recipes {yellow cake & chocolate frosting}

i realize i've kind of been on a recipe kick lately, but i can't help but share a good recipe when i've got one!! anyway, on valentine's day i made a fabulous cake for mark & i to enjoy. this recipe is one of my good friend's favorites & has quickly become one of mine as well. this cake isn't overly sweet so it's perfect for those of you who love treats but hate the sugar comas that often follow.

the perfect yellow cake

>> what you'll need

2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, sifted after measuring

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

>> directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease liberally and flour two 8-inch cake pans. {i used 3 6-inch cake pans}

2. in a large mixing bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3. add butter, milk and vanilla. beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, occasionally scraping sides of bowl. add eggs, beat for 3 more minutes.

4. pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally among both. bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. {mine were done at around 25 minutes when split among 3 smaller pans}

5. cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. turn out and cool thoroughly on wire racks.

& now for the frosting...

chocolate frosting

>> what you'll need 

1 cup sugar

4 large egg whites

3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened {i prefer salted butter}

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup cocoa powder

**this recipe makes a lot of frosting! it is the perfect amount if you wish to add some decorative touches like i did or have some leftover, but if you'd rather simply frost the cake then 2/3 this recipe & you will have a more appropriate amount!

>> directions

1. whisk egg whites and sugar together in a large metal or glass bowl over a pot of simmering water. whisk occasionally until you can’t feel the sugar granules when you rub the mixture between your fingers.

2. transfer mixture into a bowl for an electric mixer or you may use an electric hand mixer. whip until the egg & sugar combinations turns white and about doubles in size.

3. add the vanilla and continue to whip until incorporated. 

4. add the butter a stick at a time and whip until you have a fluffy & well combined frosting!  

breakfast at sundance

this morning mark & i met up with our good friends, the saffords, for a late breakfast at the foundry grill at sundance! taylor, kacie & baby liv had spent the night at their family's condo, which is actually a part of the sundance resort, & they thought it would be fun to invite us up for breakfast. the food was amazing & we had so much fun catching up!

^^^i love the rustic cabin feel^^^

^^^liv is getting so big! she is 15 months now & loves to copy anything her dad does^^^

isn't sundance just dreamy?? it is such a fun place to visit. it's only 15 minutes up the canyon, has amazing restaurants & a few runs for local skiers...not to mention it's adorable! we really don't go up there enough, so i'm glad we got to spend a few hours exploring today :)

our day of love

valentine's day was great this year. mark & i kept it really low key, which i was totally happy with.

i spent the morning making a DELICIOUS cake & had some fun decorating it. mark then surprised me around noon with flowers & a few gifts and took me out to lunch. on top of all of that when he came home from work he made dinner for us. i wasn't allowed to help or even look in the general direction of the kitchen while he was preparing everything. sneaky guy! he made such a tasty meal, too!! fresh salmon, rice & bacon wrapped asparagus. pretty impressive, right? after dinner we watched the vow for a little romance & spent the rest of the night just hanging out.

how did you spend your valentine's day//night????

A VALENTINE SPECIAL: recipes {layered chocolate torte}

looking for a cute & festive valentine's day dessert?? well here it is!

although this looks like a layered cake, it is actually a torte! 

which is a bit more dense than a normal cake and you will be in chocolate heaven.

while you can make this torte in a more traditional 8, 9 or 10 inch springform pan, i used a cute little set of mini springform pans found at target. they are about 21/2 inch in diameter.

CHOCOLATE TORTE
{adapted from smitten kitchen}

>> what you'll need
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbs sugar
fresh raspberries

>> directions 
1. preheat oven to 325°F. butter 3 21/2-inch-diameter springform pans; dust with sugar. {or you may use any size pans you like}

2. melt chocolate and butter in heavy large saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. cool to lukewarm.

3. whisk in sugar. whisk in eggs 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. mix in vanilla and salt, then flour.

4. pour batter into pans. bake until cake just rises in center (tester inserted into center will not come out clean), about 35 minutes.

5. run sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen torte. release pan sides. transfer tortes to a cooling rack and chill while making the whipped cream.

6. pour the cream into a large bowl, using electric beaters or the whick attachment on an electric mixer, beat until soft peaks are formed. sprinkle sugar and vanilla into cream. continue whipping until stiff peaks form.

7. once the tortes have cooled completely {you don't want a warm torte or the whipped cream will melt and create a big mess!} the fun begins! place one torte down and spread an even layer of whipped cream on top. repeat this process 3 more times for a total of 4 layers. top the last layer with whipped cream and then decorate with fresh raspberries! {repeat this entire process once more for a total of two 4-layer tortes.}

i hope you enjoy your holiday!!
& if you don't have a significant other to share this tasty treat with, then make it with your girlfriends & watch some chick flicks!
you can never go wrong with that :)

recipes {beer bread in under an hour}

i may not drink alcohol but that doesn't mean i can't appreciate it while cooking & baking! this is one of my favorite bread recipes. my mom used to make beer bread when we were kids and would usually pair it with BBQ crock pot beef...ah, my mouth is watering just thinking about it! what i really love about this recipe is that, unlike most breads, there is no need to wait for this dough to rise. if you want a really quick & fool-proof bread recipe, this one's for you!

