Tag Archives: recipes

Pound Cake Made Easy

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Pound Cake Made Easy – Chocolate, Lemon, or Classic…And Tons of Variations In Between

1 Yellow, Chocolate, or Lemon Cake mix

1 pkg instant vanilla, chocolate, or lemon instant pudding mix (whichever goes with the cake mix flavor you choose)

1 cup milk

1 stick butter softened

4 eggs at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour your bundt pan. Dump all your ingredients in a bowl, mix on low-speed for 2 minutes, scrape bowl, mix at medium-speed for 2 minutes. (You have to mix for this long, on these speeds, or the cakes seem to fall…atleast for me) Pour your batter into the greased pan and bake for 50 -55 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean and cake springs back when lightly touched in center. Let cake cool in pan for 10 – 15 minutes before inverting pan to remove cake, then cool completely on wire rack before icing.

If the top of your cake looks too brown spray a sheet of aluminum foil with non-stick spray and lay loosely over the top for the last 15 -20 minutes of baking.

Variation ~ Uses a chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding, and once you grease your pan coat it with cocoa powder instead of flour….and of course top with a chocolate glaze…because you can never have too much chocolate!! This pic is before the icing

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Another Quick Tip – If you don’t have milk try one of these substitutes:

  •   1 cup of water
  • 1 cup of sour cream
  • 1/2 cup of sour cream + 1/2 cup of  milk
  • 1 cup of yogurt
  • 1 cup of your favorite coffee creamer (I use sugar free vanilla)

More fun twists on your traditional pound cake:

  • White Chocolate Pound Cake – Use a yellow cake mix, white chocolate pudding, 1 cup of milk , 4 eggs, and 1 stick of  butter (Optional – stir in a cup of white chocolate chips into your batter). Follow the directions above for baking and top with a white chocolate icing.
  • Coconut Cake – Yellow cake mix, coconut pudding, 1 cup coconut milk, 1 tsp. coconut extract, 4 eggs, 1 stick of butter. Then you’ll mix and bake as directed above. Frost then garnish with toasted coconut  flakes.
  • Strawberry Pound Cake – Strawberry cake mix, strawberry pudding, 1 cup milk, 1 tsp. vanilla, 4 eggs, 1 stick of butter. Bake as directed above, then top with chocolate frosting…think chocolate covered strawberries!

See where I’m going with this? The possibilities are endless. Just use  the basic recipe formula above*,  be sure to mix for the full 2 minutes at low speed and 2 then minutes at medium, grease and flour your pan, bake until golden, then cool 10 minutes before :inverting pan, and you’ll be set!

 

Don’t have a bundt pan? No worries, just split you batter between 2 loaf pans and bake  for 45-55 minutes. Don’t have bundt pan or loaf pans? Pour you batter into whatever pan you have and watch for doneness (a toothpick to come out clean and the cake springs bake when lightly touched). Here’s a quick bakin guide:

  • 10 inch round pan – Bake for 35 – 45 minutes
  • 13×9 pan – Bake 25 – 35 minutes
  • 2 -8 in. pans – Bake 25 – 35 minutes

But the cake truly has the best texture when baked in the bundt pan or the loaf pans.

 

~~I’m convinced pound cake is not only a dessert but a breakfast food too…Hey, it’s gotta be better for you than doughnuts :0)

Never Fail Fudge

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Never Fail Fudge

I love fudge…who doesn’t?!? But sometimes making it can be a little more work than I’m up for…cooking to a soft ball, constantly stirring….it’s hard work!! So here is a quickie recipe that will never fail you! And it’s beyond delish! 

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2 2/3 cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips

1 – 14 oz. can Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 tsp. Vanilla

2 cups Mini Marshmallows

Line a 8×8 pan with foil, then spray with non-stick spray and set aside. Combine your condensed milk and chocolate chips in a medium saucepan and cook over medium low heat until smooth, well combined, and all the chips have melted. Remove from heat and let cool 2 minutes. Stir in your vanilla, then your mini marshmallows. Pour into pan and chill in the fridge for 3-4 hours. Pull the foil lining out of your pan and flip fudge onto a piece of wax paper or a cutting board. Pull foil off, slice, and serve.

