What's for dinner?

So, last night we had turkey burgers with Mexican Corn Dip & Frito's Scoops and we finished it off with Strawberry Cream Cake.

These are the turkey patties that I buy (yes, they're frozen) at Sam's or Wal-Mart. My family enjoys them and I love having a quick meal on hand. I usually cook them from frozen, but yesterday I actually remembered to set them out to thaw. A little of my homemade seasoning on both sides and a few minutes on the griddle and we were good to go.

I cooked 9 of them for my family. There are 6 of us, but we had a couple of extra mouths to feed last night.

I'll include the recipe for the Mexican Corn Dip in my next post.

Brownie Cakes

 

Today is my Kate's birthday.  As has become custom around here, the birthday girl chose the menu for her birthday dinner with family.  We are doing that later this week, and I plan to post about that meal.  BUT, today is the big celebration with her friends at preschool.  She was very specific about her requests for snacks at school.  She explained to me that she wanted brownies that were circles...little one on top of a big one...chocolate icing...sprinkles...and each one had to look like a little bitty baby birthday cake...and cheese-its and capri-suns.  (At least she didn't request homemade crackers and fresh squeezed juice!)  Well, after some googling and some pinteresting (are those even words?), this is what I came up with.  And I am so proud of myself that I just had to share with all 2 of you that actually read my blog.  he he he



I baked boxed mix brownies according to the package directions, let them cool completely and then used my very fancy, dollar store, biscuit cutters to get my circles.  I have a set of three cutters and I used the medium and small ones. Using 4 brownie mixes and my cutters, I was able to make 35 little cakes. [In case you're wondering, I saved all the brownie scraps so I can make a Death by Chocolate trifle for our Wednesday night Bible Study group.]

I heated a can of store-bought icing (gasp!) until it was pourable, but not too hot. {Betty Crocker, Rich & Creamy, Milk Chocolate is the BOMB!] I put just a little bit on top of what was to be the brownie on the bottom.  This would serve as the "glue" to hold the top brownie in place.

I then generously spooned the icing over the top of each one and let it run down the sides.  You'll want to only do 2-3 at a time, so you can stop and load each one up with sprinkles before the icing sets. 15-20 minutes later, the icing was set enough for me to transfer them to my storage containers.

 

She hasn't yet seen the finished product, but I know she is going to be thrilled! I can't wait to see the look on her face! Happy Birthday to my little, big girl!

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Ingredients

• 1 box Lemon Cake mix with pudding in the mix
• 1 pkg. Lemon instant pudding mix (4-serving size)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/8 cup poppy seeds

Instructions

1. Grease 2 loaf pans and instead of flouring, use sugar.
2. Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Note: I like to add 1 teaspoon lemon oil for an extra lemon “kick”.
3. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350° F.
4. Test with toothpick for doneness.

My notes:

The recipe above is taken directly from Southern Plate and is another easy "Quick Bread" recipe.  I follow the recipe (shocker, I know) except that I didn't have any lemon oil on hand.  So, I squeezed 1/2 a lemon into mine and just stirred it in.  If you need to whip something up in a hurry to take somewhere or because company's comin', then this one is great!

Jewish Apple Cake

I got this recipe from the Relish insert in the Wednesday edition of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette several weeks ago.  I try to make it a point to browse both that insert and the Food section of the paper on Wednesdays.  Sometimes there are some great recipes and even when the recipes don't sound so good, I often get inspiration at the very least.  This cake recipe ranks pretty high.

Not that it concerns this Southern Baptist girl, but "the cake uses vegetable oil instead of butter, and orange juice in place of milk, to meet kosher laws saying that diary cannot be eaten at the same meal as meat."  Just wanted to share that interesting tidbit found in the article accompanying the recipe.  The article also stated "apple and cinnamon flavors infuse the cake, making it even better the second day."  I will most definitely have to agree.  It was a really good cake a couple hours after I took it from the oven, but the next morning it was AMAZING!

Ingredients:

6 cups peeled and thinly sliced Granny Smith apples (about 3 large)

1 1/2 cups, plus 5 tablespoons, granulated sugar, divided

4 teaspoons cinnamon

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup orange juice

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease, sugar and flour a 10-inch Bundt o tube pan.

