Tres Leches Cake

Ingredients
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Salt
5 whole Eggs
1 cup Sugar, Divided
1 teaspoon Vanilla
⅓ cups Milk
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
¼ cups Heavy Cream

FOR THE ICING:
1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
3 Tablespoons Sugar

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.
Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.
Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.
Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

Source w/ step-by-step pictures at The Pioneer Woman

Enchilada Casserole

Enchilada Casserole

I got this recipe from my brother and modified it to suit my taste.  It is a hefty dinner item and recipe makes enough for about 12-15 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 28 oz can of hot enchilada sauce
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 jalapeno with seeds and veins removed; finely diced
• 1 tbsp + 1 cup (for garnish) chopped cilantro
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 package of white corn tortillas
• 1 15.5 oz can of black beans rinsed and drained
• 1 15.25 oz can of corn drained
• 1 large brown onion diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper diced
•  1 large bag of shredded Kraft Mexican cheese
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp  garlic powder
• 1/2 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt 
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Cotija cheese for garnish

Directions

• Preheat oven at 325 degrees.
• Mix chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper into ground turkey and until mixed.
• Saute onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno until soft.  Set aside.
• Brown ground turkey until just cooked and remove from heat.  Mix turkey with sauteed onion and bell pepper with 1 tbsp cilantro.
• Mix tomato pasted and enchilada sauce and heat over medium heat until thoroughly mixed and just before mixture boils.
• In a dutch oven, add a ladle the enchilada mixture to the bottom.  Add a layer of corn tortillas, black beans, corn, turkey mixture, cheese, and enchilada mixture.  Repeat for about 5-7 layers.  
• Top final layer with corn tortillas ad cover with the remaining enchilada mixture covering all tortillas.  Top with a final of cheese.
• Put lid on dutch oven and put into oven.
• Bake for 1 hour and lower the temperature to 300 and bake for another hour.
• Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Cut into individual servings and top with cilantro and sprinkle with Cotija cheese.

Horchata

Had Mexican one night and we had to have some Horchata to wash everything down.  I adapted this reciped from Lola's Horchata recipe (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lolas-horchata/), but made a few modifications to suit my taste.  The Horchata turned out delicious; not too sweet with the taste of cinnamon.

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked white short grain rice
5 cups water
1/2 cup milk (I used lowfat 1% milk, but your can use whole milk for a richer taste)
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup white sugar

Directions

• Pour the rice, cinnamon, and water into a blender; blend until the rice breaks up, about 1 minute. Let mixture stand at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours.  (I left mine at room temperature for 2 hours and then in the refrigerator overnight).
• Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard the rice. (I strained mine first using a wire strainer to remove the rice, and then again with a cheese clothe in the strainer to remove the remaining sediment)
• Stir the milk, vanilla, and sugar into the rice water until sugar is dissolved.
• Chill and stir before serving over ice.

French Yogurt Cake

Got this straight out of Bon Appetit and it is a yummy cake. I convinced Thi to make it and she did. Not too sweet with a slight hint of lemon.
(Bon Appetit May 2012)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon zest, finely grated
3/4 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat a standard (8 1/2 x 4 1/4") loaf pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Dust with flour; tap out excess.
Whisk 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, and 3/4 tsp. kosher salt in a medium bowl.
Using your fingers, rub 1 cup sugar with 1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest in a large bowl until sugar is moist.
Add 3/4 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract; whisk to blend.
Fold in dry ingredients just to blend.
Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top.
Bake until top of cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes.
Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
Invert onto rack; let cool completely.


DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead.  Store airtight at room temperature.

Chi's Banana Muffins

I loved this recipe and so does the kids! Applesauce and yogurt makes this so moist and makes you feel it's healthy too! I only had nonfat Greek yogurt at home and it worked out fine. (I halved this recipe and got 23 standard muffins. I also omitted the nuts)

Ingredients:

3½ Cups flour
2.5 Cups sugar (I used half brown sugar and half white sugar)
1 Teaspoon salt
2 Teaspoon baking soda
2 Sticks butter (softened)
½ Cup of applesauce
½ Cup of plain yogurt
4 Eggs
1 Teaspoon vanilla
5 Tablespoons of butter milk
*Substitution: 1 Cup of a milk and lemon (1 whole) mix
1½ Cup nuts of choice (optional)
5 Bananas or 2 Cups (mashed up)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all wet ingredients except bananas in a large bowl.
Sift dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients in portions. When the batter is all mixed
up, fold in mashed bananas.
Pour into muffin pan and bake at about 20 minutes or until
toothpick comes out clean. Or you can bake in a loaf for about an hour.