Buttermilk Chocolate Cake with Peppermint and Chocolate Mint Buttercream

The finished cake, with some mint and bergamot for garnish.

I love this cake. I don't make it much because it's pretty labor intensive. Plus my mint was kinda straggly this year. But it's always worth it when it's finished.

Cake Ingredients and Directions

2 1/2 cups of unbleached flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
10 TBS unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 extra large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup milk, steeped with 1 cup packed peppermint leaves (see directions below)
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh chopped peppermint

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 nine inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with a circle of wax paper, and dust lightly with flour. Sift the flour with the cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, whip the butter with an electric mixer for a minute. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and chocolate and blend well.

Stir half of the peppermint milk into the buttermilk, reserving the remainder for the buttercream . Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture in thirds alternately with the milk mixture. Fold in the chopped mint.

Place the batter in the prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake starts to pull away slightly from the sides of the pan. Cool the pans on a rack for ten minutes. Turn the layers out of the pans and carefully peel away wax paper.

After assembling cake with the buttercream, I try to allow the cake to sit overnight, so that the mint permeates the cake.


Mint Milk


Put 1 cup of milk in sauce pan. Add 1 cup of mint. Use the back of a spoon to bruise the leaves against the side and bottom of the pot, while heating over medium heat. Do not allow milk to boil. As soon as the milk begins to bubble around the edges, remove from heat and allow the milk to cool to room temperature.

I leave the mint in the milk for at least 30 minutes.

Chocolate Mint Buttercream


8 TBS unsalted butter, softened
2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
reserved peppermint milk
1 pound confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, whip the butter with an electric mixer for a minute. Add the chocolate and blend well. Add the confectioners' sugar, a cup at a time, alternating with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the peppermint milk, using only enough milk to make a spreadable icing, 4 to 6 tablespoons. Discard the rest of the milk or use for another purpose.

When the cake has cooled, assemble it with the buttercream, spreading it on the tops and sides of both layers.

Cleaning House; Recipe-wise that is

Last night, I spent about two hours going through my recipe "collection". I have one of those little binder book with transparent sleeve in which you can place recipes. I never, of course, put my recipes in those sleeves. I just shoved pages ripped from magazine, little recipe booklets, and recipes given to me by friends in it until it became a large unwieldy mess. It was next to impossible to find anything in it.

So I ripped it apart. I threw away all the recipes that I have never made and that I don't think I ever will make. I got rid of those that just didn't seem that special or different.

Now I want to type all of those that are left and have them on the computer so I can find them more readily. I want to try all those that I have tried and if they don't thrill me, they are gone too.

School started today and I'm not working. I plan on moving to Florida as soon as I get a job down there so I decided not to take a contracted position here, but I never realized how I would feel when school started. I'll do day to day subbing until I make the move, but I won't get any calls for a few days I'm sure. That will keep me busy and I'll have some money coming in.

I have so many other things I could be doing, like filling out applications, packing stuff, getting rid of stuff, and just talking care of odds and ends, but right now I feel so blah that I can't do any of it so I'll just waste time with my blogging and the internet and become even more behind and overwhelmed.

Ugh.

Tilapia Veracruz

I adapted this from a Red Snapper Veracruz recipe. I cannot get red snapper here. I've also made the sauce and used it over pierogies. I've never put it over pasta, but I'm sure that would work too.

1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen skinless red snapper or other fish fillets
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS cooking oil
2 large tomatoes, chopped, (2 cups)
1/4 cup sliced pimento-stuffed olives
1/4 dry white wine
2 TBS capers, drained
1 or 2 fresh jalapeno or serrano peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp sugar (I've used Splenda)
1 bay leaf

Thaw fish if frozen. Cut fish into 6 serving size portions. Rinse fish: pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

For sauce, cook onion and garlic in hot oil in a large skillet till onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, olives, wine, capers, peppers, sugar and bay leaf. Bring to boiling. Add fillets to skillet; return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 6 to 10 minutes or till fish flakes easily with fork.Use a slotted spoon to carefully transfer fish from skillet to a serving platter. Cover and keep warm.

Boil sauce in skillet for 5 to 6 minutes or till reduced to about 2 cups, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. Spoon sauce over fish and serve.

