Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

I've become a big fan of olive oil cakes.  They are fool proof and results in a dense yet moist cake.  They can be iced or simply dusted with powdered sugar.  It makes a nice dessert for breakfast with a good cup of coffee. It can be made with all almond meal (flour) for gluten free or all purpose flour or a mixture of both.  I found this recipe in Health Magazine.

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients:
2/3 c olive oil, plus more for greasing the cake pan
6 Tbs good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c boiling water
1 1/2 c almond meal(flour)  or 3/4 c plus 1 Tbs all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 c superfine (baker's) sugar
3 large eggs

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 325.  Grease a 9 inch springform pan or high sided tart pan with removable bottom with a little olive oil and line bottom with parchment paper.  Or spray with baking pam.

2.  Sift cocoa powder into a bowl and whisk in boiling water until you have a smooth chocolate, barely runny paste.  Whisk in vanilla extract and set aside to cool.

3.  In a small bowl, combine almond meal or flour with baking soda and a pinch of salt.

4.  Put sugar, olive oil and eggs into bowl of a freestanding mixer with a paddle attachment or a bowl and whisk.  Beat vigorously until mixture is pale primrose, aerated, thickened and creamy about 3 minutes.

5.  Turn down mixer speed and beat in cocoa mixture.  Slowly add almond meal or flour mixture.

6.  Turn off mixer and stir a little with a spatula.  Pour batter into prepared cake pan.  Bake until sides of cake are set and very center still looks slightly damp, 40 to 45 minutes.  A cake tester should come out mainly clean with a few sticky chocolate crumbs.

7.  Let cake cool in it pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Ease sides of cake with a small metal spatula or knife and remove cake from pan.  Leave it to cool completely.  Dust with powdered sugar.  Serve with ice cream and/or berries.

One Pan Pasta

I saw this recipe in Martha Stewart Living.  It looked so easy for a quick dinner with little mess.  I wasn't sure it would work but thought I would give it a try.  It has now become a favorite recipe and I pass it along to everyone.  My daughter has already made it a few times. Perfect for summer with cherry tomatoes in different colors and shapes.  Be sure to use a good quality parmesan cheese that you grate fresh--much better than the cheese in a can or plastic container.  I made a few adjustments to the recipe so vary the amounts to suit your taste.  

One Pan Pasta
Ingredients:
12 oz linguine or spaghetti noodles

12 oz cherry tomatoes—halved or quartered (I used more tomatoes about 2 cups)

1 yellow onion thinly sliced (I used ¼ to ½ onion and be sure to slice very thin)
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced (or 4 cubes of frozen garlic)

2 sprigs basil (I tore it up into small pieces)

Salt

½ tsp dried red pepper flakes (I used about 1/4 tsp which added just a touch of heat)

2 Tbs olive oil

41/2 c water

Directions:
1.  Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, 2 tsp salt, red pepper flakes in a  large skillet.  Add the water and olive oil.

2. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently with tongs until pasta is cooked and most of the water has evaporated.  About 10 minutes.

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with Parmesan cheese.  Serves 4.

Here I Go

I am an empty nester with both daughters living on the east coast about as far away from me as they could get.  They call or should I say text me often wanting one or more recipes or advice on how to cook something.  My eldest has been cooking for herself for awhile now but my youngest who has never had much interest finally has a kitchen available and is tired of dorm food.  So I decided to start this blog for them.  They can easily find some of their favorite recipes and some new ones that I come across that I feel they might like.  Many recipes are quick and easy since they are both busy with school and don't have a lot of time to devote to cooking.

It's my way of bringing a little bit of home to them.