The first thing I made were tiny chocolate cakes. My roommate has this fantastic mold for tiny cakes, so we thought we would try using it. I made chocolate cake to use in the molds, and the cake turned out well. I adjusted it a bit to accommodate my roomie, but sometimes you just can't win all fights. One of the things that my roommate is allergic to is chocolate, so these cakes were already against the rules, but I was going to try to make them as good as possible.
I started with a favorite chocolate cake recipe: Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake. Yum. I did a half batch because the full batch makes enough for two 9" layers and I just needed enough for a pan of baby cakes. I went ahead and used unbleached all-purpose flour, but I chose not to use eggs. Instead I used applesauce and a tiny bit more baking soda than the recipe called for. I also added a touch of coconut rum, Kahlua, cinnamon and nutmeg.
The cakes turned out well with the ultimate verdict being that they were okay for my roommate. She is allergic to wheat and chocolate but those were the only things she was allergic to in these cakes. I also liked the cake without the eggs. I might have to try that when I make this as a cake again.
I love all things British, in case you don't know that about me. I especially love the tradition of afternoon tea. Taking a bit of a break in the afternoon to just have a cuppa and enjoy life for a moment. So, yes, I took a it of a tea break in the middle of my cooking.
Okay, moving on. . .I also made a beef and bean dip to eat with tortilla chips. I didn't have a recipe, so I just kind of made it up as I went. I started with half of a yellow onion diced up (I used the other half for guacamole), a clove of garlic diced, and some olive oil in a pan over medium low heat. I like to let these cook for just a little bit before adding the beef.
Let's talk about seasoning for a minute. I love using seasonings. Almost every time I cook, I use nearly every spice in my cupboard. I'm not even kidding you. I added all of these to my onion and garlic mixture. One of my pet peeves about American cooking is that we don't use spices enough. There is so much salt and sugar in everything we eat that we don't taste our food enough to know if there is seasoning in it. If you cut the sugar and salt out of most American food, there is no flavor. I love flavor. I love seasonings. Amen.
Then I added the beef and browned it. Just a side note, this is one of the first things that I learned to do in the kitchen. I have been browning beef for most of my life. It's kind of like second nature to me at this point.
After I drained the grease off, I added one can of black beans and part of a can of tomato sauce. Make sure you check the seasonings at this point. If you need more of anything add it. I usually do another round of all the spices and taste it to make sure I like the flavor. Then I let it simmer for just a bit so that it thickens a bit.
I put it in an oven proof bowl and covered the top with cheese. Let's be honest, can you really get too much cheese? Load it up! I then put it in the fridge and about 15 minutes before I put it out, I put it in a 350* oven until the cheese was melted. I then flipped the broiler on high and let the cheese get brown and bubbly.
The party was a success, and I was happy to have an excuse to cook for my friends and savor their presence in my home. So fun!
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