Carrot Cake Review

I made this Carrot Cake from Mel's Kitchen Cafe last week.  The recipe is VERY similar to the one of my Grandma's with the only big differences being the decrease in the amount of spices called for.  It was a good cake, but still a little too airy for me and since the spices were decreased both DJ and I agreed that it lacked a little bit in the flavor department.  I'll keep looking!  

French Bread Rolls

I made these French Bread Rolls from Mel's Kitchen Cafe tonight to go with her Sloppy Joe's.  I wasn't sure what to expect since I'd only ever made dinner rolls.  I guess they were pretty similar to basic dinner rolls, but the texture was a bit different.  They didn't have a crispy crust like I thought they might, but they were good regardless.  I think they are best served as buns, so with hamburgers or sloppy joes or BBQ chicken sandwiches, and not so much as a stand alone roll.  Although, they would be good as that too. :) 

Carrot Cake Hunt

My birthday is in a couple weeks and I've decided I want to make my own cake this year.  I'm a cake snob, what can I say?  My all time favorite type of cake is carrot cake, and it's traditionally not the flavor of cake anyone else jumps up and down for, so I have to take advantage of my birthday to put it at the top of the priority list.  So I'm on the hunt for the BEST carrot cake recipe I can find.

I made one of my Grandma's recipes first and it was good, but not "it".  Tonight I made another variation from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  Again, it was good, but the texture wasn't quite spot on for me. It was a bit too airy for my personal tastes.  So far most of the recipes I've looked at are VERY similar in ingredients and quantities, which is unusual. I will need to branch out from my normal go-to websites to try and find something totally different.

In the mean time, carrot cakes will make repeated appearances at my husband's work as I try to pawn off mass quantities of cake over the next two weeks.  I'll probably be so sick of carrot cake by the time my birthday is here that I'll end up making vanilla instead. :)

Whole Grain Banana Muffins

I was looking for a healthier banana muffin for a snack.  I tried these Whole Grain Banana Muffins from Our Best Bites.  I didn't add the pecans or brown sugar to the tops.  They were sweet enough without the brown sugar topping and were really tasty for a healthy muffin. I loved that there was only 1/4 cup of butter in the recipe and that you can sub some honey.  The kids chowed down on them, and gave them a thumbs up. They are a keeper!

Soft Caramels

Soft Caramels

2 cups sugar
2 cups whipping cream
2/3 cup white caro syrup
1 cube butter
1 cups, coarsely chopped (optional)

Mix sugar, syrup and butter and one cup of cream, boil to soft ball temp/stage.  Then add the other cup of cream and cook to hard ball temp/stage.  If you like a little softer caramel, cook to only a firm ball temp/stage. Add nuts, optional.  Pour into a buttered dish until they are cool (ok to put in fridge).  Then cut into squares and wrap into wax paper.

Recipe Source: Lillian Ulmer

Spanish Peanut Brittle

Seriously the best peanut brittle out there.  You have to follow the recipe to a "T" though, or it won't be nearly as good.  Try this, you won't ever want another kind of peanut brittle.

Spanish Peanut Brittle

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup white caro syrup

1/2 cup water - scant

pinch salt

1 1/2 cups raw Spanish peanuts

1 3/4 tsp baking soda

3 TB butter - soft

In a heavy saucepan and with a wooden spoon, mix together the sugar, salt, caro syrup and water.  Turn to high heat and stir until sugar dissolves.  Cook, no need to stir, until the syrup spins a thread.  Butter a cookie sheet.  

Mix your softened butter and baking and soda well (make sure this is ready to go prior to syrup spinning a thread).  Set aside.

Once syrup spins a thread, add the peanuts and continue cooking and stirring until the peanuts start "popping" open.  Cook just until tan, don't let it get too dark.

Remove from the and add soda/butter mixture.  Fold it in quickly and only stir until butter is melted.  Quickly pour onto a cookie sheet.  DO NOT SPREAD, DO NOT TOUCH PAN, DO NOT BUMP.  Just let the candy sit untouched until cool and then break into pieces.  PURE HEAVEN.

Recipe Source: Lillian Ulmer

Grandma's Whole Wheat Bread

This wheat bread recipe is one that my Grandma Ulmer has used through the ages.  It's her favorite and comes from a super old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.  I'm going to make it for the first time today and will probably test the ratio of white to wheat flour over subsequent bread makings. 

Grandma's Whole Wheat Bread

Makes 2 - 9 1/2 x 5" loaves or 3 8x4" loaves

1 package active dry yeast

2 cups warm water (110 degrees)

2 TB granulated sugar

2 tsp salt

4 cups sifted enriched white flour

1/2 cup hot water

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 TB shortening

4 cups whole wheat flour

Soften (proof) yeast in the 2 cups of warm water, about 10 minutes.  Add 2 TB granulated sugar, salt and 4 cups of white flour to the yeast/water.  Beat until mixture is smooth.  Let the dough sit in a warm place (82 degrees) until it is light and bubbly, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine the 1/2 cup hot water with the brown sugar and shortening.  Stir and cool to lukewarm.  Add to the yeast-flour mixture after it's light and bubbly.  Now add 4 cups of wheat flour and mix until smooth.  Knead until smooth by hand or in your stand mixture.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn over to grease surface.  Cover and let rise in warm place till double. Knead down the dough.  Cut dough into equal sizes, depending on the loaf pans you're using (2-9x5 or 3 8x4).  Shape each portion into a ball and cover and let rest about 10 minutes.  Roll to rectangle.  Break bubbles in the surface.  Roll dough towards you. Seal after each roll with the heel of hand.  Seal the end of the rolls by folding under the dough.  Place dough in lightly greased pan.  Cover and let double in size.

