Stupendous Treats

Pinterest my newest addiction!

2011-11-13T14:54:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, I read about a website called Pinterest on one of the blogs I follow. I decided to check it out and see what it was all about, well needless to say I was hooked from day one! Since joining Pinterest I've found some amazing new recipes that I've tried, made various things for around the house and even made a gift or two! Since finding Pinterest, I don't spend as much time in the kitchen, now atleast once every week or two I'm crafting something I found on my favorite website!

Now that life has slowed down a bit, I'm going to do my best to be better about updating my blog!! From here out though, you can expect to see things besides new recipes! I'm going to try to post things that I've tried from Pinterest!

Yesterday, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend, Kelly came over to spend the day. The boys were all about the football, while Kelly and I tackled a few Pinterest projects! Oh and do a complete make-over of my horrendously huge mantle! Sooo.....onto what we made!

Our first project, was making a moss letter! We picked up a 22 inch paper-mache letter and sheet moss from Joann's, everything else we had at home! This was the great step-by-step tutorial we used to create our letter.

Our next project was cutting the tops or bottoms off of wine bottles to make them into vases or to put candles under them! Kelly was kind enough to bring several different shaped and colored bottles that we could use, so we had a variety to choose from. (and practice on!) This was by far the most challenging project we did!! It was by trial and error that we finally perfected how to cut the glass and have a clean cut! Here's one of the bottles we cut the bottom off of:

And lastly we painted clear glass containers to put candles in!

*disclaimer: So sorry for the subpar great pictures, when I went to take pictures with my SLR the battery was dead, I had to settle for using my phone instead!

The perfect summertime cake!

2011-06-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

A person dear to my heart told me about this cake, she raved about how wonderful it was and so simple to make. A few days after she told me about the cake, I was browsing through some of my grandmother's old recipes and came across the recipe she'd told me about! My grandmother had marked the page, I knew then I had to give this cake a try!!!!

Let me tell you, wonderful is an understatement! This cake is aaammaaazzing! It light and moist, with just the right amount of sweetness and tartness!

The recipe my friend described to me was a tad bit different than the one I'd found in the book, so I made mine a little different than both....using different parts of each recipe. One called for lemon zest, which I thought would be a nice addition so I added that! Then they both said to use lemon juice for the glaze, I just used some of the remaining apricot nectar. Although it probably would've made sense to use the lemon juice since I zested the lemon, but I wanted to try something different. I've made a glaze several times with lemon juice. With this cake, I'm not so sure that there is a noticeable difference between using the lemon juice and apricot nectar. With all of that being said, without a doubt I'll be making this cake in the future!

Apricot Nectar Cake

1 package yellow cake mix
zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 vegetable oil
1 cup apricot nectar
4 eggs

Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan. Combine cake mix with sugar, cooking oil, lemon zest and apricot nectar. Beat for two minutes with mixer at medium speed. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Pour batter into angel food cake pan that has been greased. Bake at 325 for 55 to 60 minutes. Let cake cool for about 10 minutes, turn out onto plate.

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbs lemon juice (or apricot nectar)

Mix together, stirring until sugar throughly dissolved. Punch holes in top of cake, pour glaze over warm cake.

& Enjoy!

Ranch Oyster Crackers

2010-09-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

I was searching for a simple and quick snack recipe, I came across these. I’ve made a different version of these in the past, with just the dry ranch seasoning mix and oil. However, I didn’t care for them, they were just missing something. I figured I’d give this recipe a shot but alter it just a tad. With the few alterations, they turned out great! They’re quick and easy to make, you have no excuse not to try them!

Sometimes I don’t have time to make anything elaborate to take to a gathering. The next time I need to take something to a football party, I will be taking these!! You can’t go wrong with an inexpensive easy recipe!!

