CHOCOLATE Gooey Butter Cake

I went to middle school and high school in Farmington MO.  According to local folk lore the Gooey Butter Cake was invented in nearby St. Louis.  Although I can't prove or disprove that claim, I can tell you it is a wonderfully, even sinfully rich treat.  Them baptists may not drink, but they sure has hell know how to make a sinful treat!

It really falls into the stupid easy cookery category as it is just that.

There is no real trick to making it.   I knew going into this recipe that I'd have a challenge of keeping it gooey with the addition of cocoa powder to the second layer that bakes up to make the crackly crunch and gooey center.  2 T of butter kept the center the right consistency.  Even the chocolate hater in my house liked it.  So without further adieu...the first ever chocolate gooey butter cake!

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake
Layer 1

• 1 package Devils Food chocolate cake mix
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten

Layer 2

• 1 8 oz package cream cheese
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 t coffee extract
• 2 T butter
• 1/4 t kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c Black Onyx or Hershey Special Dark cocoa
• 4 c powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F
Lightly grease, spray with Pam a 13X9 baking dish

For the first layer dump the cake mix in a bowl and with mixer on slow...slowly pour in melted butter and lightly beaten egg.  Stir on slow speed until a thick dough forms.  Pat the dough into the baking dish.

For the second layer cream together the cream cheese, butter, salt, vanilla and coffee extract until smooth.  Beat in eggs until smooth.  Reduce speed and stir in cocoa powder.  Stir in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until it is incorporated into the cream cheese mixture.  Increase speed and beat 2-3 minutes until smooth.  Pour over second layer and smooth out with a spatula.

Place the baking dish on a tray to catch any boil over as it does rise a lot during baking.  Bake 35-45 minutes until the top has a dark crispy top.  Cool to room temperature and serve.  Note the cake will fall some as it cools...its normal.

Migraineurs relief - uncured Kielbasa

I've been on a quest to find good uncured sausages.  Its next to impossible, especially if you want smoked as the long smoking process is ripe for botulism bacteria growth if you don't use sodium nitrite to "cure" the meat.  The problem with sodium nitrite is a migraine trigger for me and thousands of others out there.

I've pretty much given up on ever having a nice kielbasa again let alone polish, or bologna.  But after enough times seeing chefs make sausage on the food channel I thought I'd give it a shot.  First time around was pretty good.  I took a basic kielbasa recipe and switched around ingredients, deleted like the sodium nitrite and MSG (another nasty migraine trigger) and added in more flavorful spices, smoked garlic and liquid smoke to give it that fresh smoked flavor without the risk.

Please NOTE This is a fresh sausage and needs to be treated like one.  Different than cured meats you will need to cook it and use it with 2-3 days of manufacture.  You can safely freeze 2 months after stuffing.  IF you don't promptly refrigerate or freeze  you could get botulism.

I got my smoked granulated garlic at Surfas in Santa Ana, but their Culver City store carries it as well.  It really adds a deep smoked through flavor as well as intense garlic flavor.  A total win on all counts.  Search it out through them or online.

I was warned up front by a friend that this really is a two man job when it comes to stuffing.  One to feed the meat mixture into the hopper of the stuffer and another to hold the casings and control the rate of stuffing at the end of the extruder.  It really is, I can't imagine trying this my first time by myself without my son to do the stuffing.

On the topic of the sausage stuffer I got the one for the Kitchenaid that attaches to the meat grinder for $8 online at Amazon.  About a quarter the cost even the culinary outlets charged for it.

Uncured Kielbasa

• 2 1/4 pounds pork shoulder
• 3/4 pound uncured pork back fat
• 2 T smoked granulated garlic
• 1 t liquid smoke
• 1/2 c ice water
• 2 T fresh coarse cracked black pepper
• 2T dried marjoram
• 1 T ground mustard
• 1 T Kosher salt

Cut pork shoulder and pork back fat into chunks big enough to fit into your meat grinder feed tube.  Place cut meat in freezer for 20-30 minutes to get it well chilled but not frozen. 

Fit grinder with coarse grinder blade.  At medium speed alternate pork shoulder and pork back fat and run through grinder.  Add spices, water, salt and liquid smoke to meat mixture.  Quickly knead with your hands until well mixed.  Be careful not to let the mixture get too warm from your hands and the fat starts melting.

Chill sausage mixture overnight in a sealed container in the refrigerator.  This allows the fat to firm up as well as the flavors to develop and blend.

30 minutes prior to stuffing soak the sausage skins in warm water to make them pliable and easy to load onto the feed tube. Assemble and use the large feed tube for extruder.  Spritz the end of the feed tube with cooking spray to lubricate the extruder.  Slip on a sausage skin and load up the extruder.  Tie off the end in a not. With one person putting in the sausage mixture and another holding the sausage as extruded fill up a casing.  Every foot or so slow speed and twist the sausage a full turn or two to create a link, then resume speed and stuffing.  Tie off the end of the casing with a knot when done.  Repeat until all meat is used. 

Prick sausage every couple of inches with a needle to allow steam to escape and prevent casing ruptures when cooking.

Lay sausage onto a baking sheet and cool a few hours uncovered to let excess moisture evaporate if using fresh that day.  If not coil, place in freezer bags and freeze up to 2 months.

To cook.  Place sausage in large skillet.  Cover about 3/4 up the sides with water.  Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer.  Cook about 30 minutes at slow simmer until sausage is cooked through and reaches 165F with instant read thermometer.  Remove from poaching liquid and brown on each side in a lightly oiled skilled until brown, about 5-8 minutes per side.  Or...grill until browned with good grill marks.

Lemon Thyme Chicken Breasts

With a Meyer Lemon tree in the back yard this time of year I'm blessed with ample lemons and am always looking for ways to use them all.  Step in this Lemon Thyme Chicken Breast.

A couple of things to keep in mind with high acid marinades like this...keep the time short enough to impart flavor but not so long as to "cook" the protein and changes its texture.  Really an hour max is all you need.

Stripping Thyme of its leaves is a lot easier than you think.  Grasp the top of the stem firmly and slide your fingers towards the base with light pressure and the leaves are off and the woody stem can be discarded.  I also do this after handling the raw garlic as it helps kill the smell of the garlic on your fingers.

Lemon Thyme Chicken Breasts

• 4 chicken breasts - I use skinless/boneless
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 2 lemons
• 2 lemons sliced thing
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 T fresh Thyme leaves
• 1/3 c olive oil
• fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 t kosher salt

To make marinade combine zest, lemon juice, thyme leaves, garlic, olive oil salt and pepper in a small blender jar or mini-food prep and pulse a few times until garlic is finely chopped.

In non-reactive bowl...stainless steel or glass, add chicken breasts.  Pour over marinade and toss to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate 30-60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Convect bake if you have it.  Line a baking dish with aluminum foil. Place breasts on the lined baking sheets.  Pour marinade over the chicken.  Top with reserved slices of 2 lemons.  Bake 30-35 minutes until cooked through.  Serve hot over parslied rice.