Chocolate cake

 

CHOCOLATE CAKE

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, or (plain flour), (8 oz | 227 g) 
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder,(2.6 oz | 75 g) or regular Hershey's cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, (or bi-carb soda)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups white granulated sugar, (14 oz | 410 g)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk, (250 ml)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, (125 ml)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water (250 ml)

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

• 4 oz butter, (120 g | 1/2 cup)
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, or regular HERSHEY'S (2.4 oz | 65 g)
• 3 cups powdered sugar, (confectioners or icing sugar)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

Butter and parchment 2 9x9 rounds. Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients for cake mix till smooth. add boiling water last. Pour into pans. Bake 30 min. Let cool. 

For frosting melt butter first and all chocolate, add milk and sugar in stages. Add vanilla last. Frost cake

Chicken Fricasse with Dumplings

5 pound chicken cut up or 8/10 chicken pieces

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

rosemary or thyme leaves

oil for frying

onion (Chopped)

1 cup water

3 tablespoons flour 

milk

Dumplings: 

1.5 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 tablespoons shortening

1/4 cup milk

chives?

mix dry ingredients, cut in shortening, stir in milk

Directions:

wash chicken pieces and pat dry. Mix 1 cup flour, salt, pepper, paprika. Coat chicken with flour mixture. Heat thin layer of oil in skillet, brown chicken on all sides.  drain off fat reserve. Take out chicken,  to skillet add onions and thyme leaves. cook down, add back chicken and water. cover tightly and cook slowly. 2 hours till fork tender. remove chicken and reserve liquid.

For gravy:  heat 3 tablespoons  reserve fat in skillet, blend in 3T flour, make a rue, stir till warm an bubbly, add milk, reserved liquid, heat to boiling.  return chicken to gravy. prepare dough for dumplings/ drop by spoonfuls into hot chicken. cook uncovered 10 min. cover and cook 20 min longer.

2 ingredient biscuits

 2 cups self rising flour

1 1/4 cup crem

1 tsp salt.

Mix in bowl till dough forms 

Roll out and cut into biscuits. Brush with cream

bake 10 min@450

Banana Cream Pie

 2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup corn starch

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups milk

4 egg yolks (slightly beaten)

2 tablespoons butter (softened)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon  vanilla

2 large bananas

whipped cream

pie shell

Bake pie shell. stir together sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan. blend milk eggs. stir gradually into sugar mixture, cook over med heat stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. boil and stir one minute. take off heat, blend in butter and vanilla. pres plastic wrap onto filling in saucepan.  and cool to room temperature.

peel and slice bananas. arrange in layer in pie shell. pour in cooled filling. chill pie thoroughly. at least 2 hours. top with whipped cream and enjoy.

Empanada Sauce Avocado

 

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 lime, juice and zest
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup water, more if you prefer a thinner consistency
• 1/2 avocado
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 cup green onion, white parts removed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

• In a food processor, add the Greek yogurt, lime juice and half the zest, olive oil, water, avocado, cilantro, garlic, green onion, and salt. Pulse on high until fully combined. You can add more water if needed to thin out the sauce.
• Serve with homemade Chicken Empanadas!

Puertorican Turkey

Thaw out turkey. 

Wash and Dry turkey. 

Rub inside and outside of bird with salt, sofrito, and mustard. rub until well coated. plenty of each ingredient. 

At this point I usually let the turkey marinate while I make the stuffing.

Stuff bird with stuffing. 

bake according to package instructions - according to weight of bird. Usually 350 degrees for several hours. 

take lid off during the last hour. Basting every 15 minutes to brown turkey. 

Bird is ready when you push on the leg and it does not bounce back.

My Stuffing

Old Fashioned stuffing (for Turkey) 

 Ingredients: 

1 lb sausage cooked turkey giblets (neck, heard and gizzards) chopped 

1/2 cup butter 

3 large onions, chopped 

1 1/2 tsp marjoram leaves 

3/4 tsp each: pepper, ground sage. thyme leaves 

12 cups day old bread cut or broken into 1/2 inch pieces 

2 cups chopped celery 

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 

1 egg - fork mixed 

salt 

 Directions: cook sausage over med heat. remove from pan. add butter to pan and add onion, cook onion till translucent. add celery. then everything except bread and egg. remove from heat. Combine with bread and egg salt and toss till combined. stuff Turkey