It was Christmas Eve over a year ago that my friend Kyle was telling me how much she liked cake balls. She was telling me how to make cake balls (in theory) and I thought it was interesting that I had never heard of them.

Fast forward a few hours into the night, I was baking a delicious marble cake from scratch – with good quality chocolate. Unfortunately, I had not used a good quality bundt pan, and my cake literally fell apart. Now, I had invested close to $20 in just my chocolate, I was going to find a way to salvage this cake.  I remember the conversation earlier in the day about cake balls and there I was, at 11:30 a night, whipping up some homemade chocolate icing for what turned out to be the most delicious cake balls ever.

First the cake:

Make a good chocolate or marble cake. I would stick to a tried and true cake. It can easily be a boxed mix. Just make sure you have a nice and moist cake.

Let the cake cool. When the cake is completely cool, just crumble it with a fork and put it in a bowl – all crumbled up. Do this to the entire cake.

Frosting

You can use store-bought frosting or feel free to whip up some homemade frosting.

Set aside a cup of frosting and gradually add it to the cake crumbles and start folding it and mixing it in. Keep mixing it until the cake mixture is nice and thick and all the icing is mixed in. Cool it off in the fridge for a couple of hour.

Then use a small ice=cream scoop and place small scoops on a sheet of wax or parchment paper. Or, you can scoop it with a spoon. Go back over it with your hand and shape it into nice, small balls.

Place them back in the freezer. You can buy cake pop sticks and go ahead and place each cake ball on a stick.

Finishing off the cake balls

Chocolate: Melt a bag of chocolate chips or a bar of some good quality chocolate over a double boiler. When it is nice and smooth put it into a bowl.

Prepare little bowls of whatever finishing touch you would like your cake ball to have – toasted or un-toasted coconut, diced up pecans, sprinkles, etc

Pick up a cake ball by the stick and lower it into the chocolate – once it drips and is smooth, dip it in your topping of choice. The chocolate should act as the glue and hold it together. Place the finished cake balls in the fridge or freezer. If you keep it in the freezer, be sure to set it out a couple of hours before your guests are to arrive.

SHOPPING LIST

- Chocolate (either chocolate chips or a bar of good quality Chocolate)

- Pecans, coconut, sprinkles

- cake pop sticks (available at Michaels, Joanne’s or anywhere else there are baking supplies)

- A baked cake

- Frosting

This has to be my favorite chocolate cake – ever. And, guess what? It is semi-homemade. I tried making several chocolate cakes from scratch and to be perfectly frank – it has never been as moist as this. So, I highly recommend this cake.

I typically make the cake, let it cool for an hour and then top it with the ganache.

Making the Cake:

I use the Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Cake Mix (http://duncanhines.com/products/cakes/triple-chocolate-decadent-cake-mix) Just bake it following the directions on the box.

Making the Ganache

I love chocolate ganache. I have tried several different ganache recipes and this seems to be what works best for me in terms on consistency. Now, your ganache is only as good as the chocolate you use to make it.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup chocolate – finely chopped

Directions for making the ganache

Don’t worry. This is super easy.

Step 1: Finely chop up the chocolate. I use a combination of dark and semi-sweet. I use either Ghirardelli.com or Scharffen Berger. Place it in a medium-sized glass bowl.

Step 2: Start warming up the heavy cream in a saucepan. As it starts to simmer, just before it comes to a boils, pour it into the bowl. Let it stand for 10 minutes and then, whisk it until all the chocolate is blended in and your ganache is smooth and quite lovely in texture.

Step 3: Pour it over your cake. I always place it on either a cake plate or cake board before I pour it.

Christmas is my favorite time of year …. I think it is my son’s, too.  Andrew had to turn in a school project about traditions and he choose Cookies and Cocoa. I think this truly captures our family tradition and I don’t think I could have done a better job describing it.

COOKIES AND COCOA WITH THE DUNNS

by Andrew Ahneel Dunn

One of our Christmas traditions is Cookies and Cocoa. Cookies and Cocoa is when all our friends come over and eat cookies and drink cocoa. It is usually the week before Christmas and we have an open house where all our friends and neighbors can stop by all day long.

Before the actual day, my Mom and I bake cookies all weekend long. We also have friends who come over and help us bake cookies and cupcakes. We mix the dough, we add chocolate chips and nuts, and cut it out with my cookie cutters. We eat almost half the cookies we bake, when it comes out of the oven. The floor in our kitchen is mostly white because I drop flour and sugar and coconut.

