Tag: recipes

Categories
Food

“Never Fail” Chocolate Cake

My mom was never much of a baker. However, she’s always had a great love of chocolate cake.

These opposing forces found an unlikely convergence point, back in 1974, in the form of a brief recipe tucked away in a school fundraising cookbook.

Back in kindergarten, my school put together a collection of recipes contributed by parents. These were typed out, printed up on blue paper, sandwiched inside a yellow cardboard cover proclaiming the contents were “like mother used to make,” and bound with a plastic comb.

Somerled Home and School Presents: Culinary Tid Bits: Like Mother Used to Make

For some reason no one can remember, my dad even got a shoutout in the acknowledgements, as having been “particularly “ helpful.

But that is not why this cookbook holds so many memories, all these years later.

No, it’s the recipe on page 56, you see.

Now, truth be told, the entire cookbook – which my mom recently passed down to me while purging ahead of a move – is covered in years of baking detritus. But page 56 is the filthiest of them all – even dirtier than page 52’s “Orange Cookies”.

On this page is an unassuming 7-line recipe, tantalizing in its simplicity and hugely promising in its title: “NEVER FAIL CHOCOLATE CAKE.” The uncredited recipe is rather bold in its claim, and somewhat unlikely in its ingredients, with shortening as a primary component, a paltry 2 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa, and no other chocolate elements. Oh, and you’re supposed to mix in half a cup of boiling water at the end. The pan size is also debatable, with both the original 8 x 8 inch and my mom’s handwritten “greased loaf” addition crossed out. And if you were expecting a baking time, you’re on your own, kids.

close-up of recipe: Never Fail Chocolate Cake

Despite this morass of questionable and confusing details – or lack thereof – I was compelled today to attempt this cake that my mom made so often while I was growing up. Would it be bland? Worth making again? If I’m being honest, I had so many doubts. But I had to try.

So I made the cake, albeit with two modifications: I used unsalted butter instead of shortening, and I added 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I used the originally indicated 8 x 8 inch pan and baked it for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick came out dry.

And… it did not fail! It was actually pretty good. I was even so distracted by its handsome looks and fine chocolate aroma that I forgot to take a picture before I cut into it. Moist, with a delicate flavour. Next time I think I’ll add a half cup of chocolate chips for some extra oomph.

Dear Never Fail Chocolate Cake, congrats on living up to your name… nearly 50 years later.

Never Fail Chocolate Cake, 2023 Edition

1/3 c. unsalted butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa (or a bit more)
1/2 c. boiling water
1/2 c. chocolate chips (optional)

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Cream butter and sugar in a medium bowl.
  3. Mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.
  4. Mix together dry ingredients in small bowl and blend well.
  5. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well.
  6. Mix in boiling water.
  7. Mix in chocolate chips, if using.
  8. Pour batter into greased 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish.
  9. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
  10. When cool, dust with icing sugar. (Optional)

This cake would also work well as cupcakes, just reduce the baking time. It would also be good adorned with icing, if you wanted to fancy it up a bit.

Categories
Food

The Magic Dough

Homemade rolls with minestrone soup

What if I told you there’s a homemade bread dough you can put together in minutes, with only a handful of ingredients, and no rise time?

Gina (Skinnytaste) Homolka’s formula first caught my eye when she first published it as something called “Easy Bagel Recipe.” As a staunch defender of the Montreal bagel, I immediately doubted whether this concoction would resemble anything remotely like a bagel, but still I was intrigued enough to go out and buy some Greek yogurt so I could give it a try.

I was right – the result was nothing like a bagel, but it was inarguably yummy, and definitely easy!

I’ve continued to make the recipe, skipping the step of shaping them into tubes (really, why bother?), and instead rounding out the blobs of dough and baking them as rolls. I put the same dough to use for pizza – parbaking for about 10 minutes before topping – and even empanadas, stuffed with a mixture of veggies, chicken, and spices.

Honestly, this recipe has never turned out badly, no matter what I’ve done to it. Give it a try and see what you can come up with!

Skinnytaste’s Versatile Greek Yogurt Dough Recipe

  • Servings: 4 (or more) rolls, 2 pizzas, or 4 empanadas
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A simple dough for rolls, pizza, empanadas, or pseudo-bagels


1 cup (5 oz) unbleached all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or a bit less table salt)
1 cup Greek yogurt (0% fat)
Optional toppings: beaten egg, egg white, or olive oil; poppy or sesame seeds

  • Preheat oven to 375F.
  • Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
  • With a fork, mix in yogurt.
  • Use your hands to finish blending in the yogurt and make a sticky dough. Knead about 15 times.
  • For rolls: Flour your hands, divide dough into four pieces, and shape into balls. (If you want mini-rolls, split it into 6 or more pieces instead.) Place on a greased baking sheet, or one lined with parchment paper. Optional: brush with egg or oil, sprinkle with seeds of your choice. Bake for 25 min.
  • For pizza: Roll out dough as thinly as possible and place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet or pizza pan. Brush with olive oil. Parbake for about 10 minutes, then add toppings and bake for about 20 more minutes, or until toppings are golden and cheese bubbling. I usually increase the oven temperature to about 450F for the final bake. You can also finish it off with a quick broil. (Skinnytaste also has grilled and breakfast pizza variations.)
  • For empanadas: Roll out dough and cut out circles. Fill half of each circle with your empanada mixture. I like leftover chicken or turkey, onions, peppers, mozzarella, and some spices like cumin and chili powder. Brush edges of discs with egg and flip half over the ingredients, squeezing edges to seal well. Bake for about 25 min. (Gina has more empanada ideas.)


