Chocolate Lava Cake

Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

Grease your ramikins, molds, or any other oven safe container you want to use. Dust the molds with cocoa powder, tapping off any excess.

10 oz dark chocolate

8 oz unsalted butter

Melt together in either the microwave or over a double broiler on stove (never over direct heat). You want to melt the two together slowly to prevent scorching and burning. Cool to room tempeture

6 large eggs

6 large egg yolks

3 cups powdered sugar

Whisk together either by hand or with an electric or stand mixer until it turns pale and fluffy, should take 2 or 3 minutes.

Combine the chocolate and butter mixture with the fluffy egg/sugar mixture and fold the two together.

1 cup all-purpose flour

Fold into the above mixture.

Fill your greased and powdered ramikins 3/4 of the way full and bake for 8-10 minutes depending on your oven tempeture. You want to deliberitly undercook the cake so you get that molten center when you cut into it. After taking your cake/cakes out of the oven you will want to let them cool for a minute or two. From there either eat them right out of your molds, or flip them over onto a plate and enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

There is nothing better than coming home to a nice warm house, filled with the sweet scents of lemons and sugar. It warms your soul and eases your mind, and after a long day of caring for everyone else around you, it is the perfect treat to end your day with. Go ahead, make a pot of tea, and relax. Treat yourself to something delicious.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

4 tsp poppy seeds

1/2 cup milk

the juice and zest of one large lemon

Pre-heat oven to 350 degree's Fahrenheit.

Bake time: 25-30 minutes for large muffins.

First off you will need to cream the butter and sugar together. From there we add the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Add your two eggs and poppy seeds, and combine them together. You will then fold in your flour, baking powder, and salt alternating with your milk until all of the ingredients are well combined. Divide the batter evenly in a well greased muffin tin (I like to use muffin cup papers!) and bake until golden brown; approx. 25-30 minutes.

Beet and Goats Cheese Salad

That being said;

Beet and Goats Cheese Salad:

Delicious and nutritious! Here are some quick facts about the health benefits beets can bring to you:

1. The fiber in red beets can help reduce cholesterol

2. Helps regulate your blood pressure

3. Provides an excellent source of iron.

4. Relieves constipation - NO JOKE!

5. They also help relieve headaches, toothaches, and PMS.

So, why don't we eat them more often? Aside from the pickled ones that are abundant at Easter, beets are sadly looked over as one of the best root vegetables out there.

Thankfully, there is a solution. Beef up those salads, kids! A simple beet salad is a great way to still enjoy those leafy greens, without all the fatty extras.

I start by roasting whole beets in about an inch of water and a tablespoon of olive oil. Put them in a pan, cover with parchment paper and aluminum foil, and roast at about 275-300 degrees Fahrenheit for a couple hours -- or until the beets are soft. After they are cooled, the skin should peel right off!

From there, let your imagination run wild. This dish is paired with a baked strudel made with goats cheese all wrapped up on Phyllo Dough, a little arugula and mixed greens salad, and some toasted walnuts. A little balsamic and vinegar to top it off, and you have a healthy, tasty salad that isn't going to bust your waistband.

Healthy; not just tofu and rice cakes

More and more people in our country and around the world are becoming more conscientious about what they eat. In America, our youth has a shorter life expectancy than their parents. That has never happened in our history. More and more children and young adults are developing early diabetes, heart conditions, and arthritis due to obesity. This being said, we are all watching what we eat, trying out all the new fads and diets, and somehow nothing is changing.

Eating healthy doesn't just mean eating tofu burgers and rice cakes. As we all should know by now, eating healthy means limiting the portion size of the foods you already eat, cutting out all that yucky processed junk (like chicken fingers and soda), and being aware of what we actually put into our bodies. The first thing we all have to realize is that it's not all about the pounds we're trying to take off, or the size of our pants. Eating healthy corresponds with BEING healthy, which is ultimately our main goal... To improve our lifestyles, to live longer, happy lives.

So, I have to start by saying; STOP EATING ALL THOSE FATTY SALADS!!!

