Goudy Straight Trippin'

Author: deandragoudy

  • Recipe Monday is back!

    I promise I will post a new blog this week, however, until then please enjoy some new recipes – one is a family favorite, plus a new one I tried this week, along with a great new cupcake recipe!

    Happy baking!

    ~ Deandra

  • Strawberry Cupcakes

    I wanted to try something new for New Years Eve and found this recipe via Martha Stewart – so delicious! Next time though, I am going to puree some of the strawberries to make it more of a strawberry batter that I am used to and see how that works! I will let you know the next time I bake them.

     

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
    • 1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
    • 1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling fruit
    • 4 large eggs
    • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    • 1 1/4 cups milk
    • 10 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into small dice, plus more for garnish
    • Cream cheese icing of your choice

    I used all-purpose flour only as I did not have cake flour and it came out just fine!

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 1/2 standard 12-cup cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.
    2. Into a medium bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
    3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and then beat in vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined after each addition. Fold in strawberries.
    4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cups so that each is about two-thirds full, about 2 ounces each. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on wire racks.

    Enjoy!

  • Homemade Taco Seasoning

    Have you ever needed taco seasoning and did not have any? Or not want all the extra stuff they tend to put in it? Here is a great recipe for that just occasion!

    INGREDIENTS:

    • 4 tablespoons of chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 2 teaspoons paprika
    • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
    • 3 teaspoons sea salt
    • 4 teaspoons black pepper

    DIRECTIONS:

    In a medium bowl, combine chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, oregano, paprika, ground cumin, sea salt, and black pepper. Store in an air tight container at room temperature.

     

    NOTES:

    – Stored in an airtight container, this spice blend will keep for up to a year.

    – When making chili or tacos using one pound of ground beef, start with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the seasoning blend and adjust according to your tastes.

  • Homemade Dry Ranch Mix

     Ingredients:

    • 2 Tbsp dried parsley 
    • 1 tsp dried dill 
    • 1 tsp garlic powder 
    • 1 tsp onion powder 
    • 1/2 tsp dried basil 
    • 1/2 tsp pepper 

    Add each of the dried spices to a bowl and mix carefully. Store in a canning jar or Ziploc bag.

    Equal to one packet of dry dressing mix.

  • Taco Soup

    This is an all time favorite and is yummy in hot or cold weather. My oldest son loved the winter because apparently I would make more soups then, he never told me that he enjoyed them year around. So after that I tried to make them more often. This is served well with your favorite chips or crackers, our favorite is Fritos!

    Ingredients:

    • 2 pounds ground beef
    • 1 large onion, chopped
    • 2 cloves of garlic, diced
    • 1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans
    • 1 can (11 to 15 ounces) whole kernel corn ,drained
    • 1 can (10 to 15 ounces) Rotel tomatoes (or tomatoes with green chile peppers)
    • 1 pkg. (about 1 ounce) taco seasoning mix – (store bought or homemade see recipe on blog)
    • 1 pkg. original hidden valley ranch dressing(dry) (or homemade see recipe on blog)
    • 2 1/2 cups water or more, to make soup broth

    In our family, we doubled the recipe as it is wonderful warmed up the next day and  it freezes well.

    Preparation:

    Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in a large pan; drain off fat. Add remaining ingredients to meat in a large stockpot and simmer for an hour or so. The longer you can simmer the better. If I have time, I allow mine to simmer for 3-4 hours, however, if we are in a rush then 30 minutes will do as well. This works great in a crockpot on low as well.

  • Cajun Roasted Turkey

    Cajun Roasted Turkey

    Brine:

    1 cup salt

    1 cup brown sugar

    2 oranges, quartered

    2 lemons, quartered

    6 sprigs thyme

    4 sprigs rosemary

    To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag.) Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary.

     

    Note: if you have a big turkey and need more brine than this, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every gallon of water.

     

    Injection Ingredients:

    2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

    1 tablespoon concentrated liquid crab and shrimp boil (recommended: Zatarian’s) exclude if you have allergies to shellfish (Lauren) or replace with liquid seasoning or spice of preference. I like Allegro liquid seasoning when I can get it…

    1/4 cup apple cider

    3/4 cup honey

    1 (12-ounce) bottle beer

    1 tablespoon salt

    1 tablespoon ground allspice

    1/2 cup Creole seasoning

    1/4 teaspoon cayenne

    1/2 cup olive oil

    1/4 cup finely minced garlic

     

    Prep:

    1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey, rinsed well inside and out, patted dry

    4 teaspoons kosher salt

    2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

    1 to 2 cups chicken broth, as needed for bottom of roasting pan

     

    Directions:

    Make the marinade by combining the Worcestershire sauce, crab boil, apple cider, honey, beer, salt, allspice, Creole seasoning, cayenne, olive oil, and minced garlic in a blender and process until very smooth, about 5 minutes. Fill a large syringe and inject turkey in the breast and thigh area, as well as the back, wings, and legs, with at least 2/3 of the marinade. You will have to fill the syringe numerous times.

     

    Preheat the oven to 420 degrees F and line a large roasting pan with aluminum foil.

     

    Season the injected turkey well both inside and out with the kosher salt and black pepper. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan lined with aluminum foil and pour the remaining marinade all over the turkey. Bake the turkey uncovered for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, add 1 cup of the chicken broth to the roasting pan, and continue to bake the turkey until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part between the thigh and the leg registers 165 degrees F. (If the turkey begins to brown too much, tent loosely with aluminum foil until it is done. Also, add more broth as necessary to keep the bottom of the roasting pan from burning.)

     

    When the turkey is done, remove it from the oven and set aside to rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

  • Chocolate Sheet Cake

    Sheet Cake 

    2 c sugar

    2 c flour

    2 stick butter

    4 T cocoa (or 3 squares and ¼ cup of butter)

    1 c water

    ½ cup buttermilk

    2 eggs, slightly beaten

    1 tsp baking soda

    1 tsp vanilla

    Sift sugar and flour together. Mix butter, cocoa and water in saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil. Pour over flour/sugar mixture, stir. Add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla. Mix together. Pour into 9×13 baking dish and bake for 30 mins at 400 degrees (or until toothpick comes out clean). 

    ICING:

    1 stick of butter

    4 T cocoa (3 squares and ¼ cup of butter)

    6 T milk

    1 box of sifted powdered sugar

    1 cup of nuts, chopped (optional)

    Mix butter, cocoa, and milk in saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and nuts, stir and spread over hot cake.

  • White Chicken Enchiladas

    This is one our family’s favorites and they are hit here as well! We made this for our Mexican Dinner Party we hosted this past weekend and everyone loved them. 

    INGREDIENTS

    8 soft flour tortillas
    2 cups cooked, shredded chicken*
    2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
    3 Tbsp. butter
    1 cup sour cream
    1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies
    1 tsp dried cilantro
    1 can cream of chicken soup 
    1 can of Old El Paso Green Enchilada Sauce

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

    Mix cream of chicken soup, sour cream, green chilies and 1/4 of the enchilada sauce together. Fold in chicken. Place an equal amount of the mixture into each tortilla.  Roll the tortilla up and place seam side down in the pan. 

    Pour the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with cheese.

    Bake 20-25 minutes.

    * My shredded chicken: I melt 2 T butter and a clove of garlic then I add my uncut chicken into the pan.  I turn once taking them out once they are 98% cooked, then I place them on a cutting board and shred them with a knife and fork. I add more butter (if needed) and 1 chopped onion, and then add my shredded chicken back to the pan. Depending on my mood, I sometimes I add a tsp of taco seasoning and 1/4 cup of water. Let the chicken finish cooking and then use as directed above.

  • Pinto Beans

    For many years, I did not make this recipe, boy was I missing out! I prefer pinto beans vs red beans. You can cook these in the crockpot or on the stove (as long as you are there to monitor the water level). I usually make a double batch so that I can freeze some for soup or refried beans later in the week.

    INGREDIENTS for overnight soak

    • bag of pinto beans
    • 2 T garlic powder
    • 2 tsp Cumin

    INGREDIENTS for cooking

    • 2-3 small green onions, chopped
    • 1 cup fresh Cilantor, chopped or 2 T dried cilantro
    • 4 pieces of uncooked bacon, cut up
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
    • 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, more if you prefer it spicier
    • 2 T Cumin
    • 2 T Mexican Oregano

    The night before rinse your beans then in a large bowl or pan add your beans, soaking ingredients above (garlic, and Cumin) and enough water to cover the beans generously in a large pot. Cover and leave on the counter overnight.

    Cooking day: Add salt, garlic, onions, pepper, cilantro, red pepper flakes, cumin, Mexican Oregano and bacon. Fill the pot with enough water to generously cover the beans. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 3-4 hours, adding water as needed to keep the beans moist and to ensure that it does not burn.

    Crockpot: Rinse the beans, add beans and above cooking ingredients to the crockpot. Fill the crockpot with enough water to generously cover the beans, otherwise, you take a chance of your beans becoming to dry or burning. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

    Helpful tips:

    • Soaking cuts the cooking time by as much as 70%, so most soaked beans will pressure cook in as little as 8 to 15 minutes. 
    • If you fail to soak the beans first, you can still have beans that day, it will just extend the cooking time.
    • Soaking helps further break down those pesky oligosaccharides, the indigestible sugars that cause gas in beans, as well as removing tannins, phytic acid and tryspin inhibitors.


     

  • Lemon Pound Cake

    I made this recipe last week because I was looking for something different to take to the book club meeting and for the guys at work. I received so many compliments from it. The cake it so very moist and just abounds with flavor. It has a nice lemon flavor but is not overwhelming. 

    INGREDIENTS 

    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 Tbsp baking powder
    • 3/4 tsp salt
    • 3 cups sugar
    • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
    • 1/2 cup shortening, room temperature
    • 5 large eggs
    • 2 tsp vanilla
    • 1 cup whole milk
    • 6 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 lemon, zested

    Preheat oven to 350F

    Butter and flour 2 loaf pans or one large Bundt pan, you can also use cook it in a 9 x 13 and it will work just fine.

    Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl.  Set aside.

    Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, shortening and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, beating until well blended after each one, then add vanilla and stir.

    Add dry ingredients in three additions to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Mix in lemon juice and zest. 

    Pour batter into prepared pans.  Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes.  Cool cakes in pans for 15 minutes.  Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely.