The Spaghetti Girls

Jam, Ham, Ram, Fam?

2009-01-11T22:45:00.000-08:00

This was my Nana's recipe for Blackberry Jam cake. Let's face it, if you had known her you probably would have thought she was nuts. Like, a big bag of cashews, pecans, and the craziest of all the nuts the pistachio. But one thing is for certain, she could cook pretty much anything and it would taste awesome. It probably had every single nutrient sapped out of it but arteries shmarteries! This was one of those things we all looked forward to because if you had to listen to a story about how she was suing those bastards so and so at least you could be making yourself sick off rich delicious cake at the same time.

BLACKBERRY JAM CAKE WITH CARMEL FROSTING

Ingredients for Cake: 1-3/4 cups flour; 1-1/2 cups sugar; 1 cup oil; 1 cup buttermilk; 1 cup blackberry jam; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 cup chopped nuts; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 teaspoon nutmeg; 1 teaspoon allspice; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1/2 teaspoon cloves; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 3 eggs
Ingredients for Caramel Frosting: 1 stick butter; 1-1/2 cups brown sugar; 1/3 cup cream; 1-1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

Cake: Mix all ingredients together and beat. Grease and flour two 9-inch pans. Fill pans with cake batter and bake 30 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Ice with caramel frosting.

Frosting: Combine first 3 ingredients. Bring to boil for 2 minutes. Sift sugar and beat into mixture.

You Can't Eat a Pilot Inspektor

2008-11-20T11:15:00.000-08:00

We all are aware of the trend that celebrities have to name their kids random and sometimes patently ridiculous things. So in honor of those kids that have food/herb/I'm taking some liberties with some of them- names here are some recipes.

Apple (Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin)

Apple Cinnamon Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:

3 large golden delicious apples
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 scant teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons melted butter
.
Cake
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, stirred before measuring
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup milk

Preparation:

Heat oven to 325°. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan or spray with baking spray. Core the apples and cut into wedges; peel and slice thinly. Combine apple slices with the brown sugar, 1 scant teaspoon of cinnamon, and 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Arrange the apple mixture in the prepared baking pan.

Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl. In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture to the first mixture, alternating with the milk, beating just until blended. Spoon the batter evenly over the apple slices; gently spreading to cover. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Invert the hot cake onto a platter or cake plate and let stand for about 5 minutes. Remove the pan and scrape up any fruit slices clinging to the pan and arrange them over the cake.

Coco (Courtney Cox & David Arquette)

Hot "Coco"

Ingredients

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Hot water

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and incorporate evenly. In a small pot, heat 4 to 6 cups of water.

Fill your mug half full with the mixture and pour in hot water. Stir to combine. Seal the rest in an airtight container, keeps indefinitely in the pantry. This also works great with warm milk.

Sage Moonblood (Sylvestor Stallone)

Chicken Soup with Sage Dumplings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 teaspoons dried thyme
8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup frozen peas

Dumplings:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, carrots, and celery and saute 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until chicken is golden brown on all sides. Add thyme and stir to coat. Add broth, salt and black pepper, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Partially cover and boil for 5 minutes. Stir in the frozen peas.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sage, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Add buttermilk and oil and stir with a fork until mixture comes together. Using a spoon or a small ice cream scoop, drop 8 golf ball size dumplings into simmering liquid. Cover pan and cook for 5 minutes (without lifting lid), until dumplings are puffed up and cooked through.

Serve soup with dumplings.

Mango's are Delicious!!!

2008-11-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

Mango's are a wonderfully yummy fruit.

All mango's taste delicious. Everyone should indulge in the wonders of mango's and always share your mango's.

Even baby monkeys love mango's and they are always right with everrything they do. Always trust a baby monkey.

And lets not forget the awesomeness of MANGO!!!!!

So have a mango, enjoy, share and have a nice day !

Candy Corn is Yummy Corn

2008-10-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

Since it is Halloween today, here is a yummy candy corn recipe.

Halloween Candy Corn Rice Crispy Treats Recipe

1/2 cup butter

10 cups crispy rice cereal

9 cups miniature marshmallows

2 cups mixture of candy corn and Indian candy corn

3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

Candy pumpkins

Yellow and red food coloring

Melt butter and marshmallows; stir until smooth. In a large bowl, mix rice cereal, candy corn and miniature chips together.

To marshmallow mixture, blend in 2 drops yellow food coloring and 1 drop red food coloring, adding more coloring if necessary to reach desired shade. Add marshmallow mixture to cereal mixture; stir quickly to combine. Spread on a large buttered pan; press with buttered hands. While warm, press on candy pumpkins spaced 1 to 1-1/2 inches apart. Refrigerate and cut into squares.

Monsters are delicious!

2008-10-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

Recipe Ingredients:

Cocktail wieners
6-inch tortillas
Ketchup or mustard
Toothpicks

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut a wedge into the end of each cocktail wiener to make a toenail.
2. Cut the tortillas into strips about 4 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Discard the ends.
3. Soften the strips in the microwave between damp paper towels for 10 to 30 seconds.
4. Roll each wiener in a tortilla strip and secure with a toothpick.
5. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven, then fill the toenail with ketchup or mustard. Remove the toothpicks before serving.

They are all around us, show them who is boss.

Frightfully Pumpkins

2008-10-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

Pumpkins are delicious. Here is a delicious recipe:

2 cups Nestle semi-sweet chocolate morsels, divided 1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup milk

1tsp. baking soda 3 large eggs

1/2tsp. salt 1 container prepared white frosting

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar yellow and red food coloring(combine to make orange)

1 cup libby 100% pure pumpkin

PREHEAT oven to 350. Paper line 20 muffin cups

MICROWAVE 1 cup morsels in small, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on high power for 1 minute. STIR. the morsels may retain some of their original shape.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, salt in small bowl. Beat sugar, pumpkin, oil, milk, and eggs in large bowl until smooth. beat in melthed chocolate. Stir in flour mixture. Spoom into prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.

BAKE for 22 to 27 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan, remove to rack to cool completely. Frost and enjoy.

Although they may not be as tasty as squirrel melts they are good.

Use both your safeties!

2008-10-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

Because you never know when those squirrels will start fighting back.

So put his tender little butt in there. Yum.