Ranch Oyster Crackers
½ cup of vegetable oil
1 oz packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
½ tsp dried dill
¼ tsp garlic powder (you can up this to ½ tsp if you like a stronger garlic flavor)
12 oz package of oyster crackers

Directions:
Preheat oven to 275
In small bowl, whisk together oil, dill, garlic powder and dressing mix. Spread out oyster crackers in a large baking sheet. Pour mixture over crackers, stirring until crackers are well coated. Bake in preheated oven at 275 for 15-20 minutes; stirring at about 10 minutes into the baking time.

If you’d like to have a little variety, add some pretzels, gold fish, unsalted peanuts or bagel chips to the mix!

Summertime strawberry cupcakes!

2010-09-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

These cupcakes are in the top five of my all time favorites of all the desserts I've ever made! I know, I know you're thinking but you never bake because you don't post much!?! So maybe that's a little accurate, as of the past year I haven't baked as much because of my hectic school schedule. However, on average I try atleast two new dessert recipes a month, I just don't get around to blogging about them. This recipe though, could not be skipped! I had to pass along this wonderful recipe to the world!

If you're looking for a very strawberrieeee cake, (as my husband put it) then this is the cupcake for you! These are very moist cupcakes, the strawberry cream cheese frosting adds the perfect touch to make them a yummy little package!

The only draw back to making this recipe is the cost, the frozen strawberries in syrup and the extract aren't cheap. The first time I made these, I used fresh strawberries. I just cut them up and added sugar to them, then let them sit overnight to form a syrup. When strawberries are in season and on sale, that would be the perfect time to make these!

Oh and lastly, well most importantly, I'd like to mention why I made these cupcakes! My grandmother turned 98 on September 9th. She requested cupcakes with pink frosting! Knowing that strawberries are one of her favorite fruits, I knew instantly these were the cupcakes to make for her! They didn't let me down, she absolutely loved them! Not only did she polish off one, but she also had a second and would have taken a third but my mom didn't think that was such a great idea.

To sum up these cupcakes in two word, simply scrumptious! If you like strawberries, you must try this recipe!!

Strawberry cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting
1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
1 (3-ounce) box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin
1 (15-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 thawed and pureed strawberries in syrup
1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
7 cups confectioners’ sugar
Freshly sliced strawberries, for garnish, optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at low speed for about 15-30 seconds to get ingredients incorporated, then beat at medium speed for two minutes. Pour into cupcake liners, and bake for 20-24 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool completely on wire racks before frosting.

For the frosting:
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree and the strawberry extract. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth.

Yields about 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

Adapted from Paula Deen Recipes

Mexican Deviled Eggs

2010-08-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

When you need something to take to a gathering but don't have much time or money, this is it!! These deviled eggs are so tasty, my husband will no longer eat the deviled eggs that I use to make! I've taken these to several gatherings and every time they're gone quickly! I learned the hard way to save myself a couple so I atleast get one or two!

There is only one adaption I've made to the original recipe I have, that is to add more salsa! I always add about a tablespoon or two more than it calls for.

Also, I use Mama G's Salsa in a Snap! I think it makes the eggs that much tastier! (When making my salsa, I don't leave the tomatoes diced as her directions say, I put mine into the food processor to chop them up a little bit)

TIP: When peeling your hard boiled eggs: roll them across the counter to get the shell cracked into small pieces it will then just peel off all in one piece!

Mexican Deviled Eggs
12 hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup finely grated shredded monterey pepper jack cheese
2 tablespoons finely chipped cilantro
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mash up the yolks using a fork. Combine yolks and ingredients together in a bowl, then fill egg whites with mixture. Use a cilantro leaf to garnish or chopped chives

If you'd like to purchase Mama G's Salsa in a Snap you can order it here: http://mamagcreations.com/index.html

Orange Marmalade Cookies

2010-08-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

I've got quite a few recipes to post that I've made in the past few months...but first and the most recent I made are the orange marmalade cookies. When I came across this recipe on foodgawker, I knew I had to make them for my grandmother! It reminds me much of when she use to make candied orange peels, but in a cookie form! She has always loved orange marmalade so I knew she would love these!

