Showing posts with label Secret Recipe Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Secret Recipe Club. Show all posts

Monday, October 17, 2011

Secret Recipe Club - Orange Vinaigrette from The Tasty Cheapskate



Orange Vinaigrette over Romaine lettuce with orange slices and fresh mozzarella
It is time for my favorite foodie event, the Secret Recipe Club! The idea of it is you are assigned a fellow food blogger each month, it is kept a secret of course, and you go to their food blog and pick a recipe (or more) to make. On the assigned date, everyone posts their creations and you go and visit and see all the goodies that were made. Sort of like a secret Santa, right?

My host who is organizing my group is Tina from Moms Crazy Cooking. Thank you Tina for hosting!



My assignment for this month was The Tasty Cheapskate where Jeanie blogs about frugal food recipes. While I was sorely tempted to make her recipe for Chocolate Chip Brownies, I decided to go with a delicious citrus vinaigrette instead. (I'm still making the brownies, though!)


 Here is Jeanie's recipe:

Orange Vinaigrette
Makes several servings

1/2 C sugar
1/3 C orange juice
1/2 C rice wine vinegar
1 C canola oil (olive would work too, but will add a distinct taste to your dressing; I liked the canola because it didn't get in the way of the orange)
2 Tbsp dry Italian dressing

1. Shake it up in a glass jar and let it stand for 30 minutes.

While I would have liked to add a few more veggies to my salad, I was out of stock so I kept it simple. The flavors in the vinaigrette are delicious and refreshing. Thank you Jeanie for a great recipe and a great alternative to the same ol' ranch dressing for this salad eater!

Source: Recipe from The Tasty Cheapskate


Monday, September 19, 2011

Secret Recipe Club - Mississippi Mud Brownies

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*Note* - Recipe Sharing Monday will be held tomorrow
 
 

It is time for my favorite foodie event, the Secret Recipe Club!

The idea of it is you are assigned a fellow food blogger each month, it is kept a secret of course, and you go to their food blog and pick a recipe (or more) to make. On the assigned date, everyone posts their creations and you go and visit and see all the goodies that were made. Sort of like a secret Santa, right?

My host who is organizing my group is Tina from Moms Crazy Cooking. Thank you Tina for hosting!


I came across this recipe while browsing my assigned blogger, Melanie at Fabulously Fun Food. This was a new blog to me so I had a fun time browsing through all of her archives for the perfect recipe to try. I had a few recipes in mind, like the Smothered Enchiladas or the Golden Macaroni and Cheese. When I saw the post for Mississippi Mud Cake I knew I'd found the one. It did not disappoint at all. It is super rich, gooey, sweet, chewy and delicious. After making these I have to say I think they are more brownies than cake, as they are very dense and rich. My little change was to rename them brownies instead of cake. :)

One thing I really appreciated about Fabulously Fun Food is that Melanie openly shares her experiences with good and bad recipes. At the same time, she isn't mean about it. Constructive criticism on how to improve the recipe is a great attribute. I have seem my fair share of food blogs that are outright mean and rude when a recipe doesn't turn out how they'd like. Often times, it isn't even the recipe at fault, it is all of the 'alterations' or mistakes the cook made. That is one of my pet peeves. I don't like it when bloggers are mean to each other. Can't we all get along? *wink*


Ahhmazing. Ready for the recipe?

As I tend to do with my Secret Recipe Club assignments, I went a little overboard with the amount of pictures. I don't think you will mind, though.



Notes:
  • I halved this recipe and baked it in an 8" x 8" glass baking dish that was liberally sprayed with baking spray (The kind with flour in the spray). Alternatively you can butter the dish and dust with cocoa powder. 
  • The original recipe called for homemade chocolate frosting but I substituted premade frosting, which I don't mind at all. If you are anti-prepared frosting, feel free to make yours from scratch. The frosting recipe can be found here.
  • Originally the pecans are added to the cake batter, but I preferred to have them on top. Do whichever you prefer. They can be omitted if you have nut allergies in your family or if you just aren't a fan of nuts in baked goods. They do add a great flavor and crunch so I recommend adding them.