Leftover Hell

I went on a massive cooking spree this week. I made a sausage/potato chowder, chicken pot pie (homemade stock and I hand rolled the dough), and a large ass roast. My fridge is packed and I can no longer stand the sight of any of the above dishes.

I cannot cook for one. Instead, I cook enough for marauding armies. None of it will freeze well and I'll probably end up throwing a lot of it out. I am a food waster and should be flogged accordingly.

Chai (tastes like Oregon Chai)

A very on the mark knockoff recipe.

5 1 inch pieces of ginger
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
heaping tsp of cardamon
1 vanilla bean, cut into 1 inch pieces
dash of nutmeg
heaping tsp of sugar (I've used Splenda)
1/4 cup of honey
3 Darjeeling or chai teabags ( I like Bigelow)
2 cups of water
2 cups of milk

Bring water to a boil. Add teabags and all other ingredients, with the exception of the milk. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir and add milk. Bring to boil and then strain.

The Leftover Queen and the Foodie Blogroll

While searching on the internet for ways to whore my blog, I came upon The Leftover Queen web site. (Leftovers like you've never seen before) It is by far one of the most beautiful food sites I have ever come upon. I strongly suggest you check it out.

• Stunning layout.
• A wealth of food related links.
• Gorgeous food pics.
• Information on stocking your pantry and refrigerator.
• Great stuff on food safety.
• Monthly contests.
• Information on herbs.
• An active forum.

I'm in awe. And quite frankly, JEALOUS.

The Queen obviously puts much time and effort into her site.

She also has created "The Foodie Blogroll". Her description - "This Blogroll is especially designed for people who have a passion about food. If you have a blog about food, whether you cook it, or just like to talk about it, this blogroll is for you! It will be our way to create a community of Foodies!"

Please check it out on my site. (right under the devil girl) I haven't visited all of the sites yet, but from what I have seen so far - I'm impressed.

Bitch's Brew

Last evening, when I made my post about my recent beer purchases, I attempted to link to the brewery sites so that if you wanted more information on the beer, you could check it out yourself. That didn't work out so well. Why?

Blue Point Blueberry Ale
Slick, but click on a large number of links and all you'll get is an "authorization required" message. It's beer, man, not homeland security.

Buffalo Bill's Orange Blossom Cream Ale
Their site is is online but it's just a "Our website is currently in re-development" page. That's kind of ridiculous. Why didn't they leave the old site up while they were "redeveloping"?

Smuttynose Portsmouth Lager
Lots of info on the Smuttynose site, but when you go the the Portsmouth site, don't expect to find anything out on Portsmouth Lager, because it is a broken link.

Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale
Brewed by Coors. Ick. Slick, slick, slick. Too bad it's not user friendly. Extremely slow loading. Downright freakin' annoying. I had to supply my date of birth three times too. Not worth the effort.

Abita Brewery - Abita Strawberry Harvest Ale, and Abita Turbo Dog.
The easiest to navigate but nothing on the Strawberry Harvest Ale.

Ham Shank Shortage and Beer Shopping

I've been to three freakin' grocery stores today looking in vain for ham shanks. I've come to the conclusion that there is some kind of ham shank shortage (say that three times fast) in east central Pennsylvania. It's 54 degrees and and I want ham and bean soup. Dammit.

But anyway . . . I went to my favorite beer store. I got Blue Point Blueberry Ale, Buffalo Bill's Orange Blossom Cream Ale, Smuttynose Portsmouth Lager, Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, Abita Strawberry Harvest Ale, and Abita Turbo Dog. No Aegean (a recomendation from a friend) to be found and the owner wasn't there so I couldn't ask him about it. He had some Beavis and Butthead clone working the register.

Screw the bean soup. I have beer now. I'm drinking the Blue Point.

Tomorrow I'm going to review the web sites of the above beers and I'm pretty much gonna crucify all of them. Just because I have beer doesn't mean I won't be bitchy.

Jim Bartol's Irish Cream

I have not seen Mr. Bartol, my favorite meat man, lately. I guess this would qualify as a shelter recipe too since he is married to the former shelter manager. And I got it when Ginger and I both worked there.

