Cake Heaven

It has been a little while since i shared a recipe, so today that is just what i am going to do.

Ice Cream Cake

This is a recipe from my childhood. A food memory...the kind that takes me straight back to the afterglow in the church basement(this recipe was always made by the pastors wife).

This is perfect as a birthday cake or just for a fun get together with friends

Ice Cream Cake

2 boxes Little Debbie Swiss Rolls
2, half gallon containers Ice cream....whatever flavors you like
1 pkg. Oreo cookies
1/2 pint Heavy Cream
3 T Sugar

Take your ice cream out to soften. Cut your swiss rolls in half and place them around the outside of a springform pan, with the white icing facing out. Crush that package of oreo's...sprinkle about 1/3 of the crumbs on the bottom of the pan. Press down firmly. Spread in 1 of the ice cream flavors(i did cookies and cream)...smooth and press in with a offside spatula or a spoon. Sprinkle another third of the crumbs on top, press in lightly.....move on to the next flavor ice cream and smooth as before. Now top with the last of the oreo crumbs and press them in lightly. Whip the cream and sugar. pipe it onto the top of the cake with a piping bag and star tip. OR use ready whip in a can, in a pinch. Freeze for a few hours or overnight. Place in fridge 30 minutes before serving. Remove ring of pan and slice with large knife(have a cup of hot water near and stick the knife in it....wipe it clean before using. this will help it cut through the cake more smoothly.) Another good flavor combo is chocolate chip and coffee ice cream.

Leslie

In the Throws of it All

Time seems to fly by so quickly in the time between the holidays. The days get past before i even know what has happened.

There has been plenty to blog about, i have just been remiss in taking the time.

There has been a big birthday to blog about. Our sweet little has turned 1. There will be more pictures of this to come, for all the aunties that might want to see.... How has a year flown so quickly?




There is a new money making craft project to blog about!!! I have never made money from my sewing before but i am committed and in the throws of it now. I made one of these for a little neighbors birthday and they were a hit. 10 have been ordered!!!



There have been other crafts(crochet and sewing)made around here to blog about too!

And of course there all the yummy treats to blog about and share this time of year. I can not make my blog friends a plate of this goodness, though i wish i could, but i can direct you to the links where you can find the recipes and make them for yourselves. Both of these are to die for....peppermint bark rice krispie treats from Our Best Bites and below is caramel popcorn from Making More with Less.

Who knew making your own was so easy and fast? We saw her post and had it made and we were eating it within half an hour.

Leslie

A Birthday Week

Chris had a birthday this week. I imagine i am not the only one that has trouble buying the right gift for the man in my life. He really likes to buy his own and feels that birthdays are just any other day so why should we make a fuss.

Well i feel that a fuss needs to be made even if it is a small one.

So we fussed and made him some homemade goodies that are his favorites. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach right? I had never made peanut brittle before, or any hard candy, so this was new. But it turned out great and he loves it. Can not beat that. I found the recipe here.

And this beauty was his birthday pie. He asked for banana cream, and that is what he got, and then some. I remembered seeing a recipe on the food network. I hunted around a little and found the Salted Caramel Banana Cream pie (something else i have never made before). It was amazing. Like, cry when you take the last bite amazing!!!

It was enjoyed to the last bite!!! Happy Birthday honey!

Gratuitous baby shot coming up!!!(napping in the highchair again)

Leslie

I Apologize in Advance

But these had to be shared.

The name i have seen given to them is 'better than crack brownies', but with kids i really don't want to explain what crack is and why that is so true!!! SO i think i am going to call them Regret Bars. I think that sums them up pretty well and if you make them yourself you will know why it is so fitting

but you should make them because they are insane and really are that good! I had to make a second batch because i forgot to take a picture the first time around. :o) Oops!

Regret Bars

1 package Brownie mix
1/2 c Dry roasted peanuts
1 bag mini PB cups(the already unwrapped ones)
1/2 jar creamy PB
2 T Butter
1 bag milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 c Rice Krispie cereal

1. Make the brownies according to the package. Bake for about 23 minutes in a 13x9 at 350.

2. Take out and sprinkle on peanuts and PB cups, evenly. Bake for 5 more minutes.

3. Throw PB, chocolate chips and butter in saucepan. Melt. Add in rice krispie cereal. Mix well.

4. Let cool on counter to room temp. Then place in fridge for about 2 hours before serving.

original recipe adapted from and found here

Leslie

Everyday Should Be a Pie Day

Wouldn't that be awesome....? Daily Pie!!

Start with a little homemade cream cheese pie crust.

Add in this perfect mix of strawberries and rhubarb!

Cover in delicious, buttery crumb topping.

