The best Oil bottle EVA!

I can't tell you how many oil bottles I have gone through. I've picked up many from the local stores and they work well for the first batch of oil. Once that was gone, it never failed that my bottle would start leaking. I don't know if it was from washing the spout, or just my bad luck.

I was on a mission to find a new spout for my old bottle, and I picked up this spout from Target. I got it home (which is about an hour and a half away) and figured out it was a liquor bottle pour spout, which is too big for a oil bottle. So, irritated that I still had a leaky oil bottle, I decided to package the spout back up and take it back to Target the next time I went out of town.

Later that evening, I had finished a bottle of wine and it hit me. Why not use this pretty wine bottle as my oil bottle! So, I did! I washed the bottle a few times with hot soupy water and peeled all the labels off. Then I let it dry and filled it up with my oil. The liquor spout fit perfectly, and I finally had an oil bottle that didn't leak!

I absolutely love my oil bottle. It's unique and pretty, and I practiced the "Reuse" of the Three R's. Plus that bottle holds a LOT of oil, so I don't have to refill as often!

Tre Colore Pesto and Grilled Steak with Prosciutto Wrapped Chile Shrimp and Quick Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

Tre Colore Pesto and Grilled Steak with Prosciutto Wrapped Chile Shrimp and Quick Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

What you'll need:

Ingredients for Pesto (see recipes below for amounts)

Basil

Endive

Radicchio (my grocer doesn't carry it, so I wasn't able to include it)

Thyme

Parsley

Pine nuts

Parmesan cheese

Lemon

Salt and Pepper

Ingredients for the main dishes

Flat iron steak or a nice filet (it's really important to get a good cut of meat. You can make this for 1 person or a small crowd, so get however much steak you will need)

EVOO

Salt and Pepper

12 Jumbo Shrimp (this fed my family of 2 adults and 1 child)

Scallions

Fresno pepper, or another kind of mild pepper

Lemon

Ingredients for the quick roasted tomatoes and garlic:

10-12 plum tomatoes

1 head of garlic

EVOO

Salt and Pepper

First and foremost, make sure you preheat your oven to 500 degrees. I always forget to do this and then I have to sit around and wait. The quick roast tomatoes are really easy. Just cut the tomatoes in half length wise and place on a cookie sheet. Place the garlic bulb on the counter tips down and press firmly down to loosen the cloves. Separate the cloves from the bulb but keep the skins on. Throw them onto the sheet as well. Drizzle with EVOO, and sprinkle with Salt and pepper. Toss everything together to coat the tomatoes and garlic. Place the tomatoes cut side down and bake in your preheated over for 20-25 minutes until they look like the tomatoes in the picture below.

Recipes:

Tre Colore Pesto and Grilled Steak with Quick Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

Ingredients

• Four 7 to-8-ounce flat-iron steaks or filet steaks
• 1 bulb garlic
• 12 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 3/4 cup EVOO, plus more for drizzling
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 head Belgian endive, sliced
• 1/2 head radicchio, chopped
• A handful of fresh thyme sprigs, leaves stripped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 small handfuls grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Ciabatta bread, grilled or warmed in the oven, split and charred or warmed

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (or the highest setting).

Bring the steaks to room temperature.

Meanwhile, remove 1 garlic clove from the bulb and finely grate. Remove the other cloves with the skin still intact and spread them on a baking sheet along with the tomatoes. Toss with about 1/4 cup EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Turn the tomatoes cut-side down. Roast until the tomatoes are charred and softened, 20 to 25 minutes. (See my notes below the pictures for this step. I actually followed what Rachael did on her show that featured this recipe, it is easier!)

Lightly toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat, then remove to a plate to cool.

Combine the parsley, basil, endive, radicchio, thyme, pine nuts, lemon juice and cheese in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Pulse until chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the remaining 1/2 cup EVOO in a slow stream until blended. Transfer the pesto to a serving dish. (Any leftover pesto is delicious on sandwiches or tossed with hot pasta and starchy cooking water.)

Heat a grill pan or heavy griddle over medium-high heat or prepare an outdoor grill.

