What's for Dinner?

It's an idle Monday, or really any weekday, and you're getting over the fact that it's not the weekend yet or anymore and so you still have to grudge through the week making the same routine dinners you probably made last week.  If you have kids or a husband, ok or a wife, maybe it's just you, everyone's asking you "what's for dinner?" and what you reply with is Meatloaf Mondays, Tuna casserole Tuesdays, is it Wednesday already... let's have chicken, again.  No... you need to get out of that routine dinner rut and have something that actually tastes like well, food.  Something out of the ordinary but still comforting because anything new and you know your significant other or children will say "what is that?" and point and push it around the plate. Then you'll get angry and throw all the left overs in the trashcan so now you won't have Thursday's Left-Over Night dinner, oh crap!  Don't worry, this can all be avoided with a simple dish that will guarantee to fill you and your family up (and if there are any left overs, oh they're the good kind of left overs indeed)!

The answer: my Mom's Tamale Pie.
In reality it's like a Mexican casserole; good news for you, you cook everything in one container and bake to enjoy! Less dishes, less stress, more family or you time, more of comments like: "Mom can you make that again?!" "I'm so full I couldn't eat another bite, but I might steal a bite of yours." And, "I can't wait to eat this for lunch tomorrow." I promise, it's that good.

I took pictures of the products I use to make it as a helpful guide and you can use these or whatever you like best.

This dish serves 4 very hungry individuals or approx. 6 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground chuck (beef)

1 package Taco Seasonings (I use 1/2 the bag, and prefer low sodium if you can find it)

1 can Refried Beans

8 oz. Salsa (I use medium spice and you want a more "saucy" salsa)

8 oz. Mexican shredded cheese

1 cup Instant Polenta

3 cups water or chicken stock

 You will also need a saute pan and wooden spoon (for cooking meat), rubber spatula, glass casserole dish, whisk and pot (for polenta).

Instructions:

1) Preheat - Bake @ 350 degrees.

2) Cook the ground beef in a large to medium sized saute pan over medium heat with 2 Tbsp. oil.  Read the directions on the back of the Taco Seasonings, drain off some of the fat, add once meat is cooked with some water and cover.

3) Off the heat, mix in the salsa and refried beans to the meat. Set aside. 

4) Bring 3 cups water or stock with 2 tsps salt to a boil, then with whisk in hand, already moving the liquid in a circular motion, pour in the polenta. Because it's instant, it really does cook in an instant. Continue stirring until all the liquid is absorbed.  Take off the heat and stir in a couple pats (tablespoons) of butter.

5) Spray your glass dish with some Pam cooking spray for easy removal once baked.

** Here's how the dish is layered: Polenta, Meat, Cheese, Polenta, Meat, Cheese. It's really that simple.

6) So you'll want to pour in half the polenta, spread evenly with the rubber spatula. Then half the meat and half the cheese.

7) Do these three layers again ~ polenta, meat, and finishing with the remaining cheese.

Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and the whole thing is bubbly-hot! (Approx. 20 + minutes)

 The layers: Polenta, Meat, Cheese (left) The finished baked product.


While the Tamale Pie is baking in the oven, make the sauce. This is totally optional, but I feel like it adds a more "not-your-everyday-casserole" touch plus if you put hot salsa in yours, this will help cool down your mouth.  Oh, did I mention it has cilantro in it?... which I know some of you think tastes like soap so just admit the herb but keep the rest.

1 - 8 oz. container sour cream (I like Daisy brand)
about 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
salt & pepper
--> Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and season to taste.

When its all hot and bubbly and smells like Mexican food, take out of the oven, carefully please, and let cool for 5 minutes. I know, very tempting to just dig right in, but if you still want the roof of your mouth intact, please wait. Cut out squares of your "pie" doing the best you can to get as much melted cheese as possible and drizzle the sour cream sauce on top.

