Frosted Orange Date Bars

I think dates get overlooked. I love dates. Today at Cub Foods, they had dates for sale; whole delicious dark dates! I think it's sad that dates have fallen out of favor with our desserts and pastries. My suggestion is; find a recipe that uses raisins and change it out for dates or at least 1/2 raisins and 1/2 dates. These little bars are so delicious and full of yummy ingredients, you'll make them again and again.

Bars:
3/4 c. sugar 1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. water 1 (8 oz) package chopped dates
1 1/4 c. flour 1 c. chopped pecans
3/4 c. milk 1/4 c. orange juice
2 eggs 3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt 1 T. grated orange peel

Frosting:
3 c. powdered sugar 1/3 c. butter, softened
1 (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 T. grated orange peel 2 - 3 T. orange juice

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, combine sugar, 1/2 c. butter, water and dates. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until dates are softened (5-8 minutes). Remove from heat.

2. By hand, stir in all remaining bar ingredients until well mixed. Spread into greased 15x10x1" jelly-roll pan. Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.

3. In a small mixing bowl combine all frosting ingredients except orange juice. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often and adding enough orange juice for desired spreading consistency. Frost bars; cut.

Tres Leches Cake

I am in a Mexican Cuisine mood this week. This is the best recipe I have found.

Cake:
5 large eggs, seperated 1 c. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract 1/3 c. milk (whole is best)
1 1/2 t. baking powder 1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. cream of tartar

Milk Syrup:
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk 1 c. sweetened condensed milk
1 c. heavy cream 1 t. vanilla extract
1 T. rum (I use Grand Marnier for a nice orange finish)

Garnish:
small container of whipping cream; whipped with a 1 t. vanilla extract and 2 T. sugar
crushed pineapple
chopped maraschino cherries (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spray a 9 x 13" baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
3. Beat 3/4 c. sugar with egg yolks until light in color and thick in consistency.
4. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add cream of tartar and 1/4 c. sugar; beat until stiff peaks form with a glossy finish. Fold egg whites in to egg yolk batter.
6. Pour batter into pan and bake for 25 - 30 minutes.
7. Allow cake to cool inside pan and on cooling rack for about 1/2 an hour.
8. Combine all milk syrup ingredients together.
9.Pierce cake with a fork; pour syrup over cake. I usually pour a bit and wait for it to settle into the cake and then continue to pour until all milk is used up.
10. Place cake into refrigerator for about 1 hour before serving. Place a slice of cake onto the plate, garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkling of pineapple and cherries.

** Store leftover cake in the refrigerator **

Pork Carnitas

I love pulled pork. Whether it's plain with just salt and pepper; BBQ'd with North Carolina sauce (my preference for bbq), Spanish style ... it doesn't really matter. But now that I have been introduced to the fresh flour tortilla's at Don Pablo's (and I am working on making my own from scratch), I am loving this Pork Carnitas recipe. The Dutch oven is becoming a staple in my cooking.

Carnitas, which translates into "little meats" can be made with pork or beef roast.

Pork Carnitas

pork butt or pork shoulder (I usually buy about a 4 lb. size)
3 T. tomato paste
4 - 5 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 T. cumin
1 T. oregano
1 T. black pepper
2 1/2 t. salt
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 qt. chicken stock
water to cover roast

1. Into a Dutch oven, combine the tomato paste, garlic cloves, bay leaf and cumin; oregano, chopped onion and stock. Place roast over mixture, add enough water to cover the roast.
2. Simmer roast for about 3 hours. Check after 3 hours; making sure that the roast pulls apart easily. Sometimes, depending on the size of your roast, this might take up to 4 hours.
3. Remove the roast from the stock; pull meat apart. Season meat with salt and pepper. I set the stock aside, this is not traditonal, but we like it this way.
4. Place all the pulled pork onto a baking pan (I use parchment, but if you have a Silpat, you could use that, if neither of those, foil is fine). Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes.
5. Place the meat back into the Dutch oven, stir to coat meat. We like this flavor and sometimes I will add some "heat"; peppers, additional onions that I have softened by cooking on the side.
6. Serve the pork carnitas on flour tortillas along with your favorite toppings: sour cream, cheese, lettuce, onions, peppers, etc.
7. Traditionally Pork Carnitas are served on tortillas accompanied with chopped cilantro and diced onions, fresh salsa, fresh guacamole or refried beans.