Whatcha Got Cookin'?

Brownie Cookies

2011-04-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite cookies - very soft, full of chocolate. I love them.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
12-15 large marshmallows

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Sift together dry ingredients and add to butter mixture. Stir in milk. Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes - do not overbake. While they are baking, slice marshmallows in half. When the 9 minutes is up, quickly pull the cookies out and place one half of the marshmallow on top of each cookie, placing the uncut side face up. Put in the oven for 2-3 more minutes to melt the marshmallow. Remove and quickly smash the marshmallow slightly with the back of a spoon. When cooled, frost with chocolate frosting. I don't have a recipe, but I usually use about 3/4 a cube of butter, slightly melted. Then I add about 1/4 cup of cocoa, 2 cups powdered sugar, and 1 Tablespoon of milk. Stir together good and then add more powdered sugar and milk until you reach the consistency you want. You want a very spreadable frosting - not too stiff or the marshmallow will smear everywhere.

Beef Stroganoff

2011-02-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook years ago. I've tweaked it some over the years, and it is one of my family's favorites. It really comes together fast--probably less than 30 minutes, start to finish. Plus, except for the fresh mushrooms, it uses basic ingredients that I always have on hand. (I stock up on petite sirloin steaks when they go on sale and keep a stash in my freezer.)

1 pound beef tenderloin steak or sirloin steak (I always use petite sirloin--they're cheap, and they work great)
2 heaping Tablespoons flour
12 ounces sour cream (I usually use fat free with great results)
2 heaping teaspoons instant beef bouillon granules
1-2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Hot cooked egg noodles

Thinly slice steak across the grain into bite-size strips. (I usually rub the steak with seasoned meat tenderizer, salt and pepper.) Combine flour and sour cream. Stir in bouillon granules, 1/2 cup water, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Set aside. In a large skillet saute onions for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and steak. Cook until steak is done. It is best to cook to medium or medium well--the steak will cook more later. Add sour cream mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat till bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Serve over hot egg noodles.

Sour Cream Banana Bars

2011-01-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

I made these last night and they are almost gone. We did take a couple to the neighbor's house...but, it was mostly us. Well, me. If you like banana bread, you'll probably like these too.

Sour Cream Banana Bars:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add sour cream and eggs and blend. Add vanilla to mashed bananas. Sift together dry ingredients and add to egg mixture, alternating with mashed bananas. Spread onto a greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool, then frost.

Browned Butter Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, browned
2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Brown butter in sauce pan until light golden color. Stir in remaining ingredients. Stir and heat. Spread onto banana bars.

Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies

2010-11-12T15:06:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe last year before Savannah's baptism. I made lots of treats that day, but these were my favorite!

Recipe from http://www.melskitchencafe.com

2 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 ¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
1 ¾ cups white chocolate chips
Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together flour, soda, salt, and spices.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until creamy and pale, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla and molasses and mix on medium speed until combined.

Add flour mixture on low speed until combined. Stir in white chocolate.

Spread batter evenly into prepared 13x9 pan and bake until golden around edges and toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan; cut into 24 squares. Blondies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

2010-11-09T19:13:00.000-08:00

I am eating one of these as I type this. This recipe came from a long ago roommate, Aubrey, and started as pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, which is a delightful dessert. I have a little daughter, however, who is totally into the cupcake craze. She requested cupcakes, so cupcakes it was. And I like cream cheese frosting, but I sometimes don't want it so a while ago I tried these with caramel frosting and I really like that combination.

Pumpkin Cupcakes (or bars)

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 cups pumpkin puree
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. soda
2 tsp. cinnamon

Blend eggs, sugar, and oil. Stir in pumpkin. Sift together flour, salt, soda, and cinnamon. Add to egg mixture. Pour into greased or lined cupcake pan or greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Caramel Frosting

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. milk
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and boil while stirring for 2 minutes. Remove and add milk. Return to heat and bring to full boil. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes.

Spudnuts

2010-11-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

The other night, I made 112 donuts. No, that's not a typo. Every now and again I actually do have a productive day. But don't worry, I did not eat all 112 donuts myself. We had a little party with our neighbors. It was quite fun and the donuts were delicious. I've been making this recipe for a few years and it does cut down okay (I've quartered it). But, if you're going to all the effort of making donuts, why not have a party?

Spudnuts
(makes 100-120 donuts)

1 cup shortening
2 cups mashed potatoes (I use instant because sometimes mine are lumpy - shh!)
4 cups lukewarm milk
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
12 to 15 cups flour
1/2 tsp. lemon extract

Scald the milk with the shortening (at first it will seem like they aren't going to come together, but they will - just keep stirring). Let this cool for a bit (15-20 minutes). While it is cooling, dissolve yeast in water. To the milk mixture, add sugar, salt, and enough flour to make a thin batter, about the consistency of cake batter. Add the mashed potatoes, beaten eggs, dissolved yeast, and lemon extract. Add enough more flour to make a soft but workable dough (I usually use about 13 cups total). At this point, I divide the dough into two large bowls to let it rise - you would need a giant bowl to leave it in one. Let rise until doubled then punch down. Then let rise until doubled again. After the second rise, roll dough out to about 1/4" thick and cut out in donut shapes (either with a donut cutter or with two circle cutters - the smaller one should be quite small). You will probably want to roll the dough out in several batches - the entire thing is a little unwieldy. Place the cut donuts on cookie sheets or any large platter to allow to rise another time. After an hour (or so), drop donuts in hot oil (375 degrees), raised-side down. Turn once. Remove from heat and drain briefly on a cookie rack then dip in glaze (I do a ratio of about 1 cup powdered sugar to 2 Tbsp water - you can also add a little cocoa or maple flavoring) or just powdered sugar. I served these with cider and for one night, I was the most popular girl in the neighborhood!

Grandma Donna's Cheesecake

2010-06-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

When I was a girl, my mom and grandma frequently made this dessert. I am pretty sure I haven't had it since I moved away from home. It had been a while. We usually ate this with store-bought cherry pie filling as the topping. Since my garden is bursting with strawberries, I made a simple strawberry syrup/glaze instead. I like baked cheesecake, but they are a little too rich for me. This dessert is lighter (relatively speaking) and I like that the crust is not the traditional graham cracker crust. It uses nuts and usually I am not a nut person (at all), but I really like this crust.

Crust:

1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup butter

Mix together and pat into a 9x15" pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and crumble crust and then pat into pan again. Let cool.

Filling:

8 oz. pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 pkg. Dream Whip, prepared according to directions on package

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add prepared Dream Whip and powdered sugar and blend together well. Spread over crust.

Topping:

Use canned fruit toppings, pie fillings, or make your own. I made mine using approximately 2 cups strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tsp. cornstarch blended with 1 tsp. water. I brought the mixture to a boil and then reduced the heat and let it simmer until it became a little bit thicker.

Three Meat Stromboli

2010-06-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

Like most of my recipes, this is a combination of a couple of different recipes I've used for stromboli in the past. I like the combination of spices in this version and the dough is quite simple. Don't let your dough rise or it will have hollow pockets and is a bit weird.

