The Outlook Cafe

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The BEST Home Made Choclate Cake Ever!

Hmmmm....the TM acronym would be: BHMCCE, right?

For many, chocolate cake is an all time favorite. Over the years, I have tired of store bought cakes with all their chemicals and additives and 'short cuts'. To put it bluntly, it is full of unnecessary ingredients (dare I say, crap?). With the exception of Pepperidge Farms. I usually recognize the list of ingredients on their labels and often have those ingredients them in my pantry!

I thought I would share with you my favorite, no fail always a hit chocolate cake recipe. I will give you the straight out recipe and then let you know what my tweaks are as I am always about variation on a theme.

It is from one of my favorite go-to cookbooks based on a PBS Cooking series back in the '90's (Southwest Tastes). This winning recipe was the formulation of Curtis Young. Thanks, Curtis!

Here are my tweaks: I don't usually don't make the middle cream cheese filling recipe. That makes the cake waaaay too rich and it is already rich! Instead, I make more of the frosting recipe and use all of that. Or, cheat and put a store bought creamy canned vanilla frosting with the home made chocolate frosting on the outside. Or, if you want to go all out on the chocolate aspect, you can use the hazel nut chocolate spread found in the peanut butter section of the grocery store.

I don't use the bananas that Curtis calls for. I'll use other fruit purees that I have on hand such as applesauce. I substitute anywhere from a half cup to 2/3rds of a cup of puree. Prune puree is also a good choice, believe it or not! Better still, puree some canned pears along with their juice. I also do not use the dates. Personal preferences. You might want to try his recipe as is first and then make your tweaks the next time you make it (and you will be motivated to as this cake is that good). And, I do not do the nut topping as called for in this recipe. But, you might want to.

OK, so here is my pictorial of the cake making process; the frosting and decorating portion anyway. You can click on any of the images to view a larger version of it:

This is the middle layer. I do use a professional grade turntable. You can get these at Michael's with your 40% off coupon like I did. Get a spatula for frosting cakes with too. A long flat one is what I use (some folks like the off set version).

Hint: I freeze my cakes before I frost them (I bake them the day before I need to frost it). Logic dictates that you let your cakes down down completely before wrapping them up. Wrap them carefully in waxed paper and then put them in plastic bags. Make sure nothing heavy sits on them! By freezing the cakes, they will not fall apart on you when you frost it. I learned this trick when I did cake decorating for a bakery in a former life.

I think it makes a difference to frost the top layer of the cake before you do the sides.

I double up on the frosting recipe to make sure that I have enough. It is very frustrating to have to go back and make more frosting when you are halfway through with frosting  your cake!! You can always use the leftover forsting for a batch of cupcakes if you don't devour it all.

Use the right tool for the job. This spatula make s ALL the difference in the world!! So does the turntable.

Yes, buy the cardboard cakes circles. I've tried to avoid it, have cut out my own in the past and wrapped it with foil. Having done all the variations out there, this is the best way to do the job! Note too, how I have my spatula going all the way under the cake to release it and transfer it to the cardboard circle.

Let me emphasize again to make sure you slide the spatula all the way under the cake before lift off!

I found these wonderful chocolate star cookies at Trader Joe's. They were most likely a seasonal thing (the Holidays), but look for something similar to make the finishing touches easy and elegant. The patterns made in the frosting are from that long, flat spatula.

And there you have it. The best home made chocolate cake ever. It never lasts at our home for more than 2 whole days!

Zengo Restaurant

A few weeks ago, we went on a great adventure up to Denver, CO. We took our son who had just graduated from high school and his best buddy as a 'graduation' present. Instead of spending the money on a party, we spent it on a trip. We took them to Waterworld and to Six Flags Elitch Gardens AND the Denver Skateboard Park. The boys were in hog heaven...we even took them to a skate board park in Boulder!

While the boys were at the Denver Skateboard park, we decided to go and explore what is known as Lo Do (lower downtown Denver)...I told Mark that I felt some good food and a glass of wine in our future!

We arrived upon a restaurant located on 1610 Little Raven St. on the Riverfront Park. It is called, Zengo. The menu is a fusion of Asian and Latin cuisine. For me, that would be a perfect food fusion! The menu is fabulous-not intimidating or 'full of itself' and very inventive. The fusion works well. We opted for our favorite way of dining: appetizers and dessert.

Marquis Phillips Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia)

I ordered a Cabernet from Australia that met and exceeded my expectations. A rich bodied, silky, jammy kind of Cab that made a great first impression and had a beautiful finish to it. A lot of wonderful things going on with each sip. Mmm, mmm, mmm...

(Beef Rib Eye steak grilled, sliced thin and topped with a Vietnamese salad)

They were offerering a special appetizer that wasn't on the menu which is the steak pictured above. That's what Mark got. I took a bite and with each and every bite of this dish, you could taste every single component. Not one flavor competed with the other. The cilantro, the mint, the lime, the cucumber that was in the 'salad'; it was absolutely amazing  how all these flavor components came together. That, paired with a tender, full flavored beef. My, oh, my! Talk about balance.

