Homemade Cinnamon Sugar and Maple Donuts

Since it's the last weekend of waterfowl season for awhile I decided to make some homemade donuts for Nate to take out in the morning. I had never made donuts before and I usually don't like to make things that are soooo bad for you, but at the same time so delicious...it's dangerous lol!

2 tablespoons butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
3 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup milk
Oil for deep frying

In a large bowl combine butter and 1 cup of sugar and beat until crumbly. Then add eggs, one at a time.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and 1 tsp. cinnamon; add to butter mixture alternating with milk. Cover, place in fridge and let rest for 2 hours.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and roll out until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter, cut out donuts. In a skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees F.

Fry donuts a few at a time until golden brown on both sides. Drain on a paper towel.

For Cinnamon Sugar donuts, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon and immediately coat donuts after briefly patting the excess oil off. For maple glaze, combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk and 3-4 tablespoons of maple syrup. Mix good and dip donuts.

Other favorites:
Chocolate-Thin for favorite frosting with a little milk.
Mocha-Thin chocolate frosting with cooled, brewed coffee.

Homemade Pizza

This recipe is one of our favorites! And when compared to delivery pizza it; 1) Tastes WAY better and 2) It's healthier!

Pizza Dough:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 envelope Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup very warm water (120 degrees F)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Cornmeal

Other Ingredients:
2-3 cups of cheese (I use half mozzarella, half cheddar)
2-3 cups of jarred pasta sauce (I use Bertolli's garlic and olive oil)
Your favorite toppings (I do Canadian bacon, onions, bell peppers, pineapple, and mushrooms)

1) In a large bowl combine 2 cups of flour, yeast, and salt. Stir in warm water and olive oil. You can add a little more flour if your dough is too sticky. Knead on flu red surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

2) Lightly oil or spray with Pam a round pizza pan.

3) Sprinkle flour and cornmeal on flat surface and roll out dough. Transfer dough to pan. I usually roll dough up on my rolling pin and transfer that way.

4) Prick dough with a fork and then add sauce and spread evenly. Top with cheese and your favorite toppings. Pop in a 400 degree F oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until dough is cooked. Cooking time depends heavily on topping selection and crust thickness :)

Enjoy!!

My Blueberry Birthday Coffee Cake

This year instead of a regular cake I decided to make a blueberry coffee cake with some blueberries that Nate and I picked last summer and then froze.

Blueberry Coffee Cake:

Ingredients:
4 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups fresh blueberries(or you can use ones that you froze yourself, just don't thaw prior, toss them in still frozen)

Streusel:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp cold butter, cut in pieces


1) Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9" square baking dish.

2) Cream sugar and butter together until combined. Then add egg and vanilla.

3) Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Add this mix and milk to sugar mixture, alternating between the two.

4) Fold in blueberries. Pour mixture into baking dish. Set aside.

5) Mix streusel ingredients together and crumble over top of cake.

6) Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Delicious Healthy No Bake Cookies

Since my never-ending "pregnancy" sweet tooth has decided to take over my mind, I decided I needed to find something that was relatively healthy, but at the same time gave me the sweetness I needed. These no-bake cookies are very good and very easy to make :-) I used 1/2 cup of applesauce instead of the 1/2 cup of coconut oil 1) Because I didn't have any coconut oil and 2) Because I thought applesauce would make them even healthier!





What You Need:

1/2 cup almond or coconut milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

1/2 cup coconut oil (or applesauce)

1/2 cup honey

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 cups quick oats

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

In a saucepan combine milk, oil and honey, bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute.

In a mixing bowl combine the rest of the ingredients and set aside.

Once mixture on stove is done add the contents of the mixing bowl (coconut, cocoa, oats, vanilla and peanut butter). Mix until combined and then drop by spoonfuls onto a sheet of wax paper.

Refrigerator until firm and then eat. Store in fridge.

Delicious Homemade Cinnamon Bread

To fulfill one of my many pregnancy cravings I decided to make homemade cinnamon bread! I found this recipe while perusing the Pioneer Woman's website (I definitely recommend this site) and let me tell you...for bread it's very easy to make and it tastes amazing!!

Dough:
1 cup Milk
6 Tablespoons Butter
2-1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
2 whole Eggs
1/3 cup Sugar
3-1/2 cups whole wheat flour(or white flour)
1 teaspoon Salt

Filling:
1/3 cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

Extras:
Egg And Milk, Mixed Together
Softened Butter

1. Melt butter and milk together on medium heat until very warm, but not boiling. Cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot. Sprinkle yeast over the top, mix and let set for 10 minutes.




