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    The recipes we eat, conveniently placed in the fridge for your enjoyment.

    Tuesday
    Aug032010

    Coconut Cream Cake

    The coconut flavor in this cake is wonderful!  And yes indeedy, this recipe from allrecipes.com does use a box mix which pretty much goes against everything I believe in but it is heavily doctored so I can rationalize.  I suppose if you're a purist, you can use a recipe for white cake in place of the mix.  The coconut flavor in this cake is wonderful!

    Just don't tell me about it.  I have enough guilt in life.

    1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
    3 eggs
    1/3 cup vegetable oil
    1 cup water
    1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
    1 (14 ounce) can coconut cream (found with the drink mixers at the grocery store. It's an ingredient for Pina Coladas!)
    1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed
    milk
    1 cup heavy whipping cream*
    1 tablespoon white sugar*
    1 cup flaked coconut*
    1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan or two 8 or 9 inch rounds.
    2)  In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, eggs, oil, water and coconut flavoring. Beat for 2 minutes and pour into 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
    3)  While cake is baking, in a medium bowl, combine coconut cream with sweetened condensed milk and stir until smooth. When cake comes out of the oven, immediately poke a LOT of holes into it using a large fork, bamboo skewer or chopsticks. Pour milk mixture over, a little at a time, allowing it to soak into the cake.
    Let cake set on the counter until it reaches room temp.  Then refrigerate, covered, for several hours or overnight.
    4)  In a large bowl, whisk cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and continue whipping until stiff. For a 9x13 pan, just spread over cooled cake.  Sprinkle top with flaked coconut.  For the rounds, top each one, sprinkle on the coconut and then stack as pictured. 
    * If you're not in the mood to whip your own cream or the cake has to set out for a length of time and you're worried about the whipped cream melting, you can use Cool Whip.

    Thursday
    Jul152010

    Zucchini Brownies

    This recipe is weird.  It has no eggs.  There is very little fat.  When you mix it up it looks like wet sand and grass.  But it is oh, so good.  I got it from allrecipes.com .

    1/2 cup vegetable oil

    1 1/2 cups sugar

    2 tsp vanilla extract

    2 cups all purpose flour

    1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

    1 1/2 tsp baking soda

    1 tsp salt

    2 cups shredded zucchini

    1/2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

    Frosting

    1/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine

    6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

    2 cups confectioner's sugar

    1/4 cup milk

    1/2 tsp vanilla extract

    1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

    2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 tsp vanilla until well mixed.  Add the dry ingredients until well blended (will look like wet sand).  Fold in zucchini and walnuts (if desired).

    Worry that it looks wrong.

    Spread evenly into prepared pan.

    Think that it still looks kinda gross.

    3.  Bake for 30 minutes, until brownies just start to pull away from the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.  Cool.

    Don't they look better now?

    But just wait - it gets even better!

    4.  In a medium bowl, melt the butter or margarine.  Stir in the 6 Tbsp cocoa powder.  Blend in confectioner's sugar, milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla.  Spread over the brownies before cutting into squares.

    Monday
    Jul052010

    Chili Corn Bread Salad

    From Taste Of Home Annual Recipes 2000.


    1 pkb (8 1/2 oz) corn bread/muffin mix

    1 4-ounce can diced green chilies, undrained

    1/8 tsp ground cumin

    1/8 tsp dried oregano

    pinch of sage

    1 cup mayo (feel free to use light version)

    1 cup sour cream (ditto)

    1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix

    2 15-ounce cans whole kernel corn, drained

    2 15-ounce cans pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained

    3 medium tomatoes, chopped

    1 cup chopped green pepper (I left this out)

    1 cup chopped green onions*

    10 bacon strips cooked and crumbled

    8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

    Prepare corn bread batter according to package directions.  Stir in chilies, cumin, oregano and sage.  Sp0read in a greased 8 inch round or square baking pan.  Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool.  In a small bowl, combine mayo, sour cream and dressing mix; set aside.  Crumble half of the corn bread into a 9x13x2 inch dish.  Layer with half of the beans, mayo mixture, corn, tomatoes, green pepper, onions, bacon and cheese.  Repeat layers (dish will be very full).  Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

    12 servings.

    *Unless your grocery store runs out of green onions in which case feel free to go out in the rain to cut chives from your neighbor's herb garden.

    Sunday
    Jul042010

    Banana Berry Trifle

    Before you start, a couple of things to note:

    1) Remember that pound cake freezes well.  You can have a few loaves in your freezer ready to go so you can throw this together.  Or, y'know, just use Sara Lee.  But don't tell me about it.

    2) Yes, you can use instant pudding and if you're making this for most people, they won't know the difference but the homemade is worth the effort.

    3) Actual whipped cream tastes better than Cool Whip but it doesn't hold up well if this dish is going to sit out for any length of time.  For that reason, I usually use the Cool Whip.  I am a heathen.

    4) Use any combo of soft fruit that you wish.  This is what I make most often, but throw in your favorites.  Avoid citrus fruit though -the acid does weird things to the pudding.

    Ingredients

    1/2 recipe Sour Cream Pound Cake baked in a loaf pan for about 45 minutes.  Cool and cut into cubes.

    1 pint strawberries

    1 pint blueberries

    2 bananas

    1 tub Cool Whip

    Pudding

    1/2 cup sugar

    1/4 cup cornstarch

    1/4 tsp salt

    4 cups whole milk

    4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

    2 Tbsp unsalted butter

    2 tsp vanilla extract

    In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Gradually stir in milk.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly (around 15 minutes).  Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer.  Remove from heat.

    Slowly stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolk; return all to the pan, stirring constantly.  Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 1 minute longer.  Remove from heat.  Gently stir in butter and vanilla.

    Let cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

    While pudding is cooling, wash and dice strawberries and slice bananas.

    In a large glass bowl or trifle dish, layer about half of the pound cake cubes.  Arrange some fruit in a pretty way between cake and sides of dish.  Pour on enough warm pudding to cover.

    Over pudding layer, sprinkle blueberries, sliced bananas and dices strawberries until well covered.  Spread a layer of whipped cream or cool whip over fruit.  Repeat layers.  Decorate top layer with remaining berries.

    Sunday
    Jul042010

    Green Chile Cheesecake Spread

    1 cup tortilla chips, crushed

    3 Tbsp melted butter

    2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

    2 eggs

    1 4-ounce can diced green chiles

    1 fresh jalapeno cored, seeded and diced

    8 ounces shredded Colby-Jack cheese

    1/4 cup sour cream

    Chopped tomatoes, green onions, black olives and/or avocado

    Preheat oven to 325.  Combine crushed chips and butter.  Press into the bottom of a greased 9 inch pie plate.  Bake 15 minutes, remove from oven.

    In a large bowl, blend cream cheese and eggs.  Add green chiles, jalapeno and shredded cheese.  Pour over crust and bake 30 minutes.  Top will be turning golden brown and sides will just begin to pull away from the pan.

    Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes.  Spread sour cream over top and sprinkle your choice of toppings over the sour cream.  Serve with chips.