Strawberry Cake

I cannot take credit for this recipe. This recipe came from life-should-be-delicious.blogspot.com. I made it the other night for a Family Home Evening treat. It was delicious. It is like strawberry shortcake with a twist.

Cake:
1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
1 Cup Sour Cream
4 Eggs
1 Small Box Vanilla Instant Pudding
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Water
1 Cup Slivered Almonds (Optional)(I did not use them)
2 Teaspoons Almond Extract

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour batter in desired baking dish such as a 9x13 (that is what I used), two 9-inch round pans, or bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

When cake is done, let cool completely. Turn cakes onto cooling racks and place on cookie sheets to catch extra glaze. I just let mine cool in the pan and never did take it out.

Almond Glaze:
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
3 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
Milk
2+ Teaspoons Almond Extract

Combine all ingredients except for milk and mix well. Slowly add milk a few tablespoons at a time until you get the right consistency of a runny glaze. I only used 2 teasoons extract.

Filling & Topping:
2 Cartons Fresh Strawberries
1 Carton Cool Whip

To Assemble the Cake:
Once cooled, poke holes into the cake with the handle of a wooden spoon. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake and let soak in and run over the edges. Top the cake with the cool whip and a layer of strawberries. Let cake sit in the fridge before serving.

Mango Pico De Gallo

This recipe is to be served with the Lime-Chili Steaks that recipe is posted on this blog. However, this is a fabulous recipe and would make a great mango salsa to be served with chips.

1 Cup Small Cubes Mango (About 1 Medium to Large Mango)
1/2-1 Large Jalapeno Pepper (1/2 without seeds is nice, mild-medium heat; go from there)(If you are making this to go with the Lime-Chili Steaks, I would not add any seeds. The steaks already have a kick to them and so adding seeds I think would make it too hot. Only do that if you like intense heat.)
1/4 Cup Cilantro, Chopped
1/4 of a Medium Red Onion, Finely Chopped
Juice of 1 Lime
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
Kosher or Sea Salt To Taste

Combine ingredients. Serve. I try to prepare it a couple hours ahead of serving so that the flavors can blend together. This will keep for a day or so, but after that, the mangoes will go mushy.

Lime-Chili Steak Rub

So as I have mentioned before, Bryon and I belong to a dinner group. We rotate months and people's houmes. This month it was at our house. I really struggled with what to cook. With the heat of summer, I didn't want to cook on the stove or oven that would heat my kitchen up even more. I learned this past week what a great cook the counselor's wife that serves in the bishopric with Bryon is. She gave me a couple of suggestions. So while the meal was delicious, I cannot take credit this recipe came from her.

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Granulated Garlic
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Coriander
1/2 Teaspoon Oregano
1/8-1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Lime (about 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice)
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1-2 Pounds Flank Steak, or other good grilling cut (Tenderloin, NY Strip and Tri-Tip all work well) (We used petite sirloins and they were delicious.)

Juice 1 lime into a boil and then add remaining ingredients, except steak. Place the steak in a shallow dish and pour the spice mixture on top. Now is the time to make friends with that hunk of beef. Use your hands to massage it in there. Trust me -- your hands work a lot better than smooshing it around in a zip lock bag. Let it sit in the marinade for 15 minutes. During that time you can preheat your grill, make some side dishes, set the table, paint your nails, sneak some dessert, whatever.

Place meat on hot grill. (BBQ is best, but an indoor grill pan or broiler will work fine too). If you are using flank steak it should take about 5-7 minutes on each side. When steak is finished, remove from grill and let sit for 5 minutes before cutting into it. Otherwise all of the juices will run out and you'll be stuck with dry steak. And who wants to eat dry steak? Slice in strips against the grain. Serve with Mango Pico De Gallo (Recipe on this site).