Spring Time Lemon Yogurt Cake

So last night I was watching Cutthroat Kitchen, my favorite food network show, and they had to make their take on a lemon bar. If you watch that show, you would know that they have the ability to sabotage others to try and beat them. In the final round it will usually get pretty funny. I like it because it shows how good the chefs really are, not just how well they can cook. In this episode, there were two guys, one of whom had $20,000, and the other had $4,000. So obviously the guy with $20,000 was going to buy most of the sabotages because he had more money than the other so he could outbid him on the items. When they started making the lemon bars, Alton brought out a fake tree and replaced the loser's basket of items with the tree which had the ingredients inside little lemon juice bottles. This just got me wondering what other lemon cakes and things would be good for the 'entering March' time of year. I started to surf the web and I came across this recipe on Food Network, and it is for a lemon yogurt cake. I was, and am, really in the mood for lemon-y things at the moment, and so this recipe was perfect!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 extra-large eggs
3 tsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pure vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF
Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2 inch loaf pan.
Line the bottom with parchment paper.
Grease and four the pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup of sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla.
Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter,making sure it's all incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake fro about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes clean.
While the cake is baking, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear.
Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan.
While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in.
Cool.
For the glaze, combine the confectioner's sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Image Curtesy of Barefoot Contessa

Not British But Irish Soda Bread

Since last week I gave you guys a little bit of my Britishness, I figured a would give you another recipe from my heritage, so here goes. This one's Irish. So since I happen to be British, when I make British foods they have to be perfect because I am British and otherwise I would be disgracing my country by not making the food correctly. But, since this is technically IRISH soda bread, it doesn't have to be made entirely perfectly by me on my first couple of tries at making it... right? I don't know about you, but when I originally stumbled across this recipe I was all like "What in the world is soda bread?" and what I found is that soda bread is, by definition:

"bread leavened with baking soda." 

So since we now know that it is made from baking soda, I can give you the recipe and you can try out the recipe for yourself!

Ingredients:

4 to 4 1/2 cups flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup currants or raisins
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cups buttermilk

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425ºF
Whisk together 4 cups of flour, the sugar, the salt, and the baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
Using your hands, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add in the currants or raisins.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the beaten egg and the buttermilk to the well and mix in with a wooden spoon until the dough is too stiff to stir.
Dust your hands with a little flour, then gently knead the dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball.
If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour, and make sure not to over knead.
Put the dough on a lightly floured surface, and shape it into a round loaf.
The dough will be quite sticky, and flakey.
Work the dough just enough so that the flour is just moistened and the dough just barely comes together.
If over kneaded, the bread will be tough.
Transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or baking sheet.
Using a serrated knife, sore the top of the dough
about an inch and and a half deep in an X-shape (This helps to get heat into the center of the dough while it cooks).

This is what it should look like in the pan before it goes into the oven
Image courtesy of Bay Area Bites

Put it in the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
Remove the bread from the oven and allow to sit in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pan and place on a rack to cool briefly.
Serve it warm, room temperature, or toasted and buttered, but it is best eaten when it is warm and freshly baked.
Enjoy! :)

Image courtesy of Chinese Grandma

Beautifully Buttery Buttermilk Scones (And Also A lesson On How To Make A Proper Black Tea)

So as you may know if you have ever met me, I am British, which means that I have some habits that are different to y'all Americans. First, I drink tea. Lots of it. I have kind of stopped drinking tea ever since I went on a Paleo diet. As you know, a paleo diet cuts out milk, and in my tea, I drink English Breakfast Tea from Trader Joe's (my mother's favorite place to shop for food) and I boil the kettle (something my mother also loves to shop for), and then I pour the boiling water over the tea bag, and let it brew for maybe a couple minutes (maybe a longer or shorter time depending on how strong you like your tea). Once it has brewed, take the the tea bag out and pour in the milk. I usually put in enough for the tea to turn a beige-ish color. Anyway, now that y'all know how to make a proper black tea, How about I tell you how to make a scone. Hang on a sec, first let me tell you why I chose to write about scones. So my grandma came to stay with us a couple weeks ago, yes a couple weeks ago and yes, she is STILL HERE. Anyways, she came up to me and my older sister Charlotte last weekend and said "So it is mothers day on Sunday (that is not the American mother's day, the British one), so you guys should do something nice!" So then on mother's day, that Sunday, I didn't go skiing because I had to do a spanish project for Mrs. Aplanalp and when I went home my sister Charlotte was there because she drove home from the resort (she finally turned 16!) and so she wanted to make scones. Once they were done I ate one and thought that they were really good and decided to share the recipe with you.
So after you have now read this super long paragraph where I explained maybe too many things, here is your well deserved recipe by one of my favorite chefs, Delia Smith:

Ingredients (makes about 10 scones):

2-3 tablespoons of buttermilk (plus some extra for brushing the tops)
8 ounces (225 grams) of self raising flour, plus a little extra for dusting
A pinch of salt
3 ounces (75 grams) of butter at room temperature
1 1/2 ounces (40 grams) of golden caster sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425ºFarenheit.
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and then rub the butter gently into the mixture. Do this until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
Next add the sugar.
Now, you will want to beat the egg and 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk together and begin to add this to the rest of the mixture using a palette knife.
Once it begins to come together, finish it off with your hands (it should be soft, but not sticky).
Once the dough has been formed into a ball, put it onto a lightly floured surface, and roll it out into a circle that is no less than 1 inch thick.
Cut out the scones by placing the cutter onto the dough and giving it a sharp tap, but make sure that you don't twist it and you just lift it up and push the dough out.
Once you can no longer cut another scone out, roll the remaining dough into a ball and roll it out so that it is 1 inch thick again.
Continue this process until it is no longer possible to cut out anymore scones.
Place the scones onto a baking tray and brush them lightly with the buttermilk and dust with  little bit of flour.
Bake them on the top shelf for 10-12 minutes, or until they are well risen and golden brown.
When you take them out of the oven, place them on a wire rack to cool.

Image courtesy of Tales From A Happy House

A Morning Snack You Would Usually Think Is Normal But Is Not, P.S. It is a smoothie, SHHHH...

So I recently decided to go on a paleo diet which is one that includes fruits veggies and meats, but does not allow you to eat anything that has sugar, gluten, legumes, dairy, or processed foods. I know, I know, it sounds like I have lost my mind by deciding to go on a diet, and honestly I think that I have. I felt the need to try out different 'ways of eating' as my mom would say. The reason I chose to go on a paleo diet was because of the science fair. My friend Mikelle did a paleo diet for her science fair project in biology and how the det affected facial acne, and it had a really positive impact. I decided to try it out and maybe test that theory. So anyways, that is how we got here to me telling you about how I decided to go on a paleo diet and blogging about it. Now that we are through me explaining why in the world I would want to eat healthily, how about I tell you about this smoothie. The reason that it is not normal but would seem normal is because it looks like a regular smoothie, but if you look at the ingredients, it isn't. It is healthy! woah... The other crazy thing is, that it also tastes good! I got this recipe from a website that I have recently discovered called Paleo Porn, and they have tons of great paleo snacks. So, now that I have got you all worked up for this delicious, and healthy, smoothie, here is your recipe.

Ingredients:

10 ounces of frozen organic whole blackberries
1/4 cup of blanched almonds
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 can of unsweetened full-fat organic coconut milk

Method:

Add the blackberries to a blender and blitz for 5-10 seconds
Add the almonds and process until the nuts are chopped
Add the cinnamon and coconut milk and process, stopping to scrape down the sides until smooth
Pour into glasses and serve
Enjoy! :)

Image Courtesy of Paleo Porn

The More Unique Combination For Your Yogurt in the Mornings (Also Makes Granola)

So I was getting ready for school very early the other morning, but the only problem was that I could not find anything that I wanted to eat at 6 A.M. I did not remotely want to eat cereal, for I had eaten cereal for the past week. I mean, come on, who wants to eat the same thing every single day for breakfast. I get it, yea you will eat a new cereal for a couple of days, then you might switch to an english muffin, but if you just have cereal everyday, it gets to be that you dread breakfast time, so you kind of end up just going without any breakfast. But, with this new recipe, it will give you another thing to add to your selection of breakfast choices. This version of yogurt is not actually the most interesting, for I am sure that you would be able to find another one that had chocolate on the top and told you how to put honey on it to make the shape of s bear or something crazily ridiculous like that. This yogurt is just a normal yogurt, but with some little twists on it that allrecipes came up with.

Ingredients:

5 cups of old fashioned oats
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of flaked coconut
1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of raisins (any dried fruit can be substituted for the raisins)
1/2 cup of sliced almonds
1 tub of yogurt.

Method:

Preheat the oven (yes, you have to preheat the oven) to 325ºF.

Mix the oats, brown sugar, flaked coconut, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg together in a large bowl.Stir the water, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract into the oats mixture; spread the mixture onto a baking sheet.

Bake this mixture of oats and other assortments in the preheated oven for about an hour, stirring the oats every 15 minutes or so until they are a nice golden brown color and are nice and crunchy. Transfer them to a bowl. Stir in the raisins and sliced almonds.
If you do not want to add yogurt, then here is the place to stop. You have made a delicious granola that can be used in all sorts of ways.

The next step is to add in the yogurt. Take whatever portion of yogurt you would like to eat that morning, I usually like about 3 piled tablespoons, and pour however much of your freshly made granola you would like over the top. Stir it in and Voila, your breakfast is complete!

Image Curtesy of Red Tricycle

This delicious way to have a new breakfast that is not at all as boring as eating cereal every morning at 6 A.M. before school is a great way to stay healthy and stay fit! For more delicious ways to enjoy your breakfast and every other meal of the day, check back to themoodfoods for more expert tips and recipes!

