CARROT CAKE with Tofutti Cream Cheese Icing

When the family food snob (we all know who you are Kevin) was asked to judge between Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and 'Philly' Cream Cheese icing for this cake, we blindfolded him and assembled witnesses. He choose Tofutti! Three cheers for the lactose-intolerance team!

Preheat oven 300 degrees. Prepare 13x9" sheet cake pan with light oil coating then dust with flour.

In medium mixing bowl combine:
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups oil
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Blend for 2 minutes

In separate bowl, add:
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking soda
Mix dry ingredients until well blended. Then add the egg-sugar mixture, beating for about 1 minute and scraping the bowl often.

With a wooden spoon, fold in:
3 cups finely grated fresh carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (pecans work as well)

Pour mixture into cake pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes if using a corning dish. If using metal cake pan, check cake after an hour and adjust remaining minutes if needed.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8oz Tofutti cream cheese or soft cream cheese such as Philly Brand
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter
2 cups confectionery sugar (less if using dairy cheese)

Blend all of the ingredients well and frost the cake once it has cooled to touch.

SEA BASS PROVENCAL

If you are fortunate enough to have fresh sea bass, halibut or yellowtail, you will love the way this recipe brings out the light tenderness of the fish. This dish is especially delicious with homegrown tomatoes and basil.

Ingredients
4 6-8 oz sea bass fillets (halibut or yellowtail work as well)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon pepper

Clean and pat dry the fillets. Rub lemon pepper over fish, lightly salt and dredge in flour.

Prepare the following before frying the fish:
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 shallots, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup clam juice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh basil chopped and divided into 2 equal parts
1/2 cup Kalamata (or black) olives, pitted and chopped
4 fresh plum tomatoes seeded and diced or 1 cup can diced tomatoes, drained

Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in heavy skillet on medium heat. Add fish cooking 3 to 4 minutes per side depending on thickness. Be careful not to overcook. When still just a little pink inside, transfer to warm platter, cover and keep warm. The fish will continue to cook a few minutes on the warm platter.
Add remaining oil(2 tablespoons) to the skillet with shallots and red pepper flakes to saute' for 2 minutes until shallots are soft. Mix in 1/4 cup basil, tomatoes, capers, olives, then add clam juice and wine. Boil about 4 minutes or until sauce thickens. Spoon over fillets. Serve immediately with rice, couscous or angel hair pasta.

Angel Hair Pasta with Clam Marinara Sauce

What could be easier? Heat the sauce, follow the few tricks adding the ingredients, boil the pasta, pour the wine and voila!
We like to use Classico's Spicy Red Pepper Sauce as it has just the right amount of tang for the clams. Using one can of minced and one can of chopped clams, adds more texture to the sauce. We order by the case from Amazon. Snow's Clams, Minced, 6.5-Ounce Cans (Pack of 24)

Have on hand:
pasta cooker or large kettle
pasta strainer
large skillet or saucepan

Ingredients
1 lg jar of Classico Spicy Red Pepper Sauce (or similar)
2 teaspoons Reese's Anchovy Paste
2 teaspoons Oregano
1/2 cup to one whole bottle of clam juice (opt)
1 can chopped clams + juice
1 can minced clams + juice
Shake some red pepper flakes into sauce (opt - to taste)
Parmesan and/or Romano Cheese

But wait! Don't put the clams in until the very last minute! Doing so will keep them from getting rubbery and tasteless. Simmer the sauce with anchovy paste, the clam juice from the canned clams PLUS the extra 1/2 cup clam juice, and oregano. The more clam juice you add, the longer it will take the sauce to reduce into a slightly thick consistency. It's a longer wait - maybe 30 minutes vs 15-20, but worth it!
Boil the angel hair pasta for 4 minutes. Add the clams to the sauce just before serving. Drain pasta, and ladle with generous servings of sauce. A warm merlot or cabernet savignon complements the spicy sauce and accentuates the clams.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Since the 1920’s pineapple upside down cake has been a summer favorite, as pineapple is the sweetest when harvested late summer after months of warm weather. After having tried many recipes, I decided to take the best of the best and come up with my own. Using fresh pineapple will guarantee the tastiest result. This cake is light and a bit spongy to soak up the syrup and rum. The cardamom complements the sweetness with just a hint of an earthy, exotic tang. Try as many as 3 teaspoons if you like it!

For topping
½ to ¾ fresh pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored
¾ stick unsalted butter (6 Tablespoons)

¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar

For cake
1 ½ Teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ Tablespoon dark rum

¾ cup coconut milk or regular milk
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 to 2 Teaspoons ground cardamom

½ to 1 Teaspoon cinnamon – optional
2 Teaspoons baking powder
¼ Teaspoon salt

¾ stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons dark rum for sprinkling over cake – optional

Special equipment: a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Make topping:
Slice pineapple crosswise into ¼ to 3/8-inch-thick pieces and set aside. Melt butter in skillet. Add granulated and brown sugars and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Arrange as many pineapple slices on top of sugar mixture as possible overlapping pieces and filling in gaps. You can also place pecans in the gaps.

Make batter:
Blend together coconut milk, rum and vanilla and set aside. Sift together flour, cardamom, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt, setting aside. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar. Beat on high for 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add a third of flour mixture alternately with a third of the milk/rum mix into the butter and egg while beating on low speed just until all blended.

Spread batter evenly over pineapple topping in the skillet. Bake cake until the center springs back and a tester comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes. Let cake cool on wire rack in skillet for 10 - 15 minutes. Tap the pan on a work surface to loosen the topping. Invert skillet over a cake plate keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together. Lift off the pan and replace any pineapple stuck to bottom of skillet. Sprinkle rum over cake and cool for 30 minutes before serving. Best served slightly warm or at room temperature.

Fiesta Salad

Tantalizing and vibrant, this salad will refresh and nourish everyone on a hot summer’s day. Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:
1 can whole corn, rinsed or 1 ½ cup fresh corn
1 cup black beans, rinsed well (more if you like!)
4 green onions, diced
1 jalapeno or sarreno pepper, minced
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
1 orange or red bell pepper, seeded, chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 lime, juiced
1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
½ Teaspoon garlic salt
1 ½ Tablespoon pimentos (opt)
¼ Teaspoon red pepper flakes (opt)

Rinse beans and corn well, and toss in a large bowl with all the remaining ingredients!

Spicy Sausage & Shrimp File' Gumbo

Cajun and Creole chefs use file' powder , (pronounced fee-lay) made from the dried leaves of the sassafrass tree, or okra to thicken the gumbo. We like to use Zatarain's file' powder, found in the spice or seafood seasoning section of most large grocers.

Amazon shoppers can find Tony Chachere's Creole Gumbo File' (powder) - 1.25 oz

Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive, grapeseed, canola OR peanut oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 bell peppers
2 jalepeno, serano or 1 habanero pepper(s)
2 celery stalks with leaves
4 green onions
3 garlic cloves
6 cups chicken broth
1 35oz can whole tomatoes in juice
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsly or cilantro
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and/or cayenne pepper
1 1/4 lbs Italian sausage, or fresh chorizo sausage cut in 1" pieces
1 generous Tablespoon file' powder
1 lb medium size uncooked fresh or frozen shrimp, deveined
Chopped green onions for garnish
Steamed rice

The trickiest part is making the roux. Heat oil in large 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven on medium, then sprinkle and whisk in the flour. Keep whisking for 4 to 5 minutes until roux turns a light brown. It burns easily so you may want to adjust the heat if oil appears too hot.
Turn the heat a little lower and add all the vegetables except garlic, cover and let steam for 5 minutes to soften vegetables. Stir occasionally and add a bit of broth if vegetables are sticking to the bottom. Blend in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the herbs and spices; parsley, bay leaves, paprika, thyme, oregano and pepper. Add tomatoes with their juice breaking them apart into small chunks. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and simmer for 1 hour.
While you're waiting, prepare sausage until browned, drain and put aside. Devein shrimp, then sit back and enjoy the savory scent. Have an ice cold beer, and listen to Dr. John's album, N'Awlinz: Dis Dat or d'Udda while your waiting!


Time's Up! Add the sausage! If you are including shrimp, bring gumbo to boiling, add shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Remove gumbo from heat, then add a heaping tablespoon of file' powder. Serve over steamed rice. Make extra rice - you'll love the leftovers!

Berry Traumatized

Island bound that I am, this summer I have been berry, berry deprived. Literally, without berries. The pain, the pain... Then, what to my wondering eyes should appear? The Pioneer Woman's Berry debate complete with 2 recipes and fantastic photographs followed by my berry own daughter's Blackberry Crisp recipe with photographs so good your taste buds twitch. Women can be so cruel . Not to be outdone, my mainland shopping trip to Costco provided my salvation. A 5 lb bag of mixed berries! Yes, they're frozen, but the fact that they're organic takes some of the pain away. It wasn't until after I got to my car that I realized the berries would have to survive 4 more hours in the car, a taxi ride to the ferry, the hour and a half channel crossing, and the final 1/2 mile trek to my freezer. With the survival instinct of a lioness protecting her cubs from prey, I unrelentingly searched for a grocer selling dry ice. Aahhh, Albertson's! The berries and I made it safely home and when I took the first bite of my very own batch of berry crisp, I felt vindicated at last. They can have their photographs - I still have 4 more pounds of berries!