2. Combine flour and salt in separate bowl.

3. With a kitchen aide or bowl and electric mixer, mix sugar and eggs until combined. Pour in milk, butter and yeast mixture and mix to combine. Add half the flour and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the other half and beat until combined.

4. Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead dough on medium speed for ten minutes.




5. In a separate mixing bowl drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and set it in a warm, place for at least 2 hours.




6. Turn dough out onto the work surface. Roll into a rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you're going to use. Coat with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle all over the dough. Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.




7. Smear loaf pan with softened butter. Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.

8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

9. Mix a little egg with milk, and smear over the top. Bake for 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.

10. Remove from the pan and allow bread to cool. Slice and serve!







*Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman

Since I've Been Gone

Since it's been awhile, I thought I would catch you up on some of the cakes I have made since my last post.

Zack and Lexi's Wedding Cake May 2011


Evan and Ashley's Wedding Cake June 2011


Papa and Emmy's 50th Anniversary Cake August 2011

Kyle and Kaitlyn's Wedding Cake October 2011

Kyle and Kaitlyn's Grooms Cake October 2011

Vanessa's Baby Shower Cake December 2011

HAPPY EASTER!

Here's pictures of the carrot cake I made for Easter!

Julie's Birthday Cake

Nate's Reese's Cake

One of Nate's favorite candies is a Reese's Peanut Butter cup. So for Valentines Day I thought I would make him a Chocolate cake with a peanut butter cream filling and a cream cheese frosting! I have to say, this is my new favorite addition lol.

Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients:
Butter to coat your pan
1/2 (4-ounce) semisweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
1/2 (4-ounce) bittersweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups firmly packed Light Brown Sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup boiling water


Preparation:
1. Coat 2 (10-inch) round cake pans with butter and dust with flour. Line bottoms of pans with wax paper; grease wax paper with butter, and set aside.

2. Melt chocolates in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth.

3. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla.

4. Sift together cake flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended. Stir in 1 cup boiling water. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.

5. Bake at 350° for 28 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Filling:

Ingredients:
2 cups of creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream

1. Cream together PB and butter.

2. Slowly add powdered sugar and cream; alternating off and on until all is combined. Set aside.

Frosting:

Ingredients:
1 pound of powdered sugar
1/2 cup of butter, at room temperature
2(8oz) pkg of cream cheese, at room temperature
Heavy cream

1. Combine butter and cream cheese until smooth.

2. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until combined.
*You might need to add a little cream after about half of your sugar has been added. This will make the frosting not chunky.

3. Once sugar is added, slowly combined in cream, 1 T. at a time until you have a smooth, creamy frosting.


Bringing It All Together:

1. Once cake is completely cool, cut it into 2 layers. Gently spread the peanut butter filling over the bottom layer and then top with the other layer of cake.

2. Frost with cream cheese frosting and enjoy!

Halloween Cupcakes

So today I decided to make cupcakes, of course for Nate to take to work because heaven knows I would eat them all if he didn't lol!

Needles to say, these are what I call lazy cupcakes because I didn't make anything from scratch :(. I was in the mood to decorate, but not bake!

What I Used:

Betty Crocker Cake Mix (I cheated and didn't make them from scratch)

1 Tub White Betty Crocker Frosting

Marshmallows (Monsters head)

Chocolate Chips (Pumpkins eyes, nose, & mouth)

Green Fondant (Pumpkins stem)

Raisinettes (One-eyed monsters eye)

First, bake the cupcakes according to box instructions. And let cool.

Mix 1/2 of the frosting with red and yellow food coloring to make orange and mix the other 1/2 with green and yellow to make a lime green.

And then just assemble the cupcakes like shown in my pictures. These are super easy and fun!

German Pancake

These are delicious!

Ingredients:
3 T. butter
3 eggs
3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. milk, heated 20-30 seconds
1/2 t. sugar
2 t. vanilla extract
Pinch salt

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2) Place the butter in a large saute pan and place in the oven to melt.

3) Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the eggs, flour, hot milk sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, and blend on medium-high speed until uniform. (If mixing by hand, combine the eggs with the milk until the mixture is light yellow and no longer stringy, about 1 minute. Add the flour, sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt, and whisk vigorously to remove the lumps, about 30 seconds).

4) Carefully, remove the hot pan from the oven. The butter should be melted. Swirl the butter around the pan to coat completely, and then pour the remaining butter into the batter and whisk to blend. Pour the batter into the hot pan and return the pan to the oven. Cook the pancake for 15-20 minutes, or until the pancake is puffed in the center, and golden brown along the edges. *This really depends on your oven so watch closely.

~Topping is Optional, I prefer mine with a little lemon juice and powdered sugar on top!~
TOPPING:

1) While the German Pancake bakes, in a small bowl combine the 1 pint fresh blueberries, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 t. fresh lemon zest. Stir to coat, and set aside to marinate.

Using a spatula, remove the entire Dutch baby from the pan and place on a cooling rack for a few minutes to allow the steam to escape without condensing along the bottom and rendering the pancake soggy. Slice the pancake into wedges on a serving platter or cutting board and sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar through a sieve. Serve with the marinated blueberries.

*The root of this recipe is courtesy of Melissa d'Arabian from Food Network, however I have altered it a little in order to make the recipe a little more healthy.

Over The Border Shrimp Enchaladas

What you will need:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
8 corn tortillas (I make my own and use them, but store bought would be okay too), warmed
1 1/2 cups chunky salsa
1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

In a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add the shrimp, green chilies, chili powder, salt, cumin and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Stir in cream cheese until melted.

Place 1/3 cup shrimp mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Pour salsa over the top; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until heated through

Pancetta Wrapped Barbecued Chicken

Tonight for dinner I made cheese stuffed, pancetta wrapped, barbecued chicken breasts...Wow that was a mouth full, literally, they were so good!!!!

What you will need:
2 chicken breasts
1/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. cream cheese
4 pieces of sliced pancetta
21 salute or any seasoning for chicken breasts

Heat BBQ grill to med high heat.

Season chicken with 21 salute and grill for about 6 minutes each side, depending on the size of your chicken. Basically you want the outside cooked, but the inside to still be pink and uncooked.

Pull breasts off grill and slice about 3/4 the way through the chicken, just enough to stuff the cheese inside, but not too much as to let the cheese fall out the other side.

Stuff each chicken breast with 1/2 the cream cheese and 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Close the breasts and wrap each with 2 pieces of pancetta and seal with either toothpicks or skewers so that everything stays together while you put them back on the grill.

Grill for about 6-8 more minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Remove from grill and enjoy!!!!

This Jambalaya recipe is easy to make and only costs $2.93 a serving. Six servings total.


Ingredients
2 cups long-grain white rice
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 t. each ground cumin, dried thyme, Cajun and Old Bay Seasonings
1/4 t. salt & black pepper
2 T. Olive Oil
1 pound easy-peel medium shrimp, peeled
1 (6 oz.) medium andouille sausage, sliced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 small bell peppers (red and yellow), diced to 1/2 inch
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
4 scallion greens, thinly sliced

Preparation:
1) Put rice in a strainer and rinse thoroughly with cold, running water. Transfer to a medium saucepan, add 2 cups broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat as low as possible, cover rice and cook until tender, about 18 minutes; fluff with a fork.

2) While rice cooks, stir together seasonings in a cup. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add seasonings and then shrimp, and cook, stirring, until firm, about 5 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a plate.

3) Add remaining oil to pan along with sausage, onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes more. Pour in tomato sauce and remaining 1 cup broth and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Return shrimp to pan and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Combine rice and scallion with shrimp mixture; toss or you can just add it to the top of the rice.

So I was being lazy today after work and didn't want to go to the store to get hamburger buns, so I decided to make them. This recipes makes about 20 buns, depending on what size you want them.



Here is what you need:
2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 (.25 oz) packages of yeast
2 t. salt
6 cups of all purpose flour, or as needed

I divided the recipe in half.

1. In a sauce pan, heat the milk, margarine, and water on med-high heat until small bubbles start to form. Remove and add to a bowl with sugar and yeast. Let stand for about 5 minutes or until the yeast and sugar have dissolved.
2. Mix in the salt, and gradually stir in the flour until you have a soft dough. Divide into 20 pieces, and form into balls. Place on baking sheets so they are 2 to 3 inches apart. Let rise for 30 minutes.
*You can also add sesame seeds, dehydrated onions, grated cheese or whatever you like to the top of the buns before you let them rise!
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the rolls for 15 minutes or until golden brown in the preheated oven. Cool slightly, then split them in half horizontally to fill with your favorite burgers.

These are very easy to make and a great way to avoid the grocery store :)

Up-Side Down Apple Pie Cake

So here's what you will need:

1-1/4 Stick (10 T.) Butter at room temperature
1/2 c. packed Light Brown Sugar
1-1/2 c. All Purpose Flour, sifted
1/2 t. Salt
1/4 t. Baking Soda
1/4 t. Baking Powder
1 c. Granulated Sugar
2 Lg. Eggs
1 t. Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 c. Greek Yogurt

Apple Pie Filling: You can really use any apple pie filling, this is just the one that I use.3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin
1 T. Lemon Juice
1/4 c. Granulated Sugar
1 T. Corn Starch
1 t. Cinnamon
1/4 t. Salt
1/8 t. Ground Nutmeg
2 c. Water

Apple Pie Filling: I usually already have this made and canned in jars to make this cake faster.

1) In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and set aside. Pour water into a Dutch oven over medium heat. Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
2)Add apples and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

Cake:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 8x8-in square baking dish and place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom, set aside.
2) In stand mixer combine 2 T. butter and brown sugar, beat until light and fluffy. Spread evenly over top of parchment paper.
3) Spread apple pie filling over top of brown sugar mixture.
4) In a separte bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
5) In mixer combine rest of butter and sugar, mix until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Then add vanilla and greek yogurt and mix until combined. Add flour mix 1/2 c. at a time until well combined, making sure to scrap edges of bowl when needed. Spead over top of filling, smooth out.
6) Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until toothpick incerted into the middle comes out clean.

ENJOY!!!!

Homemade Cheesecake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

Today has just been great! Went for an interview this morning, came home and within a couple of hours I got a call from the company I interviewed with saying, "I got the job! WooHoo!!!!" I figured that called for a little celebration, right? Since homemade cheesecake is one of mine and Nate's all time favorite desserts I decided it was a great day to make one. So here it goes..............

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Crust

• 1 box of honey gram crackers



• 1 stick (1/2 cup butter), melted



• 1-1/2 teaspoons of vanilla

Filling

• 3 packages 8 ounce cream cheese



• 1-1/2 cups sugar



• 4 whole eggs



• 1/2 cup sour cream

Topping

• 2 cups sliced strawberries Or any kind of berry)



• 1/2 cup sugar



• 2 tablespoons water

First you want to preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place gram crackers into a food processor and pulse until the crackers become crumbs. Then add butter and vanilla and pulse again until the mixture is combined. Dump mix into a 9-inch spring form pan and press down with the bottom end of a measuring cup until the crust becomes flat.

For the filling, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.

Then add the eggs one by one, making sure each one is combined before you add the next. Add sour cream and mix again.


Pour filling over top of the crust and smooth out with a spatula. I like to gently pick up the pan and drop it a couple of time from about 1-1/2 inches off the counter to let some of the air bubbles out of the cheesecake.

Place cheesecake into oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Once it's done baking gently open the oven door and let the cake rest in the oven for 15 more minutes.

Remove and let cool.

For the topping, add berries, sugar and water to a saucepan and bring to boil over a medium-high heat and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn it off and let cool.



And then cover the top of the cheesecake with your berries and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

I also like to make whipped cream and put a little on top, you will see what I mean from my picture below.

Raspberry Jam and Jalepeno Jelly

So today I made Raspberry Jam and Jalapeno Jelly, I know what your thinking Jalapeno Jam!!!! But it's really delicious and not hot at all, you take out all the seeds and ribs from inside the pepper, which is what makes them so HOT!! I only eat it on top of cream cheese and with a wheat thin...YUMMY!!!!

So I started by going out to our garden and picking the jalapenos, the raspberries I got from the farmers market, there locally grown there and oh so scrumptious!!!!

If there's one tip I can give you to making these two very delicious jam/jelly let it be this: DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT CUT THE JALAPENOS AND THEN RUB YOUR EYES, IT MAKES FOR A VERY CRAPPY REST OF THE DAY :(

So after following the recipe on the back of a fruit pectin box(I know, I know, but it's just soooooooooooooo good and soooooooooo easy to make) and putting them all in individual jars here's what I got!

Wedding Cake

Alright, so here's a picture of the wedding cake I made for my wedding with help from a great friend of my mom's Cathilea!!!! It was a poppyseed cake with fresh strawberries and cream for the filling and a white chocolate cream cheese frosting YUM!!!!

Toffee Nut Bars

I got this recipe from my grnadma! Thanks Emmy!
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup(1 1/3 sticks) butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix sugar and butter together. Add eggs and vanilla.
Then add flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.
Then fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.
Spray a jelly roll pan with non-stick spray. Evenly spread pan with cookie mix and bake for 16-18 minutes or until sides are slightly brown.

These cookies are delicious!