Macaroni Salad

When the weather is warm, and I can smell food on the barbecue miles away, I have an intense craving for delicious macaroni salad. I'm not talking about the stuff you find at the deli and you wonder how long it has been sitting in the deli case. I'm talking about homemade macaroni salad that has the perfect amount of vegetables, mayonnaise, and al dente macaroni. There are a ton of macaroni salad recipes around the internet, but I don't like sweet relish or pickles in my macaroni salad. It's one of those things that I just don't like in macaroni salad, so I tend to stay away from recipes that include either of the two ingredients. So when I finally found a recipe on Food Network that didn't include pickles or sweet relish, I knew it was a must try!
I made this recipe for the first time tonight, and it definitely didn't disappoint.

Macaroni Salad

(Source: Food Network)

2 cups dry elbow macaroni, cooked, rinsed, and drained

1/3 cup diced celery (omitted because I didn't have celery at home)

1/4 cup minced red onion, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes, drained

1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup diced vine-ripened tomato

1/2 cup prepared mayonnaise

3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar

3 tablespoons sour cream

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl combine the macaroni, celery, onion, parsley and tomato, if using. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, sour cream and salt. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. Store covered in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

I had a craving for a decadent chocolate cake for the last few days. After browsing around the food blogosphere, I found one that had amazing reviews and decided to give it a try. It was so simple to whip together and took me all of 15 minutes before the batter went into the oven. The end result? It's the perfect amount of chocolate, and the cake is so light and fluffy. The only problem is I didn't grease my bundt pan well enough so my cake didn't come out in one whole piece.  This will definitely stay in my cake repertoire for years to come. 

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

(Source: Sam Mogannam and Dabney Gough)

For the cake:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan

1/3 cup (1 ounce) cocoa powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup water

2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar or corn syrup

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Make the cake:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F (176°C). Butter and flour a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa powder, salt, and water and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, just until melted and combined. Remove from the heat and set aside. Place the flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Add half of the melted butter mixture and whisk until completely blended (the mixture will be quite thick). Add the remaining butter mixture and whisk until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until completely blended before adding the next egg. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla until smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then invert onto a rack. Let cool completely before glazing.

Make the glaze:

Just before glazing the cooled cake, place the chopped chocolate and agave nectar in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine the heavy cream and sugar in a small saucepan and put over medium heat. Stir constantly until the cream is hot and the sugar is dissolved. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. If the glaze is exceptionally runny, let it sit for a minute or so to thicken. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing it to drip and dribble down the sides.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

If you've been reading my blog long enough, you know that Dr.Sweetpea's favorite cookies are Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. I already have two but very similar recipes on my blog, but I recently came across an OCC Bar recipe not long ago and finally gave it a try. Personally??? I love the bar version sooooooo much better!! It's quick to throw together and the cookies don't dry out after baking so it chewier longer :o)
This is probably one of the best bar cookie recipes...ever.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars 

(Source: www.whatmegansmaking.com)

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups quick-cooking or old fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and beat just until combined. Fold in the oats and chocolate chips. Spread in a rimmed 10x15 baking pan, using a spatula or your hands to press into place. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool, but cut the bars while they are still somewhat warm, as a knife will go through them more easily.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Scratch!!

If you google Cheddar Bay Biscuits, you'll see there are so many recipes out there trying to duplicate the original recipe. Most of the recipes use a boxed baking mix such as Bisquick. I tried using Bisquick last year too, but the end result was not as good as the real thing. Then I found this recipe that blends cake flour and all purpose flour together. I was a little skeptical at first since I was let down last year. However, this recipe just blew me away! I personally love this sooooooooooooooo much better than the stuff at the restaurant! Don't believe me? Try for yourself :o)

Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Scratch

(Source: www.portuguesegirlcooks.com)

1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (about 4 1/2 oz)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Garlic Topping

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter

2 cloves garlic, finely minced or through garlic press

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Adjust oven rack to the upper-middle position, and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. In a large bowl, whisk both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and garlic powder until combined. Add in the cubed butter and using your fingers, rub it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add in the shredded cheese and mix to combine. Add in the buttermilk and mix until combined. Using a 1/4 measuring spoon, scoop the biscuit mixture onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the biscuits for 10 minutes, and them remove and brush with butter mixture, and then bake for an additional 5 minutes until the tops are puffed and golden brown. Allow biscuits to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Serve at room temperature or while slightly warm.

Butter Topping

In a small saucepan, combine butter and minced garlic, heat on medium heat until the butter is melted and garlic is fragrant about  1 to 2 minutes. Add in the garlic powder and dried parsley, and stir to combine. Set aside.

Bacon Potato Salad

Whenever Spring rolls around, I have this intense craving for potato salad. I'm not talking about the deli potato salad you get at your local grocery store. I'm talking about the homemade potato salad that tastes so good that you can't stop eating. After looking at many different potato salad recipes, I finally decided to try the Bacon Potato Salad recipe and I have no regrets. This potato salad is absolutely phenomenal! The vinegar and mustard flavors aren't too overpowering and the bacon added a slightly smokey flavor.  If you're looking for a different potato salad recipe, this is a must try!

Bacon Potato Salad

(Source: Cole's Restaurant)

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes (I used red potatoes)

3 strips bacon, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, or more to taste

1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard, or more to taste

1 heaping tablespoon cider vinegar, or more to taste

1/4 teaspoon smoked salt

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 green onions, chopped

1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

In a medium saucepan, add the potatoes and enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Bring the pan to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender (a paring knife should easily pierce the potato), about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain the potatoes and set aside until cool enough to handle. While the potatoes are cooking, fry the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain the bacon onto a paper towel-lined plate. Save 1 tablespoon bacon grease and set aside in a warm place (discard the rest, or save for another use). In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, cider vinegar, smoked salt, kosher salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the dressing as desired. Set aside. Dice the potatoes into half-inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Stir in the warm bacon fat until combined. Fold in the dressing, bacon, green onions, thyme and parsley. Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning if desired. Cover and chill the potato salad before serving.

The Best French Silk Pie Ever!

Who doesn't love French Silk Pie?? It's chocolatey, creamy, light as air, and the perfect treat to have for dessert. I'll be honest, I've never made French Silk Pie until today, mostly because I always thought it would labor intensive and complicated to make. Plus, a lot of the recipes require raw eggs. After a little digging, I found a recipe that cooks the eggs with sugar to make a custard base. I was a little skeptical at first because I thought the pie filling would be dense, but I was oh soooooooo wrong! I think this pie is as good, if not better than the stuff you get at bakeries!

French Silk Pie

(Source: Taste of Home)

1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar

Whipped cream and chocolate curls, optional

Pre-bake pie crust on a 7 inch pie plate until golden brown. Cool Completely.

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and eggs until well blended. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 160° and coats the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the heat. Stir in chocolate and vanilla until smooth. Cool to lukewarm (90°), stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add cooled chocolate mixture; beat on high speed for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.

In another large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour into crust. Chill for at least 6 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.