Marvelous Carrot Cake

Ingredients

Cake

• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (eyeball it)
• 3 cups grated carrots (about 3 large carrots) Don't worry if you don't quite get 3 cups... it'll still taste great! :)
  
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces (1 normal pkg.) cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. 
2. Grate carrots!
   
3. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
4.  Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

This carrot cake takes a little time, but it isn't really hard to make. It's so worth it in the end. This is probably the best carrot cake I've had, and that's not just because I made it. ;)

Just make sure that you have enough time to grate the carrots!


Adapted from this recipe at allrecipes.com

Rosemary Rolls

Ingredients

• 12 Rhodes Rolls (or any frozen rolls)
• 1 1/2 T butter
• 2 dashes rosemary
• Finely ground sea salt (I really love Real Salt) 

Directions

1. Prepare rolls according to package, but stop before you bake. Meaning--let them rise, but don't bake.
2. Because the rolls take a long time to rise, wait until they have completely risen before performing next steps.
3. Put butter and rosemary into a microwave-safe dish and microwave until butter is melted. Mix.
4. Brush risen rolls with the mixture, making sure to spread an even amount over each roll. 
5. Using about a teaspoon of salt total, sprinkle each roll with a bit of salt (probably a pinch).
6. Bake according to package directions, normally 350 degrees  for 30 min. or until golden brown.

I hope you enjoy these. I made these for dinner tonight, and they were a big hit with the husband! :)

Adapted from Buttered Rosemary Rolls at ThePioneerWoman.com. I basically just simplified the recipe and didn't add as much butter.

Crispy Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients
Vegetable cooking spray
2 cups croutons, crushed finely (or Italian-style bread crumbs)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
1 cup pasta sauce (Prego is the best)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup flour


Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray baking sheet with vegetable cooking spray. Place croutons in zipper plastic bag. Close and crush with rolling pin until crumbs form.
Dip chicken into flour then egg. Coat with crumbs. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet. Spray chicken with vegetable cooking spray.
Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Spoon pasta sauce over chicken and sprinkle with cheese.

Serve by itself or with a side of pasta. Great with spinach salad.

Japanese Zucchini & Onions

This is a good vegetarian option. :)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 medium zucchinis, cut into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (okay to omit)
• ground black pepper

Directions

Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions, and cook 5 minutes. Add zucchini, and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Stir in teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. Cook until zucchini are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in ground pepper, and serve immediately.


You can double or triple this easily. Serve over Jasmine rice (it's really the best, but normal rice will do)

Whitney's Awesome Mashed Potatoes

Okay, so these are great, my husband loves them, and they are really easy. 

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

• 6 red potatoes, rinsed and cubed
• 2 T butter
• ~1/3 cup milk
• 2 dashes garlic powder

Directions

1. Put potatoes into a medium-sized pot; cover with cold water.
2. Bring potatoes and water to boil over medium-high/ high heat; boil for 12-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender (check for tenderness at 10 minutes, reduce heat to medium) 
3. Drain water from pot using a colander; put potatoes back into pot.
4. Add butter and start stirring/mashing potatoes with wooden spoon.
5. As butter melts, add milk slowly while continuing to mash potatoes.
6. When butter, milk, and potatoes are combined, add garlic powder; continue to mash until potatoes reach desired consistency.

If you desire to make more, use a bigger pot to accommodate more potatoes.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (16 oz.) can mixed veggies (any veggies that you want; we like celery, corn, potatoes & carrots)
• 1 (5 oz.) can chicken chunks (you can also cook one chicken breast yourself and cut into bite-sized pieces)
• If you cook your own chicken, I recommend Cavenders Greek Seasoning (you can get it at any grocery store) to sprinkle over the top
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup milk (eyeball it to make sure it isn't too soupy; use 2% or, if you don't have it, use less 1% or skim)
• salt and pepper (and any other seasonings) to taste
• 1 can refrigerated biscuits (any brand works; I use the store brand)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly butter a 9 inch deep dish pie pan with melted butter; reserve some of the melted butter.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine mixed vegetables and chicken; cook until vegetables are tender. Fold in soup; mix well. Pour in milk and mix until smooth; mixture should not be runny. Add seasonings to taste. Bring to a boil.
3. Remove from heat and spread mixture into bottom of pie pan. Separate biscuits into layers and place gently on top of mixture. Drizzle remaining butter on top of biscuit layers.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

adapted from allrecipes.com

Pizzeria 712: Deliciosity

Okay, so "deliciosity" may not be a real word... but since we Americans like to coin new words all the time, I think I'm okay. ;)