Now bake!

I snuck a little taste of all that berry yumminess when it first came out of the oven and i think it was quite possible the best thing i had ever tasted!

But the best part was presenting it to my sweet husband as a offering for our 11th Anniversary, which we celebrated yesterday.

Can you tell that it was well liked? I had never made it before, but upon tasting it he promptly moved it to the top 5 list of amazing foods i make...in his opinion.

How about i share the recipe with you? So you can have a slice of the amazing summery pie!!

Thanks Dana for inspiring me, and helping me with a few quick directions!!!

Anniversary Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

pie crust:

2 sticks Butter, room temp
1 pkg. Cream Cheese, room temp
1 t. Vanilla
2 1/3 c Flour
1/3 c Confectioners Sugar

mix all together well in mixer. Separate into 2 balls. Flatten into discs. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes before using. Second disc can be frozen and defrosted at another time for another pie. (this crust can also be used for savory dishes, just omit the conf. sugar.)

Fruit:

3 c Strawberry, sliced
5-6 stalks Rhubarb, sliced
2/3 c. Sugar
3 T. Cornstarch

mix all in bowl to combine. Will become juicy and thicken as it sets.

Topping:

1 stick Butter
1 c. Flour
1/2 c. Brown Sugar

mix flour and sugar with cold butter to make a crumb texture.

Heat your oven to 400. Now that you have all the parts ready. slightly roll out the dough. Does not need to be perfect. this is the rustic plan. place in pie plate and press in the bottom and up sides as evenly as possible. Now pour in the fruit mixture and top with crumb topping. Place the pie on a baking sheet with sides and bake for 50-60 minutes. Until your crust is becoming golden as well as the crumb top. Your fruit filling should be bubbling up.

Eat this and enjoy it as much as we did!!!!! It is excellent warm but just as good cold.

adapted from this recipe.

Leslie

3.1415926535897932384626433832795028

... and then some. No, I did not just randomly type in numbers. Those were the numbers i was supposed to memorize(the amount of digits is how old i am). That is Pi because it is Pi Day!!! Chris said we had to memorize pi to get pie, but really in the end we all had pie no matter.

So, Happy Pi Day!!!

What did you do to celebrate? Isn't it obvious what we did? We ate pie. We even had pizza pie for dinner. Thank you sister for giving us a heads up, or i would not have ever thought to do it.

Easy Apple Pie

5-6 medium apples(I use a mix of braeburn and granny smith)
3/4 c. Sugar
1 T. Flour
Cinnamon, to taste
1 ready made Pie Crust

Peel, and slice apples evenly. Place in bowl. Add sugar, flour and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly. Now lay pie crust in pie plate, pour apples in and spread evenly. Place second crust on top. Seal edges, cut top to vent. Brush with water, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 375 for 60 minutes.

Leslie

Late Baking

While i recognize that most of us are over the whole cookies and holiday thing....but, we did not have time really for making all the yummy cookies and treats we make every year(baby). So tonight the kids and i made one of our must have christmas cookies, Fudge Balls. I have been trying to find the time to make these for weeks now, and tonight with baby sleeping in sleepy wrap we had a minute so we went for it. They are so good i thought i would share.

Fudge Balls

1/2 c Butter
1 and 1/2 squares Bakers Chocolate, unsweetened
3/4 c. Sugar
1 Egg
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1 3/4 c. Flour
Confectioner's Sugar

Heat oven to 375. Melt butter and chocolate in saucepan. Remove from heat and cool. Add sugar, egg, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in flour. Shape into balls, about a tsp. each. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, bake 7-9 minutes. Roll warm cookies in powder sugar and Enjoy!!!

Day off Breakfast!!!

Mitchell insisted that this was meant to share with all of you, our friends in blogland!! We knew you could not be here to have breakfast with us but we'll share the recipe so maybe sometime you can try it on a day off with your family!! It is very very yummy! He would not let us eat until i took a picture!

Chris was home, day off for Veteran's day, so we wanted to make our morning special. No cold cereal for anyone this day. We got to spend some time together because it feels like lately we don't have much time. Hmmm...and i am not sure there is going to be any more after this baby comes.

French Toast Souffle

1 French Bread(long baguette) cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pkg.(8 oz) Cream Cheese, softened
6 Eggs
2/3 c. Half and Half
1/2 c. Maple Syrup
1 1/2 c. Milk
1/2 t. Vanilla
2 T. Confectioners Sugar

Place the bread in a greased 9x13 pan. In a large bowl beat together the cream cheese and eggs until smooth. Now add in the half and half, maple syrup, milk and vanilla. Pour mixture over the top. Don't worry if the cream cheese gets a little chunky, it looks a little funny but it tastes good. Cover the pan and place in fridge overnight. In the morning preheat the oven to 375. Take pan from fridge and let sit out at room temp for 30 minutes. Then bake, uncovered for 30 minutes or until done. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Serve hot with Maple Syrup.

