Chocolate Peppermint Cake

I would say that I bake fairly frequently, but I can't remember the last time that I made a cake. I figured that the holiday season called for a festive cake, so I opted for a chocolate peppermint cake from Taste of Home. It looked the least complicated and didn't take almost a day to make. However, I will warn you that it is a three part cake - cake, icing/filling and glaze (so I apologize for the lengthiness of the post). They are fairly easy processes but it's not a one part cake. The other part about this is that you can make the cakes ahead of time and then assemble it on the day of your event.

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups of turbinado sugar
1 3/4 cups of flour (I used a combination of whole wheat and coconut flour)
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1.2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon saalt
1 cup milk, fat free
1/2 vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Filling and Icing Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 drops of red food coloring
2/3 cups of crushed peppermints*

*1 tablespoon will be reserved for the finishing touch on the cake

 Chocolate Glaze Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons water*
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

*You may need to add more water to get the correct consistency.

Cake Directions::

Begin by greasing and flouring three 8 1/2" to 9" round pans. In a mixer, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add in the milk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract and beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in the boiling water. Note*: It will thin the batter so don't be alarmed. 

Pour the batter into the greased and floured pans, making sure to evenly split the batter. Bake at 350 for 18-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. *Note: I baked mine on two racks and then rotated the cakes part way through the baking since they didn't fit on one rack.

Filling/Icing Instructions:

I needed to crush my peppermints, but you can buy them already crushed to save time. Put your mints in a ziploc bag and using a pan crush the peppermints. *Note: the bag will usually have some holes so be sure to put something underneath it.

Beat the cream on medium high for about 3 minutes until soft peaks form. When you put in a spatula or the beater, the cream should stick to it. Add in the sugar, vanilla and food coloring.

Beat until stiff peaks form. It should stick to the beater and not drip. Fold in the crushed peppermints, leaving out 1 tablespoon. Be sure not to over stir as you don't want to lose the fluffiness.

 Spread the filling/icing between the layers and on the outside. Don't put any on the top.

Glaze Instructions:

 Start by melting the butter in a small sauce pan over low heat. Add in the cocoa and water. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens. Then remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.

Blend in the sugar a little at a time until the mixture is smooth. I had to add some more water to thin it out. Pour and spread the glaze over the top of the cake. (Mine ran over the edges and down the sides a little bit, but I felt like it made it look a little more fun.) Sprinkle with the extra crushed peppermint and chill before serving. Keep this in the refrigerator to store.

Winter Berry Candle

So since I don't have a real Christmas tree, I was quite sure that my next candle would be some kind of pine scent as there is nothing more Christmasy to me than the smell of a tree. Little did I know that when I walked into Williams Sonoma one day that would change. One of my favorite candles is their spiced chestnut, but I think this one may have taken the number one spot. The winter berry candle is one of their newest scents, but it is fresh, light, fruity and clean. Their candles are made with essential oils so the scents are much more natural and the candles melt like butter. The winter berry is a combination of pomegranate, cassis and and orange. In case you were wondering, cassis is a syrup liqueur made with black currants. Not only does the candle smell delicious, but the bright red glass it comes in looks beautiful when the candle is burning. This is a great hostess gift (or gift to yourself) for the holiday season. Be sure to pick up one before they are gone.

The Grove

I don't usually go out to eat downtown because I am not very familiar with the after work hours restaurant scene, but have always wanted to try The Grove. I was downtown for a play and so we decided to dinner at The Grove before the show. This restaurant is located in Discovery Green and apparently has a wonderful rooftop bar. However it was very chilly when we went, so we didn't get a chance to check it out. The layout of the restaurant is different from most restaurants in that you walk into the bar area and the hostess stand separates the bar from the restaurant. In the back there is a large private dining area and the kitchen is open and runs the length of the restaurant. It had super tall ceilings and everything is very open and just flows. I started off with a tropical amaretto which was pineapple juice, Amaretto and sweet and sour topped with a maraschino cherry. I usually don't like pineapple juice, but it was really good. It was definitely on the sweet side so if you aren't a fan of sweet, this isn't the right drink for you. The ingredients created some layers in the glass so it was pretty to look at.

The Grove is a special restaurant because they have their own tomato and herb garden on the rooftop and uses recyclable materials whenever they can. They building itself contains recyclables and uses compost on the property...not your average downtown restaurant. Since the weather felt appropriate for some soup, I ordered the pork and chicken chili, the soup of the day. The chili had huge chunks of pork and chicken, so it felt more like a stew than chili, but either way it was tasty. It was topped with some green onions and some pieces of bread. It was flavor and definitely warmed up the chilly night. It wasn't at all spicy but there were tons of spice notes going on in the chili.

