Celebration Dinner

Weekend cooking...I love the weekends because there is usually so much more time spend cooking. I definitely make more elaborate dishes during the 2 days I have off, partly because Brian is willing to lend his helping hands in the kitchen. This weekend it was all about celebrating our 3rd year anniversary (which is actually the 19th, but we chose to celebrate this weekend). We tried to re-create the incredible meal we had at Fearing's a few weeks ago because fortunately for me, Dean posts his recipes online! Fabulous - we can actually have Buffalo Tenderloin with Maple and Black Pepper on Jalapeno Grits at home! We opted not to make the squash taquito, not because it was not amazing, but because I was just flat out too lazy I guess. We went to Central Market on Friday and purchased Bison (yes, bison, or you can call it buffalo)...but please try it, it is so tender and full of flavor. It is similar to beef, but a lot healthier. We marinated it in a spicy maple and black pepper combination and let it sit for about 8 hours. I also made Dean's jalapeno grits but I added some aged white cheddar at the very end. This was a great dinner, only made better by the Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon. Yep, we splurged because A-we were celebrating and B-we decided not to do gifts, so we upped the wine selection. (My friend Jessica would be so happy we celebrated with this wine...she loves Caymus wine so much she named her precious lab after it). Anyway, it was the perfect pairing.

The one tradition we have so far is the dessert we share on our anniversary. When we got married, we decided to have a traditional wedding cake on all the layers except the top tier. That was ours to do whatever we wanted, so we decided to make it carrot cake. Brian and I absolutely love carrot cake and it was so delightful to cut into that comforting orange cake on our wedding day to shove in each others mouth. (I know, I know. You aren't supposed to cut into the top tier until your 1st anniversary, but have you met me? Not always so traditional. Don't worry, my mom was still able to save and freeze our top tier for us to enjoy the next year.) After we chose the carrot cake for our wedding, I had the idea that we would enjoy that cake every year on our anniversary, and so far so good, we aren't sick of it yet. So...I have been on the hunt for a great carrot cake recipe. Last year, I made one from Emeril which I decided to stick with again this year. The cake is super moist and the icing is a delicious classic buttercream with toasted pecans. Usually I am blessed to get to use my Nana's (that's my grandmother) East Texas Pecans. She has a huge pecan tree in her backyard that my mom and I help harvest every year and sell several pecans by the pound, but we also have a lot shelled and keep for ourselves. This is for the benefit of my Nana's famous pecan pie and for me to use in all of my own baking concoctions. I won't go on and on about how wonderful the carrot cake is, but it looks great don't you think?

Gigi's Carrot Cake

Recipe Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients for cake

1 tablespoon butter (I use Pam for baking)

3 sticks, unsalted butter

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 cups freshly grated carrots

1 cup, chopped toasted pecans

Ingredients for icing

(I iced my cake differently for elegance, but feel free to use the idea below for a more homemade rustic look)

8 ounces cream cheese

1 stick unsalted butter

1 (1 pound) box confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup, chopped toasted pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter 3 (9-inch) cake pans with 1 tablespoon of the butter and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer. Add the sugar, and beat. In a medium bowl or on a piece of parchment, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the eggs, beating well after the addition of each. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Add the carrots and beat on medium speed until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Fold in the nuts. Divide between the 3 cake pans and bake until set and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest in the cake pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, remove from the pans, and let cool.For the Frosting: In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly. Add the vanilla and pecans.When the cake is cool, place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread the top with cream cheese frosting and top with a second and third cake layer, spreading the icing between each layer. Spread the icing around the sides of the cake and let harden slightly before serving. To serve, cut into wedges.