Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe

I don't like Texas sheetcake, I think the last two times I have tasted an after taste or something.... I had to take a treat to tonight... so I searched the internet, and used the sheetcake pan mom gave me for it's purpose... I think I stand by Katie in liking pies and other such things better then cakes, but it's not bad... even brownies more...

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 cup water
• 2 Eggland's Best Eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ICING:
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

• In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients; set aside. In a small
• saucepan, bring butter, cocoa and water to a boil. Immediately
• remove from the heat. Add to dry ingredients and mix well.
• In a small bowl, beat eggs. Add buttermilk and vanilla; mix well.
• Stir into cocoa mixture. Pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in.
• baking pan. Bake at 375° for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick 
• inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring the butter, cocoa and milk to a boil,
• stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; add sugar and vanilla.
• Mix well. Spread over hot cake; immediately sprinkle with nuts. Cool
• completely on a wire rack. Yield: 16-20 servings.

Machu Picchu (Steamed Veggies with Quinoa and Chili Cashew Cream Sauce)

Last year for her birthday, Emily wanted to go to a restaurant in Salt Lake called Cafe Supernatural. It was so so good! The food was so fresh and while it was pretty simple, it was still delicious. We ordered two dishes: the Machu Picchu and the Mesa Azul. The Mesa Azul consisted of a couple of blue corn winter squash tamales with pumpkin seed mole and a side of greens. I am still trying to figure out how to make that one. The other was vegetables with quinoa and a cashew cream sauce. Really good. We decided we wanted to try to make it at home, and came up with this recipe after adapting some of the recipes we saw for cashew cream sauces on the internet. Just because it's simple doesn't mean it isn't good. Try it!

Cashew Cream Sauce
1 1/2 C raw cashews, soaked in water for a few hours
juice of 1 lime
1 t chili powder
1 1/2 C vegetable broth (I used bouillon and water)
salt to taste

Drain water from cashews. Blend all ingredients for sauce until smooth. Transfer to small sauce pot and cook over medium heat until thickened. Stir the sauce while warming to prevent it from burning. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Vegetables and quinoa
Assorted Steamed Vegetables: We used a couple carrots, a couple summer squash (zucchini and yellow), 3 or 4 sliced potatoes, and some cauliflower. We steamed each veggie individually.
3 or 4 C cooked quinoa (2 c uncooked quinoa and 4 c water brought to a boil. Cook on low for about 20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Let rest for a few minutes before serving.)

To Serve: In a bowl, top quinoa with steamed vegetables. Pour cashew cream sauce over the top of vegetables. Eat and enjoy!