Chocolate Pecan Cake for a Special Date

Or Just For Whenever You Feel Like It, It’s Cake After All!

It’s almost time for the best day ever! No, we don’t mean Valentine’s Day, we’re talking about the day after, when all of the chocolate goes on sale! Now is the best time of year to snap up all sorts of delicious chocolates and make them into fun new desserts. This year, to celebrate, we made a layered chocolate pecan cake with frosting so rich and delicious you’ll have to force yourself to walk away.

• Ingredients For The Cake

  4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

  ⅔ c unsweetened, non-alkalized American-style cocoa powder (normally we’re all for substitutions, but due to the chemical reactions, you need to get specifically this type of cocoa)

  1 ¼ tsp baking soda

  ¾ c boiling water

  1 ⅓ c unsifted cake flour

  1 c all-purpose flour

  ¾ tsp baking powder

  ¼ tsp salt + a pinch

  2 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temp

  5 large eggs

  1 c sour cream

  2 ½ tsp vanilla extract

• Ingredients For The Frosting

  ⅔ c heavy cream

  ⅔ c granulated sugar

  1 Tbsp unsalted butter

  1 ½ Tbsp light corn syrup

  1 tsp vanilla extract + 1 ½ Tbsp vanilla

  8oz milk chocolate chips

  2 ½ oz unsweetened chocolate

  11 oz of cream cheese

  2 - 2 ½ c powdered sugar

  1-2 tsp water

• Tools Needed

  Two 9 Inch round cake pans

  Sifter

  Heavy-bottomed sauce pot

  Several small bowls for ingredients

  Parchment paper

  whisk

  Electric mixer or stand mixer

  Silicon spatula

  Icing knife

  Wire racks

Making the Cake 

Let’s start by taking your chocolate, for both the cake and the icing and getting them chopped up and set into their own bowls. You don’t have to dice them or make sure they’re even, what matters is breaking it up so that the melting can happen more easily later. 

Next  up, let’s prep the pans and the oven. Set one of your oven racks into the middle of the oven and set it to preheat to 350*F. While that’s ticking away, take up your two 9-inch, round cake pans and parchment paper. You’re going to want to generously grease the bottom and sides of the cake pans and then insert rounds of the parchment into the bottoms. Then grease the parchment as well. Once you’ve done that, take up a little bit of all-purpose flour and dust the pans. Tip the pans from side to side, making sure you have everything covered, and then tap out the excess over the trash. 

Next up, pop your unsweetened chocolate (the 4oz you need for the  cake, not the amount needed for the icing) into the microwave. Microwave it on high power for 20 seconds, remove it and stir. Continue this process back and forth until your chocolate is almost melted. Once you can see the melted edges, stir continuously and allow the residual heat to melt the chocolate the rest of the way through. 

In a medium bowl, stir together your cocoa powder and baking soda until well blended. Pour your boiling water over the mixture, stirring consistently. It’s going to bubble up, and that is the reaction you want which is going to make the cake light and fluffy and so tasty. Let that cool while we move on to mixing the ingredients. 

Take a sheet of parchment paper and lay it down on your counter and grab your sifting mesh. Sift together your flours over the paper.

In a separate large bowl, using a mixter on medium, beat your butter until it’s light and fluffy. You’ll need to scrape the sides down a few times as you, as the butter gets tossed everywhere by the mixer. Next, beat in one egg at a time, until just blended. Then add in your cocoa mixture and continue beating, still at medium, until the mixture is free of lumps. Again, you’ll need to scrape the sides down as you go. The mixture might look kind of curdled at this stage, it’s ok. 

Now let’s grab the chocolate we melted earlier. If it’s still warm and runny, that’s great! If not, pop it back into the microwave for a few seconds until it is nice and fluid again. Then add it into the batter until it’s smooth and fully incorporated. 

Switch the mixer down to low and beat in half of your dry ingredients. Once those are mixed in, add both the sour cream and the vanilla. Mix that together for 1 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl down as needed. Then beat in the rest of the dry ingredients just until the batter becomes smooth. 

Split the batter between the pans, using the  back of a spoon to spread it to the edges. Back it in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, but still moist and the cakes are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Transfer the pans over to a wire rack and let them cool completely. (Don’t do what we did and make the icing at this time.) 

When the cakes are fully cooled, carefully run a knife around the side of the pans and under the parchment. Go all the way around and then rap the pan on the counter to loosen the parchment from the bottom. Grab a plate and holding it tight against the top of the plan, flip the cake onto the plate and remove the paper. Once both cakes are out of their pans, give them a few more minutes to cool. 

Making the Frosting

Now that your cakes are on their way to being completely cool, it’s time to make the icing!

Take your 2-quart saucepan and put that on the stove, over medium-high heat. You’re going to add in, in order, your butter,cream, granulated sugar and then the corn syrup. (it’s best to do this quickly so nothing scorches, but that’s also why the butter goes in first.) Stir consistently while everything bubbles and melts and begins to blend. You can wash down the sides of the pan using a pastry brush in warm water, although we found this to be difficult. 

Once you’ve brought it up to a boil, keep it there for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. When the 3 minutes are up, remove it from the heat, add in the vanilla mixture and your chocolate until they completely melt. (It’s ok if they look slightly separated at this point.) 

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and grab your mixer again. Turn it on to low speed and beat in your cream cheese, one chunk at a time. Continue beating until all of the cream cheese is mixed in, scraping down the sides as needed. 

Next up, add in one cup of powdered sugar at a time, beating just to incorporated each time. Now raise the speed to medium-low and beat until the icing is completely smooth, approximately 1-2 minutes. It should be cool to the touch at this point.

If the frosting is too thin, add in up to ½ cup more of powdered sugar, until fully incorporated and smooth.  Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, and then ice your cake. Because of the base, this is not a frosting you can make ahead of time and use later. 

Spread a tiny bit of icing onto your serving plate of choice and place your first cake layer centered on top of it. Add a dollop of icing on the center and spread evenly. Cover the icing in pecan halves and then add a slightly thinner layer of icing on top of that. Place the second layer of cake and then put icing on top of that. Spread the icing evenly on top, and then use it to coat the sides. When finished, wrap the bottom of the cake in a layer of pecans. 

Slice and enjoy!

With that, enjoy your cake, and eat it too! (After all, what’s the point of a cake if you can’t?) 

If you do make this one, let us know over on our Facebook page! We love to hear what y’all get up and what changes you make. 

If your oven is giving you fits in trying to make this, reach out to us on our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). We’ll work with you to set up an appointment that works with your schedule. Our goal at Appliance Rescue Service is to get your home running smoothly again.

Jalapeno Chicken Bowtie Pasta

Warm enough to get you through winter, hearty enough to keep you healthy in spring.

We’re well into the coldest part of winter, getting hammered from all sides with cold weather and we need something to warm up! This week’s recipe is a great recipe if you’re fighting off a cold or are just sick of the cold. It’s got the same basics as a good chicken noodle soup with some extra added kick to it. 

Ingredients: 

1 medium yellow onion

3 large carrots

3 celery stalks 

salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves 

2 Tbsp butter

3 chicken breasts

1 pt of heavy cream

1 bay leaf

Fresh parsley

1 tsp of thyme 

chicken bullion 

1 lb bowtie pasta 

jalapeno slices 

Tools: Two large pots, a blender or food processor, a cutting board, slotted spoons and a few bowls 

Recipe: 

To get us started, grab a paper towel and wet it with cold water in your sink. Lay it next to your cutting board, and then grab your onion. Chop the onion into large quarters, remove the outer skin, and be amazed that your eyes aren't watering, thanks to the paper towel. Does it sound weird? yes. Does it work? Also yes. This is a trick we use all the time in our own kitchens for the ARS staff. Put the onions aside into a large bowl, and take up your carrots. You can choose to skin them, or just give them a quick scrub, it's up to you. Once you've prepped them, go ahead and give your carrots a few rough chops, breaking them down into thirds.  Do the same with your celery in terms of prep, and make sure not to leave any of the leaves on. 

Go ahead and turn your stove on high and place your large pot on the stove, tossing in 2 Tbsp of butter. Let that melt down, and then add salt and fresh cracked pepper to the pan. While that's going, take your garlic cloves, nip off the top, bottom, and the skins, and then quickly mince them. Toss that into the pan, and stir until the garlic is aromatic. At that point, add in your onion, carrots and celery, turn the heat down to medium, and let it sit. You're going to let the vegetables simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes, to allow them to start softening and cooking. 

Once your onions are halfway to translucent, fill the pot with water and add in the chicken. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and the water has reduced by half. 

Turn the burner off and grab two different bowls. One bowl is just for the chicken. The second bowl is for all of the vegetables. Take up your slotted spoon and remove all of the vegetables from the stock. Make sure to lose as little stock as possible, as it's the base for the sauce.  From here, grab your blender or food processor and pour in your vegetables. You might have to do this in batches, you might not. Either way, add about 1/2 cup of stock to the blender, just to make it easier, and set the machine to chop. Once you've got the vegetables much smaller, you can switch over to blend and let the machine work until you have a smooth puree. Pour your puree back into the pot, and return the pot to medium heat. 

Pour 1 pint of heavy cream into the pot, give it a stir, and taste. This is the stage to add spices in. Add in 1 bay leaf, a few sprigs of fresh parsley, and 1 tsp of thyme. Give that a stir and let it bubble for a few minutes, then taste. At this point, we realized we needed more chicken and add in 1 tablespoon of chicken bullion, but you might not. Let the pot continue to bubble, reducing further until you have a thick sauce that stays on the spoon when you lift it out. As this works, you'll also want to skim the top and scrape the bottom occasionally to remove anything from building up. 

When the sauce is nice and thick, grab a second pot and add water, plus enough salt to make it as salty as the ocean. Bring that to a roiling boil and add in your bowtie pasta. Set a timer for six minutes, and go back to your cutting board. This time you're going to be tackling the chicken and being much more uniform than we were earlier in the recipe. Chop the chicken into bite-sized chunks, or you can shred it depending on how easily it's falling apart. Eitherway, once that's done, toss it into the sauce pot and give it a good stir to incorporate it. 

By now your pasta should be done, take that off the burner, strain it and add the pasta to the sauce. Give that a stir and let it simmer until the pasta is fully cooked. 

While that's finishing up, you've got one final choice to make. Do you like your food spicy or really spicy? If you like it just a little spicy, dish out the jalapenos in small dishes set to the side of each bowl. If you like it really spicy, add the jalapenos and the juice they come in into the main pot and let that mix. 

Either way you prefer it, once your pasta is fully cooked, congrats! You've got a healthy and delicious meal that no one will suspect has a whole bunch of veggies hidden in it. 

Let us know over on our Facebook page if you plan to give this one a try! We'd love to see how it turns out. 

If your appliances are giving you trouble, you can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). At Appliance Rescue Service, we're here for you and want to help you get your home running smoothly again.

Sausage Bread to Get You Rolling

Or Something To Eat While We Hide From the Cold

We're taking a look at a delicious, grab-and-go dinner that's great for parties. Looking through our recipes, we were thinking about something that would work best for the Superbowl parties that people are already planning. This sausage bread is great for just that, as you can make several of them now, and freeze them ahead of time to be ready for the game. 

This recipe comes in two parts. The first, is for making sweet Italian sausage because it is remarkably difficult to find in the Dallas area. The second is for the delicious sausage bread that is going to have you making the sausage on a regular basis. 

Ingredients for Sweet Italian Sausage: 

3 lbs ground pork

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 ¼ Tbsp dried parsley

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp onion powder

1 Tbso dried basil

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp freshly cracked black pepper

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

¾ tsp ground fennel seed

¼ tsp brown sugar

⅛ tsp dried oregano

⅛ tsp dried thyme

Ingredients for the Sausage Rolls:  

2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing 

1 pound sweet Italian sausage 

4 ounces Genoa salami 

2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella (roughly 8 ounces) 

Vegetable oil cooking spray

flour for the work surface

Oregano - for the surface

minced garlic - for the surface 

frozen pizza dough (not the premade crusts, the actual dough is what you want here. Alternatively, you can make your own dough.) 

Recipe: 

For making the sausage, add the pork and vinegar to a large bowl and then sprinkle the spices all over the top. Scrub down your hands and, if you like, put on some gloves. Mix the pork until the spices are thoroughly incorporated throughout the pork. Divide the pork into one-pound sections. Put one pound aside for the recipe, and the other two into separate freezer bags. These will freeze for 6-12 months and can be used for many different recipes. 

Now let’s move on to making the actual sausage roll.

-Start by preheating your oven to 340* F. Nope it's not a typo. It works for this recipe. 

- Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add the sausage and cook until brown, 12-15 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. 

- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a medium bowl and let cool. Once cool, add the salami and mozzarella, mixing with your hands. 

- Spray a half-sheet pan with cooking spray.  

-On a floured surface, roll out your dough into one long 18 x 6 inch oval. Brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle the sausage mixture all over. Make sure to leave a 1-inch wide perimeter uncovered, as that will be important later. 

- Gently stretch one long side of the dough and fold it so that it covers half the mixture. Tuck in the short ends to trap all that meat inside and roll it onto itself so the seam of the dough is on the bottom. (Think of it like making cinnamon rolls, instead of like making a burrito.) 

-Carefully and gently transfer the log to the prepared sheet pan and curve it into a slight crescent. (You want it to look more like a ( and less like a C .) Poke holes along the top with a fork to release the steam while it's cooking. Brush the top of the bread with a mixture of melted butter and sprinkle with oregano and garlic. 

- Pop the bread into the oven and cook for 20 minutes. At this point, the top should be lightly brown. 

Let it rest for 10 minutes, and then slice it into 1-inch rounds. 

-You can actually freeze this one up to 2 months in advance. For that you'll follow all of the steps up until you transfer it to the prepared sheet. Instead, you'll wrap the roll in tin foil and then tightly wrap that in plastic wrap. When you're ready to eat, thaw it completely at room temperature for 3 hours, remove the plastic wrap and bake it still wrapped in the foil at 350*F for 15 minutes. 

You can serve this with bolognese sauce, ranch or anything else you might put on top of your pizza. Personally, your blogger is fond of ranch. Let us know on the Facebook page what you serve yours with!

If you're here because you need help with your oven, we can help! We're here to help with all sorts of major appliances, and your oven probably shouldn't be smoking. You can reach out to us by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or by heading to our contact page. We'll work with you to set up an appointment that works best with your schedule. At Appliance Rescue Service, our goal is to get your home running smoothly again.  

Photo by Midget Momma

Lasagna Roll Up For New Year’s Eve

When You’re Wanting To Impress, This Is The Dish! 

For many of us New Year’s Eve is a great time to test out new recipes or ones that we want to show off. This recipe is a bit of both. It looks gorgeous and it tastes even better, while still being a warm and filling meal great for a get together of friends and family. We’re making a lasagna roll up that will impress people with your ingenuity as well as getting them to ask for the recipe. 

Ingredients

For the sauce:

3 tbsp olive oil

¾ C pancetta, cubed

1 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 ⅓ C packed ground beef

2 ⅓ C packed ground pork

7 Tbsp milk

2 x  16oz cans chopped tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 rosemary sprig (or 1 tsp dried) 

2 thyme sprigs 

2 tsp dried oregano

1 beef stock cube

2 C red wine

For the bechamel:

4 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp  all-purpopse flour

 3 generous cups of milk

½ C mozzarella, grated

½ C parmesan, grated

Nutmeg -to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the assembly:

6-8  sheets flat, al dente lasagna (the crinkled variety makes this recipe incredibly difficult) 

¾ C grated provolone, grated

½ C mozzarella, grated

½ C parmesan

Instructions:

For the sauce: Put the oil and pancetta in a large saucepan on medium (a Dutch oven is a great option). Gently cook until the pancetta is crispy and golden. Add the onion and turn the heat down, cooking for about 10 minutes until the onion is softened. Then add the garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes. It should be a wonderfully aromatic mix at this point. 

Next, add in your ground beef and pork, breaking down the meat with the back of a wooden spoon or a spatula. Then add the milk and chopped tomatoes to the pot. Stir in the bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, oregano, beef stock cube, and wine, and bring to a simmer.

Courtesy of Bake Your Day

Cover with a lid and cook for 1 hr, occasionally stirring to stop the bottom scalding. Then remove the lid and gently simmer for another 30 mins-1 hr until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened. Taste and season, then set aside to cool with the lid off. 

For the bechamel sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, and once melted, add the flour and mix in. Right here is one of the keys to French cooking, making a roux. The important part is the next step. Cook the flour and butter mix for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flavor of the flour. Stir in the milk, a little at a time – adding milk slowly to avoid lumps. A whisk is best here to fully incorporate everything. 

When all the milk is fully mixed in, bring the sauce to a simmer, constantly stirring until thickened. Do not let it come to a boil. Now stir in the cheeses and a good grating of nutmeg. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

It needs to cook for a minute or so longer, but this is the color your bechemel should be.

Preheat your oven to 400*F, and get ready to put everything together. 

To assemble: Lay a large piece of baking parchment on top of a large baking sheet. Lay the lasagna sheets on top of the baking sheet so that they are touching, and top with ½ of the provolone and ½ of the mozzarella. Place this under the broiler for 2 minutes to melt the cheese and form the lasagne into a single sheet. 

Once the cheese has melted, it’s time to add the filling. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the solids from your sauce and transfer that to the lasagna. Spread the sheet of lasagne with the meat sauce and drizzle over a little of the bechamel sauce, then add the last of the grated parmesan. Roll the whole thing up like a swiss roll and place it into a dish large enough to fit it. Pour over the remaining bechamel sauce and sprinkle with the remaining provolone and mozzarella. Place into the oven for 30 minutes, then remove and sprinkle the last of the Parmesan over the top. Slice the roll to show off your beautiful work, and impress your guests! 

What did you think? Will you be trying this one out for New Years Eve? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. As always, we love to hear from you! 

If you're more interested in getting our help with your recalcitrant appliances, we can do that too. Just reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055), and we'll work with you to set up a time and date to send one of our expert technicians to get your home back in order. At Appliance Rescue Service, getting your home running smoothly again is our top priority. 

New England Clam Chowder To Keep You Warm

Winter is coming, even if Texas doesn’t know it yet. Enjoy this soup in the meantime! 

Winter is just around the corner, and that means we’re craving soup. This week we’re looking at a classic recipe for New England-style clam chowder. A rich and creamy soup that will not only fill you up but will also give you plenty of leftovers to enjoy later. 

Ingredients

3 strips Thick-Cut Bacon

4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter

1  Large Onion (cut into 1/4-inch cubes)

1 rib Celery (cut into 1/4-inch cubes)

1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme Leaves (chopped)

2  Bay Leaves

2  Medium-Size White Potatoes (peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes)

½ cup All-Purpose Flour

4 cups Bottled Clam Juice (divided)

1 pound Fresh Clam Meat (chopped, with juices, see Note)

Kosher Salt

3 cups Light Cream

1 teaspoon White Pepper

A quick note on finding clam meat and clam juice. It’s hard to get hold of fresh clams. Instead, check out the frozen section of your supermarket. Many of them carry 1 pound containers, which are fresher, have the clams and the juice, and taste far better than canned. Defrost before you use it and it’s not only tastier but more convenient as well. 

Take your onion, celery, and potatoes, and get them ready. For the onion and celery that’s going to be cutting them up into ¼ inch cubes. For the potatoes, you’ll want to peel them for now and set them aside. 

We might have forgotten to take many photos of this recipe unfortunately. This one is from Give Peas a Chance.

Set your 4-6 quart pot on the stove over medium-low heat. Add your bacon to the pot and cook until crips, 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove the bacon, leave the fat in the pot, and set the bacon to the side to cool. 

While that’s cooling, add your butter, onion, celery, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot. Cook at the same heat and stir often. In between the stirring, turn back to your bacon and crumble it into small pieces.  When the onions are translucent, add the bacon back to the pot and stir to mix. 

We had to pause in the middle of chopping ours, but it did mean we actually got a photo of the process.

Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer.  In the meantime,  grab your second pot, fill it with 2–3 quarts of water and set it to high heat. Add in salt, and bring the pot to a boil. Dice your potatoes, and add them to the boiling water. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until you can easily pierce them with a fork. Drain the potatoes in a colander and set them aside. 

Now, let’s turn back to your onion and bacon mix and turn the heat up a bit to medium-low. Slowly add your flour, stirring constantly, until a thick paste forms. This is a roux, of a type. Stir slowly and cook for 5 minutes until it becomes golden brown. You’re looking to cook out the ‘raw’ flavor of the flour. 

After five minutes, bring the heat up to medium and slowly stir in the bottled clam juice, one cup at a time, fully incorporating it into the roux before you add more. 

Turn the heat up further to medium-high and add your potatoes and the clam meat with its juices. Keep stirring for 5 minutes until the clams are tender. 

Stir in your cream slowly, and then top with white pepper and stir it in. 

Remove the bay leaves before serving, and dish it up with your choice of grain. We like serving it with pita bread or a crusty slice of bread, while many enjoy oyster crackers. 

The final product though? That was all ours. It tasted even better than it looked in all honesty.

What do you think? Are you willing to give this tasty soup a try as winter comes? Or will you hold out until the cold has actually set in, come February hopefully? Let us know what you think of the recipe, or your own favorite version of New England clam chowder in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. 

If you’re here because you’re worried about Winter being just around the corner, you’re not the only one. Whether you’re looking at issues with your washer and dryer or you want to make sure your oven and stove are up to snuff before Christmas, we can help. In addition to repairing appliances, we at Appliance Rescue also offer maintenance checks. Whether you’re worried about just one appliance or about all of them, we’ll walk through with you. We’ll look at all of the appliances you request and see what is or isn’t happening. Whether it’s making sounds, smells odd or you’d just rather be safe than sorry, we understand. We’ll go over all of the possible issues and make sure that your appliances are good to go.

You can reach out to us to set up a maintenance check on our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). We’ll work with you to set a time and date that works best for your schedule. From there we’ll send one of our expert technicians to go over your chosen appliances. At Appliance Rescue Service, our goal is to get your home running smoothly again.