Peanut Butter Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting

This weekend I really wanted something with peanut butter and chocolate. All the peanut butter pies I saw required ingredients I don't have such as cream cheese. Peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting seems a bit much. Making a pie crust for a peanut butter dessert sounds like a lot of work. The result of my exploration is this awesome cake that combines two recipes, Peanut Butter Texas Sheet Cake from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and One-Minute Easy Chocolate Frosting from Spend with Pennies. I scaled down the sheet cake recipe to fit a quarter sheet pan (9x13) in a smaller oven. A jelly roll pan works best so the cake doesn't climb over the edges.

What's the best part of this? The cake is thin so you can eat a big piece, but it's a small pan so you get it out of your house quickly! Win-win!

Gooey, buttery peanut butter cake

What happens when you don't sift!

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Cake:

1 cup sugar

1 cup maida (flour)

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup plain yogurt (thick like sour cream)

1/3 cup peanut butter (if you use natural peanut butter, you'll need more sweetener)

125 g butter

1/2  cup water

Frosting:

1/3 cup milk

75 g butter

1 cup chocolate chips or chopped baking chocolate

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if you want yours to be pretty

Preheat oven to 205 C (400 F). In a medium bowl, combine sugar and flour. In a larger bowl, combine egg, baking soda, and yogurt, mixing well and allowing to rest. In a small saucepan, combine peanut butter, butter, and water. Bring to a rolling boil for about 30 seconds, stirring to combine evenly. Remove from heat. Add the flour and sugar to the peanut butter mixture. Allow the mixture to cool a few minutes. While you wait, grease the sheet pan. Once slightly cooled, pour the peanut butter mixture into the yogurt mixture and stir until it looks uniform. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for ~20 minutes. A toothpick inserted inside should come out clean and the cake should be pulling away from the sides of the pan.

While the cake cools, prepare the frosting. You could do this on the stove top, but I took the lazy microwave route. In a microwaveable bowl, combine the milk, butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Melt everything together. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and silky. This creates a frosting that cracks on top of the cake.

Pour the frosting over the top of the cake while the cake is still a bit warm and smooth it out. Allow it to cool completely before eating it along with a tall glass of milk! If you're really adventurous, you could poke small holes with a toothpick before pouring the frosting over.

Note: You will have extra frosting left over for another awesome dessert. Just pop it into an airtight container in the fridge.

Tortillas - Seriously!

This one is not a recipe that I have adapted. It is literally PERFECT as written. I have never had the time of day for tortilla making because I never like the results. It always feels like, "Well, that's a chunk of time I'll never get back." No more with this recipe. If you follow it exactly, you won't be disappointed. We've been in lockdown so I decided to give them another go. These were soft and didn't break open when you filled them. I kept the cooled tortillas in a bag in the fridge for several days, and they were still so soft.

Pro Tip: If you have a child who is an expert with playdough, get that kid to help you roll these out. Seriously! My 11-year-old is a champion tortilla roller thanks to all her days on playdough. If you're not doing this yet, get your kids in training.

In closing, here's the recipe, and from everyone who has ever been a tortilla failure, thank you for redeeming us, Cafe Sucre Farine!! Also, yes, I get that olive oil is not "traditional," but I have nothing to complain about with this awesome recipe.

Cinnamon Sugar Blondies

I originally saw these blondies from Buns in My Oven on Pinterest and wondered if they were legit--they are. These blondies are mixed and baked in under 30 minutes! They are a super quick and delicious dessert that doesn't require any special ingredients. The first time we made them they were delicious but flat. When we used more precise measurements the second time, they turned out chewy and flavorful. One big thing to be mindful of is egg sizes. A standard "large" egg is about 57 grams. I weighed a local egg (all of which are different in size), and it weighed only 30 grams. The difference is significant in a recipe so I doubled the eggs. Also my 9-year-old loved that he could do most of the work on these!

Must remember to take photos before we eat things! 

Cinnamon Sugar Blondies
113g or 1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 large egg, beaten (check the weight if possible)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
pinch of salt
5 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease and flour an 8x8 baking pan. In a bowl mix together brown sugar and melted butter. Add the vanilla. Stir in the beaten egg. Add the flour and salt and stir until you have a smooth batter. It will look a lot like caramel.

Smooth the batter into the square pan. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the batter. Bake in a preheated oven for 22 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes before cutting into these delicious little bars.

Note: The base recipe (minus sugar and cinnamon) makes a perfect chewy blondie. You could mix in chocolate chips, a little peanut butter, or other toppings to make different varieties. 

Cranberry Sauce

This one is for all my American friends who are either going without cranberry sauce or eating expired cans of it this holiday season--the struggle is real! Yesterday I found this recipe from Hip Pressure Cooking and gave it a try. It is 100% doable with what is usually available and is super easy. No, it doesn't taste exactly like what's in the can, but neither does the delicious cranberry sauce that comes from fresh cranberries.