We bake chocolate chip cookies, maple syrup cookies, Linzer cookies (which are my favorite), coconut cake (that is really good), carrot cupcakes (that I don’t really like), white chocolate chip cookies and many others. My favorite part of baking day is being able to lick the spatulas and whisks.

This tradition of Open House during Christmas started with my grandmother in Malaysia, who passed it down to my Mom, and my mom passed it down to me . This tradition is important to me because it means a fun time with all my friends and their Moms and Dads. Some of my friends have come to Cookies and Cocoa since I was in Kindergarten.

This tradition is important and I will pass it down to my children because it reminds us to have fun times with friends during Christmas.

THE END.

Note: We started calling it Cookies and Cocoa just 3 years ago – a name we borrowed from Heath and Leslie Cates (http://thecozylittlekitchen.blogspot.com/)

Coconut Cupcakes – Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Recipe

Chocolate Cake – nice and moist with a beautiful chocolate ganache topping. Delicious.

Cake pops seems to be a hit with kids and adults alike.

Linzer Cookies – Barefoot Contessa Recipe

Chocolate Chip Cookies

We always have a generous hot chocolate bar – complete with sprinkles, peppermint, chocolate flakes, marshmallows and whipped cream.

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A few sugar cookies we decorated

I love baking cookies during Christmas. I love the smell of butter and sugar creaming, and nothing beats the smell of cookies coming out of the oven. I really could live in Christmas-ville! It has always been my favourite time of year. Growing up in Malaysia, I was out of school for the whole month of December and my mum used to take at least 2-3 weeks off during that time. So, I really am not used to working during the month of December! Sigh.

We have spent all week baking something after school  Everyone is welcome during baking day(s) at The Dunns. I love having kids and friends around measuring flour, cutting out cookie shapes and icing them. I think it is more important to have everyone involved than have perfect cookies.

It relaxes you and puts everything in beautiful perspective. More than anything I love to bake with my boy – he has become quite a good baker and functions as kitchen help for the most part. This year, once again we had Leah bake with us, bringing her culinary school experience to us very simple bakers. Emily and Chelsie (from our College Age Community Group) joined us too. As well as Holten, Andrew’s little friend from school. Todd and his cute little Evan came by and Evan was fascinated by the flour and sugar measuring. All kids want to do is measure and essentially play with the ingredients!

At the end of the day, it is not about the cookies – it is about spending time with friends.

About This Recipe

This recipe was extremely simple and I snagged it from Leah (who got it from her Mom). We made the dough and spent several hours last night icing it – no 2 cookies looks the same. I think I got more icing on my clothes than on the cookie. The sugar cookie is delicious and does not really need the icing. I am pitiful when it comes to piping icing and decorating so, I stick to the simple dots and stars.

Ingredients For the Cookies

1 1/2 cup butter (softened)

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 3/4 cup, all-purpose flour

Directions for the cookies:

Step 1

Cream the butter and sugar and salt on medium speed until nice, lovely and creamy. Then add the vanilla and mix it well until it is well blended.  Start adding the flour in gradually – while beating at a low-speed until it blends and is mixed in well. Note: Dough will be soft.

Step 2

Divide the dough into 2 parts and wrap it with some plastic wrap. Flatten to disc and chill for 2 -24 hours. (we did 1 1/2 and the cookies were still perfect).

Step 3

When ready to bake, just preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place one of the discs on a surface that is floured. Roll out the dough to around 1/4 inch thickness. Here is the fun part: Use whatever cookie cutters you have and cut out the shapes.

Place on a cookie sheet – I typically line my cookie sheet with parchment paper – totally up to you.

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for around 14 minutes or so. If you have a Convection Bake oven, start at 8 minutes and keep checking it. The edges should be lightly browned. Cool the cookies when done.

Icing the Cookies

I did learn yesterday that this icing hardens so don’t make it ahead of time. Mix it up just before you start icing the cookies.

Ingredients and Directions:

Mix the following ingredients together.

• 6 cups powdered sugar (yes, lots of sugar)
• 2 Tablespoon meringue powder
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 6-8 tablespoons of water until desired consistency

We divided the icing into 3 little bowls and added red, blue, and green food coloring. I kept a portion of the white. We just decorating bags and piped halt the cookies – actually Leah did this.