Bread Dough:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp yeast dissolved completely in 1 cup warm water
1 egg

Dissolve yeast in water. Add remaining ingredients and knead either by hand or in stand mixer for a couple of minutes (3-5). Roll out dough on floured surface into a rectangle shape (about 12x18").

Stromboli Toppings:

1/4 pound pastrami
1/4 pound deli ham
1/4 pound pepperoni
1/4 pound provolone
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup Parmesan
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp pepper

Arrange toppings over rolled-out dough (in no particular order). Roll up dough and tuck eggs under. Lightly beat egg. Smear egg over the top of the dough (or gently use a pastry brush - I like smearing myself). Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (until dough sounds hollow). Let sit a few minutes before serving.

I have used this stromboli dough for lots of types of stromboli. This is my favorite, but I've also really like chicken-alfredo stromboli or just a simple pepperoni and mozzarella combination.

Frosted Banana Cookies

2010-06-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from my little sis, Karlee. She got it from her roommate's mom when she was in college. I really like it and sometimes make extra frosting because the frosting is sooooo good.

3/4 cups softened butter
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
2 mashed bananas
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp soda

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and blend well. In alternating additions, add dry ingredients (sifted together) and bananas. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Frosting:

1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
6 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup butter

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar to desired consistency and a dash of vanilla. Stir in the powdered sugar a little at a time to make it less lumpy. I say less lumpy because I almost never get it totally lump-free. It still tastes delicious, though.

S'Mores Cookies

2010-04-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

Last fall, I spent a few weeks in North Dakota administering reading tests to kids on the reservations there. North Dakota was a pleasant surprise for me - not at all how I had pictured it. It was beautiful - lots of rolling hills, wide open skies, little towns with old churches in the center, and lots of beautiful farmland. I loved the acres and acres of sunflower fields (who wouldn't?) and the wheat fields broken up every couple of hundred feet by tall rows of trees planted as a windbreak by the pioneer settlers. Loved it. I hope I get to go back someday. I'm pretty sure I could live there quite happily.

At one of the schools we visited, the reading coach had made some S'Mores Cookies and shared them with us. They were sooooo good. Her family owns a large organic flax farm and she had put flax in them, so when I made my own version, I included it as an ingredient. I tried a few recipes for these cookies that I found online, but they didn't work very good - I think maybe because of the altitude where I live. I got a little frustrated last fall and gave up, but I was thinking about them this week and gave it another try. So this is what I came up with and it worked really good this time:

S'Mores Cookies

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, coarsely chopped (you want big chunks in there)
1/2 cup milled flax
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips
about 1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 large Hershey bar, chopped in pieces

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix together. Sift flour, graham cracker crumbs, flax, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and slowly add to creamed mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and quickly place 3 -4 pieces of chocolate bar and 3-4 marshmallows into each cookie. Return to the oven and cook another 3-4 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Crock Pot Pork and Potato Stew

2010-03-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite soups. The pork is so tender, it's unbelievable. Plus, it's a crock pot recipe, and is best if you start it early in the day. That's great, because my day's usually deteriorate into craziness as dinnertime nears. I got this recipe from a friend of mine, at our monthly "cooking club."

1 T. oil
1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into cubes ( I usually use 2 pork tenderloins--I'm serious, the pork is really good! Plus, my kids tend to pick out mainly the meat.)
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced onions
4 medium potatoes, cubed
3 T. chicken bouillon
4 1/2 cups water
1 T. cider vinegar
3 T flour
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage

Season cubed meat with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Sear meat in hot skillet with oil. Make sure to only brown the meat, do not cook all the way. Add meat to crock pot, then dump in the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low 8 hour, or high 4 hours.

Aebleskiver

2009-12-23T06:41:00.000-08:00

Don't worry if you can't pronounce the name -- my kids call them "evil schemers." Whatever works. These are Danish pancakes that are traditionally served on Christmas morning. I have a lot of Danish ancestors, but never tried these until I visited one of my Ricks College roommates at her parent's house. Her mom always made them on Christmas morning, and apparently on other special occasions like when roommates come to visit! They were delicious, so when I got married, I found myself an Aebleskiver pan. You will need one for this recipe, but it's worth the $15 because they are so good. The pans are cast iron and usually have small cups for 7 aebleskiver to cook at a time.

I'm not much of a breakfast casserole person, so this is our special Christmas morning breakfast. We also have it on General Conference Sundays.

Danish Aebleskiver

2 eggs, divided
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (or stir 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar into a cup of regular milk and allow it to sit for a few minutes)
4 Tbsp butter

Beat egg yolks until light and fluffy; add the sugar and salt. Sift the flour with baking powder and baking soda, add to egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Gently fold into batter. Heat the Aebleskiver pan over low-medium heat. You don't want it too hot. Place a small pat of butter into each of the Aebleskiver cups and heat until butter is foamy. Drop about a tablespoon of batter into each cup - fill them about 2/3 full. Cook for a few minutes until brown on the bottom and then use a fork to turn and allow the other side to cook.

Remove from pan and serve with a variety of good stuff - my favorite combination is butter and cinnamon-sugar. Floyd likes strawberry jam and powdered sugar or maple syrup poured over the top. However we eat them, we never have any left over. In fact, I've recently started doubling the batch because my kiddo's gobble up so many.

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

2009-12-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

I made these cookies from the Pioneer Woman last year, but didn't actually like them too much. The cookie itself was just to dry and tasteless, so this year, I tried them again by modifying a different recipe for chocolate cookies to make them a little firmer so they would dip well. The recipe worked wonderfully and I think this will be my new favorite Christmas cookie.

1/2 cup butter or shortening (the original recipe called for shortening, but I prefer butter)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5-6 Tbsp cocoa
4 cups flour (I used just short of 4 cups, they seemed to be getting a little dry)
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 pkg. white almond bark or white chocolate chips
Crushed peppermint candy

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to sugar mixture. Roll into small balls and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Immediately flatten cookies when they are removed from the oven.

When cookies are cooled, melt white chocolate chips or white almond bark. Dip half the cookie in the melted chocolate and then dip in crushed candy canes or peppermint lozenges. Set on waxed paper to cool.

Gumdrop Cookies

2009-12-03T14:34:00.000-08:00

This is an old family recipe. It's been around at least since my great-grandma, Grandma Daines. Although you can make it anytime of the year with regular gumdrops, I always think of it as a Christmas cookie with red and green gumdrops because that is what I remember my Grandma Donna making when I was a little girl. I think I have eaten about 1.5 dozen of these since I made them yesterday. I really like them.

Gumdrop Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1-2 cups gumdrops
2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup coconut
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream shortening and then add sugars and vanilla. Beat well. Add eggs one at a time. Add the gumdrops and set aside. Combine the remaining dry ingredients together and add to the gumdrop mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars

2009-10-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

These tasty little treats combine two of my favorites--cheesecake and pumpkin. Yum! I got the recipe from a Kraft Food and Family magazine.

Ingredients:

25 Ginger Snaps, finely crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter, melted
4 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
dash ground cloves

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix crumbs, nuts, and butter; press onto bottom of 13x9 inch pan.

