Sunday, February 23, 2014

Cookies 'n Cream Cake

Ingredients
  • Cake
  • 1 box white cake mix
  • Eggs, water, and oil as called for on the box
  • 15 Oreos, crushed
  • Frosting
  • 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (16 oz) box powered sugar
  • 1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip, room temperature
  • 15 Oreos, crushed
  • 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Cake: Grease and flour two 8" pans. Prepare cake according to package directions (or recipe directions), stirring in the crushed Oreos to the batter before dividing between prepared pans. Bake as directed on box or in recipe, but start checking 5 (or more) minutes early if you choose to do three layers as they will bake faster. Remove cake layers from oven and allow to cool completely on cooling rack.

Frosting: In mixer, cream the cream cheese and sugar. Add vanilla, mix well, and stir in Cool Whip (do not beat it in or your frosting will turn out runny). Mix well. Fold in crushed Oreos until well blended and frost cool cake. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

*Cake may be baked in a 13 x 9 inch pan or you can even make cupcakes; change the baking time according to the package instructions or your recipe. 


Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Baked Gnocchi with Bacon, Tomato, and Mozzarella

Ingredients
  • 1 package (500 g) store-bought gnocchi
  • 1 cup (250 g) bacon, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 medium sized tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2-3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • Large handful fresh parsley, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup (100 g) mozzarella, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and prepare gnocchi. 

In the meantime, make the sauce: In a a large hot frying pan, fry the bacon until starting to crisp with the fat rendered. Pour off most of the fat then add the garlic and smoked paprika and fry for 30 seconds. Add all the tomatoes and the sugar and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the heavy whipping cream, parsley, and seasoning. 

Add the cooked gnocchi to the sauce in an oven-proof dish and top with the sliced mozzarella. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until the mozzarella is melted and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. 

*This recipe yeilds 2-3 servings. Double the ingredients to fill a 9x11 inch pan :)