Mississippi Mud Brownies
Makes one 15" x 10" cake

1 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1 (10.5-ounce) bag miniature marshmallows
1 can prepared chocolate frosting (I used a milk chocolate frosting)

1. Whisk together melted butter and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in flour. Pour batter into a greased and floured 15- x 10-inch jellyroll pan.

2. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; top warm cake evenly with marshmallows. Return to oven, and bake 5 minutes. (If you use a different size pan you will have to adjust cooking time. Just keep an eye on it and keep checking for doneness).

3. Remove cake from oven and cool completely. You can transfer the cake to thefridge once the pan is cooled enough. (Don't put a hot pan in a cold fridge).

4. When ready to serve, microwave the chocolate frosting for 30 seconds and stir. Spread the frosting over the cake, then garnish with chopped pecans.  Using a sharp knife that has been sprayed lightly with Pam, cut into squares.

Source: Slightly adapted from Fabulously Fun Food and The All New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook

Monday, August 22, 2011

Secret Recipe Club - Asparagus Gruyere Tart

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It is time for my favorite foodie event, the Secret Recipe Club!

I came across the original recipe for this Asparagus Gruyere Tart from 'Chefanie Frasco' at The Chefanies while participating in a fun little foodie event, the Secret Recipe Club, which was created by Amanda at Amanda's Cookin'.

The idea of it is you are assigned a fellow food blogger each month, it is kept a secret of course, and you go to their food blog and pick a recipe (or more) to make. On the assigned date, everyone posts their creations and you go and visit and see all the goodies that were made. Sort of like a secret Santa, right?

My host who is organizing my group for this month is Tina from Moms Crazy Cooking. Thank you Tina for hosting!

The Chefanies is a combined blog of two ladies named Stephanie. In their words, "This blog is our spot to share our favorite recipes and the stories (and people) behind them.  We try to use only organic, seasonal (in California terms) and fresh ingredients."

Right off the bat, I was impressed by their colorful banner for their blog title, contrasted to the clean and fresh white background of their website. It is orderly and clean, which is exactly what inspires most people to get in the kitchen and cook. As I browsed through their recipes, it was clear that The Chefanies value fresh, local produce. I considered quite a few recipes to make, including the Chopped Heirloom Salad with Spicy Ranch, Strawberry Feta Salad, and the World's Greatest Cheesecake. I happened to have half of a package of puff pastry ready to be used up and the Asparagus Gruyere Tart was calling to me, so off I went!


I made one substitution, which was the type of cheese I used. Ideally I would have loved to use Gruyere, but I ended up using a mix of fontina, Parmesan, provolone, asiago and mozzarella. Even though I had to use my second choice for the cheese, it turned out so delicious. This is a simple and delicious recipe for cheese and vegetable lovers alike. Ready for the recipe?

Monday, July 18, 2011

Secret Recipe Club - Barbecue Chicken Salad Sandwiches



This delicious Barbecue Chicken Salad Sandwich tastes like Summer. It also tastes like juicy tomatoes seasoned with salt and pepper and a chicken salad mixture that has been dressed up with barbecue sauce and tossed with spring greens and sliced green onions. Overall though, it tastes like Summer, which is to say, it tastes fresh and delicious!

I came across the original recipe from Trisha at My Hobbie Lobbie while participating in a fun little foodie event, the Secret Recipe Club, hosted by the great Amanda's Cookin'. The idea of it is you are assigned a fellow food blogger each month, it is kept a secret of course, and you go to their food blog and pick a recipe (or more) to make. On the assigned date, everyone posts their creations and you go and visit and see all the goodies that were made. Sort of like a secret Santa, right?

My secret blogger is Trisha at My Hobbie Lobbie , who lives in India. Isn't it cool that we bloggers can live so far apart yet be connected via the recipes we share with each other? I think that is the coolest! Trisha had a great selection of recipes for me to choose from. I considered Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cream Cheese Pound Cake. In the end I decided to go the savory route when I saw her recipe for Chicken Mayo Sandwiches.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Secret Recipe Club - Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I have a deep love for zucchini breads of all kinds. I make them all the time. Up until recently my favorite had been a coconut zucchini bread (recipe another time, ahem), but my top spot has now been replaced by the ultimate, the best, most amazing (according to Ali) Chocolate Zucchini Bread