Now your answer should be: Tonight we are having Tamale "Mexican" Pie.  And yes, you will want to make it again, and again. Best go-to dinner! Thanks Mumbo <3

Sweetie Pillows

That day when couples buy obnoxious gifts for one another, chocolates, flowers, big fluffy animals is only 2 days away; I think that's all a load of crap compared to a home cooked meal.  Honestly ladies, when was the last time your man cooked for you, I mean the whole meal without any help?! Probably not in a while.  And even for all you single ladies out there, when was the last time you made a fun girls night cooking in, drinking too much wine, and gossiping?! Probably the same amount of time.  Well here's a dish that both parties will love... sweet potato gnocchi with maple cinnamon sage brown butter sauce (adopted from Giada de Laurentiis).

First thing you should know about gnocchi, it isn't that hard to make, in fact it's easier than making pasta; but just like making pasta, you have to have a little patients and not be afraid to get a bit messy.  Also, this was my first time making gnocchi by myself.  When I was at school, every Thursday night my best friend Jenny and I would make dinner together, while doing homework and watching our girly shows on TV. We made gnocchi with each other a couple times, but I actually never made the "batter" myself.  So here I was, in my little apartment kitchen, attempting to make gnocchi with not enough flour to dust and roll it (Florida weather molded my bag of flour, ew) and not really knowing what I was doing.  Long story short, they actually turned out light and delicious, but next time, here's what I would change about Giada's recipe:

**At the end of this post is the original full recipe.

Corrections:
1) Giada uses whole milk Ricotta but if you want to cut back on the calories, I used part-skim ricotta by Polly-O brand.  Another hint, when mashing the sweet potatoes, use your old-fashion potato masher or a potato ricer, not a fork; it will get all the lumps out more evenly.

2) More FLOUR!! The recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups flour but I would probably add close to another 1/4 cup of flour in the batter itself.

 My gnocchi batter, which was a bit tacky as you can see on my hands and I only had enough flour to coat the ball but not enough to keep dusting the cutting board as you cut and roll it into 6 logs. Flour is the key!

3) After I realized I did not have the key, well lets just say it was totally useless of me to attempt making logs out of my gnocchi batter so instead I pinched pieces off.  The original recipe says to roll the sectioned batter into logs and then cut into small pieces. Without the key this is nearly impossible because the batter is so sticky and sticks to everything but itself.  If you are lacking in flour, get yourself a glass filled with hot water and dip your fingers into the water to pinch off pieces making gnocchi. Put them on a plate to separate and then into your boiling salted water to cook. They will float when they're done.

 These are my tester gnocchi's. I know how strange they look, but trust me, after a bath in some brown butter maple cinnamon deliciousness, you won't care what they look like.

4) Making the sauce is the easy part. Hot pan, check. A stick of butter? Yes please.  Savory sage, spicy cinnamon and sweet maple syrup, you can stop drooling now, it will be in your belly soon enough.

A saute pan with rounded edges is perfect so you can impressed your honeybun or your girlfriends when you do a saute flip to perfectly coat each one of those luscious gnocchis in brown butter goodness.  Oh yea!

 Saucy.

There you have it.  Sweet potato gnocchi.  Simple, yet good enough for your girlfriends and even that silly Hallmark holiday, Valentines Day.  If you love or don't love this holiday, either way, this recipe is a must!

I ate mine with a side of garlic sauteed spinach. Advised to serve with a big glass of a buttery, clean Chardonnay.

Giada de Laurentiis' recipe (found on foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients

For the Gnocchi:

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes
• 2/3 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/3 cup for the work surface

For the Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 20 fresh sage leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the Gnocchi: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Pierce the sweet potato with a fork. Bake the sweet potatoes until tender and fully cooked, between 40 to 55 minutes depending on size. Cool slightly. Cut in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Mash the sweet potatoes and transfer to a large measuring cup to make sure the sweet potatoes measure about 2 cups. Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes back to the large bowl. Add the ricotta cheese, salt, cinnamon, and pepper and blend until well mixed. Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough in a ball on the work surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Roll out each ball into a 1-inch wide rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces. Roll the gnocchi over the tines of a fork. Transfer the formed gnocchi to a large baking sheet. Continue with the remaining gnocchi.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi in 3 batches and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the gnocchi using a slotted spoon onto a baking sheet. Tent with foil to keep warm and continue with the remaining gnocchi.

For the Brown Butter sauce: While the gnocchi are cooking melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted add the sage leaves. Continue to cook, swirling the butter occasionally, until the foam subsides and the milk solids begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the cinnamon, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Careful, the mixture will bubble up. Gently stir the mixture. When the bubbles subside, toss the cooked gnocchi in the brown butter. Transfer the gnocchi to a serving dish and serve immediately.

OD'd on Cheese!

For those of you who know me this is pretty much apparent but for those of you who don't, I love 3 food products - Pork, Cheese, and Chocolate - these I can't live without, ever.  Yea, probably not all 3 together but pork and cheese or chocolate and pork go together. Mmm, chocolate covered candied bacon. Or grilled cheese with bacon. Oh yea, love love love me some cheese, pork 'n chocolate.  Sorry, just got a bit excited there.
OK, so today we are focusing on Cheese and Pork and what better way to celebrate these two foods than with Pancetta Cheesemonger's Mac 'n Cheese (courtesy of BonAppetit).  WARNING: this mac 'n cheese is not for the weak-hearted.  If you are not an artisan cheese fan and / or a fan of pork this recipe is not for you.  Sorry, but go back to your "homestyle Kraft mac 'n cheese" oh yea, processed cheese. HA, I don't think so!

Here are my mini 1-serving Mac 'n Cheeses right out of the oven, heart-attack good!

Talking on the phone to my Gran and describing this mac 'n cheese dish, the first thing she says is "That sounds like a heart-attack of cheese." Yea, you could say that; but if you're going to eat mac 'n cheese you might as well indulge because let's face it, cheese isn't the healthiest food in the world, if only right. So being me, I of course had to tweak the recipe a little bit by adding Pancetta and more cheese, oh yes more cheese.

Serves 6-8 depending on size of dish.

You will need:

1 large pot of water with a helping hand of salt for boiling pasta

1 sauce pan for crisping the pancetta and making the cheese sauce

1 whisk, 1 wooden spoon

1 medium sized glass casserole dish or 6 - 8 individual oven-proof ceramic dishes

Preheat your oven to 375.

Start the water on to boil for the pasta - I used Penne - and cook al'dente.

Ingredients:

1 pound dried pasta

2 cups Greyere - grated

2 cups Sharp Cheddar - grated

1 to 1 1/2 cups Brie, rind removed and cubed (pop in the freezer for 15 mins max to help cut off the rind of this gooey cheese)

4 Tbsp. butter (plus extra to grease your baking dishes)

1/3 cup of AP Flour

2 tsp. Thyme

3/4 tsp. Nutmeg

1 tsp salt and pepper

4 cups whole milk or 3 cups 2% milk plus 1 cup heavy cream

2 cups breadcrumbs - panko or plain

*side note: I used cheese sticks in swiss/dijon flavor as my breadcrumbs and though it was delicious, I think the cracker cheese flavor over-powered the delicious flavors of the greyere, cheddar and brie.*

1. Cook your pasta till al'dente and drain, set aside.

2. In the sauce pan, sprinkle a little bit of olive oil and heat to medium-high heat. I buy the pre-cubed pancetta and use the whole pack. Crisp the pancetta in the oil and using a slotted spoon, scoop out the pancetta onto a couple sheets of paper towel.

3. There should be about 1 Tbsp. of fat left in the pan, combine it with the 4 Tbsp.s butter. Melt. Add the flour in and whisk making a roux, cook for 1 minute.

4. Heat your milk up in a microwaved safe bowl and pour the warm milk into the roux, keep whisking.  5. Turn the heat down to medium.  Add the spices: thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper, stir.  The liquid, now a Bechemel will take about 4 minutes to thicken, stirring often. 