I store mine in an airtight container either in the fridge or a cool room until ready to serve. Kept in the fridge this fudge will stay good for months. Eat it cold or let it set to room temp to soften, either way it’s yum!!

 

A Quick Kitchen Tip:

Run the knife under warm water, wipe off excess, then slice your fudge. Repeat every few slices. It’ll make the edges look nice and smooth.

Cream Cheese Frosting

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Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 oz (1 package) cream cheese – softened to room temp
  • 4 TB unsalted butter – softened to room temp

Mix with mixer on medium speed until well combined

Add

  • 3 cups sifted powdered sugar (Yes you need to sift it!!)

Mix with mixer until combined and fluffy (about 2 minutes)

Stir in either:

  • 1-2 tsp vanilla extract

Or

  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Use to top your favorite Cakes and Breads or as a filling for Stuffed French Toast!

cream cheese icing

Eggless Banana Muffins

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Preheat oven to 350 and place rack on lower middle rack. Line and grease or grease and flour 2 muffins pans (24 muffins total)

Stir/Sift together: (then set aside)

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tb baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp salt

In a large bowl mix, with mixer on medium speed, until well combined

  • 10 Tb unsalted butter softened to room temp
  • 1 Cup packed light brown sugar

Pour ½ banana mix::

  • 5-6 medium ripe bananas mashed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups sour cream

into beaten butter/sugar mixture. Mix with hand mixer until combined. Stir in ½ of flour mixture, and then stir in remaining banana mix, followed by remaining flour mix.

Optional – Stir in 1 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips

Spoon batter into your 24 greased pre-lined muffin tins, bake for 25-30 minutes, cool for 15 minutes, then ENJOY!!

 

Want to make them even more delish?? Top with some cream cheese frosting…or better yet cinnamon cream cheese frosting….and while you’re at it, whip up a double batch because that stuff makes the BEST stuffed French toast filling ever!

Need a cream cheese frosting recipe??

Coming right up :)

Cream Cheese Frosting:: (Single batch)

  • 8 oz (1 package) cream cheese – softened to room temp
  • 4 TB unsalted butter – softened to room temp

Mix with mixer on medium speed until well combined

Add

  • 3 cups sifted powdered sugar (Yes you need to sift it!!)

Mix with mixer until combined and fluffy (about 2 minutes)

Stir in either:

  • 1-2 tsp vanilla extract

                                Or

  • 1 tsp cinnamon
Whip up a double batch of this frosting and store in the fridge to use for another baking project...it's great on cupcakes, muffins, sticky buns, or as a French toast filling
Whip up a double batch of this frosting and store
it in the fridge to use for another baking project…
it’s great on cupcakes, muffins, sticky buns,
or as a French toast filling

What do you mean you want more??? How about my Banana Bread Recipe?? It’s beyond YUM!! :)

Banana Bread

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What to do with those extra ripe, black, spotty, one step from being molded bananas on your kitchen counter? Make banana bread of course! This recipe is beyond fool proof, super easy, moist, yummy, delish, all that good stuff!! Go ahead give it a try, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Banana Bread

What you’ll need:

1 ¾ cups flour

2 ¼ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

2-4 ripe bananas – mashed (1 -1 ¼ cups)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

*Optional ½ cup nuts and/ or ½ chocolate chips (or dried fruits)

 

Directions:

 

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

In a medium bowl mix shortening and sugar until creamy, the beat in the eggs and bananas.

Add the flour mixture to the sugar in 2 parts so it’s easier to stir.

Mix until combined, then stir in vanilla, cinnamon, and nuts or chocolates, if using.

Pour in a greased and floured loaf pan and bake for about 50-55 minutes.

I had lots of bananas this time, so I made a double batch!