Yes, a spinach salad packed with tomatoes, broccoli, and carrots is great for you! But be honest, how often do we actually eat our salads that way? Think about every chain restaurant we typical frequent at least once a week. Now think about the portion of salad you get and the ratio of toppings to lettuce. Deep fried tortilla chips, BBQ chicken smothered in sauce, cheese, cheese, cheese... and the dressing? Don't get me started. The majority of these salads are loaded with calories, sodium, and fat.

Lets take Applebee's for example. The Oriental Chicken Salad is one of their top sellers, for good reason (it's delicious!) But when you look at the nutritional facts, the numbers speak for themselves: 1310 Calories, 1470mg Sodium... whew! More than half of the recommended calories you should be consuming in a day. And, yep, that is all of the sodium you should be eating in a day as well.

A better option? Go for the steak! We all love steak, but are too afraid to order it because steak and red meats were once deemed fatty, and bad for you. Think about it, you get an awesome helping of proteins, vitamins, and minerals along with a side of veggies jam packed with nutrients? How can you go wrong. Guys, a 12oz Ribeye is still only 590 Calories! Veggies maybe only will hold 40-60 Calories on average. You're going to get twice the protein, half the fat, half the calories and sodium. That steak is going to fill you up and keep you feeling full longer, which means no late night taco runs!

We all just have to think before we eat, honestly. That tofu might rave about being healthy for you. That is, until you coat it in salt and pepper, and marinate it, and stir fry it with soy sauce. The tofu is acting like a sponge, just soaking up all that sodium. In turn, what was once a healthy selection, has now turned into something you could find on a dollar menu at your favorite fast food chain.

Do your research. Take some time to read menus of your favorite restaurants and make the effort to pick healthier options. And as you can see, you don't have to sacrifice flavor or quality for healthy. In the end, the healthier we eat, the better our bodies will work, run, and keep you happy!

Earl Grey Cupcakes

Recipe for Earl Grey Cupcakes

Line baking pans with grease, parchment, or baking cups and fill with your batter. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes or until done.

Cream together the butter and sugar until well combined, smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs in one at a time, combining until smooth. Grind up the Earl Grey Tea so it becomes a fine consistency, add to the flour. Add half of the flour mixture, then the milk, then the remainder of the flour.

4 1/2 oz unsalted butter

8 1/2 oz granulated sugar

2 whole eggs

12 1/2 oz all-purpose flour

4 1/4 oz milk

1 tbsp Earl Grey Tea (1 tea bag)

Lemon Chess Pie

Recipe for Lemon Chess Pie

Pie Dough:

12 oz unsalted butter

16 oz all purpose flour

pinch salt

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp ice water

Weigh out all of the ingredients and then put in cooler so that they are all the same temperature. Begin by mixing the butter, flour, and salt to almost the cornmeal stage. You are going to want a more mealy bottom crust, so it is okay to not have large chunks of butter in your dough. From there you will add the vinegar and the ice water and kneed by hand until the dough comes together. Chill dough for at least one hour, and up to 24 hours.

When you are ready to roll, pull dough from your cooler and let warm up sightly so that it will be easier to work with. From there roll your dough out to a 1/4 inch thickness and then line your baking pan. I made my crust by cutting strips of pie dough, cutting them into squares and then cross hatching on half and egg-washing/sugaring the other half. Then I alternated the squares, gluing them on with egg wash.

Filling:

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tbsp white cornmeal

1 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all of the ingredients together.

Add the filling to your pie and put the whole pie in the cooler for about an hour. You want the whole pie to be the same temperature so that it cooks at an even speed. I bake my pies in a convection oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes, or until the custard is set in the middle and you have a nice golden top.

Microwave Cakes

Recipe for Chocolate Microwave Cakes

4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp cocoa
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp maple syrup

you can then add things such as:
2 tbsp chocolate chips
2 tbsp blueberries (I used frozen blueberries)
2 tbsp walnuts
2 tbsp peanut butter

or really anything your imagination can dream up.

Combine all of the ingredients together, fill containers (I filled my mini ramekins 3/4's of the way full) and microwave for 2-3 minutes depending on your microwave temperature.

I made my cakes with chopped walnuts, and they turned out very tasty.

I also had made another kind in the past where I topped it with jam. The possibilities are endless, and it really is fun experimenting with all kinds of different flavor combinations. The best part is, they only take 5 minutes to make so you can make all kinds of cakes in a short amount of time!