Mocha Java Chocolate Cake

1 cup cocoa powder (unsifted)

2 cups fresh brewed coffee  

1/8 tsp coffee extract

2 3/4 cups flour, all-purpose (sifted)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter (or margarine, softened)

2 1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1) To make the cake: In medium bowl, combine cocoa with boiling water, mixing with wire whisk until smooth. Cool completely. Sift flour with soda, salt, and baking powder. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease three 9 by 1-1/2 inch layer cake pans. Line with parchment paper. Grease paper and lightly flour pans. Set aside. In large bowl of electric mixer at high speed beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, scraping bowl occasionally, until light, about 5 minutes. At low speed, beat in flour mixture (in fourths), alternately with cocoa mixture (in thirds), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Do not overbeat. Divide evenly into pans; smooth top. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Carefully loosen sides with spatula; remove from pans; cool on racks.

To make the coffee mousse filling:

Yield: 8 servings of coffee mousse


Ingredients:


2 cups evaporated milk
2/3 cup strong coffee
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 egg yolks
1 envelope unflavored gelatin, softened in 3 tablespoons cold water
1 ½ cups heavy cream
Preparation:


In a medium saucepan, combine the evaporated milk and coffee; cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it just starts steaming. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and brown sugar.


Add ½ cup of the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Add the warm egg-milk blend back into the hot milk in the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 165 degrees on a digital candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and stir in the softened gelatin. Chill the coffee custard thoroughly.


Beat the 1 1/2 cups of cream in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. Thoroughly stir ½ cup of the whipped cream into the chilled custard, and then gently fold in the remaining cream. The coffee mousse is ready when the custard is thoroughly incorporated into the whipped cream, and no marbling shows. Serve the mousse chilled.


This coffe mousse recipe makes 8 servings.

Lemon Chicken Pizza with Spinach

Cute. This happens to be one of those things to reproduce at home. This cute little bite of culinary bliss came from Old Chicago. 

It is a thin crust topped with a lemon garlic sauce, grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh spinach, and a lemon vinaigrette. The cheese tasted like an Asiago Parmesan blend. 

The drinks were a sparking effervescent mix of pomegranate and ginger ale.  

The only set back--The pizza was not warm enough. 

But I will be attempting to make this succulent wonder at home soon. Wish me luck. 

Chili

Broccoli Chicken and Rice

Chicken Broccoli and Rice. This is one version. I got this recipe from a friend. She doesn't use the paprika or celery, and she serves the brocolli on the side. There is probably a few other changes, but.. 

  

1/2 lbs chicken, cubed

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 cup broccoli florets

1/2 Tbl onion powder

1/2 tbl garlic powder
1 tbl paprika
1 can fat free cream of chicken soup
1 cup light sour cream
2 bullion cubes
1/4 hot water
3 cups cooked rice
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil



Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet. Add cubed chicken, selery, brocolli and salt and pepper. Saute for 10 mins.

  Mircowave 1/4 cup of water for 1 minute. add the bulion cubes and let disolve. Add the broth to the chicken.   Stir in the sour cream and and soup. Mix well and contunue simmering for another 10 minutes.   Serve over hot rice.    

 

 

 

Beef Stew

My favorite comfort food, beef stew.

1 1/2 chuck roast cut in small pieces
6 red potatoes, diced
8 oz frozen peas
1/4 large onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 rib celery chopped
1 large carrot chopped
3 diced tomatoes, or 1 can of diced tomatoes
1/4 cup flour
Salt
Pepper
Steak seasoning
Worcestershire sauce
Steak sauce
beef bullion

Dice the carrot, onion, garlic and potatoes, and set aside. Add flour salt, pepper and pieces of meat to a plastic bag.  Seal it and shake well. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then empty the contents in to a colander.
Sift off the excess flour, and add the meat to a hot oiled deep skillet. Brown the meat on medium low. Take care not to burn the flour.
Meanwhile. to a small stock pot, add water bullion, and the all the veggies except the peas.
Bring to a simmer and add the meat. Let it continue to simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender.

adjust the seasoning with Worcestershire and steak sauce, and turn down to low. Continue cooking for 1 hour. Add the peas. cook for additonal

My favorite way to serve is with warm bread and a glass of cold cold milk. Enjoy

Steak Italiano

Lidia oh Lidia. Have you met Lidia?

Here in Kansas City is one of her restaurants. It's on my list to visit one of these days. 

At this particular restaurant they feature a steak and potato dish.  

This is my version of that recipe. I call mine "Steak Italiano". 

This is really good. The steak tender, the fries crisp, and just hint of sweetness from the veggies. This is good eating KC style. The boy sat up and said " more please"

1- 10 oz strip steak

1/4 small onion

 1/2 red bell pepper

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 yellow bell pepper

2 cloves garlic

4 oz can sliced mushrooms

1/3 cup marinara sauce

3 tbl olive oil

Frozen steak fries

Seasoning salt

Salt and pepper

For the fries, preheat  oven according  to package directions. Put a single layers of fries on a greased cookie sheet. Cook to package directions.

In a large skillet heat oil. Add the steak. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 7  minutes on medium heat. Season the other side also. 

Meanwhile slice the peppers, onion,  into small strips. Mince the garlic.