Beat cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each just until blended. Remove 1 1/2 cups batter. Stir remaining sugar, pumpkin, and spices into remaining batter.

Spoon half the pumpkin batter into crust; top with spoonfuls of half the plain batter. Repeat layers; swirl with knife.

Bake 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Apple Butter

2009-10-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

So, so easy. And it makes your house smell so, so good.

5 pounds apples (about 10 large)
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Peel, core, and dice apples. Place in a crock pot and add sugar and cinnamon. Stir a bit. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 hours. Remove lid and cook another 2 hours. At this point, you could be finished and put the apple butter in jars. I like it to have a smooth consistency, so I put it in the blender first and then put it in jars. Allow it to cool and then refrigerate or freeze.

This is great on toast. You can use it in the fruit salsa recipe I posted a few weeks ago. My favorite way to use it is as a dipping sauce for ham.

Spicy Glazed Pork Tenderloin

2009-10-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

Pork tenderloin is one of our favorite cuts of meat--all three kids like it, a rare feat at our house. And this is one of my best recipes. I got it from Cooks Country a few years ago, and it is one of my very favorite go-to recipes for pork tenderloin. (Sorry my camera is MIA right now, so you'll have to do without one of my fabulous (haha) photos!)

1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 juice from about 2 limes
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
2 pork tenderloins (12-16 ounces each, trimmed of silver skin--you know, that fatty membrane on the side!)
2 teaspoon vegetable oil

1. Stir pineapple juice, lime juice, brown sugar, molasses, cumin, cayenne, and jalapeno in small bowl. Pat tenderloins dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook tenderloins, turning until browned on all sides, 5-8 minutes total. Reduce heat to medium, add lime juice mixture, and cook, rolling tenderloins to coat, until mixture is thick and syrupy and internal temperature of tenderloins register 140 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 9-11 minutes. (The meat will still be a little pink if you stop right at 140 degrees--that's how you want it. Trust me. It's so much more tender, and cooks illustrated even included a nice little box detailing how safe it is to eat pork at this temperature!)
3. Transfer tenderloins to cutting board, ten loosely with foil, and let rest until internal temperature rises to 150 degrees, about 10 minutes. Cut tenderloins crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices, arrange on platter, and pour glaze in pan over slices. Serve.

Apple Spice Bundt Cake with Caramel Topping

2009-10-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

This is similar in taste to the apple cake Kelli posted a few months ago, but it is a little denser and with a different topping. Bundt cakes make beautiful cakes to serve at parties or showers, so if you are hosting one this fall, give it a try.

Apple Spice Bundt Cake

3 cups flour
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups apples; peeled, cored, and diced (about 3-4 apples)
1 tsp vanilla

Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Combine oil (just close your eyes when you pour it in), sugar, and eggs and mix until lemon yellow. Gradually pour in dry ingredients while continuing to mix. Add apples and vanilla and mix until just incorporated. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan (I always use shortening and flour when I'm going to remove the cake from the pan). Bake at 350 degrees for about 75 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cake to cool slightly before inverting cake onto a plate or cake platter. Serve with drizzles caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Cook until brown sugar is dissolved and mixture starts to thicken.

Corn Bread

2009-09-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

When I make chili, I almost always make corn bread and honey butter to go with it. A few weeks ago, it felt like fall for the first time so chili and corn bread were on the menu that night. Today is even colder and rainier (here at my house, anyway). I love this recipe for corn bread - it comes from "The Essential Mormon Cookbook." For the chili, I used this recipe. For the chili, I don't care for pinto beans, so I always substitute Great Northern.

Corn Bread

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cups yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. In a separate bowl, blend cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine creamed mixture, dry mixture, and milk. Blend. Bake in a greased 8X8" pan at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

And just in case you've never made it before, here is how to make honey butter.

Honey Butter

1 cube room temperature butter (try not to just soften it in the microwave - it works much better if the entire cube is a consistent temperature)
3-4 Tbsp honey

Put butter and honey together in a bowl. Beat with electric mixer until fluffy and well-combined. You can add a little more or less honey, it just depends on how sweet you want it.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

2009-09-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

Do you have fresh tomatoes lying around? Probably you do. If not, your neighbor probably does. Go ask for some. This sauce is really fast, easy, and pretty healthy. Remember - olive oil is good for you!

2-3 pounds tomatoes, peeled and chopped (about 6-9 medium tomatoes)
1 medium green onion, minced (or about 1/4 cup yellow/white onion)
3 Tbsp fresh parsley or 1 Tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp fresh basil or 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/8 pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, sliced

About 3 hours or so before serving, mix first eight ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. After these have cooked for about an hour, heat olive oil in a small saucepan. Add garlic and cook until golden. Remove from heat and remove garlic. Pour hot oil over tomato mixture and mix well (sometimes I keep this over heat for 10-15 minutes). Cover, remove from heat, and let stand 2 or more before serving. You can add a little water if it seems too thick.

Just prior to serving, prepare some type of noodles and re-heat sauce. Serve. This sauce is hard to mess up - I've used canned tomatoes mixed with fresh when I didn't have enough, different spices, chives instead of onions, etc. It's always turned out good.

Martha Stewart's Pancakes

2009-09-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Once I found this recipe, I've never bought pancake mix again. So good, but so simple!

1 Cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 Cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter

Whisk together flour, baking powder,salt and sugar in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk egg, milk, and melted butter. Form a well in the dry ingredients. Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until barely moistened--stir as little as possible. In griddle or fry pan, melt 1/2 tsp. butter (I never do this--use pam instead or a nonstick pan). Pour batter in 4 inch circles. Turn the pancakes when the edges of the pancakes look dry and the bubbles in the middle of the pancake break open. Turn and cook on the other side.

Optional:
Scatter frozen blueberries or chocolate chips over the pancake batter once it is poured onto the griddle.

Garlic Rosemary Bread

2009-09-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

This is one of my very favorite bread recipes. I got it years ago from a KSL cooking segment. I had a scare a couple of weeks ago and couldn't find my recipe. Luckily, KSL still had their copy archived, so I was able to get it. That little episode has recommitted me to posting my recipes! I've lost a couple of favorite recipes over the years, and it is so frustrating! So, my recipes may not always have pictures, but I do hope to do a better job of posting so I can have a digital record of my recipes--especially since my dilapidated little recipe box is bursting at the seams and getting more disorganized every day!

2 cups milk, lukewarm
1/3 cup sugar (5 1/2 tablespoons)
4 teaspoons active dry yeast (3 teaspoons bread machine yeast)
5 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons crushed rosemary
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed (I usually use 3-4--but I love garlic and have never ever used only 1-2 cloves in ANYTHING!)
1 egg white

Method:

Place warm milk in mixer bowl, add sugar and yeast and begin to knead on low speed. Slowly add 2 cups flour and continue to knead while adding salt, rosemary and garlic. Gradually add remaining flour to make a soft dough. Dough should be stiff enough to clean away from sides of bowl.

Knead 5 minutes. Remove dough hook, cover with plastic wrap, which has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Place in warm area and allow to rise until double in bulk.

