Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie. - Jim Davis

Monday, July 23, 2012

Simple, tasty steak marinade

I just have to say I love BBQ season.  Sure you can grill all year round, but there is just something about grilling in the sunshine that makes it so much better.  I'm happy its here.  I don't recall the last time I cooked something on the stove or in the oven.

I snagged a couple of steaks over the weekend.  Now, I knew I wanted to grill them but I also wanted them to be more than just a couple of steaks on the grill.  The solution: marinade them.   I whipped together a bowl of awesome delicousness:

(no exact measurements here, folks)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
quirt of prepared mustard
fresh cracked pepper
worscestershire sauce
soy sauce

Toss your steaks into a zip lock baggie and pour this liquid delicious on top.  Let sit in freeze for a few hours (overnight would be even better).  Remove from fridge about an hour before grilling to allow them to come to room temperature (just throwing them straight on to the grill will make 'em tough: cold steak + hot grill = boot leather).

And once again I'm slacking in the photo department.  Sorry gang.  I'll try to remember for next time.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Coke Float Cupcakes

You guys, these are like chocolate cupcakes on crack. 

No joke.

The cake is light, fluffy and moist.  It is pretty close to cupcake perfection. 

This recipe could easily be adapted to use root beer, or another cola of your choice. Simply swap out the Coke for your fizzy beverage of choice. 

And here come the details:

The Cupcake-

1c Coke
1/2c butter
1/2c veg oil
1/4c cocoa, sifted
22 marshmallows (yup, 22.  precisely)
2c flour
up to 2c sugar (though I used 1c sugar, 1/4 granulated sweetener)
1tsp baking soda
1tsp vanilla
1c buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 325

In pot over med-low heat mix cola, butter, veg oil and cocoa.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Add the marshmallows, cover pot to allow marshmallows to melt.  Stir occasionally.

In mixer, mix flower, sugar and baking soda. 
Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.

Combine the melty marshamllow goop with the flour.  Mix until just combined.  It may look like the batter is rather runny.  Don't worry.  It is supposed to look that way.

Line cupcake tin, or spray with nonstick spray, fill to 2/3. 
Bake 20mins.

Allow to cool completely before frosting.
I was going to make a fancy schamncy Coke infused boiled icing to go with these.  But then I realized it was almost 10pm and I just wanted to be done and get to bed.  So I went with my standard buttercream, threw in a splash of Coke and some cocoa and we were off to the races.

The Frosting-

1c softened, unsalted butter
3-4c icing sugar (if you wish to make chocolate buttercream add 1/4c cocoa in place of some of the icing sugar)
1/4tsp salt
1tblsp vanilla
up to 4 tblspns milk (or in this case Coke)

Beat butter
Add 3c icing sugar (plus the cocoa if using); mix on low speed
Increase speed to medium; add vanilla and milk (or Coke)
Add more icing sugar as needed to reach desired consistency

This frosting works well if you want to pipe it, it works just as well if want to just slather it on willy-nilly.  It also works well for eating directly out of the bowl.  No cupcake needed.  Jus'sayin.

These little babies were made for a bake sale.  Because I was tired and wanted to tap out and go to bed I totally forgot to snap a picture.  So you're just going to have to trust me when I say not only are they delicious they're also pretty darn cute!