Welcome Back Popeye's!!!

This... (i just thought it was so pretty all layered in the blender)

becomes this...

and you have perfect tasty goodness!!! I have been craving these popeyes for days. It is the perfect weather for something fresh and light. I was more than thrilled that the kids were in love with it too!!! They wanted me to make more. Now i want more!!!

Popeye's

2 c. Spinach leaves(about 2 handfuls)
1 stalk celery
1 banana
1 c. frozen strawberries
1 c. frozen pineapple(i just use the tropical mix)
16 oz. Water
1 T Honey, or to your liking

Blend it all until combined, pour and enjoy.

(recipe originally found at Goddess of the Garden.)

I Made a Cake!!

i have not blogged in a while. I seem to be in some kind of a slump. Maybe it is the February Slump! It is not that i am not doing things with the kids or making projects...i am just lacking the motivation to share it. Blah!

But, tonight i made a cake. The parents came over for the afternoon and for dinner, and i thought, "why not make cake?"!I did not think i was longing for spring just yet but maybe i am. This is a awfully spring like cake.

All you do it take a box angel food cake mix, and add one can of crushed pineapple(with the juice)...mix well and then back according to the box directions. I chose to serve it with some whipped cream(ok, i confess it was cool whip... it is not my favorite but i am trying to save myself some fat and calories so i thought it best to forgo the heavy cream whipped cream) and sliced strawberries on top.

It is very yummy....you should give it a try! this cake happens to be the favorite of the husband. Can you tell?

Everything's Coming up German!!!

In the spirit of the season....and the hopeful defeat of the Navy football team....i am making a big pot of Gluhwein, pronounced, glue-vine, to take to a party this afternoon.

Start with 3-4 bottles of Gluhwein. It is a pre spiced, mulled type of wine in either red or white that you can get in most liquor or grocery stores during the holiday season. You can see we used red today. If you can not find actual Gluhwein you can use any cheap white or red wine as your base. Pour it all in a large stockpot. Add 2-3 cinnamon sticks, a palmful of whole cloves and 2-3 sliced lemon and oranges.

Now add a 1/4 c. sugar per bottle and a half. Today i used three bottles, therefore i added a 1/2c. sugar. Stir and let this simmer on low for about 1 hour. Be sure not to let this boil. Not good for the wine. And measurements are not exact, make it to your taste!!!Strain this over a crockpot to get all the large and small pieces out. Just set your crockpot on low and enjoy.

Flavors of the Season

Pumpkin seems to be the flavor du jour, if you will, in our house right now. This time of year when the weather cools down and changes...gets a little dark and damp... i want to bake. Something. Anything. This day it was Amish Pumpkin Bread. This was a recipe given to me as part of a wedding gift. Yet, it was not until about a year or two ago that i re-discovered it and how amazing it really is.

I love the part where i add the spices...all the different colors together looks so pretty to me.

This is a very moist and tasty...spicy bread. I think everyone should give this a try!!!

Amish Pumpkin Bread

3 C. Sugar
1 c. Veg Oil
4 Eggs, beaten
1 can Pumpkin, 15 oz.
3 1/2 c. Flour
2 t. Baking Soda
2 t. Salt(scant)
1/2 t. ground Cloves
1 t. each, Cinnamon, Allspice and Nutmeg
2/3 c. Water

Mix sugar, oil and eggs together. Add pumpkin. Then add dry ingredients, then water. Stirring just until mixed. Pour batter into 2 greased and sugared(that is the secret) loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour...be sure to test in the end it might need a little more time.

adapted from recipe by Cathy Meyer

Hello Fall

I decided we needed to usher fall in with an appropriately fallish dinner. After a long hard week, nearly my whole family was at my house for dinner Saturday night...my sister and her kids, my other sister and my parents as well as my own family. I try to make something special for company, not to say that it is always a success, but i try. Last night we had maple sausage baked apples and for dessert pumpkin crumble(it is like a cheat version of pumpkin pie, so easy). I wish you could have smelled my house...the smells combined with some falling leaves, family and the cool breezy day made it perfect. This meal is so warm and cozy. Total comfort food.

Maple Sausage Baked Apples

4 lg firm Apples, use what you like
1 lb breakfast sausage...i like chicken or turkey best
1/3 c. chopped Parsley
2 T. Maple Syrup
Olive Oil

Pre-heat the oven to 375. Cut your apples in half crosswise and core with a melon baller if handy. Place cut side up in a sprayed 13x9 pan.