FINISHING DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove dough from pan and knead out excess air. Divide dough in half (if using bread machine portions - leave in one loaf). Roll each half into an eighteen-inch long rope. Place loaves on greased cookie sheet.

Using sharp knife, cut 1/4 inch deep diagonal slashes along length of loaf. Cover pan with plastic wrap, which has been sprayed with non-stick spray, and allow to rise until almost double in bulk.

Remove plastic wrap. Beat together egg white with 1-tablespoon water and brush tops of loaves. Place in preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan to cool.

Makes 2 baguette loaves.

This bread makes great garlic bread and awesome croutons (just cut into bite-sized pieces and toss in some butter or olive oil, then toast in the oven until crunchy). It also freezes well. I often cut it into slices, then freeze it and get out individual slices when I need them--also really good toasted from the freezer, and dipped in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I could go on and on, I love this bread!

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

2009-08-31T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hooray September is almost here and I will start cooking real food again. I can't wait for baking season to start. For now, though, I will enjoy the end of summer and all the fresh food that goes along with it. This recipe is an old Pampered Chef recipe. It is a great summertime recipe and actually works okay anytime of year. I have tried it with frozen strawberries and it worked just fine.

Fruit Salsa

2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped
1 kiwi, peeled and chopped
1 small orange
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp apple jelly

Mix together chopped apples, strawberries, and kiwi. Zest (hopefully you have a microplane as this makes it so much easier) and juice entire orange and add both orange juice and set to fruit. Stir in brown sugar and apple jelly to fruit mixture. Chill.

Cinnamon Chips

1 pkg. flour tortillas
water
cinnamon/sugar mixture

Cut tortillas into triangle shaped wedges and spread in one layer on a cookie sheet (you will need more than one cookie sheet or to do this more than one time). Spray with water from a clean water bottle or use a pastry brush to spread a thin layer of water over the tortillas. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place in a 475 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes, or until the cinnamon mixture melts and the chip edges begin to turn a light brown.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-08-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

Kate asked me to post my pb cookie recipe. My kids love peanut butter cookies, and this is our favorite recipe because it's more chewy than a lot of other recipes I've tried.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 Cup butter
1/2 Cup peanut butter
1 1/4 Cups flour
1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla

Sugar (to roll balls in--I like to use sugar in the raw, or turbinado sugar)

Beat butter and peanut butter together on high speed for thirty seconds. Add 1/2 cup of the flour, the sugars, egg, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla. Beat till thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour. If necessary, cover and chill dough till easy to handle.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in additional sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten by crisscrossing with the tines of a fork.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 7-9 minutes or till bottoms are lightly browned. (make sure not to overcook if you want them chewy!)

Chocolate Marshmallow Popsicles

2009-07-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

You should be warned that if you try these, you will probably never want to eat another Fudgesicle or Chocolate Creamie again. These are soooo much better. And quite easy.

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Combine cream, half-and-half, chocolate chips, and marshmallows in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the chocolate chips and marshmallows are melted. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, making sure to scrape all the chocolate out of the saucepan. Add the vanilla and salt and puree for about 30 seconds. Pour the mixture into a popsicle mold or paper cups and freeze for at least three hours. If you are using paper cups, freeze until slightly firm and then insert popsicle sticks.

It's nice to invite some cousins over and share!

naan

2009-06-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

Naan (Indian flatbread)
*recipe adapted from http://www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com
This was so good! I'd never had naan before, but I tried an Indian dish (chicken tikka masala--which was okay, but not great) so I figured I should give it a try. Wow. And it was so simple. Definitely a "keeper" recipe. And it would go good with anything. In fact, we dipped ours in honey butter and it was like dessert!

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 egg
1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 cup milk

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl by hand), stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and yeast.

In a small bowl, mix together the egg, yogurt, and milk. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir for about 1 minute, until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated into the wet ingredients. Increase machine speed to 2 (or by hand) and knead the dough until it is smooth and shiny, about 5-7 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover with a towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until the dough doubles in size, about an hour.
Put a baking stone or heavy baking sheet on the lowest rack of your oven. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees for at least 30 minutes prior to baking.
Divide the dough into eight pieces and form into teardrop (mine were more like oval) shapes with your hands, about 6 to 8 inches across.
Cook two or three pieces at a time. Drop the dough onto the hot stone and shut the oven door, watching until they are just starting to turn brown in places, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the naan and lay on a board. You can lightly brush with melted butter or garlic butter, or just enjoy them plain.

Butterscotch cookies

2009-06-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

These cakey little cookies are some of our family favorites. I got the recipe from my mom. I thought I had already posted them here, in fact I know I took a picture of them. But I can't find the post (or the picture!) so if it's a repeat, I'm sorry.

Cream together:
1/2 Cup shortening (I know, I know. I don't usually use shortening either, but trust me--don't try to substitute anything for it.)
1 1/2 Cups brown sugar
2 eggs

Cream until the batter lightens in texture and color. You'll actually see a change.

Stir in:

1 Cup (NOT 1 can) evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift together and stir in:

3 Cups flour (maybe just a little less, depending on how rounded you like them--less flour=flatter cookies)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp soda

Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-12 minutes at 350.

Glaze:

1/3 Cup butter
3 Cups powdered sugar
5 TBSP. hot water

spread glaze over still warm cookies.

Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches

2009-05-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

My husband's favorite cookies are homemade oreo's and oatmeal cookies. I decided to make his favorite oatmeal cookies into a sandwich cookie using cream cheese frosting. He loves them...and so does the rest of the family. I tried this using a couple different oatmeal cookie recipes and I think this one works the best because the cookies are soft and not too fluffy.

Oatmeal Cookie Dough

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs and milk; mix well. Add rolled oats and stir in. Sift together dry ingredients and mix in until smooth. Stir in nuts if using them. Form into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1- 8 oz container cream cheese
3/4 cube of butter
1 pound powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Soften cream cheese and butter (but don't melt). Stir together. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Frost the pan side of one cookie and place another cookie on top of it to make an oatmeal cookie sandwich.

Honey Popcorn

2009-04-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

This is one of the first recipes I ever put in my little blue recipe box. My best friend brought it to our Merrie Miss recipe exchange when we were ten or eleven. Her mom made it frequently and I always loved it. Friday nights at our house are Movie and Popcorn Night at our house. There are many times we have a snack different than popcorn at Movie and Popcorn Night, but last Friday we stuck with tradition and had this. I ate most of it, but it looks like Annie has inherited my love for it.

Honey Popcorn
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup cream
1 cube butter
1 cup marshmallows
2 large bowls popped corn

Cook all ingredients except marshmallows over medium heat to soft ball stage, stirring constantly (or in my case, with just quick little breaks in between stirs). Remove from heat and stir in marshmallows. Pour over popped corn.

French Breakfast Puffs

2009-03-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

This is one of the first recipes I remember baking. Kate and I used to make them all the time when we lived at home. Now my kids love them! They are better as mini-muffins but also work as regular sized muffins. Makes 24 mini muffins.