6. Reserve 1 cup of cheese for the topping. Turn the heat off and stir in with a wooden spoon the cheese in batches of 2; taste the sauce to see if it needs more salt or pepper; don't forget to put the pancetta back in! Once the sauce is done, fold in the pasta then pour the mac 'n cheese into your pre-greased containers.

7. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and bread crumbs on top and drizzle with olive oil to help brown the bread crumbs.  Place on a sheet tray (incase over flow of cheese) and put in the oven until light brown and bubbly, 20 minutes.

Carefully take out of the oven and let cool 5 minutes (that's forever in cheese time) to let cook so you won't burn the crap out of your mouth :)

There you have it.

The best mac 'n cheese probably like ever!!

Cheese and Pork, mm so good! Enjoy.

Fall'n Acorns

The leaves are changing outside. The weather is getting chillier, wind whirling through your hair just starting to nip at your nose.  Fall vegetables are aplenty.  Hot toddies and hearty lamb stew are perfect companions to those fall nights.  Oh who am I kidding, I live in Florida and there is nothing changing colors, it's still green.  Yes, we still get all those fall vegetables but I swear people are still eating summer mango salsa with their fish and drinking rum punch and sangria, no hot toddies here.  And the only time it's cold it when it's dreary and raining out, like it has been the past couple of days.
But in light of all that, the Resort's menu is still changing for "season" i.e. Florida season when all the snow birds come down to enjoy the still green grass and warm beach days.  We are adding items like braised lamb shank and clams casino.  But what I'm most excited about is the holiday Thanksgiving menu..... I finally made something my Chef liked, tweaked a little, but it's going to be there on the Turkey-weekend menu.... my acorn squash flatbread.
Acorn squash, the forgotten squash because everyone is too obsessed with butternut to remember that acorns are just as delicious when prepared right.  Pizza or flatbreads, are pretty much a given when it comes to people liking a new food they haven't tried.  Haven't tried smoked salmon?... put in on a pizza with some hard boiled eggs, capers, lemon, dill and sour cream.  Haven't tried some kind of seasoned pork sausage or chicken sausage?.... add some hearty tomato sauce, lots of cheese and there you go, fabulous new sausage pizza.  Ever seen those Cici restaurant commercials where they display their less than appetizing pizza buffet of such pizzas like mac'n cheese on pizza..... yea, I swear they'll put any concoction on a pizza these days but mine isn't one of those.
Nope, my flatbread is much more, how should I say this, sophisticated.  If your kid doesn't like squash, apple or onions, let alone brie cheese AND salad (i.e. that so called green slimy stuff) than they probably won't like this; but that doesn't mean you can't make it for yourself or date night with your hubby.
The version for work will be on a cut-out round piece of flatbread with Asian Pear instead of Granny Smith apple but either one would taste great.
3 layers:
1) Bechemel (simple milk & roux cream sauce) with Parmesan and Brie cheeses
2) Roasted Acorn Squash with thinly sliced Granny Smith Apple and Caramelized Onions
3) Mixed Green Salad of Watercress, Greenleaf, and Arugula in olive oil

Ingredients you will need:

• 1 pre-cooked pizza shell, preferably thin crust, or buy pizza dough - roll it thin and pre-bake
• Bechemel = (makes 2 cups of white sauce) 5 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, 1/4 cup AP Flour, 2 cups whole or 2% Milk, 1/4 cup finely shaved Parm. & 1/2 cup Brie -rind removed - cheeses, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, a pinch of nutmeg.
• 2 Granny Smith apples or Asian Pears, peeled and seeded, thinly sliced
• 1 large Sweet Vadalia Onion
• 2 cups approx. of mixed greens: Baby Arugula, Greenleaf julienned, and Watercress stemmed

To make the Sauce: Melt the butter in a medium sized sauce pot over medium heat then with a wooden spoon, stir in the flour making a roux, cook for 1 minute. Heat the milk up to just under a simmer, and begin using a whisk as you pour the hot milk into the roux. Stir constantly but slowly with the whisk until the mixture gets thick - you can both feel it when you stir but to double check take the wooden spoon and after dipping, if you finger leaves a mark when you drag it across the back, its thick or nappe. Turn the heat off and stir in the cheese and spices.