I would just like to give a shout out to probably the best pizza place in Utah: Pizzeria 712. We went there last night for dinner, and the pizza was so good that I think I want to eat there all the time... Seriously! So, if you ever are in town and need a good place to eat and someone to eat with, call me and we'll do lunch or dinner or snack or...

Poll

Don't forget to vote on my poll! What kind of recipes do you want to see more of? Any suggestions? Let me know!

Thanks!

Super Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened (If you put it in the microwave, make sure that the power isn't set on high. Otherwise, the butter will melt completely, and your cookies will be flat. 50% for 30-40 sec. is good.)
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder (I use a little more than this...)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 
2. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. 
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. 

Makes a little over 4 dozen.

These cookies are no-fail for me! I have made them several times with no burning or any horrible consequences. They stay moist for several days, but just make sure that if you leave them out, put them in a Ziploc bag or something. These are amazing... I think I'm going to make some soon!

Think sweet thoughts! :)

Peach & Raspberry Parfaits

These are so delightful & refreshing. My mother-in-law made these to go with Sunday dinner. They were so good. She adapted it from a recipe found in a Family Circle magazine, and I don't know what she did completely, so here's my take on it after I looked at the original recipe

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

• 2 peaches, rinsed, pitted, and peeled
• 1 container raspberries, rinsed and dried
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 dashes cinnamon
• 1 container (6 oz.) lemon yoghurt
• 1/2 pkg. graham crackers
• whipped cream (which is really good on top but not necessary)

Directions

1. Coarsely chop peaches and place in a cereal bowl. Mix in sugar and cinnamon. Set aside in refrigerator.
2. Rinse raspberries and set aside
3. Crumble up graham crackers.
4. Layer ingredients in any cups that you have. I find that wine glasses work really well. Anyway, layer first the graham crackers, then fruit, then yoghurt. Repeat for 2 layers of each.

Hopefully that makes sense! If you have questions, let me know!!

Happy eating! :)

Best Spanish Rice

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil (I use extra-virgin olive oil)
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion (or more if you want)
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice 
• 2 cups chicken broth (Swanson brand low sodium is my favorite)
• 1 cup chunky salsa (whatever heat you like)

Directions
Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
Mix rice into skillet, stirring often. When rice begins to brown, stir in chicken broth and salsa. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed. **Be sure to watch the rice carefully or it is liable to burn.**

Start to finish: 30 min.

Recipe from allrecipes.com, with my adaptations...

This side is simply delicious. I'm actually making this tonight with some shredded chicken tacos.






Happy cooking!






p.s. Let me put a word in for the new movie Julie & Julia: It's super cute and fun to watch! :) I recommend it.

HUGE Biscuits!

• Ingredients
• 
  
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
3. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

These biscuits are GREAT! Very tasty! This recipe can make 6 to 12 biscuits, depending on how big your cookie cutter is. You can also cut them in a variety of shapes; I used my heart-shaped cookie cutter to make these the last time. They were baked with love... Get it? ;)

Mediterranean Chicken-Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 25 min

Total Time: 1 hour 25 min

Makes: 6 servings (1 1/2 cup each)

INGREDIENTS

1	box Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad® basil pesto pasta salad mix
1/3	cup water
3	tablespoons olive oil
2	cups cut-up cooked chicken
1	cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1	cup cucumber, coarsely chopped
4	oz crumbled feta cheese (1 cup)
1	can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook pasta as directed on box. Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir together seasoning mix, cold water and oil. Add chicken; let stand while pasta is cooking.

2. Drain pasta; rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well.

3. Stir drained pasta and remaining ingredients into chicken mixture. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Cover and refrigerate any remaining salad. from Bettycrocker.com

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

• 4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I use about 2 c... We love cheese!)