These cookies are soft, sweet, orangey and slightly tangy! I can't eat one without having a glass of milk! I did deviate from the recipe a bit. The original recipe called for fresh squeezed orange juice. I used orange juice I already had in the fridge because the orange I had didn't quite given me enough. Instead of mixing what I had from the orange, I just used all of the Minute Maid orange juice I had.

Something I wanted to mention that I love about these cookies is that the are not greasy! When I make cookies, I always take them out of the oven and put them onto a paper towel on the counter to cool. Typically cookies leave a grease stain on the towel, these did not!

One thing I will to warn you about, is be sure you chill the cookies for atleast an hour!! If you don't they spread to thin and end up a little chewy. I was in a hurry, the first batch I made only was refrigerated about 20 minutes, needless to say that was not nearly enough time. After letting it sit in the fridge for about an hour, I tried another batch and they came out perfectly!

Lastly, I think I will do next time is make the icing a tad bit thinner maybe by adding some milk. This way I can just dip top of the cookies into the icing letting it just lightly coat the top of the cookies. The combination of the icing and cookies are very sweet, so I think with just the light layer of icing would make them perfect!

Orange Marmalade Cookies topped with Orange Icing
Yields about 3 dozen cookies

Cookie Dough
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cups Orange marmalade (I used Smuckers)
3 cups AP flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Orange Icing
Zest from 1 orange
Zest from 1/2 of a Lemon
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoon butter (melted)
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups confectioners’ sugar

1. Cream together butter and sugar. Add the eggs and orange marmalade and mix until thoroughly combined.

2. In another bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. With the mixer running, slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture until blended. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for atleast an hour!

3. While the dough chills, make the icing. Combine citrus zests, juices, melted butter and salt in a bowl. Add in confectioners’ sugar until well combined and smooth. Cover until ready to frost the cookies.

4. Preheat oven to 300° F. Drop by spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet; do not crowd the cookies as the batter will spread a little bit during baking. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cookies are light brown. Remove from oven and put onto paper towels or wire rack.

5. Let the cookies cool completely before icing them with spatula.

Adapted from Neiman Marcus Taste and White on Rice Couple

2010-01-11T23:10:00.000-08:00

Well I'm a bit late posting this one, but I still believe better late
than never! Right?!

Each year my mom and I get together for our annual "Bake Day" at my
house. We attempt new things and then we always do our old favorites
that everybody loves! For Christmas gifts to friends and family we
give them a tin full of sweet goodies! Everybody always seems to love
it, not to mention many now expect it each year!

I'm going to break the recipes up into several posts.

First and foremost, by far my favorite!

My mom has been making Toffee for years, it's something you'll always find in our Christmas candy tins! I do have to admit though, I don't have the patience to make Toffee! Standing at the stove stirring for what seems like forever just isn't for me! Mom on the other hand is patient, she makes several batches each year! Despite the amount of patience needed for making the Toffee it is well worth it!

Toffee

1 lb butter
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup of water
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup milk chocolate chips

1. Spread pecans evenly over a well greased jelly roll pan. Saving some to sprinkle on top of the melted chocolate.

2. Add butter, sugar and water to a 4 quart sauce pan. Boil on high to 300 degrees on a candy thermometer. STIRRING CONSTANTLY!

3. Pour mixture over pecans in jelly roll pan. Let it sit for about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the toffee mixture, spreading after they melt. Sprinkle remaining pecans on top of the chocolate.

4. Set aside to cool. When toffee has harden break into pieces.

Chocolate chip cookies with a twist!

2009-10-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

We now have a new favorite cookie in our house, its a Chocolate chip oatmeal peanut butter cookie! These are hands down the best cookies I have ever made!

So many cookie that I've made in the past are soft when they're warm but get hard once they've cooled. Well not these, they stay soft for days after you bake them! You don't taste much of the peanut butter in them, just a hint of it. The only thing I would change or maybe try in the future is to add pecans, I think that would probably make them that much better!