Sift together:

1 1/2 Cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

In another bowl combine:

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup melted butter

Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir by hand JUST until moistened. (do not overmix)

Grease mini-muffin tin and fill with batter. Bake in a 350 degree oven 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden. While baking combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. After removing from oven, immediately tip tops in 3 Tablespoons melted butter then into cinnamon sugar mixture.

Sweet Pork Salad

2009-03-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

This was the best dish I've made in a long time! We ate the leftovers for dinner the next night and we NEVER do that--usually I just send leftovers with Barry for lunch the next day. But I would have eaten this every night for a week. It's really that good. And don't leave out the tomatillo dressing--I toyed with the idea of just being lazy and serving it with ranch dressing, and I'm so glad I didn't because the dressing is amazing! I found the recipe at the sister's cafe http://www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com. They have some awesome recipes, go check it out!

Shredded Sweet Pork

3 lb pork roast

1 c brown sugar

1 c Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp powdered ginger

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

2 Tb dried minced onions

Cook all ingredients in a crock pot on low all day (abt 8 hours). One hour before serving, remove roast and shred it. Dump out all cooking juices and place shredded pork back into crockpot and add...1 c brown sugar and 1 c red enchilada sauce

Cilantro Lime Rice

3 c water

3 c rice

4 cubes chicken bouillon

4 tsp garlic, minced

1 Tb canola oil

2 Tb fresh lime juice

1/2 bunch of cilantro

1/2 onion1 can green chilies

Blend cilantro, onion, and chilies in food processor. Bring water to boil and add all ingredients, simmer covered for 30 minutes or until rice is cooked.

Garlic Black Beans

1 can black beans

1/3 c tomato juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

2 Tb canola oil

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tb chopped cilantro

Heat oil then add cumin and garlic until garlic begins to pop. Add rest of ingredients and serve warm. *I would at least double this recipe--but I really like beans!

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

3 tomatillos, peeled and quartered

juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 c buttermilk

1/2 c mayonnaise

1/2 c sour cream

1 pkg dry buttermilk ranch dressing

1 c fresh chopped cilantro

6 green onions with ends, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tsp sugar1 jalapeno, sliced thin - add to taste

Place all ingredients in food processor or blender and mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

To assemble salad: Grate cheese onto a tortilla shell and place in oven under broiler until cheese is melted and shell is puffy. Top with romaine lettuce, beans, rice, and pork. Garnish with tomatoes, avacado, pico de gallo, whatever you like. Top with dressing and crispy tortilla strips.
*The recipe calls for cotija cheese, but I used sharp cheddar.

My Favorite Cake--tres leches cake

2009-03-21T10:36:00.001-07:00

I love, love, love this cake! Unfortunately, it's also probably the most fattening, unhealthy cake recipe I've ever seen--but it's worth it, I promise! Just try to make it when you're having company, so you don't wind up eating the whole cake. I got this recipe from a cooks illustrated magazine a couple of years ago (love that magazine!). It is a little tempermental, make sure to beat the eggs and sugar until very thick so they will be sturdy enough to support the milk mixture.

Milk Mixture
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (14 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting
1 cup heavy cream (I think this is a little skimpy--I usually use 2 cups. Look at the recipe--one more cup of cream isn't going to matter that much!!)
3 Tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. For the milk mixture: Pour condensed milk into a large microwave-safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on low power, stirring and replacing plastic every 3-5 minutes, until slightly darkened and thickened, 9-15 minutes. You want it to resemble dulce-de-leche--if you've never used/made dulce de leche, you're missing out! Remove from microwave and slowly whisk in evaporated milk, cream, and vanilla. Let cool to room temperature.

2. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 13x9 inch baking pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in bowl. Heat butter and milk in small saucepan over low heat until butter is melted; set aside off heat.

3. With electic mixer on medium speed, beat eggs in large bowl for about 30 seconds, then slowly add sugar until incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until egg mixtre is very thick and glossy, 5-7 minutes. Reduce speed to low and slowly mix in melted butter mixture and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three additions, scraping down bowl as necessary, then mix on medium speed until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Using rubber spatula, scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes.

4. Using skewer, poke holes at 1/2 inch intervals in top of warm cake. Slowly pour milk mixture over cake until completely absorbed. Let sit at room temperature 15 minutes, then refrigerate uncovered 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

5. For the frosting: Remove cake from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat heavy cream, corn syrup, and vanilla to soft peaks, 1-2 minutes. Frost cake and serve. The assembled cake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days--or so they say, mine's never lasted that long!

Classic Carrot Cake

2009-03-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

Isn't it nice to get a vegetable serving in by eating a cake? I love carrot cake (I love alliteration too - maybe that's why). It's always been my favorite. My wedding cake was a carrot cake - all three layers. It was delicious and this recipe reminds me of it, so I have happy memories every time I eat it. And, in my opinion, if there is one type of cake that should never be made from a box, it's carrot cake. The dehydrated, shriveled carrots in a box mix just don't cut it.

Cake:

1 1/2 cups oil
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
3 cups grated raw carrots
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups flour

Combine oil, eggs, and sugar. Mix well. Add carrots. Sift dry ingredients together and add. Pour into a cake pan and bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes.

Frosting:

1 pkg cream cheese (8 oz), softened
3/4 cube butter, softened
1 lb. powdered sugar (about 4 cups or half a bag)
1 tsp vanilla

Beat all ingredients together until smooth.

I'm not really a nut person, but if you are, go ahead and sprinkle some chopped nuts on top. It doesn't really matter if you use regular or baby carrots other than it is easier to grate the regular carrots (particularly if you are grating by hand - this cake became much easier to make once I got a Cuisinart).

Sandtorte

2009-03-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe a couple of years ago in a sunset magazine (I love their recipes!) They called it a "viennese-style" cake, whatever that is. It's a dense bundt cake, similar to a pound cake but with an almond flavor. I love it in strawberry shortcake with lots of REAL whipping cream, but it would also go well with ice cream, chocolate sauce, and any berry. It's also good all by itself, especially warm out of the oven.

3 1/2 Cups cake flour (yes, you really need to use cake flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 Cup butter, room temperature
3 Cups sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 Cup sour cream
2 teaspoon almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 325. Butter and flour a 12 cup bundt pan. (or use pam for baking or bakers joy no-stick cooking spray--I've had great luck with both of them) In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder.

2. In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each, then add sour cream and almond extract. Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing well after each addition.

3. Pour batter into bundt pan. Bake until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 75-90 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely

Lemon Cake

2009-03-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from the March Family Circle magazine. I don't subscribe to this magazine, but I was starving at the grocery store and the muffins on the front looked delicious. I haven't tried the muffins yet, but found this recipe and love it. I love lemon - it has such a natural taste- and I think it's perfect for spring. This cake is really moist and quite dense. It's also quite pretty (particularly if you can frost better than me) and would be nice for an Easter lunch.