Caramelized Onions: Cut off the top and bottom and cut in half, peel off the skin. Following the rips of the onion, cut into half moon juliennes.  In a saute pan with half butter half oil and salt over medium-low heat, begin to cook the onions.  The key here is low and slow makes the onions sweet.  If you need to turn the heat up at first to get them started, that's ok, but turn down after they start to cook.  The onions will turn a caramel color once they are done.

Acorn Squash & Granny Smith Apple:  Turn your oven onto 375 degrees F. Line 2 sheet trays with aluminum foil. Cut the top and bottom off the squash and then in half and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Lay them out on the tray and drizzle olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes on top, mix with your hands till coated and lay down flat.  For the apple: peel and seed and cut into 1/4 inch slices.  The apples with take half the time to cook.  Cook the squash till tender, approx. 20 flipping halfway through.  Once cooked, let cool slightly and peel off the squash's skin.

To Assemble:
Coat the pizza shell with cheesy Bechemel Sauce.
Evenly spread out the caramelized onions.
Then lay the Apples and finally the Acorn Squash in a spiral fan pattern around the pizza.
Sprinkle on extra Parm. cheese and bake until bubbly, maybe 5 minutes.
Top with greens that have been tossed lightly in extra virgin olive oil and s+p.
Cut and serve.
Good for 1 large pizza to share or individual pizzas for everyone.

I made it at work for a tester (this is without the fixes of brie cheese and the greens but it still tasted delicious).

And there you go... a new way to eat Acorn Squash. Can't go wrong with sweet caramelized onions, cheese sauce and roasted squash!

In a Food-Rut? Think outside the Box.

Are you in a food-rut?
Can't think of something to make?
Walking around in the isles at the grocery and though everything looks fresh, nothing comes to mind, but you buy some products anyway.  Once you get home, you take them out of your bag and either put them away or stare at the wondering "why did I buy this?".  Even us chefs and cooks get in food-ruts, trust me, it's not just you.
But I have a solution for you!  Make a collage.  No really, not kidding here. Get out your food magazines, scissors, paper and tape or glue.  Yes, I do realize you probably haven't done this since you were a kid, but trust me on this one, it helps.  Simply just start looking.  See anything, anything at all that peeks your interest like a phrase: "piece of cake", "family", "eat".  Food that looks divine, colorful, photographed well, or simply you just think it's cool.  Cut out objects too if you like.  Have fun with it.  Once you get a nice little pile of clippings start pairing things together.  Think of a theme like colors, or flavors of food like spice, or words that match the foods.  Once you start getting your theme together, start cutting out the clippings artistically. . . meaning if there's an advertisement for lipgloss, cut the lips out and then cut out the black inside of the mouth then stick some food coming out the the mouth so it looks like the lips are eating.  Cut close to the pictures, cut out part of it or all of it, cut it out however you like.  Really, anything goes in a collage.
Here is what I came up with after spending an hour looking through some food magazines.

Theme: Green with a pop of Red

Foods: vegetables, limes, lettuce, drinks, that red burst

Words: "Family", "Live Happier", "Get a Head", "Your Heart's Desire". "Eat"

It all started with the head of bib lettuce.  

I then saw the margarita, and sushi, and a page full of vegetables. The "Eat" is from a sign of fun wall hangings in the kitchen.  See how I took a pair of lips and have them eating the "Eat" sign? 

After finding the shrimp cocktail and the Italian landscape clips, I saw the glass of red wine splashing into the glass, perfect for that red pop to balance out the red throughout the rest of the collage.