In Hawaii, we have a saying when the food is really good and flavorful. We say that it was so good that it "broke da mouth" (you need to say this in a Pigeon English accent and with gusto).

This is one of those dishes, for sure! Broke da mouth...

(Empanadas: Thai Chicken, poblano rojas, Oaxaca cheese, mango-curry salsa)

I choose these lovely Empanadas. Once again, you could taste every single ingredient without one overpowering the other. That sauce is what really took me down though! It is a Thai curry sauce and the ratio of the coconut milk to curry to lemon grass and ginger were perfection. I'm not sure if I ever could achieve making dishes like these; I think not. But the flavor of these two dishes were out of the park and off the hook!

Broke da mouth times two.

We also had dessert, but, by the time I realized that I had not photographed the food, we were almost done eating! It was as wonderful as everything else was. I had some sort of berry cobbler with ginger  /ginger ice cream and an oat crumble topping. As I sit here and write this, I realize that I now have no idea what Mark ordered! I even had a bite of it and recalled it being good enough for me to consider stealing it from him. 

Oh yes... he had Banana 3 Ways:

warm banana cake / banana ice cream/bruleed banana/chocolate ganache /cajeta.

We had a marvelous meal and a marvelous time which makes for an amazing memory.

Carmelized Rosemary Red Potatoes

My rendition of caramelized red potatoes

Boil a bunch of red potatoes-be sure to select them to be fairly consistent in size to one another to ensure that they all get done at the same time. They are ready when you can pierce them easily (I use a two pronged fork). Let them cool down and then place them in the refrigerator to get cold. This will help when you go to cut them up into quarters as the starches will have settled down and they won't be sticky to cut.

Have your herbs ready to go. I was lucky enough to get these from my garden: sage, rosemary and parsley. You don't have to have all of these herbs but the one you should have does need to be the rosemary. If you don't have it fresh (although it is easy to grow and grows just about anywhere with much neglect), the dried version is fine.

This is the approximate portions I used in this batch of potatoes. Those are whole pepercorns about to be crushed in my mini mortar/pestle thingie. This little 'gadget' is perfect for crushing seeds and dried herbs. I prefer this over the pepper mill in this case since it gives me the abilbity to give them a very coarse grind. But, use what you have! If all you have is ground pepper in a jar, that will work just fine, really!

Next step is to heat up your skillet pan along with an oil that can take a high temperature such as peanut oil. Allergic to peanuts? Safflower oil is a good choice too. You skillet needs to be big enough to accommodate all the potatoes without them getting crowded or stacked up on each other.  I used the burner on my BBQ grill  when I did this as I didn't want to add extra heat to my kitchen. Besides, it was summer and outdoor cooking goes with summer!

Now's the time to add your salt (to your taste). I only use coarse Hawaiian salt when I cook because I love the flavor that it imparts (Aloha brand is the absolute best) . It doesn't have a sharp,off, taste to it and is 'bright' to the palette with a nice 'finish'. The kind of salt you use does make a difference in the outcome. And, it should be about personal preference.  To help you decide what salts you like, go to a gourmet cook store and ask to sample their salts. You will see what a difference there is and may never go back to those round blue boxes with the girl and the yellow umbrella again!

Be patient and try not to turn the potatoes as they cook. Leave them be so that they can caramelize (nice word for burnt).The goal here is to almost burn them! You are looking for crisp, brown sides to the potatoes. If you are using dried rosemary, go ahead and add that half way through the process. If using the fresh herbs, add those in the last 5 minutes of the process. How long does it take to cook these? As long as it does! Depends on your skillet, how good it is at conducting heat and the BTU's on your burner. I used an 18" Caphalon skillet.

Here is the finished product. I always make a huge batch of these as they keep well in the refrigerator as 'leftovers'. But, with an 18 year old son in the house, they never last more than 24 hours!

These potatoes are a great side dish to dinner, or as a snack, or as  your breakfast 'hash browns'! I'm also thinking that it would make an incredible potatoe salad if I can hang onto them long enough to make a batch. They disappear all too soon.

Fat Squirrel

MMMMMMMM.......Nachos...at an 'English Pub"?

Only if this pub is located in the north central area of New Mexico! These are at the Fat Squirrel Pub and Grille restaurant in Rio Rancho. I haven't had nachos this good in who knows how long. The chips were not greasy; they were light and extremely crisp and delicate at the same time. Just the right amount of cheese, sour cream, guacamole and salsa distribution too. I was pleasantly surprised.

I suppose you are wondering why an eatery would name themselves after an overweight, medium sized rodent. If you aren't motivated to go to the website link I've provided, here's how it got it's name (this is totally a copy and paste from thier site, so that is where the credit lies!):


"The name Fat Squirrel comes from the old Turtle Mountain days. One of the brewers discovered that a squirrel had been stealing the grain from the alley and by the dumpster after the brews were done. Gorging on the spent grain this squirrel quickly became so fat that she had a hard time running around the parking lot and had taken to lying on her belly in the shade under cars. After the first winter she returned with her babies for the free and easy meals. In English pub tradition, we decided to name this restaurant after her and serve a namesake English style IPA that we contract brew with Turtle Mountain Brewing Company."