Cake:

1 lemon
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 container (6 oz) lemon yogurt (I've made it with both lemon & plain - there is little difference)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs

Frosting:

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 pound powdered sugar (about 4 cups, or half a bag)
2 Tbsp lemon juice reserved from cake
2 Tbsp water
Yellow food coloring

Directions:

Zest lemon peel (about 2 tsp) and set aside. Cut lemon in half and squeeze out juice. Reserve juice for frosting. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together yogurt, milk, and vanilla. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. On low speed, beat flour mixture into butter mixture in three additions, alternating with milk mixture. Beat well after each addition. Fold in lemon zest. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. When cake is cool, prepare frosting by beating together butter, reserved lemon juice (2 Tbsp), water, and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Gradually add more sugar until frosting is a good consistency for spreading. Tint with yellow food coloring.

Apple Nut Cake with Butter Sauce

2009-03-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe from Barry's childhood. It is his favorite cake, and he has passed his love for it on to Savannah--she requests it for everything!

1 Cup shortening
2 Cups sugar
3 eggs
4 Cups apples, peeled and grated (try to use a mixture of tart and sweet--granny smith and golden delicious, for example)
1 Cup chopped walnuts
3 Cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in apples. Sift together dry ingredients and stir in. Bake 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Butter Sauce

1 Cup sugar
1 cube butter (do not use margarine!)
1 can evaporated milk

Stir together over medium heat until thoroughly combined and bubbly. Serve warm over cake.

Left over cake should be refrigerated, and actually tastes better the next day! This cake freezes well.

It's Cake Week!

2009-03-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

We decided that this week should be cake week. We have many good cake recipes to share, so each day this week (or until we run out of cake recipes), we will post a new cake recipe on the blog. These cakes are much, MUCH better than store-bought or from-a-box cakes, so enjoy.

Chocolate Cake with Almond Frosting

2009-03-16T08:26:00.001-07:00

At my brother's wedding this month, several of us were enjoying the cake. We quickly decided that it wasn't really the cake itself that was so good - it was really quite ordinary. What made it good was the frosting. It was almond-flavored. So, last week I made this chocolate cake, which is very moist, and paired it with almond buttercream frosting. I really liked the results, as did the rest of my family. You can, of course, frost this cake with a different flavor of frosting, but I think this is a great combination.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

1 cup water
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, partially beaten
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional - my husband loves them but the cake is still good without them)

Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan, add butter and cocoa. Cook while stirring until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Mix the dry ingredients well in a large bowl. Add the chocolate mixture and mix well. Add the eggs and vanilla and again, mix well. Add sour cream and chocolate chips and stir until just blended. Pour into greased pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Almond Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened but not melted
2 Tbsp milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp almond extract

Cream butter and shortening. Add almond extract and milk. Stir in sugar one cup at a time until frosting is the consistency you want.

Snickerdoodles

2009-03-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

I love cookies. Snickerdoodles are one of my favorites, and this is my favorite snickerdoodle recipe (although I'm always open to trying new ones!)

3 Cups flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 Cups granulated sugar

1 Cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1/4 Cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in eggs. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated.

3. Mix together the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls and dip in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE! Bake until light and golden.

Creamy Italian Dressing

2009-03-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 Tbls. corn syrup
2 Tbls. Parmesan cheese
2 Tbls. Romano cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
1 Tbl. lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in a blender or processor until well blended. You may need to add a little sugar, depending on taste.

Easy Breadsticks

2009-03-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

We are carb lovers at our house, and breadsticks are no exception. I've tried a lot of different "quick" and "easy" breadstick recipes, and this one is my favorite. It really is quick and easy, plus they're yummy'!

1 1/2 C. warm water
2 T. sugar
1 C. butter, melted
1 T yeast
3 1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
garlic powder, kosher salt, parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar. Make dough with yeast mixture, flour and salt. Dough will be very sticky, add flour as necessary while kneading. the trick is to keep the dough as wet as possible, yet still workable. Knead for three minutes (really!! only three minutes--no need to even get out the kitchenaid/bosch!) and let rise for 10 minutes. Roll out right away on a floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into strips and dip into buter. (Or, be lazy like me and just cut off lumps of dough then roll into sticks). I usually twist my breadsticks. Place onto baking sheets. Sprinkle with garlic, salt, and parmesan. Let rise for 15-20 minutes. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with remaining butter.

Mac Daddy Pasta

2009-02-17T12:32:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe I tried to replicate from Barry's favorite pasta dish at a local restaurant. After many misses, I think I finally got it pretty close. Now we won't have to go out every time he has a craving!! (sorry in advance--my next task will be to try to pare down the fat in this dish!)

2 T. butter
2 C. heavy cream
1 C. low sodium chicken broth
½ C. half and half
4 cloves minced garlic
1 large jar marinated artichoke hearts
Canadian Bacon, diced into large pieces (just toss in as much as you'd like)
Pepperoni, diced into large pieces (ditto on the amount)
1/2 C. sliced mushrooms (more or less, depending on your taste)
1 ½ C. shredded Pepper Jack cheese
½ C. parmesan
1/4 C. milk mixed with 2 T. flour
¾ t. red pepper flakes
Dash cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
*Kalamata Olives (optional--if you decide to use them, add with pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, and artichokes) I usually omit these, because Barry doesn't really like them.

Melt butter in large, deep sided saucepan (or dutch oven). Add garlic, crushed red pepper, and cayenne. Saute about 1 minute. Add pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts and sauté about 1-2 minutes. Add cream, broth, and half and half. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and simmer about 5-7 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add Pepper Jack and Parmesan cheeses. Whisk flour into milk and then add to sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for a couple of minutes, to desired thickness. (sauce will thicken more as it cools). Add 1 large box cooked penne pasta. (more or less, depending on how “saucy” you want it!)

Pineapple Chicken

2009-02-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

This recipe was actually created by my husband. My dad didn't even pour the cereal himself while I was growing up, so it was a pleasant surprise to marry a husband who can cook! He is a never-follow-a-recipe sort of cooker. It seems to work for him. I like this dish because I can put it all in the saucepan and then let it simmer. Anything requiring that I stay in the kitchen gets a little tricky at our house.

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. chicken breast, sliced in strips or chunks (whichever you prefer)
1 can pineapple chunks
1 green pepper, sliced
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 medium onion, sliced
3/4 - 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce
Cooked rice (However much your family will eat and prepared the way you prefer)

Directions:

Put chicken breast, green pepper, and onions in a large saucepan. Brown chicken slightly (I usually cook it until there is just a little uncooked skin showing).

Once the chicken is browned, add about 1/2 of the can of pineapple plus about 2 Tbsp of the pineapple juice, carrots, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and about half the brown sugar.

Now this is the easy part - just put on a lid and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. About halfway through, add the rest of the brown sugar. There's really no reason that you can't add it all at the beginning - I just do it that way because I always check it part of the way through and decide it needs more brown sugar (it will depend on how thick you want your sauce). Here's what mine looked like after it had simmered about 15 minutes and I added more brown sugar:

The cooking time can vary depending on when you are ready to eat, when the rice is ready, and how tender you want your vegetables. Once you are ready, just scoop a bunch of sauce over the rice and enjoy.