On to the recipe....

1 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen large cookies & 5 dozen tablespoon sized cookies

- I use a small ice cream scoop instead of a tablespoon, if you do this you'll need to bake them for 14 minutes.
- I use the mini chocolate chips instead of the regular sized

{adapted from Allrecipes.com}

Who doesn't love chocolate cake?

2009-08-30T15:53:00.001-07:00

After dusting off the cobwebs and sweeping the floors, I'm back in business.....ok in all seriousness I've been really busy with such little time to do anything I really enjoy. Photography and baking has become such a luxury for me, but soon enough I'll be out of school and I'll have more time on my hands to do the things I love most!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday, in the past I've done elaborate desserts for her birthday but this year time simply didn't allow that. I've got a notebook that I put all of my printed recipes in, I decided to find a recipe for a good ol' chocolate cake that I hadn't tried before. Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" chocolate cake was my pick, I had everything on hand to make it so I was set!

This was truly the best cake I've ever made from scratch, it was so moist and slightly dense. It's a perfect cake to use if you want to put elaborate heavy decorations on because even though it's moist it's still dense enough to hold up. I've come across so many cake recipes that when you make them you either end up with a super moist soft cake that just falls apart or a dense cake that's dry. This cake is the perfect happy medium of both!

As for the frosting part of the recipe, it's not so much my favorite. While it was yummy, it wasn't my favorite. I think perhaps I'm to critical of what I bake, because nobody agreed with me on the verdict of the frosting. My entire family loved the frosting.

Overall the recipe is good, it's VERY chocolately indeed and quite simple to make! I'd recommend this recipe to anybody, even the novice bakers out there!

HERSHEY'S "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

{found at www.hersheys.com}

Barefoot Contessa's Brownies

2008-06-26T14:41:00.001-07:00

I've decided that brownies are similar to a steak, because everybody likes them differently. Some like a rare steak while others like theirs well done. With brownies people like them chewy, fudgy or cakey. (is that even a word?) Anyhow, I personally like them some where in between. This recipe hit home with the consistancy for me. I'm still on the fence about if I like the taste of them or not, my brother on the other hand says they're the best brownies he's ever had. I was hesitant to make these originally because they call for an entire pound of butter and over a pound of chocolate. If you're going to try this recipe, then I do recommend halving it unless you need a ton of brownies!!

Barefoot Contessa's Brownies
1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs (I used large eggs)
3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

Martha's Peanut-butter Swirl Brownies

2008-06-08T00:39:00.000-07:00

I ordered Martha Stewart's new cookie book, it finally arrived this past week. After taking it work to share it with others, I decided to bake something out of it today. Funny enough, it wasn't a cookie.....it was brownies. As I've mentioned before I'm not a big peanut-butter fan, but a friend of mine requested these hence why I tried them.

The recipe is pretty straight forward, not really anything I'd change about it. I did change the baking time in my version, that's the only adjustment I made. Martha says to bake them for 45 minutes, mine didn't cook but about 35 minutes and actually they could have come out a few minutes earlier.

I cut a small square out of the corner for myself. I couldn't resist the urge not to try them, they looked soo good! I was quite surprised I actually really liked them. For me I could've used less peanut-butter, but my boyfriend disagreed he said they were perfect as they were.

How to.....
Batter
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter lining (excluding overhang); set pan aside.
Make batter: Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Let cool slightly. (I melted my chocolate and butter in a microwavable bowl in 30 second increments until it was melted.)
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, and set aside.
Whisk granulated sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated.
Make filling: Stir together butter, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.
Pour one-third of batter into prepared pan, and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Place dollops of filling (about 1 tablespoon each) about 1 inch apart on top of batter. Drizzle remaining batter on top, and gently spread to fill pan. Place dollops of remaining filling on top.
With a butter knife, gently swirl filling into batter, running knife lengthwise and crosswise through layers. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out brownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Grand Marnier Cranberry Cookies

2008-06-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated, I've actually got quite a few updates to do but haven't had the time. Last semester of school kicked my butt, I had no extra time for fun stuff.