And now. . . in the end. . . I am inspired to make a fresh salad with a red wine lime emulsion, avocado, shrimp, a light leafy lettuce, tomatoes, maybe some cucumber and scallion, oh and a cheese to fit in with Italy.  Sounds like a nice, light summer salad.  Food-rut solved, well for now.  Food is about passion and creativity in your own light.  Keep thinking outside of the box!

Chef Gusteau's Kitchen in Real Life

Zooming in on life in the kitchen can be compared to my favorite movie Ratatouille.  While I was in culinary school, some of my Chefs even referred to the movie so we would assimilate to what we had not experience yet with a working kitchen and a fully operational line working with the front of the house staff and our own class to that of the Chef Gusteau's in the movie.  For the most part, minus Remy the rat being a chef in a 5 star French Brigade style kitchen, the movie holds true and was a good lesson while taking Classical French Cuisine lab.
When we first see the kitchen from the roof-top as Remy and his imaginary Gusteau are peering in, he tells us the different positions as we get to scan the colorful and remarkable kitchen scenery.  If you don't work in a restaurant's kitchen, did you know all of this went on back there?  Most non-cooks / chefs, probably not, unless you know someone or have had the privilege to be shown it.  Hot plates, hot ovens, hot flat-tops, hot utensils, hot stoves, greasy slippery floors, hot steam-kettles, sharp knives, fryers, grills, pantry, tons of assorted food, ect.  There is A LOT going on in the kitchen at any given time whether the cooks and chefs are actually cooking or not.  Always finding something to prep, something to cook, something to clean, it's an on going cycle.
A line in the movie that always pops up for me when I or someone else gets yelled at for timeliness (huge aspect of the kitchen) is this one between Colette and Linguini when she is teaching him the other aspects of the kitchen to be well rounded besides soups.

Colette: What are you doing?
Linguini: Uh . . . vegetables. I'm cooking the . . . vegetables?
Colette: No! You waste energy and time! You think cooking is a cute job, eh? Like Mommy in the kitchen? Well, Mommy never had to face the dinner rush while the orders come flooding in, and every dish is different and none are simple, and all different cooking time, but must arrive at the customer's table at exactly the same time, hot and perfect! Every second counts and you CANNOT be MOMMY!

YES, oh so very true. A line of tickets stubs shoved under the line holder as you race to plate in time while multitasking to do 5 tickets or more at once that all have the same dish so you can get those 5 done and away with to the customers to then start on something else all while your Chef is asking for tickets you either have done so they're in the "window" or you haven't even realized yet that you have them because the machine is still printing and tickets are falling on the floor.  You're sweating and your brain is all confused trying to remember everything at once while you personally are just trying to get through the rush so you can breath. It's the fast pace, rush, excitement, and the love of food that gets cooks through it.
There are chefs out there like Chef Skinner and worse.  Sometimes it may seem unbearable, but you just have to trudge through the shift to and get to the next day. Other times it's great.  Like the feeling you saw flash over Remy's face when the waiter came banging through the door saying the customer's love it! (the veal stomach dish) and you are happy for that one moment of instant gratification because your plating looks beautiful, you got it out on time, and the waiter or manager comes down to tell you the customer enjoyed it.  Like getting butterflies but good ones.  That feeling of floating but stable on the ground as you try not to become a bubble head and have an ego boost, it just feels happy.  It's even better if you can see the customer's face, like in that of an open kitchen - where the customers can see the kitchen.  I worked in one of those, and though I was only the pantry girl, it was summer and well everyone loves cool refreshing salad on a hot day and just seeing a glimpse of a smile knowing they are actually enjoying their lunch break was simply nice to know.

For this feeling, it is why I do what I do.  While on days I feel crappy because things didn't go right, I get an oil burn, or my plates aren't coming out on time, the desserts are falling apart or whatever the reason is, those days could be better.  But when all else fails, at the end of the night when the numbers get tallied and we find out how many covers we did, the manager and / or Chef says: "Everybody did a good job tonight. The customer's enjoyed it.  You did a good job getting the food out." That moment is pure joy.  Keep cooking!

