Tres Leche Cake

Equipment 9×13 metal baking dish Ingredients US Customary Metric 1x 2x 3x Cake: ▢1 cup all-purpose flour ▢1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder ▢1/4 teaspoon salt ▢5 large eggs , separated ▢1 cup granulated sugar , divided ▢1/3 cup whole milk ▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract Milk Mixture: ▢12 ounce can evaporated milk ▢14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk ▢1/4 cup whole milk Whipped Topping: ▢1 pint heavy whipping cream ▢3 Tablespoons powdered sugar ▢1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract ▢ground cinnamon , for topping Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Separate the eggs into two other mixing bowls. Add ¾ cup sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and mix on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Add ⅓ cup milk and vanilla and stir to combine. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir gently just until combined (don't over-mix). Use electric beaters to beat the egg whites on high speed. As the begin to whip into stiff peaks, gradually mix in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter gently, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until combined. Pour batter into un-greased pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow cake to cool completely. Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk in a small bowl. Once the cake has cooled use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the the top of the cake, making sure to pour near the edges and all around. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour or overnight, to allow it to soak up the milk. In the meantime, whip the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks. Smooth over the top of the cake. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Serve with fresh sliced strawberries, if desired. Enjoy! Notes Store Tres Leches Cake in the refrigerator, covered, for 3-5 days. Make Ahead Instructions: You can make Tres leches cake 1-2 days in advance. In fact, I love to make this cake the night before so that the cake has a lot of time to soak up the milk mixture. Freezing Instructions: The baked and cooled cake can be frozen for up to 3 months, covered well. Thaw overnight in the fridge before pouring the three milks on top.

Chicken or Beef Teriyaki

I tried this but I left the chicken and beef whole. I think I would slice it next time. Especially the beef for more flavor in the meat. But I really liked the taste of the meat.

Recipe from the Polynesian Cultural Center

Beef or chicken slices grilled our broiled in a sweet teriyaki marinade.

Ingredients

• 3 – 4lbs beef or chicken
• 2/3 cups soy sauce
• 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons of orange or pineapple juice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch piece ginger, crushed
• 3 stalks green onion, finely chopped
• Chinese parsley (cilantro)

Directions

Mix all ingredients. Soak beef or chicken for 4 hours or overnight in sauce. Bake in shallow pan. Turn pieces over and marinate with sauce. Bake 325 degrees for 1 hour or less – medium is best. Serves 6 people.Ten minutes before turning heat off, pour rest of soy sauce mixture. Serve with chopped green onions and Chinese parsley.

Swig Sugar Cookie Bars

         INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup softened butter
• ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp Canola or Vegetable oil
• ½ cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• pinch of baking soda approx 1/16 of a tsp
• a little extra granulated sugar for sprinkling on top of dough before baking (about 1-2 TBSP)
• FROSTING RECIPE:
• ¼ cup softened butter
• 1 ounce softened cream cheese
• 1½ cups powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• dash of vanilla
• 1-2 tbsp milk or cream
• DIRECTIONS FOR FROSTING: Mix butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla with a hand mixer or whisk. Add in the milk or cream until nice and smooth. Frost bars when they are completely cooled.

INSTRUCTIONS:

DIRECTIONS FOR COOKIE BARS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside
Using your mixer thoroughly cream butter, oil, granulated sugar and powdered sugar until combined
Add egg, water and vanilla and mix until well combined
Add flour and sprinkle in salt, baking powder and baking soda, mix for approx 1 minute or until completely combined
Spread/press cookie mixture evenly into greased 9x13 pan. ( like to use a sandwich baggie on my hand to press it down evenly. Spray baggie with cooking spray if necessary)
Evenly sprinkle 1 tbsp of sugar over the uncooked bars before placing them in the oven
Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until edges are just barely turning a light brown. Do not over bake or bars will be dry.
Let cool completely and frost with frosting recipe before cutting.

Pasta Salad

My friend Sher just shared this recipe she made up on Facebook. If I don't post it here, I'll never make it. But it looks delicious.


1 box rotini pasta (she prefers Rainbow)

Cook pasta, rinse in cool water until cooled.

Add:
1 can whole olives
1 container grape tomatoes
1 sliced cucumber
1 cut up red onion, add desired amount
1 container feta cheese

Mix together with enough Italian salad dressing to coat everything.

Also suggested, mozzarella cheese and cut up pepperoni.

Carne Asada

I had some requests to explain how to make this. It's pretty easy if you have the right ingredients, similar to a steak. This recipe was verbally given to me by my friend Fernando Morales Llan.

It is great for a BBQ, but you need to make completely different sides (beans, rice, etc.)

Here is what you need:
3-4 lbs of the Ranchero cut of meat
      *I usually get this from a Mexican Market. But if you don't have one, it is just flank steak thinly cut. About 1/2 an inch or slightly less.

Carne Steak and Meat Seasoning. I get this at the Mexican Market, but I've seen it at Walmart and Winco.

Directions:
I sprinkle the seasoning over the steak, covering it completely and let it marinate overnight.

The next day I grill the meat until it's cooked. Since it's so thin, it doesn't take long. I let it sit, for a bit, then I slice the meat and it's ready for tacos.

I serve it with Queso Fresco cheese (I get this at the Mexican Market deli.)

I also put salsa on it.

Barbara's Baked Beans

After messing around with this recipe, I've concluded that this is the best combo of ingredients to get the best taste.

Need:
2 Cans Bush's Baked Beans
1 Bottle Bull's Eye BBQ sauce
Liquid Smoke

--In a bowl combine the 2 cans of beans. Then add the Bull's Eye and Liquid Smoke to taste. It is better to use at least half the Bull's Eye and only a little bit of the liquid smoke. Use no more than a tablespoon of liquid smoke. Using too much will cause the beans to be runny. Mix together and bake in oven @ 325 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours in the oven.

Tinga

This is a recipe from Isela Garcia. My nephew, Josh, requested authentic Mexican food. So I asked a Mexican for help. She is great and this is very good.

This can be adjusted for larger groups. It's a great party food.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
1 clove garlic
salt to taste
1 1/2 onions, sliced
6 tomatoes, cubed
1 can whole chipoltes (read directions! You don't need the whole can.)
Chicken bouillon to taste

Boil chicken in water with garlic and salt until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken from water, but save chicken water. Shred chicken.

Sauce:
Put 6 cubbed tomatoes in a blender and blend with chipolte. You will add a couple of the chili's and a little bit of the sauce the chilis are in. With a little bit of chicken water, chicken bouillon and some salt to taste. Should be a paste, not runny!

Grill 1 1/2 sliced onions in a little bit of oil. Once soft add sauce and boil in pan long enough to cook the tomatoes.

Add chicken to sauce. If too thick, add stock from chicken pot.

Put in crockpot to keep warm.

Serve on Tostadas, with sour cream and lettuce.

Suggested sides:
Spanish rice, refried beans, chips, salsa and guacamole.

Cafe Rio Pinto Beans

Pinto Beans
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

Banana Cake

This recipe is different from the Nana-Sour Cream Bars.  I also got this from Cliss.

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups (3) ripe mashed bananas
1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt

Mix first five (wet) ingredients together.  Then mix in the last few dry ingredients.  Pour into a jellyroll pan (15 x 10 x 1) and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Until it is brown on top.

Frosting

1/2 cup butter
1 package cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingredients.  Frost cake while it is still warm but not hot so it can cool smoothly on the cake.

Texas Sheet Cake

 I got this recipe from Cliss. 

In a small saucepan melt:
2 cubes margarine or butter
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla

In a mixing bowl, mix:
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 milk and 1 tsp. vinegar)
1 Tbsp. vinegar
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda

Add saucepan mix, then add:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt

Pour into greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 18 - 25 minutes.

Frosting

1 cube butter or margarine
3 Tbsp. cocoa
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar (about 4 cups)

Mix and frost while cake is warm, but not hot, so the frosting cools down as a smooth glaze.

Strawberry Sheet Cake

I have been collecting sheet cake recipes for a wedding luncheon.  There are three different cake recipes.

--Prepare a white or yellow cake mix as directed on the box. It can be
prepared in a 13x9" pan or in a jelly roll pan. (We usually do the jelly
roll pan so that it will serve more people). Once the cake has cooled
completely, mix the following:

3 cups powdered sugar
1 8 oz. package cream cheese (softened)

Mix these two together until smooth, then add one 8 oz. carton of Cool
Whip. Spread out evenly on the cake, then try to build up a small ridge
around the edge of the cake to help hold on the strawberries.

Mix up 1 package of Strawberry Danish Dessert and add fresh strawberries.
Spread carefully on top of the cream cheese layer and refrigerate.

Green Enchilada Sauce

This is another great recipe from Our Best Bites. It is also a knock-off Cafe Rio Recipe. I have already posted the recipes for Pork and Chicken for the Salads. But this is the sauce I love on the burritos. This makes me happy to have it. Now all I need is a copy of the marinated steak and my life will be complete.

2-3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, minced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 green peppers, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and membranes removed if desired (and I desire. Always.)
1 1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered or halved
1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
4 c. chicken broth
2-3 Tbsp. sugar (optional and to taste; the sauce Cafe Rio uses seems to be slightly sweet, so if I’m using this sauce for enchilada-style burritos, I generally add a little sugar, but for everything else, I leave it out.)

In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until tender and fragrant.

