Coconut Tres Leches Cake

I've seen several recipes for this cake lately, and I've been waiting for a chance to make it.  Lunch with my mom and sisters was the perfect occasion.  I hope they don't mind being my guinea pigs!  I kind of combined this recipe with this one here, and the final product was delicioso!  

Tres Leches is spanish for three milks.  The three milks in this cake are the heavy whipping cream, evaporated milk and cream of coconut (note:  this is NOT coconut milk.  It is called Cream of Coconut and I found it at the regular grocery store by the drink mixers on the soda pop isle).  The coconut flavor is very mild, so don't skip the coconut on top for a garnish!    

Coconut Tres Leches Cake
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Cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
5 whole eggs
1 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup milk

Milk Syrup:
1 can (15 oz) cream of coconut
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Garnishes:
sweetened cream (see instructions below)
banana slices
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted (spread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake it at 350 degrees until golden brown)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9x13 inch pan liberally until coated. 

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. 

Separate eggs.  Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow.  Stir in milk and vanilla.  Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined. 

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form.  With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.  Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined.  Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (I baked mine about 32 minutes).  Place on a wire rack until completely cooled. 

To make the milk syrup: in a blender, combine the cream of coconut, evaporated milk, cream and vanilla and process until smooth.  (I didn't read these directions closely enough--when I made it I just wisked it together in a glass pouring dish and I completely forgot to put in the vanilla--it was still YUMMY though!)

Pierce the cooled cake all over with a fork.  The more pokes, the more the syrup will soak into the cake.  Slowly drizzle the milk syrup all over the cake, allowing the cake to absorb all the moisture.  When you have finished, not all of the syrup will be completely absorbed and might be pooling on the top but that's ok because it will absorb as it refrigerates.  Cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (I did mine overnight).  Serve cake topped with sweetened cream, toasted coconut and banana slices.

Sweetened Cream:  Pour 1 cup heavy whipping cream into a large (preferably chilled) glass bowl and beat it on high speed until stiff peaks are just about to form.  Stop the mixer and add 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla.  Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.  Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bread

I found this recipe over at Tasty Kitchen.  This bread was a winner at my house!  The chocolate chips in the bread are just enough for me to get my chocolate fix in a somewhat healthy way.  A perfect way to use up some ripe bananas.  Enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bread
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1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 whole eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray two 9x5 bread pans with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, oats, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, mix together buttermilk, eggs, butter and bananas.  Pour into dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

(notes: If you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute 1 1/2 cups milk mixed with 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar.  Also, you can make muffins with the batter.  Small muffins cook for about 20 minutes.  And next time I think I'll add 1 cup chocolate chips!).

Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup

So I had a head of cauliflower in my fridge that I didn't know what to do with.  The air is starting to get a bit chilled which tells me Fall is coming, which tells me it is soup season!  I found this recipe at Tasty Kitchen, which is my favorite website to search for recipes with a certain ingredient in mind.  This soup is yummy--I love roasted vegetables and it gives the soup a deeper flavor.  It is very healthy too--notice there isn't any heavy cream!  Of course you can add some and I'm sure it would make it taste even better!  But I like the healthy version myself.

Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup
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1 medium head cauliflower, roughly chopped

2 whole leeks, white and light green part only, cut in half lengthwise

6 cloves garlic (I only used 4)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 pinch kosher salt

2 cans (14 oz.) chicken broth

1 pinch fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425.  Spread chopped cauliflower, leeks and garlic on a baking sheet.  Drizzle olive oil on the vegetables and mix well to thoroughly coat.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.  Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes.  Vegetables should be brown on the edges and slightly softened. 

Pour roasted vegetables into a saucepan and add the chicken broth and fresh ground pepper to taste.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Using an immersion blender, thoroughly puree all contents of the saucepan.  (If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender.  Just be careful putting hot liquids in a blender as they can cause the lid to come flying off!)

 

Here's my veggies right before I put them in the oven....

 

after they were roasted....

 

in the pan with the broth....

and after they were pureed with my immersion blender.  So simple!

Frog-eye Salad

This is a great salad for a large gathering.  It makes a ton and everyone loves it!  The "frog-eyes" are pasta called acini di pepe.  They are just little tiny things, and I love the texture that it gives to the salad.  Enjoy!

Frog-eye Salad
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1 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1 3/4 cups unsweetened pineapple juice (measure from drained juice from canned pineapple)
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 quarts water
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 (16 oz.) pkg. acini di pepe pasta
3 (11 oz.) cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 (20 oz.) cans pineapple tidbits, drained
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 cups miniature marshmallows

In a saucepan, combine sugar, flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, pineapple juice and eggs.  Stir and cook over medium heat until thickened.  Remove from heat; add lemon juice and cool to room temperature.

Bring water to a boil.  Add oil, 1 tsp. salt and pasta.  Cook until al dente.  Rinse under cold water and drain.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, egg mixture, mandarin oranges, pineapple and whipped topping.  Mix well and refrigerate overnight or until chilled.  Before serving, add marshmallows.  Toss and serve.

Fresh Peach Dessert

 I got this recipe from my friend Julie.  If you love fresh peaches, you will LOVE this dessert.  It is not overly sweet which brings out the fresh flavor of the peaches.  Now is the perfect time to make this because peaches are in season.   I got my peaches from a local corner fruit stand because I wanted the best flavor, and it was totally worth it.  Yummy!  Thanks Julie for the awesome recipe!!!

Fresh Peach Dessert
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20 graham crackers, crushed
1 cube butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
10+ ripe peaches (I used 12-13 peaches)
3/4 cup milk
12 oz. bag mini marshmallows
1 1/2 cup whipping cream

Combine crushed graham crackers, melted butter and sugar.  Press half of the mixture into a 9x13 pan.  Set aside remaining mixture for topping.

Combine milk and marshmallows in a saucepan, cook over medium heat until melted.  Cool.  Whip cream and fold into marshmallow mixture. Spread half on top of graham cracker crust.

Skin and slice peaches.  Sprinkle with Fruit Fresh to keep from browning.  Layer well-drained peaches on top of cream mixture.  Spread remaining cream on top of peaches and top with reserved crumbs.  Refrigerate.

Boneless BBQ Ribs

If you have never cooked boneless ribs before, you MUST try these. And if you have, you must try THESE!!!! I don't think I've ever tasted anything so good before. They were super moist and super tender, and you can cut through them with a fork like butter. I found the recipe on this blog here.  I LOVE finding amazing recipes that I don't know how I ever lived without! 

Boneless BBQ Ribs
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6-8 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup liquid smoke
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cup Pace Picante Sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced

Place ribs in a large roasting pan or two 9x13 pans. Mix sauce ingredients and pour half of the sauce over ribs. Cover pans tightly with foil and bake at 275 degrees for 6 hours. Remove ribs from drippings. Heat up other half of the sauce and serve over ribs.

Pound Cake with Strawberries

This recipe comes from Paula Deen.  You really can't go wrong with Paula Deen, in my opinion!  It is the perfect cake to serve with fresh strawberries and whipping cream.  It is not super dense like some pound cakes I've had, but it is moist and has a wonderful flavor.  If you want a sweet vanilla cake to serve with strawberries, this is the one! 

Mama's Pound Cake (Paula Deen)
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1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, plus more for pan
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/2 tsp. fine salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350. With a mixer, cream butter and shortening together. Add sugar, a little at a time. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to mixer alternately with milk, starting with the flour and ending with the flour. Mix in vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.