Lauryn's Shower Menu

2009-01-31T19:14:00.000-08:00

My baby Brother Jake is getting married! We hosted a shower for his fiancee, Lauryn, on Saturday and it was so good to see everyone. We had some recipe requests, so here's the menu:

Broccoli Salad

1 3/4 lbs. broccoli
1 lb. cooked and crumbled bacon
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/4-1/2 meduim purple onion, chopped
1 1/2 cup craisins

Wash broccoli and chop into little pieces. Combine broccoli, sunflower seeds, and onion. Add bacon and craisins right before serving.

Dressing:

2 Cups mayo
4 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar

Mix together until smooth and sugar is dissolved. Pour over other ingredients and combine well.

Savory Spinach and Feta Muffins

sift together:

2 C. flour
1 cup chopped spinach
1 TBSP baking powder
1/4 cup parmesan
1/2 tsp salt
1/2-3/4 cup feta cheese
3/4 tsp garlic powder

In another bowl combine:

2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 cup milk

mix wet ingredients into dry until barely combined. spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake ay 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

* for the shower, I used a mini-muffin tin, and sprinkled the tops of the muffins with kosher salt, garlic powder, and parmesan before baking.

Ultimate Seven Layer Bars

1 cup toffe bits (such as heath)
12 whole graham crackers
8 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
8 ounces milk chocolate, chopped coarse
1 cup rice krispies
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped coarse (about 6 minutes at 350)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted (about 5 minutes at 350)
2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 TBSP vanilla extract

proces toffee bits and graham crackers in food processer until fine crumbs. add melted butter and pulse until combined. Press mixture firmly into prepared baking pan. Bake until beginning to brown, about 7-8 minutes. Remonve pan from oven, sprinkle crust with milk chocolate, and allow chocolate to soften, about 2 minutes. Using spatula, smooth chocolate into even layer. Scatter rice krispies over chocolate, pressing to adhere. Add layers of pecans, chocolate chips, and coconut, in that order, prssing each layer to adhere. Combine condensed milk and vanilla in small bowl and pur over coconut. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Creamy Lemon Squares

Crust

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

pinch salt

12 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces

Filling

4 large eggs 3 large egg yolks

1 cup granulated sugar

pinch salt

1 T. grated zest plus 2/3 cup juice (from about 4 lemons)

2 T. unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces

2 T. heavy cream

powdered sugar for dusting

For the crust: Pulse flour sugar, and salt in food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle dough into prepared 8x8 pan and press in even layer. Bake until light golden brown, 15-20 minutes.

For the filling: While crust is cooling, whisk eggs, yoks, sugar and salt together in saucepan. Add zest and juice and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and pudding-like, about 8-10 minutes. Press through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl. Stir in butter and cream. Pour filling over crust and tilt to spread evenly. Bake until filling is set, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until serving. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

* I usually double the recipe and bake in a 13x9 pan. But I don't use all of the crust mixture--usually about 1/2-3/4 of it is plenty.

Vegetable Pizza

2 pkgs. crescent rolls
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix
1/3 cup mayonnaise
assorted vegetables of your choice (I usually use red peppers, green peppers, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and if my husband is not eating it, green onions)

Unroll crescent rolls and lay flat in a greased/sprayed cookie sheet. Press the edges together to make one large crust. Bake according to package directions. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, ranch mix, and mayo together. The amount of mayo is approximate - adjust it so that your cream cheese becomes spreadable. The amount varies depending on how close to room temperature your cream cheese is and the amount of fat in the cream cheese (full fat versions are usually firmer than those with reduced fat content and therefore require more mayo). Once the crust has cooled, spread a layer of the cream cheese mixture over the crust. Then, chop veggies and spread over the cream cheese. Cut in squares and serve.

Paprikash Chicken

2009-01-30T21:41:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from my brother-in-law, who got it while serving his mission in Hungary. I like it because it’s easy, cheap, and yummy!

1 medium onion, diced
1-3 cloves minced garlic
1 T. olive oil
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. vegeta (Hungarian seasoning—it’s tough to find, so I’ll give you some if you’re interested!)
2 Tablespoons paprika
2 15 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
4-6 chicken drumsticks (or however many you want—it doesn’t matter! You could use breasts or thighs if you’d like, but try to use bone-in, it works better than boneless for this recipe)
1-2 C. chicken broth
2-3 sliced hungarian sweet peppers

Saute onion, peppers, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Take off heat and make a paste with the paprika, salt, and vegeta. Coat drumsticks in the paste. Put back on heat. Add tomatoes and chicken broth. Add another teaspoon vegeta and salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer with lid about 30-45 minutes.

Serve over any kind of noodles, or else make your own:

1 C. flour
2 eggs
Add water to make it a consistency between pancake batter and bread dough. Drop by scant teaspoons into boiling water and cook for 5-10 minutes. These are not the kind of noodles we’re used to, they’re kind of like little dumplings. They look ugly, but they taste good!

Macaroni and Cheese

2009-01-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

My husband's gone this week, which means I will be cooking very little. While he's away, this dish and Shepherd's Pie are about the only things I cook. Two things that are not really my husband's favorites, but the kids both devour them. So here it is...

2-3 cups dry elbow macaroni (I usually use about 3)
2 Tbsp butter
1 clove minced garlic
3 Tbsp flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mustard
2 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni and set aside. Melt butter in medium saucepan and add minced garlic. Saute. Stir in flour, salt, and dry mustard. Cook one minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups cheese and macaroni. Place in a baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for ten to twenty minutes - until cheese is browned and cheese is bubbly.

Enjoy!

Christmas Pie

2008-12-24T12:33:00.000-08:00

I've been busy baking all month and it looks like my son wanted to get in on all the fun. He created this special dish for our breakfast tomorrow. Oh how I can't wait to dig into this! If you'd like to replicate it, mix together (in no particular order) oranges, bananas, cinnamon, candy canes, milk, green food coloring, raspberries, salt, sugar, bread, carrots, marshmallows, and collard greens.

Stollen (German Christmas Bread)

2008-12-24T12:21:00.000-08:00

My husband served a mission in Germany. He loves German food and one of his favorites was stollen. After we got married, I looked at many recipes of stollen to try and make some for him. The authentic ones are all a little time intensive, but I found this one in Good Housekeeping that is quite simple. Floyd's analysis of the bread - good, but real stollen is a drier and harder. Since neither of those are necessarily qualities I desire in bread, I will stick with this one.

Stollen

2 1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, cold
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup dried fruit (I use Craisins), finely chopped
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
2 eggs
powdered sugar

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a pastry blender or two knives to cut in butter until it resembles fine crumbs. Stir in ricotta, dried fruit, pecans, vanilla, lemon peel, and eggs until well combined. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until blended. Roll dough into an oval shape (approximately 8"x10"). Fold the dough in half lengthwise, allowing the bottom half of the dough to extend about 1". Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar to coat.

**Note - Sometimes I substitute almond extract for the vanilla and think it is good. I also never put the nuts in because we aren't nut people.**

OSM (Oat, Sunflower, Millet) Bread

2008-12-23T14:46:00.000-08:00

I love to eat breakfast at the Bunnery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I especially love their OSM bread. After Barry and I went to Jackson this fall, I came home and searched the internet for a recipe for OSM bread. But to no avail. So, I made up my own. I think I've finally gotten it good enough to write it down! I'm posting it now because it's going to be great with the white chicken chili I'm making tonight, thanks to Kate's recipe!