2. Combine apple slices with 5 tablespoons granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

4. Beat eggs with remaining granulated sugar and brown sugar.  Add vegetable oil, orange juice and vanilla; beat well.  Gradually blend in flour mixture and mix until well blended (about one minute).

5. Pour one third of the batter into the pan. Top with half the apple slices, draining off any liquid.  Pour in half the remaining batter and top with remaining apple slices.  Top with remaining batter, making sure the apples are covered.

6. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, until the top turns golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  let cool 10 minutes in pan.  Turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.  Serves 16.

Banana Nut Bread/Cake

You can call it bread or cake.  I call it bread when it's baked in a loaf pan and cake when it's baked in a bundt pan.  Whatever makes you happy though.  Either way, this is one REALLY EASY and VERY DELICIOUS way to use up some over-ripe bananas and have a nice treat on the table in no time.  ONLY FIVE INGREDIENTS!  That is enough to get my attention right there.  I have made this one several times before and, to me, it is as good as, or better than, most "from scratch" banana breads I have eaten.  Hope you enjoy!  If you make it, leave me a comment.  I'd love to know what you think.

Ingredients

1 box cake mix with butter

3 eggs

1 stick of butter, melted

4 mashed bananas

1/2 cup nuts

Directions

Mix well and bake in a loaf pan at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour or until golden brown.

My notes:

Yes, that is all of the directions that were included with the recipe.

That is a "butter recipe" cake mix.  Oh, and do not substitute margarine for the butter.  It gives it a very artificial taste.  Your bananas do not have to be over-ripe.  When I made this today, I used 2 that were over-ripe and 2 that were just fine for eatin'.  I peel mine and toss them in a mixing bowl then get out my handy-dandy potato masher and don't stop til it's banana soup.  I bake mine in a bundt pan just because that's my preference.  It only takes 45 minutes when in a bundt pan and unless you have a really big loaf pan, I think I would divide this between 2 loaf pans.

Cream Cake TWEAKED

Go check out the changes I made to the CREAM CAKE recipe.  It's a better cake now...although I didn't think that was possible!

12-minute Chocolate Cake

Yep, you read that correctly.  You, too, can have a cake that looks this wonderful on your table after only 12-14 minutes of bake time.  And believe me, it tastes as good, or better, than it looks.  But first, you're gonna have to go treat yourself to the Pampered Chef Stoneware Fluted Pan.  It retails for $33 which seems a little much, but there are SO many ways you can use it.  And several variations on this one recipe.

Here's what you need.

your favorite chocolate cake mix

your favorite chocolate icing

pecans, chocolate chips, coconut, caramel ice cream topping (all optional)

Here's what you do.

Grease pan and scatter pecans, coconut and/or chocolate chips on bottom on pan.  Prepare chocolate cake batter with eggs, oil and water according to directions on box.  Pour into greased/sprayed fluted pan right on top of whatever you chose to put in the bottom (if anything).  Then drop icing by the spoonful evenly on top of raw cake batter.  Place in microwave and cook on high for 12-14 minutes.  Cool AT LEAST 10 minutes (but 20 is better) in pan before inverting.

Invert and drizzle with caramel ice cream topping.  You will notice that while the cake cooked, the icing sank to the bottom so that when you inverted it it runs all down the cake and creates this amazing chocolate sauce/glaze.

I always keep a chocolate cake mix and chocolate icing on hand for this one.  You don't have to do anything but the cake mix and icing if you are a "purist" (that's what my husband calls himself).  The one pictured above has only the pecans added because the hubby doesn't like coconut and I forgot to sprinkle the chocolate chips before I poured in the batter.  And I'm not really sure why I didn't do the caramel drizzle.  However you decide to do it, it's amazing!

Cafe Latte Cheesecake

Crust

1 cup vanilla wafer cookie crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons butter

Filling

4 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

4 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons instant coffee

1 tablespoon warm water

Crust

Mix crumbs, sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes if using a silver springform pan.  Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes if using a dark nonstick springform pan.

Filling

Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Add eggs, mixing on low speed just until blended.  Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the batter.  Stir instant coffee into warm water until dissolved.  Add to remaining batter; mix well.  Pour over crust.  Stir milk into reserved batter; pour gently over coffee batter.

