Kingdom of Trifles

  

My favorite dessert to make (as well as being the easiest) is the Trifle Bowl.  The ingredients are so, so simple, and it always comes out delicious!!

I have made a number of different kinds, but there are basic ingredients for all: cake, pudding, and whipped cream.  A trifle makes for a tasty treat that looks good when it is fully intact; however, it will start to look like a hot mess once people start digging in.  Not to worry, though, I've never served one where the bowl wasn't emptied after 15 minutes.  The recipe is as follows:

Trifle Bowl

Ingredients

1. 1 box of cake mix*
2. 1 12oz. can of soda (optional)
3. 2 packages of instant JELL-O pudding
4. Four cups of 2% milk
5. Light Cool-Whip*
6. "something extra special" for texture

*Of course, you can always make cake from scratch or whip your own cream...but I've found that when making a trifle, it doesn't really matter because the taste is still great; so save your time and get the store-bought stuff!

Directions

The baking of the cake should always be the first step because the cake needs time to cool before assembly.  I like to use a can of soda when making cake mixes because it makes me feel like I am making a healthier decision to skip the cup of oil.  For chocolate or red velvet cakes, I use Diet Coke; for golden or white cake, use Sprite; and for carrot cake, use Sprite or orange soda.  Only one can is necessary to mix and bake the cake.  The soda substitutes for the eggs, oil, and water that you normally use for cake boxes.  However, you should still use the same baking time in the preheated oven (at 350 degrees Fahrenheit).  I like to use the 9" x 13" pan because it's easier for me to cube the cake later on.

Once the cake has been baked and cooled, you can make the instant pudding.  Four cups of 2% milk to make the 2 packages of pudding.  Mix well, and let it settle for 5-8 minutes.  

Try to acquire a glass or plastic trifle bowl.  Trifle bowls are pretty cheap at places like the Christmas Tree Shop (around $7), and they help you create a great presentation.  Before layering your trifle, cut the cake into even squares in the pan. The first layer is cake, followed by a layer of pudding.  Next, layer the light Cool Whip, and repeat.

The "something extra special" for texture depends on your "theme" for the trifle.  For my Red Velvet Trifle (picture above), I toasted sliced almonds in my toaster oven on the Toast- 2 setting.  I also chose French Vanilla flavored pudding.  I always add my "something extra special" after the Cool Whip.  Here, I put my almonds before continuing with another layer of cake.  For the final layer, you should always end with your whipped cream.  For the Red Velvet Trifle, the top layer included sliced almonds and chocolate shavings...yummm.

The special something for my Chocolate and Banana Trifle included banana slices between the layers and blocks of chocolate with the slices on the top.  Also delicious.

The special something for my White Chocolate Funfetti Trifle included chocolate chips.

Banana Muffins

Moist and chewy banana bread muffins.

Banana Bread Muffins

Ingredients

• 3 large, ripe bananas (smashed)
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 tablespoons plain applesauce
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Mix butter and applesauce into the mashed bananas in a large bowl. Add the walnuts. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Add the baking soda. Next, add the flour into the sugar bowl. Shut off the electric mixer and add the banana bowl to your mixture. With a fork, mix the ingredients together (do not over mix to avoid bananas that are too mushy or ruining your walnuts!). Pour the mixture into twelve mini muffin tins. Bake in preheated oven for 24 minutes (until the edges of the tops are golden brown).

Shrimp Scampi

I have never hosted dinner for a party of eight before, and the task was daunting.  First, I put together a large salad bowl that included chopped Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, sliced carrots and celery, and grated Parmesan cheese. 

I also served oven-toasted crostinis that were created from French baguettes drizzled with EVOO, seasoned with salt and pepper, and sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan.  With the oven at 250, ten minutes for the bread was too toasty-- almost broke teeth.  I had paired a salsa (made with two tomatoes, half a red onion, and the juice of a whole lime) with the crostinis, but it still wasn't enough to hide my mistake.


For my Shrimp Scampi with Linguine, I used the recipe from Tyler's Ultimate on the Food Network. I had known about hosting dinner, but didn't know what to cook until I saw Tyler's episode the day of the party.  I only had penne pasta on hand, but it worked just fine.

 

Shrimp Scampi

Tyler Florence's recipe can be found HERE (courtesy of Food Network).

Ingredients

• 1 box of your choice pasta (linguini, penne, etc.)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons EVOO
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced
• pinch red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 large bag of large shrimp (already peeled, deveined, tail on)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. To cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water.  When the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
2. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoosn olive oil over medium-high heat.  Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes.  
3. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.  
4. Add wine and lemon juice to the pan; bring to a boil.  Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil.  When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan with the washed and chopped parsley, cooked pasta, and cup of pasta water.  Stir together and season with salt and pepper.

Chicken with Balsamic BBQ Sauce

For my first blog post, I wanted to include a recipe that I constantly use when I cook for my family.  Giada's recipe for "Chicken or Steak with Balsamic BBQ Sauce" is easy to execute and produce great results.  I have made this dish about 4 times since I first learned, and it's great every time.  I usually follow her instructions for baking the chicken rather than grilling.  Only once have I had the chicken marinated and refrigerated overnight and then grilled-- the results were also delicious!  The only elements I change about Giada's recipe are that I use a little less than 3/4 cup of balsamic vinaigrette, and I also set aside a small bowl of the sauce before contaminating it with the chicken (because who doesn't love extra sauce when eating?).

Chicken with Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Giada's original recipe can be found HERE (courtesy of Food Network).

Ingredients 

• 8 pieces of chicken, combination legs and thighs
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• additional salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a small pot or saucepan, combine the balsamic vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and half teaspoons of salt and pepper.  Stir these ingredients together and simmer over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes. Set 1/4 of the sauce to the side for serving later.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 
3. Wash and trim the chicken of excess fat.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Place the chicken skin-side down in a shallow baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove the baking dish from the oven and flip the chicken to the other side.  Spoon BBQ sauce over the tops of the chicken.  Return the baking dish to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

I accompanied my chicken with steamed zucchini and summer squash.  I used salt and pepper, two minced garlic cloves, a minced shallot, and water for the vegetables.  The vegetables and chicken were served with plain, white rice. 

*Edit*
I've had to make this sauce recently for a much larger crowd than usual (especially for cookouts!); so I just wanted to share the supersized (x4) ingredients. :)

Supersized Ingredients

• 3 cups balsamic vinaigrette
• 3 cups ketchup
• 1 1/3 cups brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper