Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

INGREDIENTS:

• 1½ cups fresh cranberries
• 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp grated orange rind
• ½ cup butter, softened and divided
• ½ cup packed dark-brown sugar
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• ½ cup fat-free buttermilk
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp melted butter
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch square or a 9- or 10-inch round baking pan with cooking spray and dust with flour.

2. In a small bowl, combine cranberries, walnuts, and orange rind. In a small saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium. Stir in brown sugar, orange juice, and cinnamon. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour into pan. Sprinkle with cranberry mixture. 

3. Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.

4. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer set on medium, beat granulated sugar and emaining butter until creamy. Add vanilla, egg, buttermilk, and flour mixture. Spoon over cranberries.

5. Bake 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Invert onto a rack to finish cooling. Beat glaze ingredients. Drizzle over cake. Slice.

KITCHEN COUNTER:

Serves: 9. Per Serving: 350 calories, 56g carbs, 4g protein, 13g fat, 50mg cholesterol, 290mg sodium, 2g fiber

Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Frosting

I have made these brownies two times this week. Yes… two times.

Once for coworkers and again yesterday (along with my snickerdoodle cookies) for friends at a cook out. Yummy foods and sweet people make for a good night. Thanks Anna and Rob for having us.

When I tell you that these brownies do funny things to people it’s no laughing matter. Do yourself a favor and add this to your recipe file in the “pass down to future generations” section and thank Mrs. How Sweet for perfecting it. The brownies will make you smile.

The only adaptation I made to Mrs. How Sweet’s recipe had to do with the food coloring. In the original recipe it called for 2tbsp, and when I initially made them I didn’t have enough so I have to improvise. I used 1 tbsp of food coloring plus 1 tbsp water. It worked perfectly and I liked the red color better. My brownies just turned out a shade lighter than the ones photographed.

The second time I made these brownies I did them in my Perfect Brownie Pan. The turned out amazing. I think the dimensions of the Perfect Brownie Pan are 12″ x 8″. I felt like it gave my frosting more room to spread out. In the 8″ x 8″ the brownie to frosting ratio is a bit much, which is fine for me… but my hubby requested it be toned down a smidge.

Hope you enjoy this recipe!

all photos from http://www.howsweeteats.com

Red Velvet Brownies

adapted from http://www.howsweeteats.com/

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tablespoon red food coloring (plus 1 tbsp water)

2/3 cups chocolate chips (optional but totally worth it)- I used half milk chocolate and half semi-sweet

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter and flour an 8 x 8 cake pan.

In a small bowl, combine cocoa powder, red food coloring, 1 tsp water, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to create a paste.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then add remaining teaspoon of vanilla. With the mixer on medium speed, add in cocoa powder mixture. Beat until batter is completely red. (If at this time your batter is NOT red, you can add a little more food coloring if desired. Color will depend on brand.) Add flour and salt, mixing until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread in the 8 x 8 pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

White Chocolate Frosting

1 stick of butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces white chocolate, melted (I used Lindt)

1-2 tablespoons milk (or more if needed)

Cream butter in an electric mixer until fluffy, then add vanilla. Slowly add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time with the mixer on low speed. Add in melted white chocolate and beat until incorporated. To reach desired consistency, add in milk 1 teaspoon at a time with mixer on low speed. If frosting becomes too liquidy, simple add additional sugar.

Knock You Naked Brownies

Photo from The Pioneer Woman over at Tasty Kitchen!

Ingredients:

• 1 box(18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
• ⅓ cups Evaporated Milk
• ½ cups Evaporated Milk (additional)
• ½ cups Butter, Melted
• 60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
• ⅓ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• ¼ cups Powdered Sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.

Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.

Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.

Nutella Mug Cake

photos from The Family Kitchen

 

I had saved this recipe after finding it on the The Family Kitchen last week and decided to try it last night just as a chocolate craving kicked in. This is too easy too make…. so easy that it could be dangerous. Nutella is a new obsession for my Hubby, and I may need to hide this recipe from him. He is not one to voluntarily cook but this cake was good. Too good… and did I mention EASY… too easy. It takes no time at all to make. If you are making it for yourself I would suggest halving this recipe. It makes two or three small mugs of cake or one CRAZY HUGE mug for a single serving. If you are counting calories or want to not over indulge too much then just half the recipe… This is too good to trust yourself to not eat it all if you don’t half it.

Just be careful not to over cook it in the microwave. That would be sad.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons self rising flour
4 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons Nutella
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a large coffee mug. Whisk well with a fork until smooth. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 – 3 minutes. (Time depends on microwave wattage. Mine took 1 /2 minutes.) Top with whipped cream and a little chocolate sauce if desired.

2. Top with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Enjoy!

Note: Depending on the wattage of your microwave, you may have to increase cooking time.

Makes 1 very large serving or you can split it up into normal size mugs to make two or maybe even three servings.

If you do split up the mixture into multiple mugs you will have to adjust the cooking time. Just watch it carefully in the microwave so as to not over cook it and end up with dry cake!

Resurrection Rolls

A friend of mine emailed this recipe to me last week, and I was so excited about being about to do this with my Amelia.

It is a great way to teach the kiddo’s about Jesus and the true meaning of Easter.

This recipe and all photos are from  Feathers From My Nest. I liked that she coated the outside with cinnamon and sugar! Yum!

These hollow dinner rolls represent Jesus’ empty tomb. Hope you all have a very blessed Easter!

Resurrection Rolls

Recipe by: http://www.feathersfrommynest.com/

Ingredients:

Frozen dough for dinner rolls

Regular Marshmallows

Melted Butter

Sugar and Cinnamon Mixture – I recommend about a 4:1 ratio.  (4 being the sugar…mmmmm)

1.  Thaw rolls – Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Arrange dough balls, leaving about 2 inches between each ball.   I usually plan on 3-4 rolls per person (we snack on them later in the day) so I place about 16 per cookie sheet. Spray some plastic wrap with non-stick spray (so the wrap doesn’t stick to your dough) and cover them as they thaw.  This will keep the dough from drying out and getting a hard crust.  My house was fairly warm the day I made these and it took about 1 and 1/2 hours for them to thaw.

2.  Add Marshmallow – Before the dough rises, flatten it to a 3″ diameter circle.  Place your marshmallow in the middle and pinch the dough closed around the marshmallow to completely cover it up.  Roll the dough ball in the palm of your hand to smooth out the closure and seal it.Amendment:  A few have commented with difficulties getting their dough to stick close around the marshmallow.  Before putting the butter on, put marshmallows in ALL the dough balls.  If your fingers get greasy from using the butter it will easily transfer to your dough and prevent it from sticking closed around itself.

3.  Roll dough covered marshmallow in butter. (Or brush it on.)

4.  Sprinkle on cinnamon & sugar mixture.  Or you can do like my family does and roll it on. We like them super flavorful, sweet and yummy.  (By the way…I typically use raw unbleached sugar which is why mine has a darker color and a more coarse texture.  You can use whatever style sugar you keep on hand.)

5.  Place them on a greased cookie sheet, cover them again with your non-stick coated plastic wrap and let them rise until they double in size.  This takes approximately 30-60 minutes depending on how warm the environment is.  And not to worry…if they don’t rise they’ll still taste yummy.  I’m not sure why yet…but it isn’t often that I actually get my rolls to rise as they should.  This particular time would be one of those times.  They barely rose but left one of the better ‘tombs’ I’ve had in my rolls.

6.  Don’t forget to pre-heat your oven during the last 10 minutes of your rising step.  When they are ready to bake, place them in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

7.  When they are done baking, remove them from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

8.  Enjoy them together.

“The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.  Come and see the place where he lay.”
Matthew 28:5-6

Broiled Grapefruit with brown sugar and ginger

Broiled Grapefruit with brown sugar and ginger

serves 1

1 grapefruit, cut in half and segmented with a knife

2 to 3 Tablespoons brown sugar

a few generous sprinkles of ground ginger

Directions:

Set the oven to broil and place a rack on the top shelf of the oven.  You want the grapefruit to be as close as possible to the broiler heat.

Halve and segment a grapefruit.  You may need to trim the bottoms of the grapefruit so it sits up straight.

Place in a broiler safe pan and sprinkle with brown sugar and ginger.  Place in the oven under the broiler.  Bake for 5 to  7 minutes, keeping an eye on it as it cooks.  Feel free to rotate the pan as the grapefruit browns.

Remove from oven and serve warm or at room temperature.  Be sure to squeeze all the juice out when you’re done eating.  It’s the yummiest part!

*I also like to sprinkle a little sea salt on mine after it comes out of the oven. The hubby thinks it’s gross, but I like the combination of salty and sweet!

Healthy Peanut Butter and Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 ripe bananas
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey (test banana sweetness)

Directions

Cut the bananas into 1-inch pieces and freeze. Put the frozen bananas in a food processor and puree, scraping down sides periodically, until smooth. Add the peanut butter and honey and puree. Serve immediately or refreeze until ready to enjoy.

