Eclair Cake

Fancy desserts that take tons of work and preparation and require exquisite presentation are fun to do for certain occasions such as birthdays, a special dinner party, or if say, the pope should decide to stop by for a visit. Otherwise, I'm all about the dessert that is easy and tastes good, even if it doesn't look like anything special sitting in its very un-fancy square baking dish. Sometimes, you just need something that tastes good to shove in your pie hole, especially if you're feeding a crowd, and this fits the bill. Bonus: it's so easy to make that even the most baking challenged person could handle it.

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and only made one modification. It originally calls for chocolate icing on top which I thought sounded rather disgusting. Instead, I topped off the dessert with a chocolate ganache which was, in my opinion, the better option.

Eclair Cake

2 pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
3 C milk
1 (16 oz) pkg. graham cracker squares

Ganache

9 oz chocolate (I tried both bittersweet and milk, and the milk chocolate worked better)
1 C heavy cream

To make the cake:

1. Throughly mix pudding, whipped topping and milk together in a bowl.

2. Arrange a single layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 13x9 baking pan. Evenly spread half of the pudding mixture over the crackers. Top with another layer of crackers and the remaining pudding. Top with a final layer of graham crackers.

3. Top with chocolate ganache. Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving.

To make the ganache:

1. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Place the cream in a sauce pan and bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Allow to cool slightly before pouring over the cake.

Bowlin' bowlin' bowlin'

It's funny how the simplest things in life can sometimes give you such great pleasure. I'm always amazed when a small, seemingly insignificant thing can do that, such as these bowls. Silly I know, but I just love these stupid things. My husband had a mid size bowl made out of this thick, sturdy plastic that had been his grandmother's that I almost got rid of when we got married (along with his organge recliner and 1960s era couch with big brown flowers). Luckily I realized just how handy it was and kept it; it's sturdy but not heavy, and as far as I can tell, unbreakable. When I found this set of festively bright bowls made of the same thick plastic, I snapped them up and immediately banished my set of glass bowls to the basement. There is a bowl just the right size for every job and they are bright and happy to boot. What's not to love?

Shrimp Cakes

A friend once said he makes it a rule to never order seafood unless he can look outside the restaurant and see water. He is a wise and prudent person. I, however, show no such restraint and will eat seafood (particularly shellfish) any time, any place in large quantities. I know better, but I just can't help myself.

I needed to use up a pound of already cooked shrimp and made this shrimp cakes recipe from Cooking Light magazine. I made some adjustments so it can no longer be considered 'light', but they taste great and aren't that bad in the grand scheme of things. The lime crema sauce is from a shrimp tacos recipe and it's to DIE for. Do not serve these shrimp cakes without it or you will be sorry. The picture doesn't do them justice, but I have since busted out the camera directions and will hopefully take better pictures in the future.

Spicy Shrimp Cakes

1 lb shrimp peeled, deveined, and boiled until pink
1/2 C finely chopped jared roasted red peppers
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 C thinly sliced green onions
3 T reduced-fat mayo
1 T fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. hot sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1/4 C finely chopped cilantro
1 C panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) divided


Lime Crema

1/4 C sliced green onions
1/4 C chopped cilantro
3 T light mayo
3 T fat free sour cream (I used low fat)
1 tsp lime zest
1 1/2 tsp lime juice
1 garlic clove


To prepare cakes:
1. Place shrimp in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped.

2. In a bowl mix the first 10 ingredients (through egg) and stir well. Add in cilantro and 1/2 the panko.

3. Divide shrimp mixture into 6-10 portions, depending how large you want the cakes (I made 6). They should be about 1/2 inch thick each. Dredge both sides of patties in the remaining 1/2 C of panko. Chill at least 1 hour.

4. Heat a non stick skillet over medium heat. Add 4 T of olive oil. Cook each patty on both sides, about 4 minutes each or until browned. Place on paper towels and keep warm.

5. Place two patties on top of a bed of mixed greens dressed and tossed with honey mustard vinegrette. Place a dollop of lime crema on top of each cake and serve.

Forced DIY

So what happens when you move to the middle of the middle of nowhere and you can no longer buy things like fresh bagels, coffee ice cream, fresh mozzarella, or even decent fresh produce? What do you do when 'going out to eat' means either the local Mc Donald's or a church 'spaghetti feed'? Well, you only have two choices: you can either drink the proverbial cool aid and make a lot of meals whose main ingredient is cream of-something-or-other soup; or, you can fight, fight, fight. Do not go gentle into the night but go kicking and screaming and as you do, try to learn how to make all that wonderful food you miss so much, yourself.

Thus, I became very interested in cooking. I am not a gourmet by any means. I will not be making food with 'essence' of anything or with a side of foam. I use measuring cups and spoons (gasp!) and the majority of the time use a recipe. However, the more I cook the more I learn, and try to improve upon what has already been done before. This in itself is a challenge, but the real test comes in trying to make these non-completely boxed, canned or frozen meals while tending to my 18 month old son as I cook. Now THAT is something I'd like to see on iron chef. Sure those guys can cook, but how would they do if you set loose a few toddlers in their kitchen? Can you still manage to cook 20 different dishes using pumpkin as the secret ingredient with a hungry 1 year old climbing up your leg yelling "CHEESE! CHEESE! JUICE!!!"? How would they do running back and forth tending to their creations if they had to watch out for the minefield of toys, pots, pans, and plastic containers laid out on the floor by said toddler? Yah, I'm still waiting to see that challenge take place.

So, this will be my place to document my quest to find recipes that are not only good, but have a good effort/taste ratio. My time is limited and precious; a recipe that is time consuming better have the taste to back it up, or it goes in the garbage never to be tried again.