Decided to treat myself to something this Christmas...something NON kitchen related for a change.  Well it is purchased to keep me company in the kitchen.  I have been using my iphone built in speakers when i am mucking around in the kitchen, and well lets just say the sound isn't that hot. 

I have wanted one of these for over 2 years....and well i decided to stop being lazy....made a trip down to funan and got these little babies.  Sigh...now that I know that I can connect more than a pair at one go...i am so tempted to get more!! I like my new toy....

 

http://blogchef.net/hummingbird-cake-recipe/

http://blogchef.net/?p=1867

I am not really sure where the name Hummingbird cake comes from or why it is called that, but one thing is for sure, this cake is very good. This is an older recipe that has become very popular, and for good reason. This cake is very moist and uses a combination of pineapple, bananas and chopped pecans that go right into the cake batter. The cake is first baked and then topped with cream cheese frosting, which goes perfect with this cake. This is a triple layer cake for it will make a lot; just a small piece will be enough to fill you up. This cake got eaten very fast around here. If you are looking for a fantastic cake recipe to make for the Holidays, give this one a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs (beaten)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple (with juice)
1 cup pecans (chopped)
2 cups bananas (chopped)
½ cup pecans (chopped)
Cream cheese Frosting-
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (softened)
½ cup butter or margarine (softened)
1 (16 ounce) package powdered sugar (sifted)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon. Add eggs and oil, stirring until the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, 1 cup pecans and bananas. Pour batter into 3 9” round baking pans.

Step 2: Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in cake pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove from the cake pans and cool completely.
Step 3: To make cream cheese frosting- In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese and butter. A little at a time add powdered sugar until the mixture is smooth. Add vanilla extract. Frost cake with the frosting and top with ½ cup chopped pecans.

(click for larger photo) Pork tofu, rice, chicken karaage, cucumber pickles, orange bell pepper. This Ms. Bento is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I own a Tiger thermal: post here, but I was pretty peeved when I found out that it wasn't leak proof. The Ms. Bento soup container IS leakproof and it held my soupy pork tofu perfectly. I heated it up in the morning with some boiling water for about 5 minutes and it kept my food hot until lunchtime. Definitely a great present. :) Till next time!

http://blogchef.net/baked-spaghetti-recipe/

http://blogchef.net/?p=1859

Baked spaghetti is one of my favorite casserole dishes in the winter time. It can be a nice change from your classic spaghetti recipe. I would say this dish is very similar to that of lasagna, only without the lasagna noodles. This dish is preparing by first cooking the noodles, then cooking the burger with onions and adding the sauce. The noodles are then tossed with an egg and parmesan cheese mixture and layered into a casserole dish with the meat sauce and cottage cheese. You could add other ingredients to this recipe as well such as mushrooms, green pepper, pepperoni, ect. You can also use homemade spaghetti sauce, such as my spaghetti sauce recipe. If you decide to use my spaghetti sauce recipe, you can exclude the hamburger from this recipe. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti noodles
1lb ground beef
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 (26 ounce) jar meatless spaghetti sauce
½ teaspoon seasoned salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons butter (melted)
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions. While noodles are cooking in a large skillet brown ground beef with the onion until the beef is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and seasoning salt. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl mix egg, parmesan cheese and butter. Drain spaghetti noodles and toss with the egg mixture until they are coated thoroughly.
Step 3: Place half of the spaghetti noodles in a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Top with half of the cottage cheese, half of the meat sauce, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers, cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes uncover and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted.  
(Makes 6 Servings)

 

I have been very good this year....can I please have the above for Christmas?? I promise to keep up the good work.

More of Gideon's works can be found here...