Not Just For Breakfast

Fresh and comfortingly warm!

     The warm days are a delight and a tease this time of year.  Could mother nature just forget that it is still not yet officially spring?  Hopefully.  But the nights are cold and frequently below freezing.  The warm reminders of the previous day create the hope for a new day dawning with warmth, but frankly, it's not going to happen. 
     So now, look forward to what?  Surely, not lugging a 5 gallon water jug (1 gallon water = 7 lb Who really needs to think about this?) and a bucket of grain down to the chicken house with ungloved, by now, incredibly cold hands. No gloves this morning - yesterday afternoon was wonderfully warm, remember?  If ever there was a remote possiblility to think today would be different, it is quickly erased by freezing fingers which help to remind that it is not warm, not spring, and not likely to be warm any time real soon.
      However, if lucky though, there will be a freshly laid egg or eggs all delightfully warm to carry back to the barn.  Comfort and warmth straight from mother nature - how neat is that?

Warm comfort food dessert - low in calories, too! YUM
White Chocolate-Cherry Rice Pudding

3 ½ cup 1% low-fat milk, divided

1/3 cup dried cherries (or craisins)

2  Tbs light brown sugar

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbs butter

1/8 tsp salt

1cup instant rice

1 (1-ounce) pkg. sugar-free white chocolate instant pudding mix

   Cinnamon sticks (optional)

1. Bring 1 ½ c milk, cherries, and next 4 ingredients to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in rice; cover, and reduce heat to low.  Simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. While rice mixture cooks, prepare pudding mix according to package directions using remaining 2 cups milk.  Stir prepared pudding into rice mixture.  Serve. Garnish with cinnamon sticks, if desired.

  Adapted from the book Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast - my new favorite book of recipes to cook.

Thank You, Chickens

If you are lucky enough to find free-range chicken eggs you can make the best yellow cake without food coloring. What a difference an egg makes!                                            Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake

2 ½ cups cake flour, plus extra for dusting pans

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

1 ¾ cups sugar; divided

10 Tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

3 Tbs vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

6 large egg yolks plus 3 large egg whites, room temperature (I used 7 medium yolks, 4 medium whites)

           Foolproof Chocolate Frosting

20 Tbs unsalted butter, softened

1 cup  confectioners' sugar

¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

 pinch of table salt

 3/4 cup light corn syrup

 1 tsp vanilla extract

 8 oz milk chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

350 oven.

1. Grease  two 9-inch cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.

Grease paper rounds, dust pans with flour.

2. Whisk flour, baking power, baking soda, salt, and l 1/2 cups sugar

together.  Whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and

yolks.

3. Beat egg whites at until foamy, about 30 seconds. With machine running,

gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; continue to beat until stiff peaks

form, 30 to 60 seconds (whites should hold peak but mixture should appear

moist).  Transfer to bowl and set aside.

4. Add flour mixture to bowl with whisk attachment.  With mixer running at low speed, gradually pour in butter mixture and mix until almost incorporated (a few streaks of dry flour will remain), about 15 seconds.  Scrape whisk and sides of bowl.  Return mixer to medium-low speed and beat until smooth and fully combined, 10 to 15 seconds.

5. Stir 1/3 of whites into batter to lighten, then add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Lightly tap pans against counter 2 or 3 times to dislodge any large air bubbles.

6. Bake until cake layers begin to pull away from sides of pans and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes.  Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. With a small knife, loosen cakes from sides of pan, and then invert onto greased wire rack and peel off parchment. Invert cakes again and cool completely on rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

Chocolate Frosting

1. In food processor, process butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt until smooth,

about 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl as needed.  

Add corn syrup and

vanilla and process until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds.  Scrape sides of

bowl, then add chocolate and pulse until smooth and creamy, 10 to 15

seconds.

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated - a great reliable magazine for recipes.