Moist Carrot Cake

I am a proud owner of a ridiculously cute bunny rabbit, who gets a carrot every morning and sometimes a second during the day if he's lucky or does something extraordinarily cute (which is often). With all this feeding and my family's use of carrots in our cuisine, a quarter of the bottom drawer in our refrigerator is dedicated to carrots. While rummaging through the refrigerator for a healthy snack, I noticed 2 bags of carrots instead of the usual 1, so I decided to be adventurous and make my own carrot soup.

Except not. I just recently developed a taste for carrots, and I think it will be much longer before I can make myself swallow a bowl full of carrot puree.

With Easter coming up, my frequently-craving-sweets appetite, and a desire to burn the midnight oil, I decided to make carrot cake. Plus, my boyfriend's dad apparently loves the dessert, so it seemed like a great idea.

I got the recipe for the cake here, and the cream cheese frosting recipe from Williams Sonoma.

Ingredients

Cake

• 4 cups (about 5 large) carrots, peeled and grated
  
• 1 1/2 cups ground nuts (I used almonds)


• 2 cups flour


• 1 tbsp cinnamon


• 2 tsp baking soda


• 1 tsp salt


• 4 eggs


• 1 cup oil


• 1 cup granulated white sugar


• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar


• 1 tbsp vanilla
  

Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese


• 1 stick unsalted butter


• 2 cups confectioners' sugar


• 1 tsp vanilla extract


• 1/4 tsp salt

Preparation

Cake

Cream sugar, eggs, and oil.

Add remaining cake ingredients and mix well.

Pour batter into greased 9x13 baking pan.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 28 minutes.

Frosting

Cream cream cheese.

Add butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat until combined well.

Notes/tips/recommendations

• Carrot cake recipes typically call for walnuts. My family eats lots of almonds at home for the health benefits, so I just used what we have laying around.
• I felt the frosting had too much vanilla. There was so much that I felt it was a little bitter. Also, it was not as thick as I would have liked. My advice is to be careful when creaming, because I think excessive creaming of the cream cheese will result in a runny frosting.
• To grate the carrots, I used a food processor. My food processor chopped the carrots into long shreds, and I just ran my knife through it a couple of times to make them smaller pieces.

Scratch Brownies

I have a crazy, ridiculous sweet tooth. Last night, my sweet tooth called for rich, decadent brownies. So, to appease my cravings, I turned to my overflowing pantry in search of a box of brownie mix. To my disappointment, I discovered that I used the last box of brownie mix the last weekend I was in town.

I realized that it was too late to run to the grocery store to pick up a box of mix, but I knew that I had to fix myself a sweet, chocolately dessert. In desperation, I began surfing the web for a recipe for a from-scratch brownie recipe. I looked through a couple, and found that most had shortening as an ingredient. I've made it a personal rule to never use shortening, so I had very few options. In the end, I found one recipe that was simple, required ingredients that my pantry already had, and did not require shortening.

I slightly modified the recipe and was pleased with the outcome. The brownies were a lot more cakey than I anticipated, but they still tasted delicious.


Ingredients

Brownie

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips


• 3/4 cup butter


• 1/2 tsp vanilla


• 3 eggs


• 1 cup flour


• 1/2 tsp baking powder


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1 1/2 cup sugar

Frosting

• 1/2 tub Betty Crocker Whipped Milk Chocolate frosting


• 1/2 cup chopped almonds

Preparation

Melt chocolate chips and butter in microwave safe bowl for 1 minute. Stir to ensure all chips are all melted. Add eggs and vanilla.

Add all remaining dry ingredients to melted chocolate. Beat until mixture is consistent and smooth.

Spread into greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Microwave 1/2 tub of chocolate frosting for 45 seconds. Pour over brownies. Sprinkle with chopped almonds.

Notes/tips/recommendations

• I prefer using fresh chopped nuts rather than prechopped nuts. I find them a lot crunchier because you can control how big/small each nut is.


• These brownies are a lot cakier than other brownies. Don't expect fudgy brownies if you follow this recipe.

Homemade & Healthy Honey Granola

My dad recently changed his entire diet to lead a healthier lifestyle. We no longer eat pork or beef at home, and all snacks must be healthy. One snack that my dad has always loved eating is Quaker 100% natural granola, and for the past couple of years, we've purchased this item at Costco. Very recently, our local Costco has stopped selling this cereal, so my dad has gone through several different kinds of granola, but none of them seem to compare to Quaker's.