I started just dipping my cookies in the sugar icing – hence the tie-dye look. You will have to let the icing harden before putting it away in containers. We had to leave a batch out overnight since I got carried away with my dipping and it had a thick layer of icing.

I hope you have fun making these cookies with friends and family. It is easy enough to involve the whole family in this.

I have always been fascinated by  the secondary, somewhat hidden recipe that is always on the side of cake and muffin mixes. It is like a secret message to a certain group of people. I think it is brilliant – to talk to your secondary target audience by giving them something just a little extra. Here is the 2 eggs, add a cup of oil and bake recipe for the masses and then a very nice, usually inventive but fairly low maintenance to the little more ambitious. As a personal quest,  I have started collecting these recipes. This is from the Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Break Recipe Box. Great recipe, I modified it slightly to suit me and I guess this would be considered semi-homemade. Very quick and quite yummy for a morning breakfast treat or to take in to work or school for a birthday.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 box Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Bread Mix
• 1 package cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of grated lemon
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoon of butter
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tbsps vegetable oil

Every now and then you stumble upon a recipe so simple, so delicious and reasonably healthy – yum.  I ran across the recipe originally on http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-pumpkin-pie-oatmeal/. As always, I made a few modifications to suit my lifestyle , my pantry and my taste buds. The results were amazing. My breakfast guests have declared it to be a Favorite and since it takes no more than 15 – 20 minutes – I love making it. I am aware that I have added sugar and cream to my recipe to make it richer than intended. But, it is amazing with the added cream.

If I am making oatmeal of any sort, I am making it at least with milk and not water. I can always adjust my serving size. Once again, this suits my taste buds. And also probably why, I am constantly joining Weight Watchers – sigh. A tale for another day.

INGREDIENTS

•  1 cup Dry Oats (I have used both old-fashioned rolled oats as well as quick rolled oats – it works well either way)
• Milk (use instead of water to cook the oatmeal)
• 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree or Pumpkin Pie Mix (The pumpkin pie  mix gives it a darker color and of course, makes it sweeter)
• Salt (A couple of pinches of salt )
• 2 tsp Pumpkin Pie spice (if you use the Pumpkin Pie Mix you will not need to add this)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• Cream for serving (optional)
• Pure Maple Syrup (please use the real and not the processed if you can

Directions:

• Cook the oatmeal by following the recipe on the packaging for stove top cooking. For richer oatmeal, use milk instead of water. You will have to add a little more milk than water and adjust it based on what kind of consistency you like with your oatmeal
• It typically takes no more than 5-8 minutes for the oats to cook.
• Lower your heat to the lowest setting and gently fold in the pumpkin puree (or the Pumpkin Pie mix)
• Stir and make sure the pumpkin is evenly mixed in. Keep stirring so it does not get stuck to the bottom of the pot
• If you used the Pumpkin Puree, this is where you want to add a couple of tablespoons of Maple syrup and mix it in with the oatmeal to sweeten it

Chapati Recipe:

Here is a link to a chef who explains the entire process quite well. Don’t be intimidated – this is really a very easy and fairly quick process.

http://www.vahrehvah.com/chapati:3003

Masala Chicken

6 chicken tenderloin

1 cup of chopped up cilantro

1 small onion – diced

Garam Masala – 1/4 cup if wet mix. 2 tablespoons if you have the dry mix.

Directions:

Marinade the chicken tenderloin by covering it well with the garam masala, onions and the cilantro. Marinade in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet. Once it heats up, place the chicken tenderloin in the pan and pan-fry it. This should not take more than 10 minutes. Once it looks done, remove from the skillet. Once the chicken cools, diced it up or cut it up in a bowl.

Yogurt Sauce

2 cups Plain yogurt

1 cucumbers – peeled and diced

Directions:

Combine the yogurt and cucumber in a bowl. Mix it really well and salt to taste. You can also add some diced tomatoes (Fresh only)

Putting the Wrap together

Now, it is just an assembling job.

Lay a chapati flat on a plate,  add a spoonful of diced chicken in the middle, add some fresh cilantro is desired and add a spoonful of the yogurt sauce. You also add a handful of fresh spinach or lettuce. Now, just gently fold and wrap the chapati.

That is all there is to it!

