Carrot Cake

1 1/2 cups of Oil
2 cups Sugar
4 Eggs
2 cups Flour
2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
3 cups Grated Carrots
1 cup Chopped Pecans
1 tsp. Vanilla

Beat oil and sugar.  Add eggs and continue to beat well.  Blend flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder, and salt.  Fold in carrots and pecans.  Bake in a greased 9" x 13"pan for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  Let cool and then spread icing over cake.


ICING

1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 - box powdered sugar
4 Tbs. butter (or 1/2 stick)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbs. milk

Donuts

Who doesn't love donuts?  I do, but I'm not so wild about all the fat, sugar, and frying.

Avery and I found this cute little donut maker made by Babycakes.  It's almost like a mom's "Easy Bake Oven." 

The instruction manual contained several recipes for donuts.  We decided to try to the "Chocolate Donuts."  You then pour about 2 tablespoons of batter into each little donut well.  I put my batter into a plastic bag and cut off  a tip to help pour them in--it was less messy this way.  Then, close the lid and wait about 3-4 minutes.  Presto!  You have cute little mini donuts!  We then sprinkled powdered sugar on top, but you could add icing, sprinkles, etc.

It comes with a cooling rack, fork to help remove the hot donuts from the "oven", and a shaker jar. 

Babycakes also makes a Cake Pop maker.  I am thinking of buying it.  The cake pops turn out perfectly.  I have made Bakerella's version of cake pops before, but they just didn't turn out quite right, and with the cake pop maker, you could use any cake mix or recipe.

Lemon Blueberry Pancakes

After watching the Pioneer Woman on Food Network, I was anxious to try her Lemon Blueberry Pancakes.

I doubled the recipe because the recipe says only 4 servings (not sure how many pancakes per person).  It made a lot of pancakes (not sure how many total), but I froze what was left over.  I also didn't use all the butter she called for.  She says to pour 2 tablespoons of melted butter into the batter--I went with about 1/2 tablespoon to cut the fat.  On the show, she mashed down the pancakes a bit with the spatula after she flipped them.  I did this, too--it helped "pop" the blueberries so they kind of melted into the batter.  She also calls for cake flour, but I used all purpose.  And, some reviews have said they thought the batter was a bit runny.  It did seem a little on the runny side, but they cooked just fine.

 Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cup Cake Flour
• 1 Tablespoon (additional) Cake Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1-1/2 cup Evaporated Milk (more If Needed)
• 1 whole Lemon (more If Needed)
• 1 whole Large Egg
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
• Zest From 1 Lemon
• 1 cup Heaping Blueberries
• Extra Butter
• Maple Or Pancake Syrup

Preparation Instructions

Heat heavy skillet or grill over medium low heat.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix evaporated milk, juice of 1 lemon (more if lemon isn't very juicy), and lemon zest. Allow to sit for five minutes, then add egg, vanilla, and melted butter. Mix to combine.

Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients. Stir gently to combine. Splash in more evaporated milk if mixture is overly thick. Stir in blueberries. Again, check to make sure mixture isn't overly thick.

Melt butter in heated skillet. Drop batter by 1/4 cup measures and fry pancakes on both sides until golden.

Serve with softened butter and warm syrup.

Mini Apple "Pies"

I have several new favorite shows on Food Network.  One of my new favorites is "Hungry Girl", who also has a website / blog.  Avery even likes watching the show with me, partly because Hungry Girl / Lisa Lillien is married to the guy who created iCarly (one of her favorite shows)!

So, this past weekend Avery and I made Hungry Girl's "Apple Pie-lets".

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for topping, optional
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups peeled and chopped apples (preferably Fuji) - we did not use Fuji.  I think they were Gala?
• 6 large square egg roll wrappers
• 18 sprays no-calorie butter spray
• Fat-free whipped topping, for topping, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium nonstick pot on the stove, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt with 1/2 cup cold water. Mix until the ingredients dissolve. Add apples and stir. Bring to medium-high heat and, stirring frequently, cook until apples have softened, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and, stirring often, cook until thick and gooey, 1 to 2 additional minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool. This is your pie filling.

Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with foil and/or spraying it with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Place egg roll wrappers flat on a dry surface. Set out a small dish of water. Dip your finger into the water, and run it along all of the wrapper edges. Cook's Note: Repeat as needed while preparing your pockets, as it will help seal them. Starting 1/2 inch from the bottom, place about 1/3 cup pie filling along the bottom half of each wrapper, leaving a 1/2-inch border on the sides.

