Blogiversary (Chocolate Lava Cake)

Happy Blogiversary! I can't believe that I have had this blog for a year. Thank you all so much for the support. I started this blog as a way to post the recipes I have made. Since you guys started viewing, and subscribing to my blog it has become more than that. To celebrate my Blogiversary, I decided to make Chocolate Lava Cakes. I am not the biggest chocolate person, but for some reason Chocolate Lava Cakes are one of my favorite desserts. I hope you enjoy my recipe for Chocolate Lava Cake, and thank you so much for reading my blog over past year, I hope that you have enjoyed it!

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

2 eggs and 3 egg yolks

5 ounces dark chocolate

1/3 cup flour

1 cup confectioners sugar

Pre heat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit. Next put 5 ounces of chocolate and 1 stick of butter into a bowl, then place into the microwave for about 1 minute, or until the butter has melted. Once the butter has melted, using a spatula mix until the chocolate is also melted.

To the chocolate add the confectioners sugar and mix using a whisk until well blended. 

Next, whisk in the the eggs.

Lastly add the flour to the mixture and whisk until smooth. 

Spray four custard cups with baking spray, then divide the mixture among them. Place the filled custard cups into the oven right away, or put them into the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Custard cups filled with batter

Cook the lava cakes in the oven for about 13 minutes or until the sides are firm and the centers are soft. Using a butter knife go around the edges of the lava cake, then place a plate on top of the cake and flip it over. If desired serve with ice cream or whipped cream. 

After I opened the cake

Ricotta Gnocchi

There are so many different types of pasta. Some are commonly used, like penne and spaghetti, but pasta like gnocchi are rare and not easy to find. In my opinion gnocchi is the best type of pasta, this is because it is so fluffy and it just melts in your mouth. They go best with sauces like marinara and carbonara. Gnocchi are usually made using potato, but I made mine using ricotta. Ricotta gives this extra kick of flavor that cannot be achieved when substituted with potatoes. I hope you like my recipe for ricotta gnocchi.

Ingredients:

½ Teaspoon Salt

One 16-ounce container ricotta cheese

1 egg and a egg yolk

¾ cups Grated Parmesan

1 cup flour

Line a large plate with paper towel and place the ricotta on top. Place another piece of paper towel on top of the ricotta and push down on the ricotta until the top towel is completely wet. Repeat this step about 3 times or until most of the water has been removed from the ricotta. Place the ricotta, eggs, salt, parmesan, and flour into a large mixing bowl. Using a spatula, mix this mixture together until combined. Once combined knead a little bit using your hands until the mixture is firm but a little bit sticky. 

Make the dough into a ball shape, then cut into quarters.

One quarter at a time turn the dough into logs that are about 12 inches long and 3/4-inch wide. Then cut each log into about 6-8 gnocchi. 

Using a gnocchi board you can make the gnocchi look pretty but this step is not required. 

Finally cook the gnocchi for 1-2 minutes or until they float to the top of the boiling water. Top with your favorite sauce, I recommend tomato sauce or carbonara sauce. 

Enjoy!

Spanakopita

There is a Greek deli in my town near the beach where they make the best spanakopita. At this deli  they make everything from pizza to all kinds of Greek specialties. Ever since I can remember I have loved their spanakopita because of the cheesy filling and the flaky crust. Whenever I go there the owner knows that I will order the spanakopita because she knows it is my favorite. I made mine in triangles because I think that it looks prettier this way, but at the greek deli they make it as a pie. I hope you enjoy my recipe for spanakopita. (enough for 4 triangles) 

Ingredients:

5oz of Spinach

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 egg

1 clove garlic

1/2 stick butter

1 package of phyllo dough

1/4 cup feta cheese

1/2 teaspoon dill 

1 teaspoon salt

First preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Then sauté the spinach, garlic, and olive oil until the spinach is completely wilted. 

Then let the spinach cool for 10 minutes, then squeeze all of the water out of the spinach. Put in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, then add the dill, feta, salt, and the egg. 

 Unroll the phyllo dough on a flat surface and cover with a damp towel so it doesn't dry out. Using a  knife, cut the phyllo into 3 by 11 inch strips, and recover with the towel. Use a pastry brush to brush a strip of phyllo with melted butter. Place a small spoonful of spinach filling 1 inch from the end of the pastry. Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle, then continue to fold up the strip in triangles. Continue with remaining strips of dough, placing filled triangles on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using the pastry brush, brush melted butter on top of the spanakopita.

Placing the spinach mixture into the phyllo dough

Folding the phyllo dough into a triangle

Finish spanakopita on the baking tray

 Place the spanakopita into the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

 Let them cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy!