Red Velved Cake

I posted this on my blog a little while ago, but here it is again...to kick off our new blog.
It is from FoodNetwork.com, but we did make a couple of adjustments when we made it.

Grandmother Paula's Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients
Cake:

* 2 cups sugar
* 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature (I ADDED 1 STICK)
* 2 eggs
* 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
* 2 ounces red food coloring (I USED ONLY 1 OUNCE)
* 2 1/2 cups cake flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup buttermilk (I THINK I USED A SUBSTITUTION OF 1 cup milk 1 Tb lemon juice)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 tablespoon vinegar

Icing:

* 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
* 1 stick butter, softened (I USED 1/2 STICK)
* 1 cup melted marshmallows
* 1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar
* 1 cup shredded coconut
* 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Mix cocoa and food coloring together and then add to sugar mixture; mix well. Sift together flour and salt. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and add to mixture. Pour batter into 3 (8-inch) round greased and floured pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool completely before frosting.
Icing:

Blend cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl. Add marshmallows and sugar and blend. Fold in coconut and nuts. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cooled cake.

Chili-Lime steak salad

I made this on Sunday and it was yummy! I found the recipe on www.ourbestbites.com. I couldn't find flank steak so I used NY strip instead and used the broiler for about 4 minutes on each side. Enjoy!

1 1/2 lb flank steak, cooked with lime-chili rub and sliced into 1/4" slices
1 recipe Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing
1 large head romaine lettuce
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 red onion, sliced thin
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed in cold water
1-2 avocados, sliced
cilantro for garnish
optional: fried tortilla strips

Lime-chili rub recipe:
1 t chili powder
1 t granulated garlic
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t coriander
1/2 t oregano
1/8- 1/4 t cayenne pepper*
3/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
*If you have chipotle chili powder, you can substitute it for the cayenne or just add a little in addition
1 lime (about 2 T lime juice)
1-2 lbs flank steak, or other good grilling cut (tenderloin, NY strip, and tri-tip all work well)

Juice the lime into a small bowl. Add spices and stir to combine. Some limes have more juice than others, so sometimes the mixture will be more liquid-y and sometimes it will be more pasty. If you find you're a little short on lime juice, just add a teaspoon or two of extra virgin olive oil to stretch it out. Place the steak in a shallow dish and pour the spice mixture on top. Let it sit for about 15 minutes then either grill it or broil it.

Lime-Cilantro dressing:
1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (regular or buttermilk)
ignore directions on the packet
1C mayo
1/2 C milk (or buttermilk depending on which packet you buy)
1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 C green salsa
hot sauce

Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice. Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa. Blend 'er up. Sample it and add hot sauce to taste. Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.