While onions are sauteeing, combine tomatillos, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro in your blender. Process until smooth; you may have to do it in batches and/or add some chicken broth to make things blendable.

Pour the tomatillo mixture over the onions and garlic and add chicken broth, salt, pepper, and cumin. Simmer 15 minutes-1 hour, depending on the consistency you want. I usually turn the heat to high and boil it uncovered until I reach the consistency I want; it makes things go a lot faster. The sauce can also be simmered in a slow cooker all day.

Serve over tacos, as an enchilada sauce, inside burritos, or as a dip for chips.

Quick Chicken Luau

From Denise again!

1/2 10 ounce package of frozen spinach (or real taro leaves if you have them!)
1 standard size can of cream of chicken soup
1 12oz can of coconut milk
8-12 chicken thighs, skin removed

Squeeze as much water out of the spinach as you can and layer in the bottom of a casserole dish. Combine the soup and the coconut milk. Arrange the chicken in the pan and pour the mixture over the top. Bake 350 for one hour. This is very mild flavored chicken.

Kalua Pig

Denise (My SIL) gave me some of her Hawaii recipes:

Kalua Pig in the Crockpot:
1: 4 or 5 pound pork butt roast
2 tablespoons of sea salt
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1/2 cup water (to keep it moist while cooking)

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook six hours or until the meat is tender enough to shred with a fork. Remove the meat and shred it into a serving dish. Pour some of the juices back over the shredded meat to keep it from drying out and discard the rest.

Magleby's Fresh French Toast

I love eating out for breakfast at Magelby's Fresh. My favorite is the french toast. Okay, I also love their breakfast burrito. Mmmmm. So I wanted to make the french toast. After testing it several times (it was a trial, but someone had to do it), I decided that the trick wasn't in the actual french toast but in the syrup and fruit & cream.

Also, since I am often alone for dinner, I LOVE making breakfast for dinner. If I didn't have kids, I'd just wait for Matt to come home and we could make something together. But no, it's breakfast for dinner. So here is what I did:

Made french toast. I usually do a mixture of 50% eggs to 50% milk. And then I cooked it.

Next I followed the below recipe for the syrup:

Buttermilk Syrup
1 cube butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Bring first five ingredients to a boil. Remove from heat immediately and add Baking Soda. To avoid boil over I use a fairly deep, heavy pan.

Then I made homemade cream and fruit. I used powdered sugar in the cream because I ran out of regular sugar. And I used frozen fruit because my kids ate all the fresh stuff.

But it tasted the same. Of course, sometimes it isn't a matter of whether or not I can do it, but whether or not I want to cook that day.

This would be great for large parties.

**Note: This met with rave reviews. My french toast haters are now asking for it every day. And Matt loved it too. This was a MEGA hit at our house.

S'mores Fondue

1/2 cup milk
1 2/3 cups (11-oz pkg) milk choc. and peanut butter morsels (the combined pkg)

1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme



HEAT milk in medium, heavy-duty saucepan over medium-high heat just until hot (do not boil). Reduce heat to low. Add morsels; stir until smooth. Whisk in marshmallow creme until smooth. Remove from heat.POUR chocolate mixture into fondue pot or serving bowl.



Serve with dessert fondue staples... apples, marshmallows, pound cake, angel food cake, grapes, brownies, strawberries, bananas, etc.

Cheddar Cheese Fondue

2 c half and half
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dry mustard
1 garlic clove, halved
1 1/2 lbs. shredded cheese
3 T flour
Salt
Heat half and half, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and garlic in fondue pot until hot, but not boiling. Discard garlic. Coat cheese with flour. Gradually add cheese to hot mixture, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbling. Add salt to taste

Cheese-Sour Cream Fondue

6 slices bacon
1/4 c. chopped onion
2 tsp. flour
1 lb. cheese (4 c. shredded)
2 c. sour cream
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Fry bacon; drain, reserving 1 T of drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside. Cook onions in reserved drippings until tender, not brown. Stir in flour. Add remaining ingredients. Cook over low heat until cheese is melted. Top with bacon.

Mustard Sauce

2 shallots, finely chopped
1/4 c beef broth
1/4 c whipping cream
1 T Dijon mustard

Saute shallots in skillet until soft and golden, about 4 minutes.. Stir in beef broth and simmer until reduced by about half. Stir in cream and mustard. Bring to a simmer and season if necessary. Great served over steaks or with beef fondue

Orange Fondue

3 T. cornstarch
3 T. honey
1/4 tsp salt
2 c. orange juice
2 whole cloves
1 t. butter

11/2 tsp lime juice

1 Tbsp. grated orange peel



Mix together cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Stir in OJ, and cloves and stir until mixture thickens--boil 1 minute. Add butter, lime juice, and rind. Makes 2 cups.