I also decided to try a side of the wild mushroom macaroni and cheese. This was done with the traditional elbow macaroni and a variety of mushrooms and topped with a sprinkling of bread crumbs. It was interesting because the cheese sauce wasn't super heavy, but was still smooth and creamy. It also seemed like there was a mixture of different cheeses since it wasn't a yellow color (and no I wasn't expecting it to be the unnatural orange color). It was nice with the mushrooms because it added some earthiness and depth to the flavor. It was nice to not feel so lethargic after eating it because it was a lighter version. I am not saying it was a healthier version necessarily (though I can't be sure), but it definitely didn't immediately make me want to nap afterwards. 

Though I didn't try it, my friend ordered the shrimp and crab salad. It was tossed with a Serrano chili oil, so there was quite a bit of spice to it. If you are a spicy person, then be sure to try this. It was a light salad with different greens and tomatoes. However, when you eat a salad that means that you can have an order of truffle fries with it. These were interesting and I am not quite sure that we every really decided how we felt about the. It seemed like half of the fries had been fried twice and the other side was only done once. It also seemed like there were pockets of truffle oil. There was some kind of aioli served with it and I think the final verdict was that the fries were better with the sauce. I can't say that I would recommend these, but maybe out order was a fluke. Other than the fries, the rest of the meal was really yummy. I have also heard that they have a great brunch so I will probably be back to try that and hopefully check out the rooftop area. If you are looking for a restaurant and haven't visited The Grove, then you need to stop by.

Brenner's on the Bayou

A while ago, I had the opportunity to visit Brenner's on the Bayou for an events open house. We were able to tour the grounds and sample the cuisine. The grounds are beautiful and the food was delicious, but I hadn't actually eaten in the restaurant. Luckily for me, I got to go back and finally eat there. I thought it was beautiful in the summer, but I was surprised by gorgeously it was decorated for Christmas. There was a giant Christmas tree by us so of course we had to utilize that photo op. There is also a patio bar that I am sure would be beautiful in the spring. When I was there, it was enclosed and heated for a private event. Guess I need to go back and check it out when the weather is warmer. I do have to say that the service was not top notch but the food and atmosphere sort of made up for it.

I opted for the chipotle shrimp and grits. The shrimp were pan seared with lemon butter and served with maple glazed house made bacon on top of pico de gallo grits. I have never had pico de gallo grits before, but they were good. They had tomatoes and green onions with a bit of sauce. There wasn't so much sauce that the shrimp and grits were drowning in it, but it was enough to keep everything flavorful and tender. The shrimp had a very light buttery taste to them and the grits were creamy but not too heavy. If you are looking for a special occasion, be sure to keep Brenner's on the Bayou in mind as they have a lovely location. However, I do hope that you get better service that we did.

Christmas Traditions Merlot

I never knew that Christmas wine existed, but I noticed in The Fresh Market flyer I got in the mail that they were advertising their line of Christmas wines. (I think it just means that these wines are only released during the holidays.) This holiday line of wines includes a Merlot, Chardonnay and Muscato. I happened to be open to trying a red wine so I went for the Merlot. The bottle had a festive label with a wonderful winter scene, getting you in the holiday mood before you opened the bottle. The wine had a wonderful red fruit aroma and was less tannic than some other Merlots I have tried. It would go wonderfully with a pot roast or steak and potatoes. If you are new to the red wine world, this would be a great wine as there are a lot of fruit notes in the wine. This has a much smoother mouthfeel and is less dry than other red wines. Ringing in at about $8, there's no reason not to try this wine so stop by The Fresh Market today and pick up a bottle.

Cheesy Rosemary Garlic Biscuits

One of the things that I have not really experimented with in the kitchen are biscuits. I am not really sure why I have shied away from the bread, but I suppose it's because I don't eat all that much bread. I figured that Thanksgiving would be the perfect time for me to make these cheesy rosemary garlic biscuits. They seemed simple enough, though I was cheating some what because the recipe called for Bisquick. Either way the recipe sounded yummy so I decided to give them a try. These smell heavenly when they are baking and fortunately turned out to taste just as good as they looked. The cheese and the rosemary butter on top definitely made these biscuits feel more upscale. I am okay with the fact that I didn't make these from scratch because they taste delicious. If you are looking for a new biscuit to serve at Christmas dinner, be sure to give these a try.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary, fresh and chopped
2 cups of Heat Smart Bisquick
1/3 cup (or 3 oz) of shredded Parmesan cheese
2/3 milk, fat free*

*Note: I used whole milk as that's what was on hand.

Directions:

Mince the rosemary and melt the butter and the garlic in a pan. Meanwhile line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the Bisquick, Parmesan cheese, and the other garlic clove. Stir together and then add in the milk. Be careful to only mix until all the ingredients are combined. 

Once the garlic cooks for about a minute, take it off the heat and add the minced rosemary. Drop the biscuit mix by tablespoon onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 400.

Then brush or pour the melted butter over the biscuits and bake for an additional 5 minutes. They should be golden brown on the tops when you pull them out.