After desired doneness, remove the steak from the pan. 

Add the veggies to the pan. Stir fry until tender. Add the marinara sauce. Cook on low heat another 5 minutes. 

Remove fries from the oven, sprinkle with seasoning salt. 

Slice the steak into strips. Serve steak, add veggie mixture on top of sliced steak. Add the fries on the side.
 

 

Broccoli and Pork Salad

Seems like every one has a broccoli salad. Well here's mine. It is a Broccoli Pork Salad.

Seasoned Pork cooked and cut into strips

2 bunches of broccoli 

2 Roma tomatoes chopped 

1/2 cup celery

1/2 cup craisins or grapes

Bell pepper cut in small strips

3 tbl chopped onion

1/4 shredded mozzarella 

1/2 chopped nuts

Favorite dressing

Chop broccoli into small florets. Place in a large bowl with the strips of pork. 

 Add chopped tomato, onion, celery and peppers. Toss well. 

Sprinkle on the cheese and nuts. 

Top with a favorite dressing.

Hamburger Whoopy

When I was nine or ten I wrote down my first recipe in Gram's cookbook. I called it Hamburger Whoopy. It was very simple. I browned hamburger, added cream of mushroom soup, a little milk, mixed it together, and served it over mashed potatoes.

My other Granny used to make Beef Stroganoff, and pour it over potatoes and noodles. So this was my young version.

Today it's a little more sophisticated, adding onion and garlic, steak. Sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
1 Lb ground beef
1/2 med onion
1 4 oz can of sliced mushrooms
1 Tbl garlic powder
1 Tbl steak sauce
1 Tbl Worcestershire
1 Tbl vinegar
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup light sour cream

Brown the ground beef. Add salt and pepper, garlic powder, steak sauce, soup, mushrooms - including the juice, and Worcestershire. Let simmer while the noodles boil.

Fill a 2 quart sauce pan about 2/3 full of water, and bring to a boil. Add salt and 3 cups of noodles. I like rotini or egg noodles. Cook 8 minutes.

When the noodles are cooked, drain the water. Add the sour cream to the meat and mushrooms. Fold in well.
Serve over the hot noodles. Enjoy.

Trips

Gyros and Family

Lunch with a cousin. It's called That Lebanese Place. It is in Springfield, Missouri in the historic district.
We lunched there last Saturday with cousin Jean. She is a kick.
So she took us, yours truly and the curmgeon, on a culinary journey to the middle east. Kabobs and hummus. Tabbouleh and baba ghanoush. Yum. And I'm the one who doesn't like eggplant.
This was a feast for the sences. Everything was so good. The ingredients tasted fresh and lovingly prepared.
If I am back that way. It will definitely be a stop over.
Oh, don't forget the baklava!

Quick Hummus
1 Can chick peas or white beans
1/3 Cup tahini (sesame paste)
3 cloves garlic
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Paprika

Drain the beans, but reserve the liquid. Add the garlic. Mash or blend well. I use a stick blender. Fold in the tahini, lemon juice and olive oil. If it is too think add some of reserve liquid. Salt to taste.
Before serving drizzle a little more olive oil and paprika.

The Adam's Family Cookbook

The Adams Family Cookbook is a work in progress. I'm putting together recipes, stories and photos of my my Grandmother and my Great Aunts. I think some folks in our family will really enjoy it. Also it can be something to share with the next generation.

I am still in the gathering stage.  The cousins have been wonderful pulling up all sorts of things from Chicken Spaghetti to Pink Stuff, and my Granny's Oatmeal Bread. Every time I get a new envelope in the mail it's like Christmas. hee hee.

Of course being a southern family, no cookbook would be complete without a Praline recipe. or Mom's Jambalaya. So I'll keep going here.

By the time our Reunion comes around in September, i should have a rough draft. Or, that's the goal anyway. Wish me luck. I have another cousin to ask.

Best Ever Meatballs

Easy yummy meatballs.

1 pound lean ground beef
1 egg
1/3 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1/4 cup Italian cheese
Salt
2 tablespoons onion minced
2 cloves garlic minced

Makes 18 meatballs

Put all the ingredients in one bowl. Mix well. Pinch small amounts of the meat mixture form into a ball and add to a greased baking dish. Bake at 275 for 25 minutes until browned and cook through.

These are now ready for your favorite sauce. Enjoy

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1 cup butter
3/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
12 oz Reese's peanut butter cups chopped fine
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 375.
Cream sugar and butter together until smooth with an eclectic mixer. Then add the vanilla and the eggs one at a time. blend 3 to 5 minutes. The batter should be smooth. Next and the salt, soda and 1/2 cup of the flour. Start the the mixer on low. Add the rest of the flour a little at a time--about 1/2 a cup. Mix for 3 to 5 minutes. Make sure the batter is smooth and soft. Stir in the peanut butter cups and the nuts. Mix with a rubber spatula until well mixed.

Spray the cookie sheets with cooking spray, then scoop out a teaspoon of the mixture, drop onto the cookie sheet. On a large cookie sheet put no more than 12. Space them about 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart.

Cook each pan for 10 minutes. let the pan cool for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Continue baking.

Enjoy with a nice cold glass of milk.