And watch Ratatouille if you haven't already, or just watch it again, as I do.

The Cake that Never Fails

Whether you want to admit it or not, everyone has a sweet tooth.  Ok, so I have met probably two people in my life who honestly don't like chocolate or cake, but that's just flat out wrong if you ask me.  There's nothing wrong with sweets, you just can't sit there being a fat kid and eat the whole thing after you bake it, no matter how good it is.  (You could always go run half way around the world to burn off the calories, but I know I definitely don't have the energy or will-power for that.)
So here's how the story went. . . . I was still in college, living off campus in my apartment and it was late, too late for the grocery to get something.  While standing in front of my bookshelf looking at my baking books I thought there must be something in one of these with basic kitchen ingredients so I'm not cutting out half the recipe and ending up with a deformed flat cake.  With out caring really what was in the cake, I found a recipe with flour, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and zest.  Quickly looking in my fridge for eggs, butter and zest of either an orange or lime, excitedly found them and got out the rest of the ingredients.  This cake was so simple to make and when it was done baking not only did my apartment smell amazing but I was amazed it even turned out! Since the happenings upon this cake, the baking book calls it "Swedish Visiting Cake"and when I make it for my parents my Dad asks if the cake is staying over, very funny, I have tested other ingredients.  I have made flavors like lime, lemon almond, chocolate cinnamon, chocolate orange, orange and grande manier, fresh mango & lime, and a citrus blend. I like more flavors than others but really the combinations are endless.
AND the best part about the cake, you can make the whole recipe or half and once you make it, it's easy to remember because it's pretty all equal parts.
Here is the simplest, easiest, won't ever mess up and always turn out perfect in texture, flavor, and moist-ness CAKE:
** Preheat the oven to 375 degree on Bake.
1 mixing bowl
microwave proof bowl
whisk
rubber spatula
cake pan & PAM for Baking spray
1 cake plate

1 cup All-Purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 stick of butter, melted & cooled to room temp.
2 whole eggs, room temp.
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
zest of: 1 orange or 2 limes or 1 lemon

Melt the butter in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Let stand at room temp.
In the mixing bowl combine zest and sugar. Massage zest into the sugar using your hands until fragrant and the sugar has changed colors.
Whisk in one egg at a time, completely into the zest/sugar mixture, the batter should be light yellow.  Add salt and vanilla extract.
Using the spatula, fold in the flour. The batter will be very thick at this time, it's ok.
Pour in the melted stick of butter. Carefully incorporate using the spatula; if you need help use the whisk.  Do not over mix.

Spray your favorite cake pan with PAM for baking (flour in the canola oil spray).  Pour in the batter.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until cooked through (test with wooden skewer) and light brown.
Pull out of oven, cool for 1 minute. Cut around the outside and then place a plate on top and using a towel or oven mitt so you don't burn yourself, gently flip the cake onto the plate, will come right out.
If you can't resist, you may cut your cake now or wait until room temp and devour.  To store, just let cake to room temp if you haven't already done so and wrap in plastic. It does not need to be refrigerated, and will still be moist and good a week later if wrapped tightly.

Other flavors that are sure to please:
**Chocolate-Orange = zest of 1 orange, 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips melted, replace 2 Tbsp. of flour with 2 Tbsp. of good quality coco-powder.
* Orange - Grande Manier = zest of 1 orange. When cake is still hot, after flipping it onto the plate, pour on a simple syrup with 1 shot Grande Manier, 1 part water and 2 parts sugar. You can make the simple syrup and then add the liquor and pour on top or you can cook out some of the alcohol by cooking it in the simple syrup.

I brought the Chocolate-Orange flavor to work, it was devoured while many comments of "This is soo good" were exclaimed!  Everyone loved it and I'm sure you will too after you make this cake.  This simple sweet never tasted soo good.