Celebrating Freedom

We had off Bar/Bri for the 4th of July. I mean completely off. Not even an assignment on the paced program. So I did what any good student would do. I did PMBR questions all day. Seriously. Okay, I did take the evening off to go to dinner at my parent's house. My dad is king of the grill, and of course we were not disappointed

As for me, I can never go anywhere empty handed - even to my own parent's house. One of the things I love about the WC Platinum Challenge, is looking at everyone else's recipes. Amber had a recipe for a Banana Blueberry Roll which I thought I could tweak a little to make a very "patriotic" dish (can you hear the national anthem playing?) by adding a little red. Plus, for me 4th of July is always associated with strawberry pie my mom used to make. So add a couple strawberries and voila: a dessert even Uncle Sam would be proud of. I was really nervous about making this dish, because 1) I'm not a baker, 2) I've never made a roll before. But it came out really well. Jon, who usually tells me I need to work on my presentation was shocked that I made it. He kept saying it looked store bought. Everyone liked the dish, though my dad thought it would be better with a little cinnamon in the cake part.

And since I was already on her page, I figured I would make her black bean dip too. This was a HUGE hit. My dad kept saying how great it was and my brother mumbled something that sounded like "awesome" (sorry Diane, I forgot to take a picture of him eating). Everyone was very surprised to learn it was made from black beans and not refried beans - which I think must a good sign.

It was nice to have a couple days off from class, but it'll be even nicer after the bar when I REALLY have freedom!

Amber's Banana Roll with Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
(And Strawberries) (edits in italics)

Cake ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (I used 1 banana)
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Filling ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup butter (softened)
1 tsp lemon zest
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 cup blueberries

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Line a 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray (don't forget to spray the sides).
3) Beat eggs on high for 5 minutes. Then gradually beat in the sugar until batter is thick and lemon colored. Add in banana and lemon juice and mix to combine.
4) In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Fold dry mixture into wet mixture and spread mixture evenly into prepared pan.
5) Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. While cake is baking dust a linen towel with confectioners' sugar.
6) Immediately after removing cake from oven turn it onto prepared towel. Peel off the parchment paper and roll the cake up in the towel (starting at short end), let cool.
7) While the cake is cooling prepare filling. Add cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, butter, lemon zest and lemon juice to mixing bowl and mix until well blended. (I reserve 3 Tbsp of filling for the "topping")
8) Once cake is cool carefully unroll it. Spread filling onto the cake and top evenly with blueberries. Roll cake back up, (This is where I placed that reserved filling in a line down the top of the cake and covered with sliced strawberries) cover it, and place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Amber's Spicy Black Bean Dip (edits in italics)

1 can whole kernel corn, drained
4 cloves minced garlic, separated
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz cream cheese
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
S&P to taste
Cheese for topping (I used Monterey jack) (I used Manchego cheese)

1) Saute' corn and 2 cloves of garlic until the corn is slightly browned. Set aside to cool
2) Add 2 cloves garlic, beans, cream cheese, jalapeno and the seasonings into a food processor and process until smooth.
3) Place 1/2 of bean mixture into bottom of serving dish, then 1/2 the corn; repeat with remaining beans and corn. Top with cheese, if desired. (I didn't layer them, I mixed them all together, including the cheese) Serve with tortilla chips.