desired consistency. Add garlic, salt and pepper and mix. Place mashed potatoes in casserole dish (can be done a day or two ahead). Sprinkle parmesan on top of potatoes and place in preheated oven at 350F and bake for approx 15-20 mins until golden brown. You can serve with gravy if you want, but they don't need it! Enjoy! 

Tomato Tortellini Soup

This may be the best soup I have EVER made. So warm, so hardy and the perfect winter meal! I basically saw two recipes and combined them. My philosophy with cooking is to make it your own. Add more veggies, use ground turkey instead of sausage, add a bit of cream... I encourage you to make it yours!

1 Lb ground Italian sausage
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 12 oz cans Italian chopped tomatoes
32 oz chicken stock
2 cups water
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp parsley, chopped
1 tsp oregano, chopped
1 Tbsp basil, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
12 oz three cheese tortellini
1 cup shredded parmesan

In a large pot, brown italian sausage. Once cooked all the way through, add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the tortellini. Let soup come to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Add pasta and let simmer for approx. 10 minutes or until the pasta is done. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan and enjoy!