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.
• Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish.
• Top with onion, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk.
• Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.

from Allrecipes.com (with some alterations)

BBQ Chicken

Prep time: 30 minutes (not including overnight marinating)

Cook time: 45 minutes- 1 hour

Makes: 8-15 servings (depending on how big you want the servings to be :) )

Ingredients

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thawed and cut into big chunks and strips)
• 1 bottle Catalina (or Italian) dressing (any brand, Kraft is cheap and good)

Directions

• Put chicken chunks into a large (1 gal.) storage bag.
• Pour bottle of dressing into bag, seal, and mix up until chicken is covered.
• Chill in fridge overnight.
• Heat up the grill.
• Place chicken on heated grill and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the middle and the juices run clear.
• Enjoy.

Big thanks to Bro. McAllister for the deliciousness...

You can really alter the recipe for more chicken. You can use more than one storage bag and more dressing... For best results, make sure that there's enough dressing to totally cover the chicken no matter how much chicken you decide to make.

French Bread

PREP TIME	25 Min
COOK TIME	40 Min
READY IN	2 Hrs 40 Min

INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 2 1/2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon water

DIRECTIONS

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. (Make sure to add flour a little bit at a time; if you add too much at once, the dough will not rise as well and be really heavy-tasting)
  
• On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
• Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.
• Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. (Flour works, too.) Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.
• With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. (I didn't have to cover it with foil. My loaves baked perfectly.) Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

This recipe is so good... I'm never buying French bread from the store again. This recipe, at least for me, makes two large loaves. Happy Baking!

modified recipe from Allrecipes.com

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

Makes 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS

• 4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
  
• 1 onion, sliced into rings
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• 3 tablespoons butter
  
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 cups milk
  
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I recommend 2+ cups)

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.

• Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the onion slices, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  

• In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.

• Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.
  

PREP TIME	30 Min
COOK TIME	1 Hr 30 Min
READY IN	2 Hrs

from Allrecipes.com (my most favorite website)

This recipe is really good.  I recommend adding more cheese, though, especially if you're like us and love cheese!!! 

Sweet and Chunky Chicken Salad

Makes 4 Servings

• Ingredients
• 1 (10 ounce) can chunk chicken, drained
  
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/8 cup chopped dill pickle (dill relish works just fine)
• 1/8 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries 
• 
  
• Directions
• Without breaking up large chicken pieces, empty canned chicken into a medium bowl. Stir in mayonnaise, pickle (or relish), onion, sunflower seeds, and cranberries; mix until well blended and until the chicken chunks are broken up. 

PREP TIME	15 Min
READY IN	15 Min

• 
  

This recipe is really delicious. I made it yesterday for lunch and served it with grapes and Wheat Thins. Rich loved it. I recommend it... and it's so easy! I do, however, suggest that you put in just a teeny bit more of mayo to make sure everything sticks together. 

From the Archives: Baked Potatoes

Now, I don't know about you, but I had never heard of a baked potato being baked in the oven (imagine that) until I got married. I know that that's kind of weird, but I grew up with microwaved potatoes. There was no "baked" about it. Well, one day something life-changing happened: my husband informed me that he always grew up with the baked-in-the-oven, crispy-on-the-outside-and-delicious-on-the-inside potatoes. What was a girl to do? I really didn't know how to make these things. Well, one day, I found a recipe (who would've thought that someone would actually need a recipe for them!) for baked potatoes. Now there's no way that I'm going back to the microwaved ones!

Anyway, that's a long enough of an intro. Here's what I do to make the staple of any meal: baked potatoes.

• Preheat oven to 350
• Scrub potatoes under running water with a vegetable scrubber (I just got a new one, and it's great!) Make sure to have at least one potato per person.
• Take a fork and puncture the potatoes in a couple places
• Pour some oil (I use olive oil) in a Ziploc bag, enough to lightly coat the potatoes
• If desired, sprinkle some garlic salt on the potatoes
• Place potatoes directly on center rack in preheated oven
• Bake for about 1 hour until potato skins are slightly wrinkly and the potatoes reach desired softness
• Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy as a side to chicken or steak, or as a dinner by itself