2 tsps. instant coffee
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp of almond extract
2 TBS chocolate syrup
1 1/3 cups of Irish Whiskey (I use Tullamore Dew)
4 eggs
1 can of condensed milk
1 cup of light cream

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Daiquiri Punch

Quite easy and everyone is usually impressed.

6 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries (I've never used frozen for this recipe, but if you decide to, thaw the berries AFTER measuring)
1 (6 oz) limeade frozen concentrate
3/4 cup light rum or unsweetened pineapple juice (I've used both, depending on the crowd I'm serving. And it holds up well no matter which you choose)
1 (16 oz.) bottle lemon-lime soda, chilled

Place strawberries, half to start, in a blender. Blend until smooth. Place rest of berries in blender and blend. Stir in rum and limeade concentrate. Pour into ice mold. (I use a fancy bundt cake pan.) Freeze.

When ready, place ice ring in punch bowl. Add soda.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Another white trash recipe. I've substituted Splenda for the sugar on occasion. I also use sugar-free Jell-O. It actually jells quicker.

2 cups of crushed pretzels (thin)
3/4 cup of melted butter
1/2 cup of sugar

Mix and cover bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes. Cool completely.

8 oz. of cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
8 or 9 oz container of whipped topping.

Combine cream cheese and sugar. Add whipped topping and spread on cooled pretzel layer.

6 oz of strawberry Jell-O
2 cups of boiling water
20 oz (2 1/2 cups) frozen strawberries (*fresh berries, slightly mashed and sweetened may be used)

Dissolve Jell-O with two cups of boiling water. Add berries, juice and all. Let set until it begins to jell. Gently pour over cream cheese layer and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

MRS. MISUNAS'S PICKLES

It took me over five years to get this recipe. I had to grovel for it. As soon as I got it, I gave it to everyone who asked for it. I don't understand recipe hoarding.

2 quarts of water

1 cup of vinegar (the crappy distilled white actually works the best)

1/2 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of salt

large bunch of fresh dill

at least one head of garlic, chopped

approx. 16 pickling cukes (It ain't gonna work with regular cukes)

Combine first four ingredients in pot and bring to boil.

While waiting for brine to boil, pack a pickle jar with dill on bottom, half the chopped garlic, the pickling cukes cut into spears, and top with remaining garlic.

When brine has cooled, pour into pickle jar. Refrigerate for two days and then eat!!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I use celery and tortilla chips as dippers.

Boil three chicken breasts halves. Allow to cool and then shred.

In a bowl combine 8 oz. of cream cheese, 1 cup of bleu cheese dressing, 1 cup of hot sauce. Mix with shredded chicken. Top with 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Microwave until cheese is bubbly.

Asian Flank Steak (Grill)

Easy grilling recipe.

¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 TBS fresh ginger
1 ¼ lb. flank steak (I've made it with London Broil too)

Whisk together first 5 ingredients. Add steak. Marinate overnight.

Drain marinade into small saucepan and bring to boil.. Reduce until sauce thickens.

Grill steak. Thinly slice across grain. Use reduced marinade as sauce.

NOTE - I buy my London Broil when it's on sale. I make the marinade when I buy my steak. I place the marinade and meat in a freezer bag and freeze. When I want to eat it, I allow it to thaw while still in the marinade. Very flavorful when I do it that way.

No Peek Beef Casserole (Crock pot)

It's a white trash cheap beef recipe, but it's goddamn good.

2 lbs of stewing beef cubes
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup (10.5 oz)
1 can of mushrooms, 4 oz size
1/2 cup of red wine

Combine in crock pot. Cook on low 8 - 12 hours, or high 5 - 6 hours.

Serve over noodles or green beans.

Chow Down Chowder

Easy and quick.

In 4 qt. Dutch oven, combine -

1 20 oz. pkg. of refrigerated shredded potatoes
1 14.5 oz. can of chicken broth
1 10 oz. pkg of frozen corn

Bring mixture to boil. Then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Using potato masher, slightly mash potatoes.

Stir in -
2 cups milk
1 lb. of cooked crumbled sausage
1 bunch of chopped scallions
Pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste.

Oven Roasted Sea Bass with Ginger and Lime Sauce

I'd make this all the time if I could get sea bass, but I can't, so I don't.