The soup in the photo above is a variation of this minestrone recipe from Chowhound.

Categories
Food

KP’s Tortilla Soup

I’m going to come clean right away. By the time I had the idea to post this recipe, I was sitting at my kitchen table, nearly done eating all the leftovers, and I was too lazy to go get the camera didn’t think the dregs left in the bowl by that point would make for an appealing photo.

This recipe is quite flexible, so feel free to adjust the spices to your taste. Don’t like heat? Use mild chili powder. Like a thinner soup? Omit the tortilla pieces. Think cilantro tastes like soap? (I used to!) Don’t use any, or substitute with parsley for some colour. You can even make a vegetarian version by leaving out the chicken and using vegetable stock.

This recipe makes about 4 large meal-sized servings or 6 smaller portions. Try it before some enchiladas or tacos for a full, homemade Mexican meal.

KP's Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

2 tsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
Spice mixture (see below)
6 cups chicken stock
1 14-oz/398 mL can Italian tomatoes (I like Pastene)
3 bay leaves
4 corn tortillas, cut into small pieces
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2-1 cup shredded chicken breast

Spice Mixture

2 tbsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. hot chili powder (if your chili powder isn’t hot, add 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground coriander (or freshly crushed whole coriander)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Optional Toppings

Crushed tortilla chips
Fresh chopped cilantro
Avocado slices or small chunks
Sour cream or Mexican crema
Grated cheese

Directions

  • Heat olive oil on medium-high heat in a large pot on the stove until it shimmers but before it smokes.
  • Add the onion and lower heat to medium. Cook until onion softens slightly, about 5 minutes.
  • Add minced garlic and spice mixture and cook for another few minutes.
  • Add stock, tomatoes, bay leaves, tortilla pieces, and salt.
  • Simmer for about 20 minutes, crushing the tomatoes against the sides of the pot occasionally to help them break down.
  • Add chopped cilantro and simmer another 15 minutes with the cover on.
  • Taste and adjust seasonings – you may want to add more salt at this point.
  • Add juice of 1/2 lime and shredded chicken.
  • Serve with as many optional toppings as you like – or none. It’s flavourful and satisfying on its own.


Categories
Food

Smoothie Adventure

Blender

There sat the word on my “Things to Get” list for well over a year. As a smoothie-lover, my $40, 14-speed Osterizer just wasn’t cutting it anymore. Barely crumbled ice cubes, lumpy date residue… I needed to face facts: my smoothies were sad.

During a trip to warmer climes this past winter, our living quarters were graced with some positively kick-ass blenders. They whirred like a boss. Frozen drinks abounded. I quickly became spoiled.

With the return of hot and humid weather in Montreal, I’ve been motivated to find out just what those magical blenders were, and where I could get one.

Several emails and one Amazon order later, the Oster Versa Performance Blender is mine. It’s got 1,100 watts of mighty melding power. And I’m in smoothie heaven.

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

  • Servings: 1
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1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 pitted date (for sweetness, you can use another type of sweetener if you prefer, like honey)
1 frozen banana chunks
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 tsp. nut butter, any kind (I like trying various nut-butter combos from Nuts to You)
1-2 ice cubes (optional, if you have a high-performance blender they’ll give your drink a more slushie-like texture)

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

I have this smoothie for a quick breakfast at least a few times a week.

This recipe is a variation of the original Vegan Chocolate Milkshake from Food52.

Pineapple Mango Smoothie

  • Servings: 1
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1/3 cup fresh pineapple, cubed (I’m sure canned would be fine too)
1/2 cup frozen or fresh mango, cubed
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (you could use water, regular milk, or orange juice if you prefer)
3 tbsp. orange juice (optional)
1 tsp. honey (or your preferred sweetener, like agave or cane sugar)
3 ice cubes

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

This smoothie has a delicious Creamsicle-like flavour. I may try a few drops of vanilla next time to boost that impression.

This recipe is a variation of the original Tropical Smoothie from the Oster Versa Fresh & Fit Recipe Guide.

Got a favourite smoothie recipe? I’d love to know about it.

Categories
Food

Friendly Printing

I love cooking, and I enjoy trying out recipes I find across the Web. When I see a recipe I want to make, I print it out and file it in one of my binders. Tragically, many recipe sites – including one of my favourites, Chocolate-Covered Katie (healthy vegan desserts; check it out!) – don’t have a function that lets you print out a recipe without the unneeded images, comments, navigation, header, and other extraneous bits that use up ink and paper.

Until recently, I’d always copy-paste each recipe into a Word document before printing, formatting it in my beloved Gill Sans font, and adjusting margins and font size to get it onto one page. This took up a fair amount of time.

My online Print Friendly bookmarkletrecipe life changed forever when someone pointed out that Print Friendly – makers of a WordPress plugin – also offer a browser bookmarklet that can be used to easily print anything on the web. It lets you do things like automatically remove graphics, shrink the font size, and hide any text you don’t need. Mind = blown.

Print Friendly also makes a WordPress plugin and offers an option for WordPress.com – though if you’re adding recipes to WordPress.com, I’d recommend using the recipe shortcode instead, which comes with a built-in print feature.

Printing out recipes may sound old school, and perhaps someday I’ll go digital. But for now, the Print Friendly bookmarklet is just the ticket, and has made my online recipe adventures even more pleasurable.

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