So onto today's recipe, these cookies are so good! I'm not a fan of cranberries, so I didn't expect to like them. I was proven wrong with one bite! My mom loves anything cranberry, I'd purchased some cranraisins but couldn't decide what to do with them. After searching online, I found a recipe to use I just made a few adjustments to it.

What you'll need:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups slightly chopped cranraisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

(Makes 3 dozen)
How to:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg until well blended. Mix in orange zest, orange juice and Grand Marnier. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the orange mixture. Mix in cranraisins and walnuts, until evenly distributed. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Cookies should be spaced at least 2 inches apart.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are golden. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

Side note: next time I'll increase the cranraisins to 2 cups and the Grand Marnier to 2 tablespoons
recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

My kinda carrot cake!!

2008-04-28T20:05:00.001-07:00

My significant other has been bugging me for a month or so now to make him a carrot cake. I set out on a mission to find what looked to be a good recipe for such cake. I have most all of my 97 years old grandmother's cookbooks, I've enjoyed them far more than any of my newer cookbooks. This recipe came from one of her books, I was not let down in the least it was a perfect recipe! The cake is moist, flavorful and slightly dense.

One thing I do recommend is grating the carrots with a cheese grater instead of putting them into a food processor. I find that when chopping them into such small pieces in a food processor they become weighted down and sink to the bottom. It is a pain to grate 3 cups of carrots, but the result is well worth it!! Onto the recipe...

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup apple sauce
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1 cup raisins (optional)

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar (sifted)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• ½ toasted coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Beat together eggs, oil, apple sauce, brown and white sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Fold in carrots. Pour into cupcake liners, filling about ½ full.
Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes. (try the tooth pick test after about 18 minutes) Transfer cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add in confectioners' sugar one cup at a time, mixing after each. After frosting cupcakes top with walnuts or toasted coconut if desired.

Baked French Toast

2008-04-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a while....I have quite a few recipes that I want to share but I haven't had a break between school and work to post them. So at some point I'll play catch up and post a bunch at one time!

Anyhow on to today's post, for every one post I make on here I usually try 2 or 3 different recipes maybe more. I've learned with cooking/baking it is a hit or miss kinda thing. You really have to learn to create as you go, in case you don't have something the recipe calls for, if you're not getting the right consistency, etc. This is one of those recipes, I've tried two different ways of making it and this one was it!

My mom and Brad's mom came over for brunch about a month ago, I wanted to make french toast but not your typical french toast. I'd tried a baked french toast before but it turned out to mushy. This one was perfect, it was soft but slightly crisp on the top. It needs no syrup or butter, it is scrumptious right out of the oven!

What you'll need
1 loaf day old French bread
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Cut bread diagonally in 1 inch slices. Dip each slice of bread into mixture, then pour remaining mixture into corners and outer edges of pan, cover, and refrigerate overnight or atleast 4 hours.
The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup; heat until bubbling. Pour over bread and egg mixture.
Bake in preheated oven uncovered for 40 minutes.

Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

2008-03-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

Back to trying out frostings....

I had a request for cupcakes for a birthday. I baked Chocolate Mocha cupcakes, they're my favorite! I know I can always depend on it for the perfect cupcakes when I bake them. Since I'm tired of doing buttercream so I decided to try out another frosting. I ended up making a cream cheese buttercream frosting; it turned out creamy, smooth and perfectly sweetened. I was hesitant to try this recipe because I was a bit worried some might not like it if they don't care for cream cheese. Much to my surprise you the cream cheese isn't an flavor that really stands out in it, it really just made the powdered sugar not so sweet. Don't get me wrong, you can taste the cream cheese in it but not to much. Oh and this frosting piped onto the cupcakes perfectly!

