A Rainbow Cake!

Since I saw this cake featured on the Omnomicon blog, I have been hoping for an occasion to make it. Most cakes I make don't really scream "rainbow cake," but finally I found an occasion to make it! In the second class of Wilton's Fondant and Gum Paste course, you make a "sampler" cake. You learn how to drape, make garlands and a pretty handkerchief technique. So since the outside of the cake is sort of a mish-mash, I thought the inside could be fun as well! For really awesomely detailed instructions, head over to the Omnomicon blog. Besides making a boat load of dishes, it's really very easy to make. I did use boxed mix just because I wanted the batter to be perfectly white when I started. I also didn't really care about fat-content because I was making this for my co-workers, so I just followed the directions on the box. In addition, I used only egg whites and I used Wilton gel coloring for the rainbow-ing. I iced the cake in traditional buttercream topped with fondant, and the center is chocolate buttercream.

Whatever occasion you choose to make this cake for, enjoy! It will put a smile on everyone's face and you will certainly get the question..."How did you do that?!"

Roasted Tomatoes

It's tomato season around here, and with an abundance of fresh tomatoes at every local market, store and garden, different recipes to use them are always welcome. I found this recipe in one of my many Williams-Sonoma cookbooks, and tend to make this with almost every dinner during the summer. It's a fabulous way to use up your tomatoes, and it's a perfectly simple and delicious side dish.

Ingredients
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma New Healthy Kitchen: Main Dishes; Page 101

1 large tomato
1 clove garlic, minced
salt
pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Panko Bread Crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut tomato in half. On both halves, sprinkle an even amount of minced garlic, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Add panko bread crumbs on top of both tomato halves and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for about 6-8 minutes, or until bread crumbs are lightly browned. Serve warm.

"World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies"

I printed this recipe out last year after a super-original google search entitled "World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies". I mean, everyone is on the hunt for the best chocolate chip cookies right?! Well if you're not, I sure am. Since then, this recipe has been my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. Do I think that they are the world's best? The verdict is still out. I think that they are very good, but I'm hesitant to give them the "world's best chocolate chip cookie" title. But until (or, if) I find a recipe that is better, this is a great go-to recipe that results in one fantasticly chocolatey, chewy, soft and delicious cookie...and they always get major compliments!

So let me know what you think! Try these and report back. Are they really the world's best? Do you have a better recipe? Am I searching for a chocolate chip cookie recipe that simply doesn't exist because these truly are the best thing on earth?! Let me know!

And in the meantime, grab a nice cold glass of milk, a soft cookie (or 2...or 3...) and enjoy!

Ingredients
Source: Recipe Zaar

3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well. Combine dry ingredients together and gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in chips. Drop dough by the spoonfull on to an ungreased cookie sheet, about 2" apart. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes.

Rosemary Encrusted Pork Tenderloin

For my anniversary, my darling husband got me a fabulous counter top rotisserie. Since then, we've used it every Sunday, always trying a new meat. Pork tenderloin was a perfect meat to use in the rotisserie. It left the meat perfectly juicy and flavorful on the inside and nice and crisp on the outside. If you don't have a rotisserie, I'm sure that this would be just as good baked in the oven, however I didn't make it this way so I'm only going to include directions for the rotisserie. Either way, this is such a simple meal to make, but is loaded with flavor.

Ingredients
1 pork tenderloin
Aprox. 1-2 tsp dried rosemary, minced
3-5 fresh sage leaves, minced
salt
pepper
garlic powder
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions
If you have a flavor injector, combine 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Inject into pork loin in various places. If you don't have a flavor injector, you can skip this step and move on to the next. In the same bowl (or a new one), add an additional 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, along with the minced sage and rosemary. Add another pinch of salt and pepper to the oil mixture, and stir to combine. Slather over entire tenderloin until completely coated. Fit tenderloin onto rotisserie skewers according to manufactures directions, and cook for about 45 minutes or until the middle of the tenderloin registers 160 degrees. Remove from rotisserie and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Cut into aprox. 1/2" slices and serve warm.

Taco Dip

This is a recipe I learned from my favorite aunt, who makes it for every family function! Let me just say that this is always a huge hit. You will find that you have to start doubling the recipe just to keep people happy! It's perfect for making ahead of time (which is always important for big gatherings) and it's really quite addicting!!! This appetizer is delicious and crowd pleasing!

Ingredients
Source: My favorite Aunt

1 8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened ( you can use reduced fat)
1 16 oz. container sour cream (you can use light)
1 lb. ground beef
1 package of taco seasoning
1 small jar of taco sauce (whatever heat you want)
1 bag of Mexican shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes
tortilla chips

Directions
In a medium skillet, cook ground beef over medium high heat until cooked through and thoroughly crumbled. Add taco seasoning packet with the amount of water directed on the back of the package. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, add sour cream and cream cheese. Blend together thoroughly (I find that using the whisk attachment on your Kitchen Aid mixer works the best).

Spread cream cheese/sour cream mixture on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish or pan. Spread taco sauce over that, and the ground beef mixture over that, creating even layers. Top with shredded cheese, then lettuce then tomatoes. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Wilton Course 3, Class 4 (Final Cake)

Well this was by far my favorite class (don't I say that after every Wilton class?!) I had such a ball doing a 2 tiered cake and really having the reins to create exactly what I wanted. I had an idea in my head about what I wanted to do for class for a week or so, but didn't know how everything would come together until I got to class. This class gave me a ton of confidence, and I'm really glad I've been through the 1st 3 courses. Not everything came out perfect (my fondant got wrinkled in some places and my string work wasn't the best), but overall I'm very pleased with it.

Next week I start the Fondant and Gum Paste course (our teacher calls it Course 4 but she says she's not supposed to call it that!) and I'm really excited for that one as well!

Father's Day Golf Cake

Now that I have gained some new skills from my Wilton Classes, I decided to attempt making my dad a father's day cake without a pattern or anything from class. My dad loves to golf, and since this is prime golfing season I thought the cake would be fitting.

I iced the sides of the cake in white buttercream and the top in a mixture of green and a bit of yellow. The "grass" is moss green and a bit of black. The "sand" is regular granulated sugar dyed ivory and yellow (in the blender), and the pebbles are made from fondant. The tee sign (I think that's what it's called?!) is fondant on a piece of spaghetti I dyed brown.

This was such a fun cake to make and my dad was SO impressed!