So, yes, they serve some traditional pub fare such as bangers and mash. But, they offer a variety of items on their menu to please just about any kind of diet. Except, perhaps if you are a vegan.

Steak and Spinach Salad 

With the raspberry vinaigrette dressing. One of my favorites. When I'm 'trying' to be good. The steak on their menu is awesome too and they have a nice selection of side dishes. Which could become meals in themselves! You order your steak to the doneness that you want, it comes with Gorgonzola cheese, dried cranberries, walnuts and spinach (of course). Every bite was scrumptious.

My friend Barbara loves to go there just so she can get their desserts. I forgot to take a picture of the desserts that everyone ordered because we all just dove in, you know! I love bread pudding and their bread pudding is something to be proud of. In fact, next time I'm there, I'll be sure to save room for some!

Apricot Toast

Just because it's healthy, doesn't mean it's not good!!

An accidental discovery as I rooted around the 'fridge the other morning wanting something different to eat for breakfast. The round up was:

-fresh, local grown apricots
-fresh, local grown honey (a very complex one at that)
-Mediterranean Yogurt
-Fleishman's Olive Oil margarine
-Trader Joe's sprouted whole grain bread

It ends up being a slice of toast full of flavor layers. Toast the bread, spread a thin layer of the margarine on (I use this type since it has more of the monounsaturated fats). Next layer is the Mediterranean Yogurt (I am lactose intolerant, but I can handle this amount of this product). Next, comes the slices of fresh apricots. Drizzle with the honey.

It was yummy and deliciously satisfying! I 'washed' it down with my own signature blend of tea called Molokai Madness. You can try some for yourself if you love tea (it's a loose leaf tea blend) over at Adagio Teas. You can even create your own signature blend of tea!

Getting Pho Locally in Rio Rancho

Perhaps some of you are wondering what the heck Pho is...

Traditionally, Pho is a Vietnamese beef soup. I'm not necessarily fond of beef soup (I make an exception for French Onion soup), so I opt for the chicken version. I have heard about Pho by way of the Travel Channel's show, "No Reservations" and if the host, Anthony Bourdain really likes it (I mean, he really likes it a lot), that even peaked my curiosity further. We have here in Rio Rancho an Asian restaurant called the Banana Leaf. We also had one called Viet Rice, but I think they closed (boo).

So, for the first time about a year and a half ago, I tired Pho. It is DELICIOUS. I don't even know if I had stellar versions of this, but it is good! Check out the link I've provided to Wikipedia's site to learn more about Pho. I love that I get a plate of garnishes (fresh basil, fresh limes, bean sprouts and jalapeno peppers) to go with my bowl of soup.

This bowl of Pho is from the Banana Leaf located on:

355 State Highway 528 SE
Rio Rancho, NM 87124-2167
(505) 892-6119


I will note that having grown up in Hawaii where the Asian restaurants abound without having to "Westernize" their recipes, this makes me appreciate something like a bowl of Pho all the more. It is a very savory heart, and belly warming bowl of soup to have.

It feeds the body and the soul...

Salmon al Brucheta

It took us waaaay too long to 'discover' Joe's Pasta House located on 3201 Southern Blvd. in Rio Rancho, NM.
Which is really odd since we only live a quarter of a mile from it! Yes, shameful, indeed. But, we have become faithful regulars like anyone else who has eaten there.

This is a half of a spinach salad with prosciuotto, mozarella cheese, mushrooms, boiled egg, tomatoes and a tomato-bacon dressing. BTW, all salad dressings are hand made at Joe's. I point that out since my husband is allergic to MSG (monsodium glutamate) and salad dressings are notoriuos for containing this ingredient.
It is as good as it looks! All the produce and canned tomatoes are organic. Joe only uses the best ingredients for his dishes and it really shows. We are never disappointed when we eat there! It seems like every dish I try becomes my new "BDF" (best dish forever).

This is the entree I had that night: one of the specials, Salmon al Bruchetta.
Grilled fresh Atlantic Salmon topped with fresh tomato pesto, bruchetta, served on a bed of fresh spinach and sauteed red bell pepper, mushrooms, yellow squash and zucchini.
It was AMAZING. The salmon was light in flavor and incredibly fresh. The tomato pesto was an explosion of flavor. All the flavors seem to be in balance each other. You know how you can taste every single ingredient in the dish without one being more overpowering than the other? I think that is the benchmark of a well crafted dish.
The servings are always more than I can eat at one sitting, so I did enjoy it for at least two more lunches at home!
I have learned that ordering the wine that is being featured that month is the way to go. If you want more than a glass, order the bottle. New Mexico State law now allows restaurants to give their patrons a special wine "doggie bag".
How good is that?