In a bowl combine the sausage, taken out of casings, parsley and syrup. Mix well and then scoop into apples so it mounds out of the top. Drizzle with Olive oil and then bake for 40-50 minutes. Until the apples are tender and the sausage is cooked through.

adapted from Rachael Ray everyday

Rising Again

Cool weather always makes me want to bake!! The feeling struck me today and i started pulling out ingredients to make bread. I was going to go with my regular honey whole wheat recipe but then i thought i should branch out, do something different....be wild...if that can even be said about bread making.

I went hunting and found a recipe in my army wife cookbook....which i never use, by the way. But, it looked good and i thought i would just go for it. I always seem to forget before i start that homemade bread making is not a short process. Always well worth it in the end but there is the hours of rising...again and again to wait for.

When isn't Nutella a perfect accompaniment for warm bread right from the oven?!?! I will make this recipe again and again. It was so much softer and lighter than my usual recipe and so so yummy! The kids loved it and had no idea that it was good for them.

Honey Oatmeal Bread

2 c. Boiling Water
1/2 c. Honey
2 T. Butter
2 t. Salt
1 c. Rolled Oats
1 pkg. dry Yeast
1/4 c. lukewarm Water
4 1/2-5 c. Wheat or White Flour( I did half and half)

In a large bowl, stir together the boiling water, honey, butter, salt and oats. Let mixture stand for 1 hour. In a small bowl dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water. Add the yeast to the oat mixture after one hour passes. Begin stirring the flour in one cup at a time. Mix well. i started with 4 cups and added the last half in while i was kneading. Knead on a floured surface for about 5-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Add the flour as you work to keep it from being too sticky...up to 5 cups total. Place in a greased bowl, turn to coat the dough and cover bowl with towel. Place in warm spot until doubled(about 1 1/2 hours). Split into to balls of dough, knead again for a minute, then place in well greased loaf pans. Allow to stand until doubled(45 minutes). Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes. For a tasty glaze, brush top with honey and sprinkle with oats.

Call me the Pie Lady

This could get addictive...and it is so fun! We had dinner at my mom's this week and it was by request that i make the dessert. Right away i knew this pie would be perfect. It has a story. When we were little my dad flew small airplanes and my mom ran and baked for the lunch counter at the airport snack shop...think Crystal Bernard in the old sitcom Wings. This pie was one of her weekly signature pies. When i brought it for dinner this week she had a little flashback, since she has not made it herself in years. I love it!!! I definitely recommend you try it!

Crunchy Crust Blueberry Swirl Pie

1/2 c. Butter
3/4 c. Flour
1/2 c. Rolled Oats
1/2 c. Nuts, chopped(your choice)
2 T. Sugar
3 oz pkg Lemon Jello
1/2 c. Boiling Water
21 oz. can Blueberry Pie Filling
1/2 c. Sour Cream

1. In small saucepan melt butter, stir in flour, oats, nuts and sugar. Mix well and pat down in a 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.

2. Dissolve jello in boiling water. Stir in the pie filling. Mix well and chill until thickened. Pour into crust

3. Spoon sour cream onto filling by tablespoonfuls. Cut through sour cream and lightly fold filling over it, making swirls. Chill.

Store in fridge, serves 6-8.

Welcome, We are Glad you are Here!

This Pie has made quite a showing lately...it has become my new welcome to the neighborhood gift. We live in a community that does a lot of moving around, so I try to make an effort to be welcoming to new friends, and old!! I am not perfect at this...but there are some cases when they are certainly going to be part of our life here and I/we want them to know that we are glad to have them. It is a old church recipe from when i was a kid....how can peaches and cream cheese be bad?

Peaches and Cream Cheese Pie (aka Welcome to the Neighborhood Pie)

3 T Butter, softened
1 Egg
1/2 c. Milk
1 pkg. Vanilla Pudding(not instant), small
1/2 t. Salt
1 t. Baking Powder
3/4 c. Flour
15-20 oz. can Peaches, sliced
1 8oz. pkg. Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 c. Sugar
3 T. Peach Juice
1 T. Sugar
1/2 t. Cinnamon

1. Grease and flour a 10 inch pie plate.
2. In large bowl, combine the butter, egg, milk, vanilla pudding(not instant), salt, baking powder and flour. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed and pour into pan.
3. Drain peaches into bowl or cup....BE SURE TO SAVE THIS! Place fruit over batter, leaving a 1/2 inch edge.
4. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese(softened), 1/2 c. sugar and peach juice. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Spoon over batter, but leave a 1/4 inch edge.
5. Combine 1 T sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350 for 30-3 minutes until outer crust is brown.