Easier than Apple…Apple Pie

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Isn’t that how the saying goes? It’s easier than apple pie…but sometimes apple pie can be kind of intimidating…so I have a fool proof, easy, inexpensive, best ever apple pie….ask anyone, I’ve never gotten a complaint, and I know that not everyone I know would be polite about crap cooking to make me feel better…
Apple Pie
Ingredients:
• 1 Store bought refrigerated roll out pie crust thawed to room temp
• Enough peeled and sliced apples to fill your pie pan (I use about 8). Cut the apples as big or as small as you like, use whatever your favorite flavors of apples are or whatever’s left over in on your kitchen counter. I like to mix ½ yellow and ½ brauburn or honeycrisp. You can use as many apple types as you’d like, just be aware the juicier the apple the more flour you’ll add…but we’ll get to that in a minute….
• Sugar – ¾ cup total…you can use white or brown sugar…I use ½ c brown / ¼ white, but I’ve used all brown and all white and no one’s noticed a difference
• Flour – for dryer apples I use 3-4 TB, for juicy apples I use up to 1/3 cup
• Tsp of Vanilla
• Tsp of Cinnamon
• 2 TB of butter sliced into 5-6 mini slices (optional)
• Handful of dried cranberries (optional)

And for the part that makes this the BEST EVER apple pie…the topping:
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 stick of margarine…yes I actually said margarine, and you know how weird I am about margarine lol…this is the ONLY recipe I use it in…and I’ve tried to replace it with butter but it just doesn’t work the same
• Cinnamon

APPLE PIE

• Preheat the oven to 350 and set it to your middle rack. While you wait for your oven to heat up and your pie crust to get to room temp peel and slice your apples and toss them with the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla…and dried fruit if you’re adding it….

• Next up – Spray your pie pan with nonstick spray.

• Unroll the pie crust into your pie pan then dump your apple mix into your crust, then top that with your butter slices if you’re using them

• Now for the yummy topping…In a small bowl stir the 1 c of flour, 1 c of sugar. Next, use a FORK (don’t cheat and use a mixer, I’ve tried it, it mixes it too much…) to mix the margarine into the sugar/flour combo. Just until you get a crumbly crummy texture.

• Sprinkle the crumb topping onto you pie, then sprinkle that with a little bit of cinnamon, and bake at 350 for about 55 minutes….until the topping is anywhere between a golden and a deep brown….the filling will set up as the pie cools, wait at least an hour before you dig in!

Be sure to put your pie pan on a cookie sheet bc it will bubble over a little bit while it cooks. Also, this can be easily adapted…out of apples? Use any fruit, but if you use frozen DO NOT defrost the fruit first.

No pie crust? Make it cobble style, just the filling and topping.

Use a mini pan and cut the recipe in ¼ for a dessert for two, just start checking for doneness after about 35 minutes

Too lazy to measure? No biggie…you really don’t have to be exact for this to turn out amazingly awesome.

Top with ice cream or eat it straight from the fridge the next morning…Hey it’s a healthy breakfast, you’ve got grains and fruits ;P

The Set Up - Your pie crust, the yummy topping, and your sugary apple mix

Everything put into your pie crust and ready to go into the oven

I *may* have accidentally dug into the pie before snapping a pic of the finished product…sorry!!! It was sooo good! Next time I make one I’ll add a pic :) Hope you guys enjoy, and don’t forget, it’s NATIONAL PI DAY [3.14....March 14....3/14...], what better way to celebrate than with a delish Apple Pie…let me know what you guys think!

Crockpot Chicken and Veggies

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This is more of guideline than a recipe but here we go…My Easy Peasy Crockpot Chicken and Veggies

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  • 1 whole chicken or bone in chicken pieces – frozen or thawed
  • Fresh veggies – I use potatoes, carrots, and celery…that way the leftovers can be stirred with some noodles the next night for chicken noodle soup…but wait I’m getting ahead of myself…
  • Salt, pepper, whatever spices you like (Fresh rosemary, rubs for the meat, garlic powder, Cajun spices, a dash of liquid smoke…uses your imagination….)
  • ¼ – ½ c liquid….I use water, but chicken broth, wine, anything works
  • 1 crockpot

• Wash you veggies…you never know who scratched their butt, touched the carrots, and put them back on the shelf…and chop them in to chunks.