OSM bread
2 1/4- 2 1/2 C. warm water
1 1/2 T. active dry yeast
1/2 C. honey
5/8 C. canola oil
1 T. salt
1/2 C. rolled oats
1/3 C. sunflower seeds
1/4 C. millet
6 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. white flour

Measure water into a large bowl. Add yeast and 3 C. flour and mix well. Cover and let rise 20 -30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Knead for 8-10 minutes, until dough passes a windowpane test. (dough will stretch and look like a windowpane rather than tear.) Add flour or water as necessary--you want the dough to leave a little residue on your finger when tested, but not stick like glue. Cover and let rise until doubled (usually just over an hour for me). Shape into two loaves and place in pans. Allow to rise and double again. Bake about 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

If you're going to make this bread, or any other bread, I highly suggest you stop by my friend Camille's blog and read Connie's bread making tips--they've greatly helped my efforts! http://www.camilleskitchen.blogspot.com/

Creamy White Chili

2008-12-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

My husband does not care for regular chili, but loves this. It is adapted from a recipe I found in Taste of Home a few years ago.

1 pound boneless skinless chicken, cubed or shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp oil
2 cans (15 1/2 oz each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add the beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and whipping cream.

Cream Fondant

2008-12-16T20:16:00.001-08:00

I love this recipe. It comes from a lady in my parent's ward, Ileen. The only trouble is that my husband does not love chocolates, so I eat WAY too many. Luckily, my daughter seems to have inherited my sweet tooth, so it looks like I'll have a little help devouring these. So, here it goes:

3 cups sugar
1 cup whipping cream

Stir together and let sit for a few minutes.

Add 2 1/2 Tbsp. white corn syrup

Cook over medium heat until the mixture boils. When it boils, put a lid on for a few minutes and then wash down the sides with a pastry brush and warm water. Cook to 226 (see note below) on candy thermometer. Pour out to cool on counter or a marble block. Slice 2 Tbsp. butter over the fondant while it is still hot.

Allow it to cool for a few minutes and then beat with a wooden spatula until creamy.
Here are a few pictures of the progression from syrupy to creamy.

At some point while you are beating it, you will probably think you ruined it because it doesn't seem like anything is happening...

...and then it will suddenly change and you will be SURE you ruined it because it is so dry suddenly.
You just need to pick it up and start rolling it into balls once it reaches this stage and it will be just fine. Try to find any chunks and squash them out.

Once it is creamy, you can separate it into smaller amounts and flavor them. My favorites are rum and butter and peppermint. I also leave some of it plain to wrap around cherries. Once you have flavored the fondant, roll them into balls or logs or disks or whatever shape you choose. I do some of each so that I know which is which once they are dipped in chocolate.

At this point, they are ready to be dipped. There are lots of methods for melting the chocolate and dipping. Ileen used a double broiler. I prefer the microwave (just melt it slowly and stir it often), my fingers, and forks. It is not a pretty process...I'm still perfecting that part of candy making!

Note: 226 degrees is for sea level...if you don't live at sea level, watch for when the mixture reaches a full boil, take note of the temperature, and subtract the difference of that number and 212 from 226. So, if it boils at 205, the difference is 7 and you subtract 7 from 226 and cook the syrup to 219.

Edries's Fudge

2008-12-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

I got this fudge recipe from my ninety-something neighbor, Edries. She makes the best fudge, candy and hand-dipped chocolates. When I lived at home we always fought over her Christmas plate!

4 C. Sugar
1 Can evaporated milk
1/4 c. butter
1 jar marshmallow creme (7 oz)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 pkg. milk chocolate chips, or 1 pkg chocolate chips and 1 large hershey bar

Bring sugar, milk, and butter to a boil over medium heat (stirring constantly). Cook to medium ball stage. Take pan off heat and beat in remaining ingredients. Pour into buttered 9x13 pan.

Vegetarian Chili

2008-12-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite recipes. It's easy and fast, really good for you, and DELICIOUS! I often make this soup at the first of the week and then eat it every day for lunch.

1 T. olive oil
2C cholpped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 C water, divided
2 T. sugar
2 T. chili powder
2 T. worcestershire sauce
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (15 1/2 oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 0z) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I sometimes double the kidney beans)
1 (15 0z) can pinto beans, rinsed and drianed
1 (6 oz ) can tomato paste

1. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add 3 cups water and next 8 ingredients, stirring to combine.

2. Combine remaining cup of water and tomato paste in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Stir tomato paste mixture into bean mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated through. Serve with shredded cheese, if desired.

* You can use any combination of beans that you like--cannellini, great northern, etc. These are just my favorites.

nutritional info per 1 1/2 C. soup (this is a good sized portion--very full bowl!) Calories 276; Fat 3.5 g (sat .3g, mono 1.3g, poly 1 g); Protein 12.7 g; Carb 49.7g; Fiber 14.7g; Chol 0g; iron 4.2 mg; Sodium 587 mg; calc 107 mg.

Original recipe published in Cooking Light (hence the nutritional info--no, I don't have a scientific analysis lab in the kitchen!)

Zuppa Toscano

2008-11-25T15:09:00.000-08:00

Tuscan Soup, if you don't speak Italian. This is perfect for a cold night. If you opt for hot Italian sausage, omit or go really easy on the seasonings or it might be too spicy (especially if you have a husband like mine). Also, I usually only put about half as much cream as it calls for and think it is still yummy.

1 12-16 oz pkg pork sausage or hot Italian sausage
1 medium onion
2 cups chopped collard greens (optional)
64 oz chicken broth
1 T. garlic
6 russet potatoes
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 pint heavy cream or half and half
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot cook sausage, onion, and garlic. Fry until sausage is cooked. Break up sausage while cooking. When browned, drain fat. Add chicken broth, potatoes, and seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and add cream. Heat through. Add collard greens just before serving.

Pumpkin Roll

2008-11-24T19:58:00.000-08:00

This is my absolute favorite Thanksgiving dessert, and that's saying a lot because I LOVE pie. The instructions make it seem kind of tricky, but it's really not--don't let all the steps scare you off.

Ingredients:

CAKE
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
FILLING
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

Directions:FOR CAKE:PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar. COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts. BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack. FOR FILLING:BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Some tips I've learned:

Pam with flour (especially for baking) or baker's joy cooking spray work even better than greasing and flouring and they're much easier. (don't use only regular pam, though--I've had trouble with the cake sticking.)

Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

And most importantly: DO NOT use generic brand cream cheese. Only Philadelphia. Now I'm not above skimping and using generic brands of some items, but generic cream cheese absolutely ruins this dessert!! It makes the filling gluey instead of that nice, flaky, and dense mixture you want. I promise it's worth the extra money!

Also, I never use the nuts. I'm sure they'd be yummy, but I love nuts and my family hates nuts, hence I don't add them. I already eat most of the roll anyway, why set myself for disaster if I'm the only one eating it???