I was watching the Food Network one morning (my TV is permanently set on this channel) and saw Tyler Florence making homemade granola. This inspired me to make up my own recipe because granola is a great, healthy snack. I thought my dad would love this, especially since he no longer can find granola that he likes and he's always looking for something healthy to snack on while at the office.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Quaker oatmeal
  
• 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
  
• 1 medium apple, finely sliced


• 1/2 cup Kretschmer wheat germ


• 1/2 cup raisins


• 1/2 cup Sue Bee honey


• 1/2 cup water


• 2 tbsp brown sugar
  
  

Preparation

Combine oatmeal, raisins, brown sugar, almonds, wheat germ, and apples (read note below) in large mixing bowl.

Mix honey and water. Pour into dry mixture. Mix thoroughly until all dry ingredients are evenly coated with honey mixture.

Spread into baking pan. Be sure to spread the mixture as thin as possible to ensure even toasting.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 1 hr 15 minutes. Turn frequently to avoid burning and for even toasting.

Notes/tips/recommendations

• Slice apples as thinly as possible. If you don't slice them thin enough, they will be soggy rather than crisp. You might want to use a very sharp knife to do this. This is how I sliced my apples:



• I put wheat germ in the granola because of the added health benefits. Wheat germ is high in vitamin E, which is good for your heart and immune system. I was originally going to add flax seeds, but we ran out, so I looked for the next best thing. When the wheat germ toasted, it added a nice little crunch.


• You can use maple syrup in this recipe if you please. Both are considered healthy sweeteners, but I didn't have any maple syrup at my house.

Cooking from Cans

I was assigned duty of dinner tonight, and I made an extremely simple Turkey Casserole. In fact, many of the ingredients from this recipe can come from cans. This is something good for feeding a lot of people when you don't have a whole lot of time to prepare or plan.


Ingredients

• 1 pkg whole wheat fusilli (or any other noodle you like)


• 2 10.5 oz cans of Cream of Mushroom


• 15 oz. can of whole kernel corn


• 1 medium red onion, diced


• 12 oz. canned white turkey in water, chopped


• 1/4 block of Velveeta, sliced


• Seasoned bread crumbs

Preparation

Boil the pasta until it is al dente. Strain in colander and place into large casserole dish.

Add diced red onions, whole kernel corn, turkey, and cream of mushroom soup. Stir until ingredients evenly mixed.

Top with Velveeta slices and seasoned bread crumbs.

Bake for 30 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Notes/tips/recommendations:

• Add a little green with broccoli florets. This will liven up the dish a whole lot. I was going to do this but my casserole dish was overflowing and I figured that the salad I made would give us enough vegetables.
• Throw in a can of pitted olives. Once again, I wanted to do this but my dish was too small so I just put the olives in the salad.
• Be sure not to overcook the pasta. Because you are putting this in the oven, it will continue to cook even after you remove it from the stove.
• You can opt not to use the bread crumbs. I just like the taste and look of them on my casseroles.
  

Guero's Taco Bar

Today, my brother, his girlfriend, our family friend, and I went down to South Congress to look at the shops. Before shopping, we decided to grab some lunch. We initially wanted to go to El Luna Y El Sol, but we arrived so late that they stopped serving lunch. So we drove down a little further and decided to eat at Guero's Taco Bar.


This restaurant is very Austin-y. I noticed that all the shops and restaurants on this part of Congress seemed a bit more eccentric than the other places around town. When we walked in the restaurant, my brother's girlfriend said "I like this place already!" There's a little fish pond/fountain right when you walk in, metal decorative bats hanging around the columns, and my favorite part - a 10 foot tall portrait of this woman:




We decided to start off with Guero Dip for our appetizer. The menu described it as a 5-layer dip, but I really couldn't find all 5 layers. I felt like i was just dipping my chips into refried beans and guacamole. I did, however, love how they had sliced jalapenos on top.



For my entree, I ordered migas because I woke up late and hadn't had breakfast yet. I've honestly only had migas once before today, but they were so delicious the first time I tried them that I decided to give them another try. To my disappointment, Guero's migas weren't what I expected. They came out like a pancake and looked burnt around the edges.


I don't think I'll be going back to Guero's anytime soon. The setting is fun, but the food did not meet my expectations. The next time I'm down on South Congress, I think I'll be visiting Home Slice Pizza.

Chez-Zee

I go to school in Austin 2.5 hours away from my hometown, and my brother and his girlfriend came up this weekend to visit his old college town. I always find it kind of weird that both my dad and brother went to the same school that I go to. Sometimes I think I was destined to come here. Whatever the reason for coming here, I'm glad that things turned out the way they did because I can't imagine being anywhere else.