>> what you'll need
yields 1 large loaf or 3 small loaves.

3 cups of self rising flour
{if you don't have self rising flour then use all purpose flour but add 11/4 tsp baking powder & 1/4 tsp salt for EACH cup of flour used}
2 tbs sugar
12 oz beer
1/2 - 1 stick of butter

>> directions
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine flour {& baking powder + salt if using AP flour} and sugar in a large bowl.

2. stir in beer about 1/3 of the can at a time. mix until combined.

3. lightly grease 3 small loaf pans or 1 large loaf pan and dump dough into the pan(s).

4. melt butter and pour over the dough. {for a more buttery flavor you can use a whole stick but 1/2 a stick will do just fine!}

5. bake for 50 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown.

stay tuned for the other components of this delicious meal, including steamed//broiled artichokes, coq au vin & mini 4-layered chocolate cakes with whipped cream & fresh raspberries. :)

recipes {beef bourguignon}

a few weeks ago i tackled a classic recipe with an unusually scary name, beef bourguignon. this dish is a pretty simple beef stew but with an amazing depth of flavor created by the addition of red wine. we paired this stew with some fresh rolls & called it a night!

>> what you'll need
bouquet garni:
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tsp black peppercorns
3 bay leaves

8 ounces white pearl onions
4 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
8 oz bacon, cut into 1/4 inch dice
4 lbs boneless beef chuck, cut into 11/2 inch pieces
1 tbs kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bottle (750 ml) Pinot Noir
2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
1 tbs tomato paste
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
4 tbs (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 lb cremini mushrooms, quartered (or button mushrooms)
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

>> directions
makes 8 servings.

1. position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

2. to make the bouquet garni, wrap the rosemary, thyme, peppercorns and bay leaves in a cheesecloth and tie into a packet with a kitchen string.

3. bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. add the pearl onions and boil until the skins loosen, about 2 minutes. drain and rinse under cold running water. use a sharp paring knife to trim off the tops and tails; peel the onions. pierce each with the tip of the knife to help hold its shape during cooking.

4. heat 2 tbs of the oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a platter, reserving the fat in the dutch oven.

5. season beef with the salt and pepper. increase the heat to medium-high. working in batches to avoid crowding, add the beef and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. use the slotted spoon to transfer the beef to the platter with the bacon.

6. return the heat to medium. add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits in the pot bottom with a wooden spatula. stir in the broth and tomato paste and add the bouquet garni. return the beef and bacon to the pot and add the carrots. return to a boil. cover the pot with aluminum foil. and then cover with the lid.

7. bake until the meat is very tender when pierced with a fork, about 2 hours. remove from the oven and skim off any fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. discard the bouquet garni. put the dutch oven on the stove over medium-low heat.

8. melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. whisk in flour and let bubble without browning for 1 minute. remove from the heat and whisk about 11/2 cups of the cooking liquid. stir this mixture into the stew. simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens and no raw flour taste remains, about 15 minutes.

9. meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tbs of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until their liquid has evaporated and they are sizzling and browned, about 10 minutes. stir into the parsley.

(the stew can be cooled, covered, and refigerated, for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. reheat over medium-low heat before serving.)

this stew can be served over rice, with some mashed potatoes or with rolls/bread to soak up all of the left over broth! trust me, you won't want to waste any of the broth! this recipe may appear complicated to make, but it really isn't that hard...and trust me, it is SO worth it!

happy monday!!

keeping a memory jar

some of you may have notice that i changed my URL & blog name to FIVE FOOT SEVEN! i thought it was about time to give this little blog a slight make over. 

i decided on the name five foot seven because it is a small piece of information about me. this is a lifestyle blog after all, so i figured making it a bit more personal wouldn't hurt! and yes, i am 5'7". :)

over the last year mark & i had a fun little idea to keep a jar full of funny memories throughout the entire year. if something silly, weird or note worthy occured we would quickly write it down and stick it in this little glass jar. our plan was to open it on new years eve and remember all the funny little things that had happened over the year. we were in seattle over new years and totally forgot all about it, but for some reason we were hanging in our office last night and mark suggested we read the notes!

there was only about 15 items but each one made us laugh and remember some of the fun times that we had during the past twelve months. i think this is an awesome tradition, one that may be hard to remember all year long, but something worth giving a shot! i also think i will save the ones from last year and make a little scrap book just for these little memories!