No Bake Cookies

No Bake Cookies Recipe
(From Ali over @ Gimme Some 0ven!)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 cups quick oats

Method:

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter.  Then add milk, sugar, and cocoa and stir to combine while bringing to a boil.  Boil for 1-2 minutes, then remove pan from heat.  Stir in vanilla and peanut butter, until melted.  Stir in oats.

Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper, and let cool until hardened.

Tips:

Once you stir in the oats, the cookies go from gooey to set up pretty quickly.  So Ali recommends prepping your wax paper beforehand (or while your butter is melting!).

Also, some other fun mix-ins (while you stir in the oats) might be:

• peanuts
• chopped almonds or walnuts

(You could  also press mini peanut butter cups or M&M’s into the cookies before they set up!)

Salted-Caramel Banana Pudding Pie

Salted-Caramel Banana Pudding Pie

Ingredients

• 1 box vanilla wafers (65 cookies)
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 large ripe bananas
• 1 cup salted caramel, plus more for garnish (1 cup caramel, plus 1 teaspoon fleur de sel), recipe follows
• Vanilla Pudding, recipe follows
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put 45 vanilla wafers in a food processor and pulse until the cookies are finely crushed. Reserve 1/2 cup to top the pie. Stir together crushed vanilla wafers and butter in a small bowl until blended. Firmly press it into the bottom, up the sides, and onto the lip of a greased 9-inch pie plate. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool until completely cool, about 30 minutes.

Coat the banana slices with salted caramel. Arrange some banana slices evenly over the bottom of the crust. Spread half of the hot, prepared Vanilla Pudding over the bananas, top with vanilla wafers, and more caramel-coated bananas. Spread the remaining filling over the vanilla wafers, and caramel-coated bananas.

In a large bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Add the almond extract, and sugar and beat until peaks form. Make sure not to overbeat, or the cream will become lumpy, and butter-like. Spread the cream over the pies. At service, garnish with a caramel swirl, and the reserved vanilla wafer crumbs.

Vanilla Pudding:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a bowl whisk together the sugar and flour until all of the lumps are gone. Once it is a fine powder, whisk in the eggs, and egg yolks, and continue whisking until a smooth paste is formed. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of milk, and once this is incorporated add the remaining cup of milk. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan, and cook over medium heat whisking constantly, until it reaches the thickness of chilled pudding, about 10 to 15 minutes. (Mixture will just begin to bubble and will be thick enough to hold soft peaks when the whisk is lifted.) Remove from the heat, and stir in vanilla.

Creamy Caramel

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream

(for Salted Caramel add Fleur de Sel (or Kosher salt) 1tsp at a time until it tastes the way you want)

Directions

Over low heat, mix the water, and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 to 10 minutes. Do not stir. Increase the heat to medium and boiluncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture. Be careful – the mixture is extremely hot!

Watch the mixture very carefully at the end, as it will go fromcaramel to burnt very quickly. Turn off the heat, and stand back to avoid splattering. Slowly add the cream. Don’t panic – the cream will bubble violently, and the caramel will solidify.

Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.

Salted Peanut Chews

I made these Peanut Chews for my husband. He LOVES peanut butter. He loves it so much that he eats it every day…throughout the day…

He is a peanut butter fiend. So, I figured this recipe was right up his alley! Believe me when I tell you that when he tried them he wanted to marry me all over again. lol

These Salted Peanut Chews are dangerous. The texture and flavors together are amazing, and just might drive you to eat the whole pan. I have to get them out of my house ASAP.

INGREDIENTS

Base:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
3 cups miniature marshmallows

Topping:
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 bag (10 ounces) peanut butter chips

2 cups crisp rice cereal

2 cups salted peanuts

INSTRUCTIONS

Makes 36 Bars
Prep Time: 35 Minutes

Start to Finish: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  In a large bowl, beat all base ingredients except marshmallows with an electric mixer on low speed until crumbly.  Press mixture firmly in the bottom of an ungreased 13 X 9-inch pan.

2. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown.  Immediately sprinkle marshmallows over the base; Bake 1 to 2 minutes longer or until marshmallows just begin to puff.  Cool while preparing topping.

3. In a 3-quart saucepan, mix all topping ingredients except cereal and peanuts.  Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth.  Remove from heat.  Stir in ceral and peanuts.  Immediately spoon warm topping overmarshmallows; spread to cover. Work quickly. The mixture will begin to harden!  Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.  For bars, cut into 6 by 6 rows.

Enjoy!

Recipe and Photo courtesy of  Fabulous Foods.