Not Your Boxed Cake

Decided I wanted tacos for dinner. Went home during my lunch break, threw a package of chicken in the crockpot with a pureed tomato, taco seasoning, salt, and half of a chopped onion. Set it on low and let it cook while I was at work. (I googled it, and you can put raw chicken in a crockpot and have it cook. No, I didn't know that. Don't make fun of me). Came home, shredded the chicken with two forks, and put it back in the crockpot to soak up the taco seasoning mixture.

This would be a taco I made. It has shredded chicken, feta cheese, and homemade pico de gallo. Sound weird? Well, it's not. It's delicious. My pops works with native Mexicans in the summertime. A few summers ago, they bonded enough to introduce my pops to their families. They showed him how to make tacos the right way. This didn't include the "Taco Bell-ernized" version of a taco, but the way that native people eat them. My dad came home, showed me how to make homemade corn tortillas, the shredded chicken, and pico de gallo. It's so good! You wouldn't think the feta would taste good on tacos, but it's an amazing compliment. Like Mexican fireworks in your mouth.

Pico de Gallo

Dice two large tomatoes, half an onion, and cilantro.
Combine with salt, squeeze a fresh lime over combination.
Enjoy.

Prettttty easy. My dad would make so like a gallon of pico at one time, and it'd be gone in days. It's delicious.

With a good meal, you gotta have a good dessert. And it comes at a good time.

One of my roommate's coworkers is going through a bad break-up and I told her that whatever she needed, I'd be there for her. She said, "chocolate cake." So, what'd I do? I made German Chocolate Cupcakes. A coworker/friend of mine called them anti-depression cupcakes because for every sad person who ate them, that person had perma-grin.

This crappy picture was taken with my Blackberry. My apologies. But, this frosting? I'm pretty sure I could just make that and eat it all with a giant spoon. And probably die. (I'm lactose intolerant, and technically am not suppose to have milk, but I do at certain times).

Martha Stewart's Coconut-Pecan Frosting

Ingredients:
6 egg yolks (I save the egg whites for breakfast)
2-12 oz. cans of evaporated milk (I use one low-fat can of evaporated milk to cut SOME calories).
2 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 c. of butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
14 oz. flaked coconut (This is one package)
12 oz. pecans (This is one package)

1. Get a large saucepan.
2. Heat egg yolks, evaporated milk, brown sugar, and butter over medium heat.
3. Stir CONSTANTLY until it's the consistency of sour cream.
4. Strain mixture into a bowl.
5. Stir in vanilla, salt, coconut, and pecans.
6. Let frosting cool before you spread onto cake.


This frosting is delicious. I could take a spoon and eat it all. But, that's not a very smart idea. The cake recipe that is below? Not fantastic. I think it could be more spongey. So I'll keep working on that. But, here's the recipe.

Martha Stewart's German Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Ingredients
3/4 c. butter
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/3 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. buttermilk
2/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1. Take a pot and fill with water.
2. Put smaller pot in water-filled pot.
3. Heat over medium heat with chocolate chips in smaller bowl.

4. Let cool.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
6. Cream butter and sugar.
7. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated.
8. Beat vanilla.
9. Reduce speed to low.
This part screwed me up, so pay attention.
10. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in separate bowl.
11. Mentally split flour mixture into three batches.
12. Add in one batch of flour mixture.
13. Mix.
14. Add 1/2 c. buttermilk.
15. Mix.
16. Add in one batch of flour mixture.
17. Mix.
18. Add 1/2 c. buttermilk.
19. Mix.
20. Add in last batch of flour mixture.
(Yes, that ridiculousness actually matters).
21. Fill cupcake liners with batter 3/4 full.
22. Cook for 20 minutes until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
23. Let cool.
24. Peel liners off, and cut in half horizontally.
25. Spread frosting in-between the cake, and on top.
26. Enjoy!


:)