Happy Birthday Kaiya!!!

Yesterday we celebrated the 14th birthday of Kaiya, my friend Heidi's daughter, down at Fattboyz Grillin. It was a small gathering of family, parental friends and Kaiya's friends; and everyone had a good time talking, eating and just enjoying the afternoon together. Kaiya is a lovely young lady, and the happiness and pride she gives her mom was quite evident upon Heidi's face. Kudos go to Heidi's hubby Sean too for being a good stepdad, keeping all the little kids corralled, and the lighting of the birthday candles without setting the place on fire.

Our meal at Fattboyz consisted of a barbeque sandwich with two sides, and soft drink; all awesome as per usual.  Heidi and I both made cakes for the occasion, and everyone seemed quite pleased with them.  I have to admit that the cake I made was from scratch, and it actually gave me nightmares for several nights in a row.  I plotzed over screwing it all up, but everyone seemed to enjoy it, so I must have done well. 

The cake was huge, and it was compared to one of the Red Rock formations in our area.  It consisted of three tiers, two single layers and one double layer; chocolate pudding sat in the middle of the bottom double layer and single middle layer; a layer of mini-marshmallows sat between the middle and top layers.  There were two types of frosting, first a vanilla buttercream, and after refrigerating the cake, I covered it with a vanilla whipped cream frosting.  Sprinkled cocoa powder went over the tops and sides; a sprinkle of chopped Andes candies and a few Oreo cream cookies finished off the topping.  Roy made a banner which I attached with wooden skewers.

So, Happy Birthday Kaiya, may you have many, many, many more, and always be happy and healthy.

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Here's the cake and frosting recipe, but for the vanilla frosting, I used vanilla powder instead of the cocoa powder.

Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake Batter:

1 ½ cups flour

3 Tbsp baking cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

2 tsp chocolate syrup

¾ cup milk

¾ cup melted butter

2 eggs

Frosting:

12 Tbsp butter, softened

3 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ cup baking cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 Tbsp room temperature milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Cut out two circles of parchment paper that fit within two 8” cake pans; spray cake pans with nonstick baking spray; line bottom with paper circles.

In a large bowl, sift flour and mix in cocoa, baking powder and sugar.  In second bowl, beat together syrup, milk, butter and eggs; do not get mixture frothy by over beating.  Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients; mix on medium speed till smooth.  Pour half of batter into each cake pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes; until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out cleanly.  Let cakes cool before flipping out of pans; remove parchment paper before frosting cakes.

While cakes are baking, make the frosting; cream together the butter and sugar; add cocoa, vanilla extract and milk; mix until smooth, but do not over mix.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to firm up; frost cakes after they have cooled.  There will be enough frosting to frost the tops and sides of both cakes; stack cakes on top of one another; total height should be about 3 inches with frosting.

Makes 12 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Moab Brewery is a Hit or Miss.

Moab Brewery

686 S. Main
Moab, UT, 84532

(435) 259-6333

Website: http://www.themoabbrewery.com/

Last night was the third time we have tried the Moab Brewery, and while the first two times were a hit, this night was a real miss. Now while the wait staff have always been friendly; and the greeters too, but last night the very young woman seemed to have the attitude that she was doing us a favor by allowing us to eat there.

The bar area, called the Tavern, was crowded and noisy; and we opted to sit in one of the few booths they have. The main area of the Brewery is open with tables; and photographs of the Red Rock formations in Moab adorn the walls; piped in music was classic 70’s rock.

The first time we ever went, we shared the Texas Pit Smoked Combo which is a sampling of smoked ribs, chicken and tri-tip; served with BBQ sauce, salad, bread, coleslaw and fries or onion rings. It was great and we didn’t leave a thing on the plates but the bones.

Second time there, Roy went for the Texas Pit Smoked Tri-tip, but I tried the Brewery's Fish Tacos; three crispy corn tortillas with beer-battered Cod, veggies and jicama; served with veggie chili, rice and salsa. The fish tacos were fantastic, so was the veggie chili, but I could do without the rice and salsa; they just didn’t add a thing to the meal itself. The jicama was crisp and really added to the flavor of the fish tacos though.

Last night we tried the Beer Cheese Soup which was out of this world, and wished we had gotten a bowl to share instead of a cup. It was not too thick, and definitely not clumpy like cheese soups can be sometimes; and the beer flavor was evident, but not overpowering. The Crab and Artichoke Dip was more of a spread than a dip; very thick, but you could make out the crab (not imitation) and the artichokes. However, the pita bread wedges were cold, not grilled or toasted at all; and they fell apart when you tried to dip; spreading the dip with a knife worked out much better.