Drizzle the steaks with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and cook 3 more minutes for medium-rare. Remove to a cutting board and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Place the steaks on serving plates and drizzle with the pesto. Serve the roasted tomatoes, garlic and bread on the side. To eat, squeeze the garlic from the skins and rub onto the bread, then top with the tomatoes.

Prosciutto Wrapped Chile Shrimp with Green Onions

• Ingredients

  3 tablespoons EVOO
• 4 scallions, white parts finely chopped and green parts thinly sliced on an angle
• 1 Fresno chile, finely chopped, or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground red pepper
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 16 jumbo shrimp, tails on and deveined
• 16 thin slices prosciutto

Directions

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium.

Combine the EVOO, scallion whites, chile and lemon juice in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Wrap each shrimp with a slice of prosciutto.

Grill the shrimp until firm and opaque, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with the scallion greens and another squeeze of lemon juice.

These little baby's were super easy!

Reviews:

I was a little disappointed in this meal. I was pretty excited about making it, and I think I psyched myself up too much. First, It is crucial to get a good cut of meat. We got Flat steak at the recommendation of the meat person because she said it was as close to flat iron steak as possible (which they do not carry). The meat was very grisly and chewy and just not good. I like a steak to melt in my mouth and this one gave my jaw a workout trying to chew most of the pieces.

Second, the pesto was not great. It could be my fault for a few reasons, but I don't know. I highly recommend investing in a large food processor after this recipe. I have a small one, and it took me 4-5 batches to get everything chopped up. I had little pieces of basil, thyme, parsley and endive flying everywhere and I was VERY frustrated at the end of it all. Plus, I don't think the texture was right, which was probably because I didn't have the right equipment to make this crap in the first place! This particular pesto called for Radicchio, which is a type of lettuce that is a bit spicy. My grocery stores don't carry it, so I omitted it, which may have been the "key" ingredient in this pesto. I also did not care for the taste of the Pesto itself.... It didn't have that garlic-y Italian flavor I am used to and I was not fond of the texture.

Third, my family is not big on tomatoes. Period. I didn't really think it through very well. I saw Rachael Ray make this on her "30 minute meals" and it looked so delicious, I just decided to make it, and I followed the recipe (pretty closely anyway). If you like tomatoes, you will love these bad boys. They are easy, and come out tender and juicy. Next time, I'll skip the tomatoes and make some other kind of roast veggies (Love me some roasted veggies!).

The shrimp was amazing, although it is pretty salty. My entire family (minus the EinCAKE) loved the shrimp. They were quick to put together and grill up in just a few minutes.

All in all, this is a keeper. I will have to make some adjustments, but it is a good recipe to tweak. I'll be sure to get a good cut of meat, make a regular pesto sauce (with that new food processor I will be getting) and swap out those tomatoes for some other delicious veggie.

Grilled Turkey, Havarti and Provolone with Pesto

What you will need:4 pieces of bread

For each sandwich:

1 tsp of Mayo

1 1/2 tsp of Pesto

2-3 pieces of deli Turkey sliced thin

1 piece of Havarti Cheese

1 piece of Provolone

Salt

Pepper

EVOO

Heat up a large pan with a couple drizzles of EVOO on medium low heat. Place the Mayo and Pesto on one side of the bread, stack with Turkey and Cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Put loaded piece of bread in pan and place the other piece of bread on top. Grill each side of sandwich until golden brown.

This was a delicious grilled sandwich I made my husband and I for lunch. You can leave out the mayo and it would be just as good (and a little healthier, too!). Very good, and filling. This will become a staple in the winter for us, when we eat grilled cheese and soup!

Cheddar Wurst with roasted squash and herb rice & Side Salad

What you'll need:
1 package of Cheddar Wurst Sausages

Roasted Squash:

2 Yellow Squash

1 Green Squash

Parmesan cheese (Grated, or powder)

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Rice-A-Roni Rice mix

Salad fixings (Put whatever you like in your salad!)

Preheat oven to 350. Cut up the squash into half circles and place into a glass baking dish. Pour about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the top of the squash in a zig zag type of pattern. Season with salt and pepper and parmesan. Mix well, and place in oven for 20-30 minutes.

Squash should be tender when done.