My brother and I have a family friend who also went to UT and still lives in Austin, right next to campus. Everytime that my brother comes up here, he stays with this family friend. Last night when deciding where to eat, our family friend came up with Clay Pit because my brother, his girlfriend, and I had never visited the restaurant. I had heard lots of good things about it, and I love trying ethnic foods.

We decided to call to see if there was a long wait before we made the journey out there, and luckily we did because there was apparently a very long wait. Our friend then suggested Chez-Zee, a cute little Austin, American-fare bistro. We gave the restaurant a call and were surprised that there was no wait. We were getting pretty hungry, so we made a mad dash over.

If you're not from the Austin area or haven't been to Chez-Zee, it's a very cute restaurant. Right outside of the restaurant, there is a waiting area that is also a dining area. Tall, standing space heaters keep the area toasty and there's a lit fireplace, creating a warm and welcoming ambiance. On the tables, several games of Connect 4 are set on the tables for evenings with long waits.

When you walk in, there's an overwhelming amount of christmas lights lighting the dining area. Near the center of the dining room past the kitchen is a live pianist. I think the restaurant also decorates seasonally, because last night they had easter eggs hanging above our table. If I remember correctly, there was a halloween theme the last time I went.

The bread at this restaurant is AMAZING. It's a great sourdough with a tough crust and very soft center. But even more remarkable than the bread is this place's olive oil. I have never tasted olive oil with so many flavors! It has a smoky red pepper flavor, and with fresh cracked pepper and warm sourdough bread, your mouth is in heaven. Their olive oil is so good that you can buy it by the bottle from the restaurant.

I ordered the Tuscan Chicken Marinara. I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the dish. Not only was my food only mildly warm, but the chicken was a little tough and powdery, and the marinara sauce was thin and runny. I tried some of my friend's prime rib and it was succulent. They cooked it just the right amount and it felt like butter in your mouth. My brother's chicken fried steak was actually pretty good too. The batter was flaky and light, not like the dark batter that you'd regularly see on a cafeteria's chicken fried steak that's been fried in week-old oil.

Chez-Zee is known for its dessert. I think it has won "Best Dessert" a couple of times in Austin. All 4 of us were pretty stuffed, but we knew we couldn't walk away without trying one of their desserts, so we attempted to tackle the Crème Brûlée French Toast. This is a picture of the dessert from the website because I didn't think of taking a picture at the time. In fact, at this time last night, I hadn't decided to start the blog yet.

The french toast was pretty tasty. I found it very different from your regular french toasts because its density was more full than those that I've had in the past. The texture almost reminded me of an fritatta. After searching online, I was surprised to discover the recipe online at the website.

Reading the recipe helped me understand why its consistency was so much heavier than I had anticipated. The recipe calls for 6 egg yolks, which is more than your traditional french toast recipes.

The rum sauce drizzled on the toast and on the plate was a great complement to the bread. It wasn't too strong or too sweet; just the right flavor to leave a satisfying taste in your mouth.

Overall, this restaurant is pretty good. Although my entree wasn't fantabulous, the bread and dessert made up for it. Also, I'm a sucker for piano music, so it helped leave a positive impression in my mind. And who doesn't love christmas lights?

So if you're ever in Austin or are from Austin and want to show a friend around, I suggest this restaurant. It definitely represents local businesses around here very well. Remember to bring home a bottle of olive oil!

New Blogger

Welcome!

This is my first time to blog, so pardon me as I get used to this. I never thought I would create a blog because the thought of logging into the world wide web and permitting people access to my thoughts and life seemed a bit frightening. However, my roommate introduced me to food blogs, and I thought, "What a great idea!"

I have always been a huge foodie, and I find it difficult to share my passion for good eats with people other than my roommate, who can always be found surfing food-related websites. During a long stretch of studying, I can look over to her corner of the room, and about 1 out of 4 times, she can be found reading something about food. It's always relaxing to look over her shoulder and see what tasty treats she's looking at.

Anyways, after joining her on a couple food adventures on the web, I told myself that I was going to make one for myself. I have put it off for quite some time (probably about half a year) because I typically am busy with school and work, but since my spring break just started, I finally couldn't think of an excuse not to begin. So here it is - my first blog.

My goal with this blog is just like many other food blogs - share recipes, pictures, and thoughts about what I eat or create. I really have no idea what to expect out of this, but hopefully this 'project' will be as interesting for you as it is for me. If you have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to leave them for me (hopefully I figure out how to check them! :P).

But until my first real post, keep your bellies happy!