Two Cakes & A Chicken

Greetings! It's been awhile since any of us have posted - but that doesn't mean we haven't been cooking! I thought it was time for a quick update from my kitchen.

Ever since I made the semi-successful Raspberry and Coconut cake from Three Sisters Bake, I've been thinking about my all-time-favorite Coconut Cake. This recipe is from Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten.

When it comes to Ina Garten, I am a total fan-girl. I love, love, love her!! I have all her cookbooks and every recipe of hers that I've ever tried has been a success. She simply will not steer you wrong! Plus, and I don't think my sisters agree with this, she reminds me of my aunt Liz a little bit! I've heard she has a new cookbook coming out this fall - and I'll be sure to get my hands on it as soon as I can.

We did a very, very laid back Easter celebration with the family this year. But, Easter does deserve a special dessert, so I made Ina's Coconut Cake. Oh! So good! It's a dense cake - and with shredded coconut right in the batter, it tastes amazing. It's got a cream cheese frosting which is a weakness for me . . . it was a big hit --

So that was cake #1. I think my son enjoys having cake around the house!! I visited my daughter in Knoxville, TN last weekend and when I got home he wanted to know when I was going to make another cake! I scrounged around in the pantry and looked through my King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion book and found that I had all the ingredients for their Devil's Food cake.

Totally easy and quick to put together and into the oven. This is one really delicious chocolate cake. Very moist and flavorful. It would be a nice treat even without frosting. But, I was in a very frosting place and used a recipe from my old, old copy of Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I made peanut butter frosting and as you'll see from the photo, I didn't get the consistency quite right. It was really stiff so I added more milk. At that point, it was probably good to go, but I doubted myself and added a dash more milk - which proved to be a dash too much. It was still very tasty, just more "liquidy" than I'd have liked.

Cake #2 was also a big hit - we're actually still working on it. My husband compared it to a Drake's "Funny Bone" - do you remember those yummy chocolatey cakes filled with peanut butter and covered with a chocolate coating?! High praise indeed! By the way, the lumps you see on the cake are sugar. I'm not sure what's up with this because I sifted the flour before adding it to the peanut butter.

A quick note about the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. This is a great "general" cookbook and I would say one of the better ones for someone just starting out in the kitchen. It has a great variety of recipes in all categories that are simple and that WORK. I've had this since I got married and have used it more often than I can recall. My copy is falling apart - I've started three-hole-punching the pages and putting them into a binder. If you aren't looking for gourmet - this is a great resource.

Finally for the Chicken. You may already know this . . . but one of the easiest, yummiest and most versatile ways to cook chicken is to put chicken breasts (I use boneless & skinless) in a crock pot - and add a small jar of salsa. Turn it on high -- and in a few hours it's done and can be shredded right in the crock pot. I like to make big batches that we can have on hand for a couple days (maybe less if my son's friends come over!). It could not be easier. This week we made burritos . . . . sauteed peppers and onions, slice up some avocados. Used flour tortillas - and had taco sauce and shredded cheddar cheese on hand. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take a picture. Healthy. Quick. Yummy. The chicken trifecta!

That's all for now!! So long from Kathy's kitchen.

Until next time . . . Bake On my Sweets!!