Bake bread in a 375 degree oven for 50 minutes.

Recipe Source: Lillian Ulmer/Better Homes and Gardens

Rolls

I never can remember where I got a recipe several months after the fact.  I need to do a better job of documenting the good, and the not so good, here on my blog so that I can keep track.  I made some dinner rolls months ago and they were delicious, and I went to try and find which recipe it was and I took me 20 minutes of searching.  So I'm documenting this deliciousness this time.

The rolls come from Brown Eyed Baker, they are her Sweet Dinner Rolls and they are VERY good.  I'm going to make them again for Ethan and Addison's birthday, since they requested rolls for dinner.  Nothing else, just rolls.  Actually, Ethan requested rolls AND bacon.  Strange children of mine...

Poppy Seed Cake

Poppy Seed Cake

Cake:

3 eggs

1 1/8 cup oil

2 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup milk

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp salt (scant)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp almond flavor (I'm assuming extract)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp butter extract

1 1/2 TB poppy seeds

Glaze:

3/4 - 1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp of each: butter extract, almond extract, vanilla extract

Milk

For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two regular size loaf pans, or 6 tiny ones.  Beat together oil, eggs, sugar and milk.  Add flour, baking powder and salt.  Add flavoring and poppy seeds, stir until fully incorporated.  Pour into prepared pans and bake 45 minutes, or until toothpick in center comes out clean.  Remove from the pans while still warm and drizzle glaze over each.

For the glaze: Blend together all the ingredients and add enough milk to make thin for glazing.

Recipe Source: Lillian Ulmer/Dorothy

Pumpkin Cookies with Frosting

Pumpkin Cookies with Frosting

These cookies are delicious.  I added a cup and half of chocolate chips and a 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice to them and ommitted the nuts.  The texture is more along the lines of an applesauce cookie, it's a fluffy, soft and light cookie.  Since I added the chocolate chips I opted not to make the frosting, but I'm sure that would be good too.

Cookies:

1 cup butter, room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup chopped nuts, optional

Frosting:

3 TB butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1-2 cups powdered sugar

For the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy.  Blend in the pumpkin, egg and vanilla.  Add flour, soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nuts and mix.  Drop by the TB onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Cool before frosting.

For the frosting:  In a medium saucepan, heat together the butter and brown sugar until bubbly.  Cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.  Beat in milk and blend in the powdered sugar to spreading consistency.  Frost cooled cookies.

Recipe Source: Lillian Ulmer

Raisin Filled Cookies

Raisin Filled Cookies

*10 dozen cookies

Cookie Dough:

2 cups butter

2 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

5-8 TB milk

7 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Filling:

3 cups raisins

1 TB cornstarch

1 cup nuts, chopped

1 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

2 TB lemon juice

For the cookies: Mix all ingredients together and form into 3 log rolls.  Freeze.  Slice thin and put together with filling. Bake at 400-425.

For the filling: Grind raisins.  Combine all ingredients and boil in saucepan.  Do not let stop boiling.

NOTES: This recipe has very little to go on. It's really vague and I'll have to try and get more clarification from my Grandma before attempting.  Either that or just wing it and see what I come up with.

Recipe Source: Lillian Ulmer/Alta Hill

Deep Dark Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Deep Dark Chocolate Fudge Cookies

*Makes 3 to 3 1/2 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

8 oz semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2 oz pieces

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, broken into 1/2 oz pieces

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

12 TB unsalted butter, room temp

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt onto waxed paper.  Set aside.  Melt together the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate pieces in a double boiler or microwave.  Stir until smooth and set aside to cool.

With an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat brown sugar and butter on medium 1 minute.  Scrape down bowl and beat on high an additional 30 seconds.  Scrape down bowl.  Add eggs, one at a time, while beating on medium and stopping to scrape down bowl after incorporating each addition.  Add vanilla extract; beat on medium 30 seconds.  Add melted chocolate; beat on low 10 seconds more.  Scrape down bowl and beat an additional 30 seconds.  Add sifted flour mixture and the chocolate chips.  Beat on low until thoroughly combined, about 20-30 seconds.  Remove bowl from mixture and mix thoroughly with rubber spatula.

Portion 6-8 cookies per baking sheet by dropping 2 level TB batter per cookie onto pan.  Bake 18-22 minutes.  Cook 5-6 minutes on sheet then transfer to cooling rack to cool.

Recipe Source: Lillian Ulmer/Newspaper Clipping

Nutty Torte

Nutty Torte

This is another family favorite, and one that I've made a couple times so I can attest to this recipes deliciousness!  Now to figure out a way to alter it so it doesn't have nuts so that my boys can eat it...

Crust:

1/2 cup butter, room temp

1/2 1/2 cup crushed pecans

2 TB sugar

1 cup flour

Middle Layer:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup cool whip

1 cup powdered sugar

Top Layer:

3 cups milk

2 regular size (4 serving) boxes of instant pudding (any flavor, but chocolate is yummy!)

Cool Whip

For the crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix together all the ingredients and press into a 9x13" pan.  Bake for 15 minutes and allow to cool.

For the middle layer:  Mix together all the ingredients until fully incorporated and spread on cooled crust.

For the top layer:  Beat together the milk and instant pudding.  Pour over the middle layer.  Carefully top with cool whip and refrigerate until set.  Sprinkle chopped pecans on top for garnish.

Recipe Source: Lillian Ulmer