Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day

Ever have this happen? You pick your kids up form school and one of them tell you that you need to make something for them for their in school party and - oh yeah it's tomorrow? And another - oh yeah - I would really like you to make that cake you make! Immediately the other one chimes in - oh me too!!! So what I thought was going to be a nice quiet Wednesday night on the home front is not! I did what any Mom out there would do...I made cake X 2!

It was really simple actually. I have been loving the taste of the super easy orange cake that I made last week and the week before that so it was a no brainer as to what I was going to do. My youngest daughter has a sensitivity to red dye so I also knew that she needed to have something that wasn't full of it...no red velvet cake for her!!!

This cake is so versatile. So far I have made a layer cake, bundt cake and now heart cakes using the same recipe. Up until now though I have just been topping it with a glaze but with it being Valentine's Day and all I thought I would make a nice orange icing to go on top. My youngest daughter's is the cake on the right without icing all the way around (less icing for the young ones is a good thing and they don't miss it!). I sprinkled them with some little nonpareils and colored sugar.

Orange Frosting (will frost 2 cakes)

1/2 C. butter (softened)
1 tsp vanilla
6 C. powdered sugar ( sifted)
1/2 C. fresh squeezed orange juice
zest of 2 oranges

Beat butter with vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the sifted powdered sugar, adding a small amount at a time. Add a few Tbs of the orange juice and all of the orange zest. Beat and add more orange juice as needed to make the frosting spreadable.

Not too bad for a last minute treat!!!

Cake X 2

The spoils...great for my new composter!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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A special meal for a bunch of sickies!

T. was away for the whole weekend but he called me Sunday morning and said he wasn't feeling very well and was going to head home earlier then expected. This was a great surprise for the girls because they didn't expect to see him until Monday morning. But all I really heard was sick...so I leapt (not really) into action and started making chicken soup! The girls and I had roasted a chicken for Friday night and I had saved the bones to make some stock. Good thing too now that T. and my youngest one are both sick now!!!

I knew that the chicken soup would be good for them but I also wanted to make a nice dessert for them too. I had bought some of the most incredible Florida oranges called Cara Cara's ( they have pink flesh, similar to a blood orange but not a dark and their juice is only slightly pink). I decided that I would make them into a cake. I found a recipe for a super easy orange cake. They all loved this one so I will have to make it again!!! T.'s theory on this was that the cake had vitamin C in it so it was the perfect meal to have served.


To make the soup:

Stock
chicken bones
1 lg onion
6 cloves of garlic
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
1/4 cup of dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
any left over onion or garlic tops (I have been buying from the farmer's market so I have onions with tops on them)
6 cups of water (approx. I put enough in to cover everything completely and then some)

I take all of these ingredients roughly chopped and put them in a large pot and allow it to simmer all day long. When I am ready to make the soup I strain the stock from the other ingredientsa and place it back on the stove. I pick out the meat and some of the greens and chop it and add it to the soup pot.

Soup
Left over chicken
Swiss chard ( roughly chopped)
salt and pepper to taste
Better than Bouillon chicken base (1 tsp)

I add all of this and just let it come back to a boil and allow it to simmer again until the greens have wilted nicely.

I guess I have been making soup on Sunday since I have been going to the Farmer's Market. I have been using it to help get rid of all of the leftover bits of produce that haven't already been used up. I can honestly say that nothing is going to waste in my house right now!!! Tonight's dinner is already planned.

Tomato and mozzarella salad
garlic wilted dandelion greens and swiss chard
grilled radicchio
butter sauteed shitake mushrooms

Yes, I know there is no main meat course but I don't think every meal needs one and by eating all of this up tonight I get to go to the Farmer's Market again on Wednesday!!!

As always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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