Main meals were the Jack Daniels Burger which was a simple burger with fries, and nothing to write home about; the BBQ sauce had a nice smoky flavor though. I had the Gyro Wrap and was pretty disappointed with it. The thing is huge, I’ll give you that, but it was so packed with mixed greens, you hardly noticed the meat, diced tomatoes and cucumbers; the dressing was a vinaigrette instead of the traditional Tzatziki sauce. The wrap was a cold tortilla that fell apart as you tried to hold and eat it. Oh yeah, there was feta cheese somewhere in the wrap, but so little that I barely tasted it. Basically, I would have been much happier with a Greek Salad with extra dressing and feta cheese. The fries and onions rings were a bit on the soggy side, and you could taste the oil.

Roy did try the Black Raven Stout which he said was dark, smooth, hoppy and overall a very good brew. I stuck with unsweetened iced tea which the waitress kept filled.

Now we were smart enough to stop and get some of the Gelato they sell at a little counter near the main door. We tried the Nutty Milk and Honey…absolutely one of the most wonderful desserts we have ever, ever had. You don’t have to have a meal at the Moab Brewery to be able to purchase the Gelato; however, you will get a 15% discount if you show your restaurant receipt. After a long day of adventuring in Moab, and you want something cold and soothing; go for the Gelato, you won’t regret it.

All in all, we’ll be going back to the Moab Brewery; we won’t let one not-so-great meal spoil it for us.

Mary Cokenour

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June 11, 2011 Update Review

Even though the last time we were there was a miss; we went back last night and it was a real hit!!! Our server, Tony, was a true sweetheart; kept my hubby's dinner warm when he had to run out and do an emergency errand. The Spicy Teriyaki Wings were awesome; and the Jack Daniels BBQ Chicken sandwich was outstanding.

Great job all around!!!

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Cinco de Mayo

Today is not Independence Day for Mexico; that actually occurred on September 15, 1810 when Mexico told Spain to go "stick it"; just like the United States told England.

France decided it wanted to invade Mexico and were told, "I don't think so!"; and that is what today is about. I'm putting things in a plain and simple prespective, since so many other blogs and websites will be posting about this celebration.

This is my little tribute to Mexican culture, so Happy Cinco de Mayo, and don't forget to whoop it up!

Tamale Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

4 bell peppers (red, yellow, orange or green) – tall and wide

1 ½ lbs lean ground beef
1 (8 oz) package cornbread mix
½ cup whole kernel corn
½ cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 cup salsa
½ cup milk
1 Tbsp salt
1 cup water

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400F. Cut tops off of peppers; remove stems; remove pith and seeds from inside peppers. Either keep tops to place on top of stuffed peppers, or dice up and add to filling.

In a large mixing bowl; combine ground beef, cornbread mix, corn, beans, chili powder, cumin, salsa and milk. Stuff each pepper, leaving ¼” space from top.

Place the stuffed peppers inside a round baking dish; they should be able to stand, and hold each other, upright. Combine salt with water and pour into bottom of dish, but not over the tops of the peppers; cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 40 minutes; uncover and bake additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Think Hot Sides for a Barbequed Meal

As the weather gets warmer, barbeques and smokers come rolling out; and so do the recipe books. However, one of the mistakes, well I think it's one, is that cold side dishes are always being served. Potato and macaroni salads, cold cole slaw; ok, maybe baked beans make a showing, but not always.

Well lets put a twist in them old knickers and consider some hot sides for those hot burgers, brats and ribs. First we're gonna turn cold cold slaw upside down, and heat it up a bit.

Hot Slaw

Ingredients:
1 small head white cabbage shredded
1 small head red cabbage shredded
3 carrots cleaned and grated
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup water
2 cups sweet onion relish (jarred or homemade)

Preparation:
In large skillet, on medium heat, mix together the cabbage and carrots, but do not let the vegetables get limp or burned; approximately 5 minutes on heat. Add the brown sugar, water and relish; mix thoroughly, remove from heat and serve.

Makes 8 servings.

If you can't find the jarred sweet onion relish, than try my
Sweet Onion Relish recipe .

Now this second recipe is one I learned about when living in New York; the majority of folks, in the areas I lived in, were either of Italian or Hebrew descent. My mom had sent me to a daycamp, managed by some wonderful Jewish people, and when we had sandwich day for lunch, "Noodle Kugel" was served as a hot side. It was sweet and savory, and oh so delicious.

