A new twist on an old favorite

**UPDATE**
I made this for dinner last night (along with homemade buttermilk pancakes - we had breakfast for dinner), and really liked it! At first we thought, hmm ... this is a new taste ... and then decided that we really liked it. I would have never put bacon, brown sugar and cayenne pepper together, but man, I'm glad I did. We'll be eating this again!

*****

Patrick and I are headed out of town tonight to visit my parents, so that means no cooking this weekend for Kara! (It does mean a lot of good food, though!) But I'm not going to leave y'all hanging; a hometown friend sent me a recipe today that looked too good to keep to myself. Now, this is the first recipe I've posted that I haven't actually made myself, but everybody likes bacon, right? (Well, except for you, Kate.) :)

Thanks for the recipe, Natalie; I can't wait to try it! I think "breakfast for dinner" will be on the menu this week.


Candied Cayenne Bacon
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound thinly sliced bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a broiler pan with aluminum foil, and position broiler rack on top of pan. Lightly coat the rack with vegetable oil.
Combine the brown sugar and cayenne pepper in a shallow dish, stirring well. Press one side of each slice of bacon firmly into the mixture to coat well. Arrange the slices on the pan in a single layer, sugared side up. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top of the bacon, then bake until bubbly and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, then to a plate or serving dish to cool. You can serve warm or room temperature.

So sweet ...

Patrick and I had dinner last night with our good friends, Kate and Eric, and I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to try a new cake recipe. I love to bake, and am such a sucker for a good dessert recipe. I had never made the cake or the icing before, but Kate and Eric are incredibly gracious, and I knew they'd forgive me if they turned out to be flops. Thankfully, though, both the cake and the icing turned out really well (if I do say so myself)! Again, I can't take credit for either of them. I found the chocolate cake recipe off a high-school friend's blog, and the icing recipe has been the go-to icing recipe in my family for years. It's what we call our "good white" icing. It's to die for!


Chocolate Cake
Recipe courtesy Nina Bucciarelli
Step I:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

STEP II:
1 cup water
½ cup cocoa

STEP III:
¾ cup Mazola Oil (you need to use Mazola Oil or it will change the flavor of the cake)
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk*
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine Step I in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Combine Step II in a small saucepan and boil together at low heat until thick. Cool.

Add Step III (oil, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla) to Step I (flour, sugar, salt and soda). Mix. Add Step II (cooled cocoa mixture) and mix together. Pour into a greased pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. (It took about 40 minutes for my 9x13 to be completely done in the middle. Just watch it and check it with a toothpick.)

This recipe will make one 9" x 13", two 9″ rounds , or cupcakes.

*If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use one cup of milk, add a tablespoon of vinegar to the milk, mix, and let stand. You can also use one cup of plain yogurt as a substitute.

Good White Icing
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour (heaping)
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick butter, softened slightly
1/2 cup shortening

First, mix the flour and sugar together in a 10" or 12" skillet. Then, over medium heat, stir in the milk, stirring constantly. Cook mixture until thickened, about 15 minutes. Take off heat and cool. While mixture is cooling (you can even put it in the fridge to cool), beat together the margarine and shortening until fluffy. Then beat in half of the cooled mixture until incorporated, and then the other half. Mix in the vanilla. This recipe will ice a 9" x 13" cake; make 1 1/2 times the recipe if icing two round cakes.

Ahem ... the treadmill is calling my name.

An identity crisis

One of the new favorite meals in the Witherow household has an identity crisis; it can't decide if it's Italian or Mexican. Whatever it is, we love it. And, it's one of the fastest, easiest weeknight meals ever. Gotta love that! I'm eating leftovers now ... so yummy!


Mexican Chicken Penne Pasta

1 package (16 oz.) penne pasta
2 cups cubed cooked chicken (if you want to be really speedy and easy about this, like me, use the Purdue Shortcuts chicken)
1 1/4 cups salsa con queso dip
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large tomato, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, queso dip, milk and salt together. Drain pasta; add to chicken mixture and toss to coat. Top with black beans, tomato, onions and cheese.

If you try it and like it (ohmyfriend, you will love it), I can't take credit for the recipe. Thanks to Suzanne and Carter for the goodness; Thursday nights are one of my favorite nights of the week because of them and their family! Plus, they have introduced us to some wonderful meals!