Lumberjack Cake

I saw this recipe in a magazine a couple of years ago and I ripped it out and have magically held onto it all this time. (If you know how many places I've lived, you know that this is a miracle.)

I have tried to figure out why they call it Lumberjack Cake. No one in the world seems to know. No one. So I'm just going to assume that its called Lumberjack Cake because lumberjacks really like delicious foods and this cake is a heavenly piece of gooey perfection. Richard is, apparently, not a lumberjack. He thought this cake was a little too gooey. But I think if you love German Chocolate cake, then you'll love this. Coconutty, gooey tastiness.

A disclaimer: I was not trying to be all Betty Crocker by grating fresh coconut. I would have gone straight for the bagged, shredded coconut but the store was out. However, a very helpful clerk told me "Why don't you grate it yourself? We got fresh coconut." As if that's just something you do every day. 

1 cup chopped, pitted dates
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract (I substituted coffee liquer and it was great!)
1 apple, peeled, cored, diced
1/2 cup shredded coconut


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch springform pan; line the bottom with parchment paper.


In a small saucepan bring dates and 1 cup of water to a boil. Stir in baking soda; set aside and allow to cool.


In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt.

In a large bowl or standing mixer, beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla on medium speed . Slowly beat in date mixture until combined. Add flour mixture gradually until just combined.

Gently fold in apple and coconut.

Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack. Gently remove sides of pan and then parchment paper.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Those of you that follow me on Facebook know that these little beauties started on a whim at 9pm on a Friday. They would probably be amazing with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or a smear of raspberry preserves but since I didn't plan ahead I worked with what I had. 

These bake at a high heat so I would not recommend substituting the peanut oil with something like butter or vegetable oil. They may breakdown under the high temperature and cause your muffins to brown too quickly.

We grind our own peanut butter because I think it tastes better. If you use store-made peanut butter, you may need to adjust the amount of sugar since store-made peanut butters contain a good amount of added sugar. 

½ cup Peanut Oil
2 Large Eggs
½ cup Granulated Sugar
2 Ripe Bananas, mashed
1/4 cup Smooth Peanut Butter
1 2/3 cup Unbleached Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt



1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, line a muffin tin with liners or lightly grease with oil or butter and set aside.

2) In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

3) In a large bowl beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, peanut butter and mashed bananas.

5) Add the dry ingredients and mix them in to combine well but making sure to not over mix.

6) Fill your muffin tins 3/4 of the way and bake them for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.And it's time to eat!

Tarragon Sweet Potato Chips

I've recently discovered that tarragon is an entirely underutilized herb. After having french fries with a tarragon seasoning, I knew I had to start using this more often.

This herb has a soft texture and a flavor that is like a mix between fennel and anise. In other words- it is heavenly. So pick some up and start experimenting! Chicken stock or roasted chicken with tarragon. Mashed potatoes with tarragon sauce. The possibilities are endless!

Tarragon Sweet Potato Chips

1 tbsp butter, unsalted
1/2 tbsp fresh tarragon, minced
1 medium sweet potato, thinly sliced

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Very lightly grease baking sheet with olive oil.

Place sweet potato slices on baking sheet in one layer. Melt butter in a small pan and remove from heat. Stir in tarragon and brush butter mixture lightly on top of potato slices.

Cover with aluminum foil. Leave a small part open to release steam. Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove foil, turn off oven and place baking sheet on highest rack in oven for 10 minutes. That's it! It's time to eat!

Chicken with White Wine Sauce

Every single time I make this my husband says "Is there going to be a crust of bread to soak up the sauce?" And the answer is always yes. This sauce is so good that I've considered using the recipe as a springboard for a soup. You're going to read this recipe and think "This sounds so easy" - and it is! This is one of my go to quick dinners when I've had a long day. I like to make it with broccoli, kale or broccoli rabe tossed with butter, lemon and mustard.

And don't forget - reposting this recipe on your Facebook or blog will automatically enter you in our Food Network Cookbook contest! So keep sharing!

4 Chicken Breasts, butterflied
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
3/4 cup Chicken Broth (Use the good stuff here. Seriously.)
1/2 cup White Wine (Again, if you wouldn't drink it - don't cook with it.)
1 tsp. Fresh Thyme
2 tbsp. Butter
1 tbsp. Capers
3 tbsp. Minced Shallots
2 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
Fresh Rosemary (garnish)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté garlic and shallots until shallots are almost transparent. Salt and pepper chicken on both sides and sauté until golden brown on both sides. You're going to need high heat for this part so turn it up and don't be afraid. You want a crisp browning (also known as the Maillard Reaction). Remove chicken from the pan and add broth and wine. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. Whisk in butter and add thyme. Pour over chicken and top with capers and fresh rosemary.

It's time to eat!



Peanut butter swirl brownies

The thing I love about baking is that it is all about science. With cooking, there is an artist element that I just can't always be bothered to deal with. But baking is like a delicious math problem. As long as you have all of the primary numbers in place your answer will always be right.

After a particularly trying day at work this week, I came home and went straight to the kitchen. All I wanted was the peaceful assurance that only baking can bring. The deliberate measuring of ingredients, the soft scrape of a spatula stirring melting chocolate, the zen feeling of accomplishment when a warm and inviting smell wafts out of the oven. But I didn't want to be baking for hours. Just a quickie to unwind. So I whipped up these bits of perfection. About 30 minutes of prep and 35 minutes in the oven and that's all it took!

You'll need:
7 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 large eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup honey roasted peanut butter (freshly ground if possible)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8 inch square baking dish. Line dish with aluminum foil, allowing the foil to hang over the edges by about 2 inches and lightly grease the foil. (Why am I doing this?)

In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring butter, sugar, and water to a boil, stirring. Remove from heat and stir chocolate chips into the sugar mixture until completely melted. Let cool to warm. Stir in eggs until well blended.

In a small bowl thoroughly mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until just combined.

Pour batter into baking dish and spread batter to edges. Drop small bits of peanut butter on top of the batter and use two toothpicks to swirl the peanut butter through the batter.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.



Mini Carrot Souffles

I have never made any kind of souffle before. In fact, the mere idea of saying "Oh yeah, I'm making a souffle tonight" seems absolutely ridiculous. Who does that?

I guess I'm that person now. And you can be too! It was surprisingly fast and easy. I'm sure that has something to do with the fact that I made mini souffles instead of a normal sized one. But I'm still giving myself a gold star for this one.

Mini Carrot Souffle

1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1" sections
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp bourbon
1 egg
1 1/2 tbsps flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
3 tbsps granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil carrots in salted water until soft (about 10 minutes). Drain and let cool slightly.

In medium sized bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.

Put carrots, butter and bourbon in food processor and blend until smooth. Mix in egg until well combined. Stir in dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour mixture into 6 four ounce ramekins. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Don't peek or they could fall!

Let cool slightly and enjoy! It's time to eat!