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Saturday, October 24, 2015

Hummingbird Cake





This is the most requested recipe in Southern Living magazine history. Except we didn't we didn't use that recipe - but still hummingbird cake you figure. We chose one that seemed to use a little less oil. You should make this one.



Research:

We used the recipe for hummingbird cake from MyRecipes



Ingredients:

3 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
3 large eggs beaten
1 cup vegetable oil (we used safflower oil)
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-8 ounce can of crushed pineapple undrained
1 cup of chopped pecans
2 cups of chopped bananas

Cream cheese Frosting

0.5 cup chopped pecans
9 ounce cream cheese softened
0.5 cups butter softened
16 ounce powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Plan:

Follow along as we make it. Lots of steps but easy as cake.


Execution:

Combine first 5 ingredients


Add eggs and oil slowly until ingredients are moist


Then add bananas, pineapple, 1 cup of nuts, vanilla


Stir in. Don't use a mixer. Don't over mix.


Pour into 3 greased and floured pans



Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Remove when the toothpick comes out clean.




Whip up the icing. Simply beat the wet ingredients while slowly adding the sugar


Don't let the cat eat the frosting


After the cake cools, frost the cake.


Then sprinkle the remaining crushed nuts on top.



Verdict:

Even though I am not a fan of bananas this is excellent. It was a big hit. Loved the nuts.









We would love it if you would drop us a note in the comment section and let us know how your cook went. We are always looking for suggestions and improvements! We have opened up the comments so that anyone can post now, so please do. I'll try not to delete anything unless it is spam or stabs me in the heart.



Please help support our site, buy something you like on Amazon. Simply click through the links below and though you can pick anything, I suggest the thermometer and knives below:


So apparently Thermoworks doesn't sell through Amazon anymore. You must buy direct. Still the thermometer to have. Go here and order direct. 

Aaron Franklin's Favorite trimming knife:

Dexter-Russell (S131F-6PCP) - 6" Boning Knife - Sani-Safe Series

Aaron Franklin's Favorite Brisket cutting/serving knife:

Sani-Safe S140-12SC-PCP 12" Scalloped Roast Slicer


Friday, October 16, 2015

Rice. Really, just plain rice.


I know what you are thinking. Is there anything easier or more boring to make than rice? Boiling water and rice until soft and fluffy. Maybe a little salt. Yes, I hear you. That is what I thought too. However, this is one of those life improvement posts that you will thank me for. Behold internet people, I give you the Zojirushi.





Research:

I did a lot of research to find a rice cooker that would result in a consistently great rice. We've tried the standard rice, instant rice, rice in a bag, microwave, french method, etc. Every time, it came out different and usually not that great.

So we went looking for a rice cooker. Lo, I present to you the Zojirushi. Pronounced ZOE-ROOSH-EE

Ingredients:

Rice
Water


Plan:

Make rice that turns out consistently great.


Execution:

The Zojirushi takes rice cooking seriously. It has instructions for a variety of rice types but for our purposes we are going to make plain white rice.

First, it turns out you need to rinse your rice people. Zojirushi recommends that you measure your rice (the amount you want to make) using the provided measuring cup. Once you have the amount correct, add water to the bowl and agitate the rice in the water with your hand 20 times then empty the water and add more. Repeat this for 3 minutes.

This eliminates some of the gluten dust that is in the rice as a by product of the refining process.



Once you have clean wet rice you use the measuring marks on the cooker bowl to add water until the combination of the rice and the water reaches the measuring mark.

For example. To make one cup, you measure one cup of dry rice with the provided measuring cup and then (after washing) add water to the bowl until both the measured rice and the water reach the white rice 1 cup marker.



Then it is as simple as closing the lid and hitting the start button. Let the cooker do the work. It takes about 40 minutes or so to let it do it's magic.





After cooking the Zojirushi plays a clever little tune and voila! perfect rice!




Verdict:

It really does make perfect rice every time. If you struggle with the mundane art of making rice like we did, I recommend the Zojirushi. One less thing to worry about.

You too can buy it on amazon with this link:

Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 5-1/2-Cup (Uncooked) Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker and Warmer, Premium White, 1.0-Liter






We would love it if you would drop us a note in the comment section and let us know how your cook went. We are always looking for suggestions and improvements! We have opened up the comments so that anyone can post now, so please do. I'll try not to delete anything unless it is spam or stabs me in the heart.



Please help support our site, buy something you like on Amazon. Simply click through the links below and though you can pick anything, I suggest the thermometer and knives below:


So apparently Thermoworks doesn't sell through Amazon anymore. You must buy direct. Still the thermometer to have. Go here and order direct. 

Aaron Franklin's Favorite trimming knife:

Dexter-Russell (S131F-6PCP) - 6" Boning Knife - Sani-Safe Series

Aaron Franklin's Favorite Brisket cutting/serving knife:

Sani-Safe S140-12SC-PCP 12" Scalloped Roast Slicer



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