The Totally Not Boring Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

So I know when you read the title you totally just wanted to read this recipe about totally not boring oatmeal chocolate chip cookies right, and I'm not sorry to say that I won't let you down.  This cookie is not only delicious, but it is also, wait for it, totally not boring! When you make this totally not boring, and delicious, oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, you will feel the flavors explode in your mouth. As Remy tells his brother Emile in Ratatouille,
Remy: I have got to to teach you about food. Close your eyes.
            Now take a bite of . . .  No! No! No!
            Don't just hork it down!
Emile: Too late.
Remy: Here.
            Chew it slowly.
            Only think about the taste.
            See?
Emile: Not Really.
Remy: Creamy, salty sweet, an oaky nuttiness.
            You detect that?
Emile: Oh, I'm detecting nuttiness.
Remy: Close your eyes. Now taste this.
            Whole different thing right?
            Sweet, crisp, slight tang on the finish.
Although Ratatouille is just a cartoon, Remy does make some good points about how you need to enjoy the food as you eat because, too many a time, we have just guzzled down a cookie in less than 30 seconds as Emile does, and never end up actually tasting the flavors. S I hope you enjoy these cookies, and taste every flavor of the oatmeal, and chocolate chips in this cookie.


Ingredients:

2 cups (10 oz) of all-purpose flower]
1 teaspoon of baking soda
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup (8 oz/2sticks) of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (7 oz) of granulated sugar
1 cup (7 oz) of packed light brown sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 3/4 (9 oz) of rolled oats
1 cup (6 oz) of bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup (6 oz) of milk chocolate chips or chunks

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Measure the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and whisk it to combine.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on the medium speed for 3-5 minutes, until lighter in color and fluffy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl several times during the process.

While the mixer is running, crack the eggs into a liquid measuring cup and add the vanilla extract. Reduce the speed to low and then slowly pour in the eggs, letting them fall in one at a time and incorporating the first one entirely before adding the next.Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once during the process.

Gradually add the dry ingredients (in 2-3 additions) with the mixer on low speed. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once to fully incorporate the butter and sugar. Combine the oats and chocolate in the same bowl used for the dry ingredients, then add them to the dough with the mixer on low speed, mixing just until everything is well distributed. (Sometimes it is easier to finish mixing with a rubber spatula.)

Scoop the dough into balls the size of ping pong balls. Place the dough balls onto the prepared pans (about 6 per pan), then press them into 1/2 inch thick disks.

Bake them for 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. The edges of the cookies should be golden brown, while the centers will appear blonde and slightly underdone.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets.

Image Curtesy of Inspired2cook

I hope you enjoyed making, (and eating) your totally not boring oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! For more expert tips and delicious recipes, check back next week at themoodfoods!

Hayley's Fail Safe Cake (For Idiots Who Can't Cook)

So I was looking for a recipe in the 'cupboard of cookbooks' in my house, and I suddenly remembered this cake. It was (and is) one of my all time favorites for a birthday, and also any other time. One time, we made this cake using one big round tin, then we cut it in half to be able to make it a layer cake. We made this delicious whipped cream icing that we had fresh whipped from some heavy whipping cream, and then spread it around both halves of the cake. Once we had covered the bottom piece, we layered cut up strawberries and raspberries and blueberries around the inside of the cake. We then put the top piece of the cake on top of that and covered it in our whipped cream icing and the covered the top of that with the fruits. I remember making it with my mom a few years ago, and thinking that it was the best cake in the world for two reasons. 1.) It was the easiest birthday cake/holiday cake to make in the whole world. As the title of the cake says, it is fail safe, I mean even the guys in Dumb and Dumber could make this cake without screwing it up.  2.) It does not take too long to cook. It only takes about 30-35 minutes to cook! I made a cake the other day and it had to cook for 2 1/2 hours! That is crazy long!  3.) It tastes delicious.
This cake will also only take you about 10 minutes of prep time so, lets get started!

Image Curtesy of Emoji Stickers

The Ingredients (will make 50 mini cupcakes):

3 Eggs
The Same Weight of Sugar
The Same Weight of Softened Butter
The Same Weight of Self-Rising Flour
1 Tablespoon of Water

The Method:

Preheat the oven to 325º Fahrenheit.
Weigh 3 eggs on a scale, then set them aside. Add the same weight as the eggs in sugar and softened butter. Slowly beat them together.
When mixed, add in the 3 eggs, and then the same weight of self-rising flour. Mix together the mixture and once it is mixed, add the 1 tablespoon of water. Mix.
Once the batter is complete and mixed, pour it into a lined tin of your choice. This could be a round tin for making round cakes, or it could be 2 smaller round tins so you can stack the cake to make a layer cake, or it could be a bread loaf tin.
Put it in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
To test if it is ready, stab a sharp knife into the cake. If it comes out clean, then it is finished. If it has still got batter stuck to it, then it needs another 5 minutes in the oven.

If you enjoyed making (and eating) this cake, then be sure to check back here to themoodfoods next week for more delicious recipes on how to be great great chef that can make and create delicious meals which can be served at any time.

Image Curtesy of Sugar Bakery & Cafe