• Drop your veggies in the bottom of the crockpot, sprinkle with seasoning if you choose
• Pour your liquid in the crockpot
• Season your meat if you so choose and plop it on top of the veggies
• Put the lid on and cook

o Here’s the deal

 Frozen Chicken (whole or pieces) – Cook on high for 6 – 8 hours
 Thawed Chicken (whole or pieces) – Cook on high 4 hours or low for 6 – 8 hours
This isn’t like cooking in the oven, the longer you cook this the juicer it gets…all that happens it the meat will fall off the bone

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This guy started frozen, was covered in a spice rub, and cooked on high for 6 hours….that’s why he stayed whole, cook him the whole 8 hours and he’ll fall off the bone

Ready for the best part of this beyond simple recipe?? You can change out the chicken for a roast or a pork loin, whatever’s in the fridge or freezer. Don’t have veggies? Throw the meat in the crock pot, rub with bbq sauce, and pour in 1/4 – 1/2 c water and cook for the times as listed above. If you do this you can shred the meat for pulled meat sandwiches or slice and serve….

You want more??

If you make the recipe above and have leftovers turn them into one of these MEALS . Just replace the turkey that the recipe calls for with whatever you’ve got leftover :)

You still want more?? You guys are killing me!?!
Go check out all the great recipes here Photobucket and don't forget to link up!

National Peanut Butter Day!!

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It’s a !!Celebration!! Not only is it National Peanut Butter Day, which is pretty awesomely amazing as it is, but it YeahWrite41, time to Link-up again!! Double Win! This calls for a drink _/ *Cheers* _/…and with that drink how about a cookie, a sandwich maybe, what about brownie bites?

So in honor of National Peanut Butter Day I’m sharing a few of my favorite peanut butter recipes

I’m pretty sure everyone’s heard of recipe where you bake a peanut butter cookie in a mini muffin tin, and as soon as the cookies come out of the oven you pop a peanut butter cup or a mini chocolate kiss in the middle of the warm cookie….Well I have a half assed slacker mom version that’s just as good…yup, that recipe can get even easier…and if you make the Brownie Bites too, you’ll get a 2:1 dessert..Pretty sure that’ll make you the most awesome mom ever!

Peanut Butter Cookie Bites

1c Peanut Butter

1 egg

1 c sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Mini chocolate kisses or peanut butter cups

Mix the peanut butter, egg, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Spoon into a [greased or lined] mini muffin tin (filling each about ½-2/3 way full) and bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and pop a candy in the middle of each cookie. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool completely on a cooling rack.

And now for the variations on this one:

Peanut Butter Cookie Brownie Bites & a Pan of Brownies
2 Desserts in One!

1 pkg Brownie mix
[Prepared according to pkg instructions but don't bake]
1 c Peanut Butter
1 c Sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix peanut butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a bowl. Spray mini muffin tins with non-stick spray and fill 2/3 full of the peanut butter cookie dough, then spoon brownie batter to fill the muffin tins. Bake at 350 for about 20 min. Pour remaining brownie batter into an 8 in round pie pan and bake for about 30 min it until the edges of the brownies start to pull away from the pan.

One More Variation:

For my GF/CF friends (Gluten Free / Cassin Free)

Peanut Butter Cookies

1c Peanut Butter

1 egg

1 c sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

What….is this looking a little familiar so far? Yep…you take the recipe above but just make the cookie….So, we mix the ingredients, spoon onto a lined/greased cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 8-10 minutes. Easiest peanut butter cookies ever! And they don’t taste like many of the GF/CF cookies I’ve tried in the past.

And for another peanut butter recipe…because it wouldn’t be National Peanut Butter Day with only one recipe….

Grilled PB&J

This one is as basic as it sounds, and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before….

Bread

Peanut Butter

Jelly

Butter

Heat a skillet on the stove over medium-low – a medium heat, while it preheats make your PB&J as you would normally, but butter the outsides of your bread too. Grill until golden brown on both sides, and let cool for a few minutes, then Enjoy!!!….the cooling is important…sticky gooey hot peanut butter can really burn ones tongue…not that I would know from experience….

What you want MORE peanut buttery goodness??? Well know you’re asking a lot….Go grab a stalk of celery, dip it in the peanut butter and you’re good to go ;p

Oh wait….I do have ONE MORE…don’t get too excited…this one’s beyond basic, but it’ll save you a few $$$

Peanut Butter Crackers

A box of saltine crackers, I guess any crackers would work….