2 TBS fresh lime juice juice
1 ½ TBS soy sauce
1 TBS fresh cilantro
1 TBS fresh ginger
1 TBS shallot
5 tsps olive oil

2 6 oz sea bass fillets.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Mix first 5 ingredients and 3 tsp of oil in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Brush pie pan dish with remaining oil. Arrange fish in prepared dish, turning to coat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Spoon ½ TBS of sauce over each fillet. Roast fish until opaque in center. Top fish with remaining sauce and serve.

Crab Imperial

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm . . . butter, half and half, and crab. How could you go wrong? You can't. It's very rich.

4 oz of butter
½ cups of finely chopped green pepper (I usually just use the entire pepper)
½ cup of finely chopped red pepper (I usually just use the entire pepper)
1 cup finely chopped onion
4 tbs of flour
3 cups half and half
1 tsp salt
½ cup of finely chopped parsley
½ tsp of cayenne pepper
1 lb of crabmeat

In large skillet, melt butter. Sauté onions, and peppers for about 2 mins. Add flour then half and half. Blend with whisk until smooth. Cook slowly until sauce become medium thick, about 8 - 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove sauce from heat and add all remaining ingredients except crab and paprika. Fold in crab gently and fill a lightly greased 2 qt casserole with mixture. Dust with paprika. Bake 15 to 2o minutes.

Spicy Baked Shrimp

I love this dish. I like it very hot and served over Forbidden Rice.

½ cup of olive oil
2 tbs. of Cajun seasoning (I make my own. Recipe follows this one)
2 tbs of fresh lemon juice
1 tbs of honey
1 tbs of soy sauce
Pinch of cayenne

1 lb of shrimp, shelled, deveined

Combine first 6 ingredients. Place prepared shrimp in glass baking dish. Pour sauce over shrimp. Marinate at room temp for an hour stirring occasionally.




Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Bake until shrimp are cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Serve over specialty rice or brown rice.

Cajun Spice Blend

I use this mix in Spicy Baked Shrimp and if I want to blacken anything. Better than store bought blends.

2 tbs cayenne
2 tbs paprika
2 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs oregano
1 tbs thyme
1 tbs onion powder or onion flakes
1 tbs salt
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Basic White Sauce (microwave)

Quite easy. I use this when I make scalloped potatoes.

3 - 4 tbs unsalted butter
3 - 4 tbs flour
1 cup of milk

Microwave butter on high for 30 seconds in 2 cup measuring cup. Blend in flour. Slowly add milk, blending well. Microwave on high for 1 min. Stir. If not thick enough, microwave on high for 30 more seconds.

Peanut Sauce

I love this sauce. It's the best recipe for peanut sauce that I've found. And with the changes I made it's even better. I use it on grilled chicken, shrimp, and pasta.

¼ cup of peanut butter
¼ cup of soy sauce
¼ cup of sugar
3 cloves of garlic
optional - fresh ginger, chopped same size as garlic
2 TBS of sesame oil
1 TBS of water

Mix peanut butter and 2 TBS of soy sauce in saucepan. Blend in remaining soy sauce, sugar, garlic, oil, and water. . Heat to dissolve sugar. Cook at low heat until sauce thickens.

Broccoli Salad

I just made this and took it to a Tyndal family celebration. Travels well.

I got this recipe when I worked at the domestic violence shelter. It's easy and everyone always wants the recipe. Thanks, Deb!

Head of broccoli, in bite size pieces
4 - 5 slices of cooked bacon
1 small onion, chopped
1 (8 oz.) pkg of mozzarella cheese

1 cup mayo
½ cup sugar
2 TBS vinegar

Mix these ingredients together to form a sauce. Pour over broccoli, onion, and bacon.

Fresh Corn Salad with Vidalia Onion

Another shelter recipe. We really liked to eat there. This one was brought in by the boss. she served it over cold spaghetti, but I like it on it's own.

Kernels from 6 ears fresh corn
1 large Vidalia onion
2 medium zucchini
1 bunch of scallions
1 sweet red pepper
1 green pepper
½ cup fresh chopped parsley
2 tsps mustard seed

DRESSING
1 clove of garlic
2 tsps of Dijon mustard
2 tsps sugar
1 tsp hot sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup of oil or vegetable oil

Cook corn in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and cool. Slice off kernels. Toss them with other vegetables and herbs. Set aside. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and add to corn mixture.