Hoe Made Chicken Stock

I don't know why I haven't done this before! I have roasted so many chickens, just to throw away the carcass after we picked the all the chicken meat off the bones. What a waste! The flavor of a roasted whole chicken is phenomenal. You can season the skin with any seasons and spices you want and have a different taste every time you roast. Stuff the belly with onions, garlic, and celery, or some lemons and thyme, and it ads to the depth of the chickens flavor and moisture. Why not use everything the bird can give? It is such a simple process, and takes such small amounts of effort for some great home made stock.

The process is simple and you can add as much or as little extras as you like. Here's what I did.

1 Chicken carcass

1 frozen chicken wing for the meaty flavor (you can set aside the neck other organs, except for the liver to throw in the stock pot)

1 large onion (you can use the onion from the belly of the carcass)

Carrots (large or baby)

Celery chopped into pieces

4-5 cloves of garlic smashed and peeled to release flavor

Sprig of Thyme

1 Handful of Parsley

Salt

4 Peppercorns

6-8 cups water

Place the Chicken carcass into the stock pot and add the rest of the ingredients around the carcass. Pour water on top of the ingredients until everything is covered. Turn burner on to low heat and allow to simmer just slightly. Maintain a very low simmer and cook for 4-6 hours, skimming any foam from the top of the liquid. Strain liquid with a strainer or a colander lined with cheese cloth into a sealable container. Let cool and refrigerate or freeze if the stock will not be used in 2-3 days.

Enchiladas with Sweet Corn Cake

This is a pretty easy recipe that can be changed to your liking. We had roasted a chicken and I used the leftovers for this meal.

1-2 cups Chicken

1 can of Ortega Chiles

1 large can of enchilada sauce

1 can sliced black olives

2 cups of cheddar jack cheese

16-20 corn tortillas

Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fry corn tortillas in olive oil, only for a few seconds on each side, place on paper towels to blot extra grease off. Cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan with enchilada sauce. Mix shredded chicken, ortega chiles, olives and cheese in a large bowl. Place a heaping tablespoon of chicken mixture into each tortilla and roll. Place the tortillas side by side into the pan until full. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until cheese is melted.

The sweet corn cake is a pre-packaged mix that you can purchase at your local grocery store.

Welcome to the CAKE House

There is great meaning behind the name CAKE house. It all started when I was pregnant with our second child. Baby names were on the brain constantly, and we had to have a boy and girl name picked out since we decided to keep the gender of our sweet baby a surprise. We agreed on a girl name pretty much right away, Evalynn Kristine. The boys name, on the other hand, was debated up until the last couple months of my pregnancy (too bad we didn't know the gender, because our lives would have been much easier!). We finally settled on two names, Nolan or Ethan, for a boy baby... leaving it to "what the baby looks like" if it came out a boy.

I was thinking about names and decorating my house and many other things one day. A good friend of mine has little metal letters representing their last name and their first names.... I like the letters and I have wanted to get letters to represent the same such thing. So, I pondered "What if we had a girl?" "What if we had a boy?" what would our family's initials look like... And then it hit me.... If we had a girl, we would most definitely name her Evalynn... and we had an "E" name for a boy. Our initials would spell out the word "CAKE". What is even cooler about it, the initials are in descending order from oldest to youngest.

Once our baby girl was born, it was official! Our family was then known as the CAKE Family. Our little name evolved into the CAKE House thanks to my wonderful Sister-in-law. It has become a tradition that when she visits her hometown, her first meal is at our house. Of course, when she goes home she raves about the awesome food she has, dubbing our home "The CAKE House". People kept asking her "Where is this CAKE house you talk about? Is it some new restaurant in your hometown?" She laughs and says, "No, it's my brother and his wife's house".

So, I have been inspired to share my recipes (which often times are taken from other online recipe sites, like allrecipes.com, and the food network shows) with the world. Cooking doesn't have to be hard or take a lot of time to deliver a fantastic meal. Many of the meals I cook are simple, and take an hour or less to make. The result is good, healthy, home-cooked meals that my family can enjoy. We save money, eat better, and get to spend quality time around our kitchen table almost every night.

Our goal as a family is to eat home-cooked meals 300 out of 365 days. We started our challenge on August 1st, 2011 and from this point on I will be blogging my meals, recipes, and my own personal reviews. Join us on our adventure, and feel free to share recipes with us, and steal ours if you want!