Recipe: Dump Cake

I'm not certain if it was the bacon-wrapped sausage links or the French onion soup "mushroom caps" that particularly stood out, but I couldn't not ask my friend/hostess-with-the-mostess, Meghan, where she got the recipe.  "The Pioneer Woman," she said, as if I was supposed to know who that was. 

So it's no surprise that, once again, I found myself unbuckle-your-belt full after Meghan's annual December holiday brunch.  Later that afternoon when I got home - barely able to breathe, thank you very much - I Googled "Pioneer Woman."  And, sure enough, I was directed to a fabulous website chock-full of unique, Southern-centric recipes and outstanding photography, among other topics.  I must have perused through her glossy photos and recipes for hours!   

With Christmas and Hanukkah nearing, my mom asked me to come up with a dessert for our Christmas dinner.  She was planning on serving Mexican food, and we both agreed that pecan or pumpkin pie didn't sound very compatible with tamales.  So, after scouring The Pioneer Woman for some ideas, I came across a recipe called "Dump Cake."  I'm sorry, but how can you not be just a little bit curious about a dessert recipe with the word "dump" in it?  Stop pretending like you're so polite. 

Giddy with excitement, I phoned my mom and told her that I had finally found our perfect dessert.  She asked me to read off the ingredients so she could add them to her grocery shopping list.  "Cherry pie filling - crushed pineapple - yellow or white cake mix - and butter," I said.  "OK, what else?  Hurry, I'm busy," she replied.  When I told her that these four items made up the entirety of the Dump Cake, she erupted with laughter.  So did I.

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Recipe:  Dump Cake recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Photo: The Pioneer WomanIngredients

• 1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
• 1 can (15 oz.) crushed pineapple, liquid drained
• 1 box (18 oz.) yellow cake mix
• 1.5 sticks butter, sliced
• Vanilla bean ice cream (optional)

In a 13x9" baking dish, dump cherry pie filling and liquid-drained crushed pineapple.  Stir together.  Dump cake mix on top of fruit filling, and spread evenly.  Top with sliced butter, distributed evenly (as seen below).

Dump Cake: pre-bakeBake at 350-degrees for 45 minutes-1 hour, or until topping is a rich, golden brown.  Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla-bean ice cream! 

*12 servings

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Dump Cake review:  this was a HUGE hit with my entire family - even with my father, who is not a "dessert" person.  Even with my uber-healthy sister, who fills up on kale shakes and salmon jerky. 

The fruit filling is not overly sweet and the topping...oh, the topping!  Who could have imagined the incredibly delicious outcome of cake mix + butter?  Seriously, this is the easiest, cheapest, tastiest, and naughtiest dessert recipe out there.

Make. This. Now.  Trust me, you'll thank me later.

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Until we eat again,

The Lunch Belle

Recipe: BLT's Cheddar & Chive Biscuits

Dear readers,

TGIF!  In honor of the impending 3-day weekend, I wanted to send you off with the recipe for BLT Restaurant group's "Cheddar & Chive Biscuits," in the event that you're hosting a Fourth of July BBQ/soiree. 

I had the pleasure of sampling these savory, carb-filled delights at BLT Fish last night and, to my most pleasant surprise, a recipe card was attached!  Please enjoy!

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BLT's Cheddar & Chive Biscuits

Ingredients  yields 8 biscuits

• 1.5 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 tablespoons shortening
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 1 cup sharp cheddar
• 1 1/4 cup heavy cream

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne.  Cut the shortening and butter in to the flour mix.  Make sure NOT to overwork - leave butter and shortening in small pieces.  Toss in the chives and cheese.  Pour in cream, just until mixture comes together - make sure not to over-stir.  

Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes.   Serve prompty with sea-salted maple butter (recipe below) - or, to enjoy at a later time, remove from hot cookie sheet and transfer to a wire rack/alternate cookie sheet to cool.  

Sea-salted maple butter spread (optional)

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Sea salt

Add syrup to your ramekin of choice, and microwave for 12-seconds.  Position butter atop syrup, and lightly sprinkle with sea salt.  Serve alongside Cheddar & Chive Biscuits.

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Until we eat again,

The Lunch Belle

Recipe: Corn Salsa

To me, nothing tastes more like summer than fresh, white corn and sauteed Vidalia onions.  Pair those ingredients with Rotel, a can of Texas' finest diced tomatoes and green chiles, and what do you have?  An incredibly robust, flavorful, texturally voluptuous, healthy, versatile, and easy-to-make corn salsa.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 tablespoon butter OR olive oil  (...I prefer to use Esperanto Spiced Oil, which can be purchased online.)
• 1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped  (or any sweet, white onion variety)
• 1 cob fresh corn  (in the summer, I use white corn, as it's much sweeter than yellow corn)
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 10oz. can Rotel  (Hey NYer's, you can find this @ your local CVS or Duane Reade!)

With husks and cornsilk (a.k.a. hairs) removed, hold cob upright by its stem/handle and carefully slice-off corn kernels in a downward, back and forth motion until all are removed.  Discard cob.  Using a colander and running tap water, delicately run your hands through the kernels to remove debris and extra starch.   Shake off excess water.  Season kernels with salt and pepper, to taste.  Set aside.

Heat butter or oil in a sauté pan on medium heat, for approximately 2-minutes.  Add chopped onions and sauté until translucent, or approximately 7-minutes.  Fold in corn kernels and continue to sauté for 5-minutes.  Next, add entire can of Rotel and stir ingredients together.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Reduce heat to low and cover, allowing for the slightest vent, and simmer for 30-minutes, stirring once every 10-minutes. 

Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature with top removed.  Keep refrigerated for up to 1-week.

Question: what can you pair with this salsa?  Answer: the possibilities are endless - use your imagination! 

Here are some of my personal favorite, tried-and-true accompaniments:

• Dip: chop the meat of a ripe avocado in to small, bite-size pieces and fold in to salsa for a delicious dip.  Serve with tortilla chips!     
• Quesadillas: using two tortillas of your choice (corn or flour), spread an ample amount of salsa evenly atop one tortilla and sprinkle with shredded Monterrey Jack cheese.  Season with salt, to taste.  Sandwich the other tortilla atop salsa and cheese, and grill or microwave until cheese is melted.
• Salad: add Mexi-corn salsa as a toss-in to your favorite savory salad!
• Scallops: warm the corn salsa in microwave for approximately 1-minute.  On a serving plate, create a shallow mound/moat with the salsa.  Cook scallops according to this recipe, and enjoy!  Gorgeous photos taken by my dear friend, Kate Jellison who, after I published this post, whipped up this recipe for her family. She's one hell of a photog, no?

Until we cook again,

The Lunch Belle

The LAST margarita recipe you will ever need. Period.

Just because I'm from a Texas border town does not necessarily mean that I've been automatically equipped with a kick-ass margarita recipe.  In fact, on my recent visit to California, my family and I invited my cousins over to our place for a decadent Mexican dinner.  I was given the task to not only find a recipe (apparently my mom didn't have one, either), but also to make a decent margarita.  After all, I did not want to disappoint my family: it was a given that the food would be awesome, but it was up to me as to whether or not we would have crappy drinks.  The pressure was ON.

With time running out, I quickly hopped on my laptop and did a couple of Google searches, using "margarita recipe" as my keyword.  Lame, I know.  Since I was so pressed for time, I was only able to skim through the results on the first page, therefore choosing the recipe that sounded the tastiest and the easiest to make.  The winner was the Sauza Rita.  Why?  Because the recipe only called for 4-ingredients - 2, of which, I had on-hand!  Now, it was time to purchase the other two components and put this recipe to the test!

Photo: SauzaTrust me when I say that this is the LAST margarita recipe that you will ever need.  Aside from the fact that it is seamless to make, it tastes fresh, tart, and goes down as smooth as water.  Worried about the calories?  Do you normally drink those nasty "skinny margaritas?"  Sorry Bethenny, but they taste like crap.  Chillax, as the Californian's would say.  Because this recipe does not contain a corn syrup-laden mixer or sweet 'n sour mix.

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Sauza Rita Recipe  serves 9

The beer adds the slightest fizz, and the limeade brings about a sweet, tangy pep!

• 1 12 oz. can frozen limeade, thawed to room temperature (I used Minute Maid Limeade): do NOT discard limeade can!
• 1 limeade-can of water
• 3/4 - 1 limeade-can of Sauza Silver Tequila (10-12 oz.)
• 1 12 oz. can light beer of your choice (we used Bud Light)
• Sliced lime wedges
• Margarita salt, sea salt
  

Pour all ingredients in to a pitcher and stir to blend.  Serve over ice in salt-rimmed glasses (optional, of course), topped with a lime wedge.  Enjoy and thank me later!  :)

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Until we drink again,

The Lunch Belle 

Recipe: Calabacitas ("Little Squashes")

Calabacitas - "Little Squashes" - sounds more like the nickname of a famous Mafioso than that of one of my favorite side dishes.  Not only is my Mexican-influenced recipe for "little squashes" complimentary to a plethora of entrees, but this version can also be used as a filling for enchiladas, quesqadillas, and tacos - or, even as the stuffing component for a roulade.  And best of all?  My calabacitas may look sinful but, in actuality, they could not be more healthy, nutritious, and delicious.  Now how often do you hear those three words together in one sentence?  :)

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Ingredients serves two

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 1/4 of one large white or yellow onion (Vidalias are my favorite variety), chopped
• 1 fresh Anaheim green chile pepper or poblano chile pepper, chopped: stem removed, seeds gutted.  *If you cannot find either chile variety at your local grocer, you may leave this ingredient out - I do not recommend using canned green-chiles as a replacement.*
• 1/2 cup corn
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 2 green zucchinis, sliced to resemble 1/4" circles
• Dash of cumin
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

Add oil or butter to a non-stick saucepan on medium-heat.  Allow to warm for approximately 2-minutes, then add chopped onions.  Sauté until almost translucent, or 6-8 minutes.  Add chopped chile pepper, *corn, and continue to sauté for another 10-minutes.  Liberally sprinkle sea salt and black pepper over chopped tomatoes and zucchini, and add to saucepan.  Using a light hand, add a dash of cumin.  Sauté ingredients for 5-minutes.  Turn heat to "low."  Add broth and stir.  Cover saucepan and simmer for 20-minutes, stirring occasionally.   Season to taste.

Enjoy!

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Until we eat again,

The Lunch Belle

Recipe: Fresh figs with blue cheese and candied pecans

Fresh figs with blue cheese and candied pecans 

Ingredients  serves approximately 15, assuming that each guests eats 3 pieces

• 10 fresh figs: remove bottom/navel and top/stem, then slice remainder of each fruit in to 5 equal slices
• 1/2 lb. blue cheese (I used Bleu d'Auvergne), left out of fridge for 15-minutes
• 8oz. chopped candied pecans - I buy mine at Trader Joe's (if you cannot locate "candied" pecans, regular chopped pecans will do)

On a large serving plate/tray of choice, arrange figs side by side.  Top each fig with a 5-finger pinch of blue cheese (approximately 1/2 tablespoon).  Finally, crown each fig with a sprinkle of chopped candied pecans.  Serve immediately and enjoy!