Cranberry Sauce
1 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup cranberry drink (Real brand or other tart variety)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon orange zest (optional)

To your pressure cooker, add cranberries, water, cranberry juice, lemon juice, and orange zest if using. I used a couple pieces of candied orange peel. Close the lid and cook over med-high heat until you get the first blow of the pressure cooker. Turn the heat down to medium-low, enough to keep it at high pressure, but not continuously blowing. Cook at this pressure for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly release the pressure in short bursts. The original writer recommends stopping if anything other than steam comes out.

Once pressure is released, remove the lid carefully. Holding the pot at an angle, use an immersion blender to pulse the mixture, but do not puree it unless you're aiming for a more "jellied" type sauce. Return the cooker to the stove on low heat with the lid off until you can pull a spoon across the bottom and leave a clean trail. Transfer the finished product to a container and either serve warm or chill for up to 5 days.

Ginger Garlic Noodle Soup with Greens

Soup season is around the corner, and I always enjoy a good Asian-inspired bowl full of noodles and vegetables. This recipe from The Forked Spoon is one of my favorite broth recipes because it has such a unique flavor. The smell of the broth is like 5-spice powder. Here's the recipe with minor adaptations for people living where certain ingredients are harder to find or need different cooking methods for keeping you healthier.

Ginger Garlic Noodle Soup with Greens
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 bunch green onions, sliced with green and white separate
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
5.5 cups water
2 chicken stock cubes
1 whole star anise
1.5-2 Tablespoons soy sauce
 250 grams button mushrooms, sliced
150-200 grams rice noodles (written "rice sticks" on packet)
1 small bunch bok choy or a few cups other chopped leafy greens
Sesame seeds for topping
Chili flakes for topping

Heat the oil over medium heat in a stock pot. Add onions and saute just until they begin to soft. Add in white parts of green onions, garlic, and ginger, and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Pour in the water, stock cubes, star anise, and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Open the lid, remove the star anise pod, and discard it. Add the mushrooms, uncooked noodles, chopped greens, and green onion tops, and simmer 5-8 minutes until everything is tender. Season with salt, pepper, and more soy sauce if desired. Top each bowl of soup with sesame seeds and chili flakes, if desired.

Ham and Cheese Sliders

The slider craze is everywhere in the US now. They are mini-burgers and sandwiches with various fillings and toppings. When I was last in the US, I had these delicious Ham and Cheese Sliders and recreated them here very easily. This recipe is based on this one from Dinner at the Zoo.

Ham and Cheese Sliders
1-2 long baguettes, cut into small sandwich sizes of your choice*
300 grams ham or enough to stuff each small sandwich
Thin cheese slices**, enough to stuff each small sandwich
2 teaspoons mustard (Dijon, Honey, or Spicy Brown)
2 teaspoons poppy seeds (optional)
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
6 Tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 170C. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients from mustard through melted butter and stir until well blended. Lay the bottoms of each sandwich across the bottom of a greased baking dish. Add ham and cheese to each sandwich, and then top with the remaining bread tops. Using a brush or spoon, apply the glaze over the top of each sandwich. It will also drip down the sides. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil from the top and put the pan back into the oven for 3-5 more minutes until the tops of the sandwiches are brown and toasty.

Enjoy your delicious sliders warm!

* You could also cut the bread in a few long lengths that go all the way across your baking pan and slice them into smaller sandwiches after baking.

** I think any cheese that pairs well with mustard would work here. I used sliced processed cheese, but I think the local cheese or something like brie would also work beautifully.

Also, I'm not sure what the point of poppy seeds is other than looks, and don't think the recipe would be missing anything if you didn't have them.

Quick and Easy Mac and Cheese - Like Velveeta Shells and Cheese

Full disclosure...this one is not a health food by any stretch. It's pure comfort food that I discovered by accident. Really, it's not much of a recipe, but a quick how to if you're single parenting and have hungry children. I think it might also appeal to singles who don't have the energy to prepare dinner and have some cooked pasta around. I don't have bigger scaled quantities worked out, but this will make a single serving bowlful.

Tastes very similar to Velveeta Shells and Cheese...the totally fake mac and cheese

Quick and Easy Mac and Cheese
1-1.5 cups cooked macaroni noodles or small pasta shells
2 slices Amul processed cheese, torn into smaller pieces (the kind in the plastic sheets)
1-2 Tablespoons milk
1 Tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a microwave-safe bowl, add all the ingredients except the salt and pepper. Microwave in 1 minute bursts, stirring between each minute until the cheese is melted and you have a relatively creamy white base. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

You can tweak the amounts a bit, but the key thing is to have enough milk to work as the sauce base without having so much milk you thin the cheese too much. You could probably also do this on the stove top if you work over low heat and keep a close eye on the milk.

This was a HUGE hit with my 10-year-old mac and cheese lover!