The combination of the two turned out delightful!

Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes:
Yields 18 cupcakes

1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup strong black coffee
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add egg, sour cream, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat for 2 minutes. Pour into cupcake liners.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center cupcakes comes out clean.

Cream cheese buttercream frosting
8oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup butter softened
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Mix the cream cheese and butter until blended and fluffy. Then add vanilla and sugar, mix until creamy.

Irresistable Creamy Peanut butter Pie

2008-03-24T22:59:00.000-07:00

This is one of those recipes that I've made a number of times and everytime I take it to event everybody raves about it. It can be thrown together in less than 10 minutes, not to mention only has a few ingredients which makes it that much better.

Sorry for the lack of decent pictures with this recipe, but I made it for a girl who I work with. She requested it for her birthday, instead of a cake.

What you'll need:
1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 (12 oz.) container (4 1/2 cups) Cool Whip topping, thawed and divided
1 prepared oreo pie crust
1/4 cup ganache

Beat together peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with an electric mixer on medium, until well combined. Gently mix in Cool Whip until thoroughly combined. Spoon mixture into pie shell. Using a spatula, smooth mixture to edges of pie.

Refrigerate atleast 4 hours before serving. Before serving drizzle ganache over the top.

Lasagna Rolls

2008-03-24T22:27:00.001-07:00

On occasion I'll watch shows on the Food Network, which is not very often. Usually when I have free time I'm usually doing homework, stuff around the house or baking. But I watched Giada's Everyday Italian a few weeks ago, she made some lasagna rolls that looked quite good. I decided to change up her recipe some, but I used the basic concept for my lasagna rolls. Her lasagna rolls, didn't include any meat which was a turn off for me because I'm a big meat eater. Resolution to the problem, I added hamburger meat to the spegatti sauce.

What you'll need....

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 lb hamburger meat
3 cups of your favorite spegatti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Mix the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Cook hamburger meat throughly, add spegatti sauce then simmer for 20 minutes.

Grease a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the 1 cup of spegatti sauce mixture over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture.

Spoon remaining spegatti sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Your favorite easter treat gets a make over!

2008-03-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

Spending the afternoon at home by myself today after a long weekend, without baking or cooking I might add. I was itching to get in the kitchen and mess around. My mom had mentioned to me about making some chocolate covered peeps, so I gave it a whirl.

This is so simple to do and makes something simple look sophisticated. I had some white chocolate on hand to add a little pizazz to them. If you had some peanuts, coconut, pecans, etc could easily add those as well.

What you'll need....
1 box of Peeps
1/2 tbs finely chopped gulf wax
1 cup milk chocolate chips
Popsicle sticks

In a double broiler melt your chocolate chips and gulf wax. (The smaller the wax is chopped up the better, it takes it longer to melt than the chocolate.) Dip a steak knife into water, then stick it into the bottom of the peep about half way up the peep, place popsicle stick into the bottom of your peep.

Spoon the melted chocolate over the peep til covered, then allow to dry on wax paper. After they've dried add the toppings of your choice.

and Viola! You've got tasty chocolate covered peeps!!

Dark Chocolate cake filled with carmel and topped with Chocolate Ganache

2008-03-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

My brother has been bugging me to make a chocolate cupcake with carmel inside it. So I decided I would give it a shot! This cupcake is extremely rich, actually that might be an understatement!

Typically I try to bake light moist cakes. I thought this Dark Chocolate Cake recipe would be a light cake but it isn't at all. It's really dense but still moist.

I didn't have any carmel to put into the cupcakes other than a package of rolos, nor was I going to the store for anything else. So after I baked the cupcakes, I cut a small hole in the middle of them while they were still warm and put in a rolo then covered the hole back up.

The chocolate from the rolo, melted into the cake and the carmel was still soft. They were really tasty!

On top I put a simple chocolate ganache. If you're in the mood for a rich cake, this is the one for you!

What you'll need for the cake:
1 cup boiling water
1 cup hot coffee
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

How to:
Preheat oven to 350 degreee F
In medium bowl, pour boiling water and coffee over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool.
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes

Chocolate ganache:
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 oz. chopped semi-sweet chocolate

Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan till it's steamy but not boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Let it sit for two minutes then stir till smooth. Dip cupcakes into chocolate to coat them, I dipped mine twice to get them well coated, but it's really not nessicary.

Central Market

2008-03-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

If you're in Texas you have go to Central Market, if you're not in Texas then you have go when you visit!

They have the best of everything.... vegetables, fresh baked breads, deli, seafood, fruits, bakery, cheeses, fresh flowers, fresh herbs, the list goes on. You can find just about any cheese, olive, fruit, veggie, or bread imaginable.

Typically when I go, I always have my list and stick to it because if not I'll end up spending double the amount I intended to spend. Being a full-time student, putting myself through school while working full-time I'm on a budget. But usually I'll pick up one little extra thing to treat myself, today it was a Cream Puff. I wasn't in the mood for anything rich, so this was perfect! I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I had the first bite.

So enough raving about Central Market, if you get the chance go for sure! It's one of the coolest places to go grocery shopping in the world!

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

2008-03-06T18:29:00.000-08:00

A snowy day in Texas, yes you read that correctly it snowed today in Texas! Amazing huh! It was a nasty day actually it started out as rain, then went to sleet eventually we ended up with snow. The perfect day to stay inside and cook/bake!

Let me start by saying, I'm not one of those people who thinks everything should be made from scratch and from the most expensive ingredients. I disagree with that to an extent, there are things it doesn't pay off taste and money wise to make them from scratch. As for expensive ingredients, you can buy store brands for cheaper that are just as good in most cases. Now there are some cases where you need to buy good quality, for example chocolates should be bought in the best quality. These cookies are a perfect example to show that it is ok to use a store brand.

This cookie is so simple, but VERY rich and super moist. It is the perfect cross between a brownie and a cookie. I bought the store brand brownie mix, and the cookies ended up delightful.

You could do so much with this recipe, instead of using chocolate chips you could substitute butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, mint chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, etc. Today I actually did three different variations, I separated the batter and made one with semi-sweetened chocolate chips, added mint chocolate chips to one and chopped pecans to the other. One other change you could make to this recipe to change it up a little is use 1/2 cup of coffee instead of water. Another great thing about this recipe is it can all be done in one bowl, little mess is always good right?

What you'll need:
1 - box of fudge brownie mix (19.8 oz)
1 cup flour
1 lg egg
1/2 cup water
1/4 vegetable oil
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 chopped toasted pecans or walnuts

How to:
In a mixing bowl, combine brownie mix, flour, egg, water and oil; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Place confectioners' sugar in a shallow dish. (if you let the dough sit for about 15 minutes before dropping it, then it will make it much easier to handle) Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into sugar; roll to coat.

Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks.

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

2008-03-03T22:49:00.000-08:00

Let me start by saying, I am not a big fan of peanut butter. It is one of those things I could never eat again and would never miss it. I have a friend though, who loves peanut butter more than life itself or so it seems. Lol I made her chocolate cupcakes frosted with peanut butter buttercream frosting. I have to admit, it was actually really really good! I surprised myself how much I really liked it. The combination of the two was much like a Reese's peanut butter cup. I will warn you though, this frosting is really rich.

What you will need:

1/2 cup butter (softened)

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)

1/4 cups + 1 to 2 tbs heavy cream

Cream together the butter and peanut butter. Then add the powdered sugar & 1/4 cup of the heavy whipping cream. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons as needed til you have the consistency that you're wanting.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes!

2008-03-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

You've probably figured out by now that one of my favorite things to do is try out different frosting recipes. I've found some great recipes for frosting and then I've found some not so hot frosting recipes. Of course I won't be sharing the not so hot recipes, since its a waste of my time to type it out and yours to read it considering who's going to try a recipe with bad reviews? Right?

The reason I mentioned the above is because this recipe is one that I am on the fence about. It is tasty, smooth, light, not to rich but it is a little to buttery for me. I wanted to make cupcakes that were similar to strawberry shortcake, so I did a vanilla cake topped with the strawberry meringue buttercream frosting. The frosting got mixed reviews when I took it to a function, everybody either really loved it or really hated it. Although they did all agree that the combination of the two tasted very similar to strawberry shortcake. I think with a little perfecting this recipe can be loved by all! The only thing I would change is cutting back on the butter, with a little less butter I think this might suit my taste buds just fine.

With that said...onto the recipe.

Strawberry Meringue Buttercream
What you will need:
Makes 5 cups
4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoons
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups strawberry jam (pureed in a food processor)

How to:

In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites and sugar. Cook, whisking constantly, until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch (about 160 degrees).

Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg-white mixture on high speed until it holds stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until the mixture is fluffy and cooled, about 6 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low speed, add butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. (If frosting appears to separate after all the butter has been added, beat on medium-high speed until smooth again, 3 to 5 minutes more.) Beat in vanilla. Beat on lowest speed to eliminate any air bubbles, about 2 minutes. Stir in strawberry jam with a rubber spatula until frosting is smooth.

Recipe found at www.marthastewart.com

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

2008-01-07T22:23:00.000-08:00

Craving a not so sweet frosting today, I decided to attempt a Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I thought I’d give Martha’s website another go and see if I could find a scrumptious recipe. Low and behold I did!

I decided to use a box chocolate cake mix, its the easiest and quite frankly I haven’t found a cake recipe yet that beats a Betty’s Moist Deluxe Cake. This Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting is light, fluffy and not overly sweet. It’s not a recipe I’d recommend if you’re looking for a rich frosting, because its far from rich. I also wouldn’t recommend this recipe if you don’t have a stand mixer, because you end up mixing this for about 20 minutes total. Considering the recipe makes enough to frost 200 cakes, ok ok maybe only 100…….I cut the recipe in half which made just enough to frost two dozen cupcakes.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Makes about 9 cups

2 1/2 cups sugar
10 large egg whites
4 cups (8 sticks or 2 pounds) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.
Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don’t worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.
Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.

recipe found at www.marthastewart.com

The perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting!

2008-01-02T22:16:00.000-08:00

I'm always looking for that perfect cake and frosting recipe. Today I found my new favorite Chocolate buttercream frosting recipe! It is creamy, smooth, chocolately and not to rich. I decided to venture out on Martha's website, Martha Stewart that is. I've always had good luck with using her recipes in the past, so I'd give it a whirl.
I tried her yellow cake and Billy's Chocolate Buttercream frosting recipes. I'll just save me the time of typing the recipe and you the time of reading it, the cake recipe was horrible. I can't emphasize that enough, I followed the recipe step by step no such luck with this one. Not only was to dry, the outer layer was crispy not at all how a cake should be.
So back to this delightful chocolate buttercream frosting recipe! I changed it a bit, instead of using milk as recommended I used heavy whipping cream. I must admit, if you're looking for a fudgy rich chocolate frosting this isn't the one. But if you want one that it light and fluffy then this is the one! This recipes makes enough to frost about 12 to 15 cupcakes.

What you will need:
- 2 sticks butter (softened)
- 1 1/2 tbs heavy whipping cream (or milk)
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- 6 oz semi-sweetened chocolate chips
- 3/4 tsp vanilla

How to:
Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30-40 seconds until melted. Set them aside and let them cool. In a bowl beat the butter until smooth and creamy. (about 2 to 3 minutes) With the mixer on low speed, add the chocolate until thoroughly mixed. Then add the vanilla, cream and sugar on medium speed until well combined.
If you like to pipe on your frosting as I do, this is a perfect frosting for that!