Fold the top 1/2 of each wrapper over the filling, so that the top edge meets the bottom and the filling is encased with a border on 3 sides. Dab each border with water, and fold each inward about 1/4 inch to lightly seal. Press firmly along the borders with the prongs of a fork to seal completely.

Carefully transfer to the baking sheet. Repeat this process with remaining wrappers and filling, leaving you with 6 pie-lets.

Spray the top of each pocket with 3 sprays butter. Bake in the oven until the edges begin to brown, 15 to 18 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Top with additional cinnamon.

My tips. . .You will definitely need to use the spray butter on the top or they will not have a nice brown color.  We sprayed ours with 3 sprays, but I think a couple of more sprays would not hurt.  Some of our pies did not brown as well.  We ate ours with light Cool Whip.  Also, some of our pies got a little too crispy on the edges, but they still tasted delicious.  The filling was especially good.  Oh, and these pretty much have to be eaten right away (after cooling a bit)--they do not store well.  Best of all- each pie has 110 calories and 1/2 gram of fat!

English Sticky Toffee Pudding - YUMMY!

I made the most delicious "pudding" for friends that are moving to London.  I was trying to come up with something that was a typical British dessert.  I found the following recipe, courtesy of The Food Network.  It had rave reviews, and the ingredients sounded yummy.  It was very delicious--rich and yummy!  I will make this again.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup pitted dates
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla



TOFFEE SAUCE:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 tsp. vanilla - I added this - recipe did not call for it.


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch round or square baking dish. Sift the flour and baking powder onto a sheet of waxed paper. Chop the dates fine. Place in a small bowl and add the boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a bowl of electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until blended. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Add the date mixture to the batter and fold until blended with a rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake until pudding is set and firm on top, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack. Toffee Sauce: Combine the butter, heavy cream and brown sugar in a small heavy saucepan; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil gently over medium low heat until mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. Preheat broiler. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the sauce over the pudding. Spread evenly on top. Place pudding under the broiler until the topping is bubbly, about 1 minute. Serve immediately spooned into dessert bowls. Drizzle with toffee sauce and top with a spoonful of whipped cream.

Lasagna

This past weekend we had some friends over for dinner, and I tried several new recipes.  I made the Pioneer Woman's Lasagna.  I was a little confused by the serving size--the same basic recipe in her book says it makes 8 servings; however, the website recipe says 12 servings.  So, I used 2 lbs. of ground beef, instead of the 1 1/2 lbs. as stated in the recipe--I actually ended up with 2 pans (9x11)--quite a lot of lasagna.  I ended up freezing a pan.  Just follow the recipe and I think it will be fine.  It is a very delicious and tasty lasagna.  I will be making this again.  It would be a great meal (with bread and salad) to take to someone who is sick or who just had a baby.

Ingredients


1-½ pound Ground Beef
1 pound Hot Breakfast Sausage
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes
2 cans (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
1 teaspoon Salt
3 cups Lowfat Cottage Cheese
2 whole Beaten Eggs
½ cups Grated (not Shredded) Parmesan Cheese
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
1 teaspoon Salt
1 pound Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
1 package (10 Ounce) Lasagna Noodles
(add 1/2 Teaspoon Salt And 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil To Pasta Water)

Preparation Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, combine ground beef, sausage, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain half the fat; less if you’re feeling naughty. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil and salt. After adding the tomatoes, the sauce mixture should simmer for 45 minutes while you are working on the other steps.

In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated Parmesan, 2 more tablespoons parsley, and 1 more teaspoon salt. Stir together well. Set aside. Cook lasagna until “al dente” (not overly cooked).

To assemble:

Arrange 4 cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of a baking pan, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Spread evenly. Cover cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat/sauce mixture over the top.

Repeat, ending with meat/sauce mixture. Sprinkle top generously with extra Parmesan.

Either freeze, refrigerate for up to two days, or bake immediately: 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until top is hot and bubbly.

Sangria

We had some friends over for Super Bowl, and I made this Sangria to go with the fajitas.  It was delicious.  I will be making it again.

1 bottle of red wine
1 can frozen limeade
1 can frozen Five Alive
1/4 cup sugar
Juice of a large orange

1 large orange (sliced)
1 lemon (sliced)
1 lime (sliced)

Combine wine, limeade, and Five Alive in a large pitcher or container.  Add the juice of one of the oranges and sugar (you could add more or less sugar to suite your taste).  Stir well.  Float the sliced lemon, lime, and orange in the container.  It is already cold from the frozen limeade/Five Alive, but you could add ice, if you prefer.  You could also add Sprite or 7-up to cut the taste of the wine.