Peanut Butter

Smear the peanut butter on a cracker, top with another cracker, and Voila! Those little prepackaged crackers we buy made in 2 seconds for way cheaper, just bag them up and thrown them into your lunch bag.

And there you have it….My National Peanut Butter Day Easy Snack Recipes

 

 

***Helloooo!!!! It’s me! I forgot to tell you about one of favorite peanut butter recipes….is it too late to add another?

 

Take a waffle or pancake and follow the beyond easy recipe (if you can call it that….it really is that simple)  HERE . But add a smear of peanut butter before you add the chocolaty hazelnut spread and the banana.

 

Oh…and how could I forget?!?!?!

The Peanut  Butter and Marshmallow Sandwich…yup it’s as sugary good as it sounds….

2 slices of bread – 1 smeared with peanut butter, 1 smeared with marshmallow cream, smushed together and enjoyed in a sugary good sandwich

Or, if you want the sugary goodness without the guilty feeling about busting your diet try the

Peanut Butter Nutella Sandwich 

Same easy idea as before [or as a PB&J if you want to get technical about it ;P ]

2 slices of bread – 1 smeared with peanut butter, 1 smeared with Nutella, and smushed together….delish grilled or not

 

Okay, that’s really all I’ve got…for now at least…I’ll have to dig out the puppy chow recipe for you guys soon, it’s soooooo good!

Pancake Nutella Banana Roll Up

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Need a quick kiddo breakfast or snack? Have leftover pancakes or waffles? What about frozen waffles?

Microwave, or heat them up in the toaster, they need to be warm but soft, not crispy so the microwave works well. Better yet grab a fresh one from the stove….But in this case it’s this mornings leftovers….Smear with a smudge of peanut butter and/or spoonful of Nutella, top with a slice of banana, roll up, and enjoy….I mean hand to the kids to enjoy as an easy (relatively healthy) breakfast / snack to go :)

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Easy Taco Soup

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Remember the Turkey Taco Soup I told you guys about a few posts backs in 10 Ideas For Your Turkey Leftovers? It’s one of my favorite soups because it’s so versatile. I made it tonight using leftover chicken from last nights dinner….. Never let not having all the ingredients deter you from trying a new recipe. Take this recipe for example, it calls for canned corn, but if you only have fresh use it and add a little extra water. Watching calories? You could easily sub the cheddar cheese soup for chicken broth or tomato juice. Want the cheesy flavor but don’t have canned soup? Make a version of your own, just melt Velveta with some milk. No Rotel? Use a can of diced tomatoes and a jalapeño. Don’t like spicy? Just use the diced tomatoes and skip the pepper. Have fresh tomatoes? Dice them up instead. There are so many easy substitutions you can make when cooking, wether it’s to cut calories, accommodate food allergies, or because you don’t have exactly what the recipe calls for on hand. Playing with a recipe to make it your own is one of the best parts of cooking. So here’s a closer look at my Chicken Taco Soup (notice my can of beans isn’t the size called for, I just added an extra pinch of taco seasonings and no one can tell a difference).

Chicken Taco Soup

1 – 15 oz can black beans
1 – 15 oz can pinto beans
1 – 15 oz can corn
1 – 10 oz can cheddar cheese soup
1 – 10 oz can Rotel (or diced tomatoes if you don’t like spicy)
1 pkg taco seasoning
2 cups cooked chicken (Rotesserie, home cooked, or canned all work well)

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Mix all ingredients (juices included) in a medium pan over medium low heat and let simmer for about 20 min.

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Cost: About $8 – And you should get 2-3 meals out a pot of this friending on how you serve it…check out my ideas below

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*Idea* Serve over rice
*Idea* Top with sprinkle cheese and sour cream.
*Idea* Strain and use as an omelet filling
*Idea* Strain and serve with sprinkle cheese an tortillas, taco style
*Idea* Enjoy as a pipping hot bowl of soup
*Idea* When you get to the bottom of the pot and it doesn’t look like there’s enough to feed everyone, strain what’s left and sprinkle on top of chips and cheese, bake at 350 for 10 minutes and you have nachos