This is a super easy and hearty pasta recipe that is a weekly staple at our house. It’s never exactly the same because I always have different vegetables on hand, I do always start with the main core dish – which is pasta, bacon and tomatoes and then just add flavors, herbs and vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

• Pasta (4 servings)

Note about the pasta: you can use spaghetti or fettucine – I always prefer fresh pasta for all my dishes because the taste is so much better but you can use whatever you have in hand. I made this batch with some flavorful pasta I found at the Farmers Market (www.lexingtonpasta.com) .

• 5 large tomatoes – diced
• 4 cloves of Garlic – finely diced
• 1/2 red onion – diced
• 6-8  slices of bacon cut up into small pieces

Note: I use my kitchen shears and cup them up. Typically I like my bacon thick but this personal preference. Use whatever bacon you have on hand that you prefer.

• 1 cup of red wine
• olive oil
• a handful of Italian herbs (basil and thyme) – see note below
• 2 Green peppers – sliced

DIRECTIONS:

I usually make my sauce first, and then the pasta. I even sometimes make the sauce hours ahead so when I am ready for dinner/lunch, we just have to cook the pasta.

Step 1:

In a large skillet or a Dutch oven, place the bacon and let it start to brown and sizzle.  After a minute, add the garlic and onions. Stir it in and let it cook for a minute and then add the basil and thyme. Once the bacon is getting close to getting done, add the chopped up peppers and tomatoes to the sauce. (you can also add other vegetables like red peppers, zucchini, and squash). If the skillet get dried out, add some olive oil to it. Once everything is nice and brown and the bacon is crispy, go ahead and add the cup of red wine. Let this simmer for 5- 10 minutes.

Step 2:

Check to make sure the tomatoes are cooked and the red wine is reducing well. It should be nice and chunky and red. The alcohol should be cooked off by now. The best way to know if you sauce it ready is to taste it!!! So, grab a spoon and taste your red sauce. Give it 5 more minutes and turn your heat off. Cover the sauce and let it sit for a few minutes before serving it.

Here is a close-up shot of the dish before I garnished it with too much parmesan cheese. This gives you an idea as to the size or the bacon pieces and the consistency of the tomatoes.

Step 3:

Boil your water and cook your pasta. When your pasta is done, I always toss it with some olive oil and some fresh basil.

SERVING:

Serve the chunky red sauce over the pasta with some fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Note:

Cooking with italian herbs

I find that the flavor behind my pasta sauces and other Italian dishes are greatly enhanced when I use fresh herbs. In the summer, the most economical way for me to have access to my herbs is to grow them in a little garden. But, all these herbs are easily available and feel free to experiment and throw them into any dishes or salads you are making.

For dishes such as pasta sauce it is hard to go wrong when adding herbs. For pasta sauce, I add a handful or 1/4 cup for up to 4 servings. This is the amount I used to this pasta recipe.

This mango salad has recently become a staple in our house. I personally love mangoes so it is favorite with me. This goes well with just about any meal and is always a hit when I take it somewhere – especially to cookouts and such. It is ridiculously easy to make. Obviously you have to like mangoes to like this dish.

Ingredients:

2 ripe mangoes

2 tomatoes

1 cup of chopped cilantro

2 – 3 tablespoons of Red Wine Vinaigrette

Directions:

• Slice the flesh off the mangoes. Slice or cube it and add into a bowl.
• Do the same with the tomatoes – slided or cubed and add to the bowl
• Add the cilantro to the bowl
• Toss it all together
• Add the Red Wine Vinaigrette (how much you add has to do with your taste preference. So, start with the 2 tablespoons, miss it all together and taste it. If you like it with more vinegar, add more to the salad). Mix it up well and let it chill in the fridge before serving.

Hope you enjoy it.

This has to be one of the best summer salads that I have ever made. It is a hit anytime I serve it. I typically make it when we are home since it is best when served chilled. It can be easily made ahead of time and left to chill in the fridge. It is incredibly easy to make!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of salad shrimp (can be easily found in a neighborhood market. It is already pre-cooked)
• I can of crab (you can find this in Kroger or a specialty market like Fresh Market or Whole Foods). Typically pricey. Salad can also be made without the crab.
• 1 avocado – sliced
• I cup of fresh parsley – shopped
• 2 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 -3 tablespoons of good quality mustard
• 1 bell pepper sliced really thin
• I tomato – diced