Noodle Kugel with Raisins

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) package wide egg noodles, cooked and drained.
½ cup sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon plus ½ tsp
1 Tbsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
½ cup raisins
½ cup butter; cut into small pieces and divided in half

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 2 qt round casserole dish with nonstick spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the noodles with sugar, 1 Tbsp cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, raisins and ¼ cup of cut up butter. Spoon mixture into casserole dish; sprinkle ½ tsp cinnamon and other ¼ cup of cut up butter over top.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes; serve hot.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Mary Cokenour
April 14, 1985

The Best little Diner in Moab.

Moab Diner and Ice Cream Shoppe

189 S. Main
Moab, UT, 84532

(435)259-4006
Fax: (435) 259-0198

Website: http://www.moabdiner.com/

The Moab Diner is just that, a diner, nothing overly fancy or pretentious; just a nice, little place where locals and tourists can enjoy a good meal. The wait staff is friendly, always making sure your coffee cup is full; prices are reasonable, and the menu has something for everyone,

We enjoy the breakfasts, and the Sweetwater Skillet smothered in their own green chile sauce is out of this world; the omelets are packed and the pancakes are fluffy.

Kokopelli Chicken is a specialty - Spanish seasonings on grilled chicken breast, smothered in cheese and the green chile sauce. Have I mentioned how good their green chile sauce is; I'm not kidding about that. This dish is available for lunch and dinner.

There is a small ice cream shoppe at the front counter; and if you're going picnicking, hiking or just sight seeing, a boxed lunch can be packed up for you.

If you're looking for simple and delicious, try out the Moab Diner.

Mary Cokenour

Pot Roast; it's not that complicated

Pot Roast is the type of meal that is easy to make, comforting to eat, and a complete one pot meal; no simpler way to state it. It certainly comes in handy when working on home projects, and stopping to make dinner doesn't get much time on the schedule. With the invention of the crock pot, or slow cooker as some refer to it, ingredients can go inside in the morning, and a full meal is ready to eat at dinnr. Maybe a couple of items need a quick see to, but it doesn't really take up too much time to finish up that meal before serving it.

So, with that being said, I'm off to helping hubby with our next project; putting up wood faux tiles on the walls of his art studio. Oh boy, just heard another crash, and a few choice words are erupting from his mouth.

Bye.......

Pot Roast

Ingredients:
2 cups beef stock
1(14 oz) bag frozen sliced carrots
1 (10 oz) bag frozen pearl onions
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp Thai chili sauce
4 lb rump or sirloin roast; trim off fat
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
2 lb bag Fingerling potatoes
water
1 Tbsp salt
3 Tbsp flour

Preparation:
In a 6 qt crock pot, set on low, combine beef stock, carrots, onions, garlic, black pepper, ½ tsp salt and chili sauce. Place roast into mixture; spread mushrooms and tomatoes over roast. Cover and cook for 10 hours.

A half hour before roast is done, put potatoes in large stock pot, cover with water, add 1 Tbsp salt and cook for 20-25 minutes; until fork tender. Drain. Remove the roast from the crock pot to rest and increase heat setting to high; add the flour, stir and break up any lumps in flour; add in the drained potatoes, cover and let cook for 10 minutes; stir.

Turn off crock pot, slice roast and immerse in thickened gravy; serve.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

I wanna be lazy, but just can't do it.

I want to do it, use those convenience dinner kits in a box, but just can't do it. Did you ever read the ingredient label? I need a degree in science, or Latin, to decipher most of it. Thinking about it, how hard could it really be to make from scratch, what can be produced from a box?

Ok, so I have chicken, now what do I want to do with it? Alfredo? Don't want to be whisking sauce on the stovetop. Spicy? Just not in the mood for that taste. Chili? Already made my Sirloin Beef Chili last weekend, let's not be too boring about it. So I dig around in the fridge and freezer, pull out bags of this or that, lay it out on the counter and plot.

After some sauteing,boiling, mixing and a final baking; you know what? I did much better than any of those boxed meals. Yeah, I knew I could from the get-go, but it's always an ego boost to prove yourself right.

Enjoy!

Two Cheese Chicken Noodle Bake

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1” pieces
1 cup diced red bell pepper
½ cup diced onion
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp each of salt and garlic powder
1 (16 oz) package wide egg noodles
1 (16 oz) package frozen peas
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 (10.5 oz) cans cream of chicken soup
1 ½ cups milk
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 3 qt casserole dish with nonstick spray.

In a large skillet, medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and brown the chicken pieces; halfway through, add bell pepper, onion, black pepper, salt and garlic powder; mix and continue to brown chicken. While chicken is cooking, prepare egg noodles.

In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken mixture, cooked noodles, peas, Parmesan, soup and milk; pour into casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes; uncover, spread cheddar cheese evenly over top and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Mary Cokenour
April 30, 2011