Bake at 325 degrees for 65 minutes or until center is almost set if using a silver springform pan.  Bake at 300 degrees for 65 minutes or until center is almost set if using a dark nonstick springform pan.  Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan.  Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

My notes:

You have GOT to make this one! Imagine a cafe latte...creamy, rich coffee on the bottom with a luscious dollop of whipped cream floating on top. You take a sip and the two mix in your mouth for a moment of indulgence. Bliss, I tell you, bliss!  My neighbors get a sample of most everything I whip up.  Sometimes they are my guinea pigs.  I took them a piece of Cafe Latte Cheesecake this morning.  She called to tell me the Cream Cake and the Cafe Latte Cheesecake were the best things I have ever made.  And I have been taking something over there about 3 times a week for 5 years.  So, you know those two must rank pretty high.

I did not have any vanilla wafers to use for the crust, but I did have a box of graham cracker crumbs.  I prefer them anyway so that's what I used.  Worked just fine.

I was about a teaspoon shy on the instant coffee crystals, but I went ahead and did it and it worked just fine.  I'm sure if I had the full 3 tablespoons, then the bottom layer would have had an even stronger coffee taste.

I decorated this slice with 3 little chocolate covered espresso beans.  My goodness!  Can I eat cheesecake for breakfast since it's got coffee in it?  That's ok, right?

Do NOT overbake your cheesecake.  Take it out when it is still jiggly in the middle and when you really don't think it's quite done.  I baked mine only 55 minutes in my dark nonstick springform pan and it still cracked as it cooled.  Probably should have done a water bath around it, but I didn't.  Maybe next time.  AND, there definitely will be a next time!  (o:

Cream Cake

I tasted a version of this cake over the recent holiday weekend and I was IN LOVE!  Got the recipe from my great aunt.  This is quite possibly one of the best cakes I have ever eaten.  Pictured is the strawberry version and there is also a pineapple/orange version which is equally as delightful.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CAKE

Duncan Hines butter cake mix

1/2 cup oil

4 eggs

3 cups frozen sweetened strawberries, thawed
16 oz unsweeted whole frozen strawberries, thawed
1/3-1/2 cup sugar

1 small box instant vanilla pudding

8 oz. whipped topping

Combine all thawed berries and sugar in large bowl and mash with potato masher until whole berries are crushed and sugar is dissolved.

Combine cake mix, oil, eggs and 1 cup 2 cups of strawberry mixture.  Beat on medium speed until well blended.  Divide between 3 round cake pans (well greased).  Bake at 350 degrees 20-30 minutes.

Let cake cool before frosting.

FROSTING

Combine remaining 2 1/2-3 cups of strawberry mixture with instant pudding.  Stir well then fold in whipped topping.  Frost between layers and top and outside.  Keep refrigerated.

PINEAPPLE/ORANGE CREAM CAKE

In cake batter, substitute a 15oz can of mandarin oranges with juice instead of strawberries.

In frosting, substitute a 20 oz can of crushed pineapple with juice instead of strawberries.

My notes:

The recipe said "Duncan Hines" on the cake mix, but you and I both know any brand of butter cake mix will work.  However, I have not tried other brands.  When I made this I just happened to have a DH mix on hand.

The frozen strawberries are sold in 24 oz containers.  I let them thaw, then measured out a cup for the cake batter.  I also mashed my strawberries with a potato masher to get rid of the larger chunks.  I suppose they could be pureed, but then you would lose all of the chunks and that wouldn't be my personal preference.

The batter is pretty thin and runny and you will have a small amount of batter in each pan.  But that's good because each layer bakes up pretty thin and, as a result, is able to soak up more of that wonderful frosting!

I am not a fan of vanilla flavored instant pudding.  So, I substitute cheesecake flavored pudding in most recipes.  To me, it has a richer, less artificial, taste.  Did that in this recipe and it worked beautifully.

When frosting the cake, make sure and use a liberal amount of frosting between the layers.  You will want it there and you will have plenty to do it.

This cake is great right after you frost it, but it is even better after it sits for a couple of days.  The cake absorbs alot of moisture from the frosting and it just seems to get better and better.

I have already written this one in the family cookbook and will make sure I keep all of the ingredients on hand.  It's SO easy to whip up and quite impressive.  Everyone who has tasted it has swooned!  Well, not really, but you get the point.  (o:

More notes:
I made both versions of this cake and noticed that the pineapple/orange version was much more moist.  I examined the P/O recipe and noticed there was almost twice as much fruit and juice in the batter and 1/2 cup more fruit/juice in the frosting.  So, I tweaked the strawberry recipe and made the changes in red in the recipe above.  The extra berries and having to sweeten them made for an extra 3 minutes of work, but it was SO worth it!

Also, this time I used a Betty Crocker mix and it was equally as successful as the DH.  Just thought you'd wanna know. (o:

Cake Balls

1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can frosting (16 oz.)
1 package almond bark (white or chocolate)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.

2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can frosting.

3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet.

4. Chill for several hours.

5. Melt almond bark in microwave per directions on package.

6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

I also only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot.

My notes:

Heard about these a year or so ago and just never made them.  My friend, Erica, made some during the holidays and shared with my family.  We were in love!  I will be honest with you...Erica said it and I agree with her: Making Cake Balls is a PROCESS.  It is not labor intensive or difficult, but it does take TIME.  Unless you have the better part of a day to make them, then plan to spread the process over a couple of days...or more.  I worked on mine (off and on) for nearly 5 days.  It is SO worth the time.  You will feel so rewarded and the lucky folks who get to eat them will most definitely be pleased.

Any combo of cake mix and frosting will work.  I did two different combos - strawberry cake with strawberry frosting in white almond bark & red velvet cake with milk chocolate frosting in chocolate almond bark.  We were doing them for the kids' Valentines parties at school, so the colors, not the flavors, were the most important thing to them.

After step 2, you will want to FREEZE the big blob of cake/frosting FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR.  Mine were in the freezer for several hours.  Then I used my Pampered Chef Small Scoop to make the balls a consistent size.  After scooping each one and tossing it onto my wax paper, I hand rolled them just to make them prettier and more uniform.  Then back into the FREEZER.

The recipe says to "roll" the balls in the bark.  I don't quite see how this would work well.  I used a large soup mug to melt my bark a little at a time.  Tossed a cake ball into it, carefully coated it with a long handled tea spoon, then very carefully lifted it out of the bark and placed it on wax paper.  While the bark was still wet, the kids job was the sprinkle with valentines themed candies.

I also learned not to "tap off the extra."  The more you handle these, the more likely they are to fall apart before you get them coated and onto the wax paper.  Then you are going to have a mess of cake crumbs in your bark.

It took an ENTIRE package of bark to do each recipe.  One recipe made 60+ cake balls.

Once the bark had cooled and re-hardened, I bagged some of them individually for the parties.

You can probably tell from the pics that I made the strawberry ones coated in white almond bark first (i.e. they are not as pretty).  It was a learning experience.  I don't think I had my bark hot enough the first time around and I was trying to "tap off the extra" and it was just making a mess.

We will FO SHO be making these again!  Lots of fun and the kids got to help with the rolling and decorating.  Husband loved the red velvet ones so much, he stood in the kitchen the other night and ate FIVE of them while I was trying to get them bagged!  (o:  For more cake ball ideas and inspiration, visit Bakerella.

Toffee Gooey Butter Cake

Cake:

•Vegetable oil cooking spray
•1 (18.2- ounce) package yellow cake mix
•1 large egg
•1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling:
•1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
•2 large eggs
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•1 (1 pound) box confectioners' sugar
•1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
•1 cup toffee bits

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.

In the bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan and set aside.

In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, eggs, vanilla extract, confectioners' sugar and butter. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Fold in the toffee bits with a spatula.

Pour the filling over the cake mixture and spread it evenly. Bake until the center is just a little bit gooey, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into pieces and serve.

My notes:

I think there are about a million different variations of this recipe.  I got THIS one from Paula Deen.  But I have gotten the same recipe from friends in the past and it has a variety of names including, but I'm sure not limited to, Gooey Butter Cake, Neiman Marcus Brownies and Chess Bars.  This is the first time I recall seeing one with the toffee bits stirred in.  And there are also variations that include using a chocolate cake mix in the bottom layer.  I failed to get a picture before they were all gone and I didn't actually eat one this time around.  But trust me, they are GOOD!

Buttery Honey Cake

This came from my Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Desserts cookbook that Erica got me.  Kennedy decided she wanted to make a birthday cake for Jesus this year.  Bake?  Cook?  I'm ALL in!  Immediately I figured it would be a great opportunity to a) eat birthday cake for breakfast, b) have breakfast cooked in advance, and c) start a new family tradition.  So, I started looking for a "cake" recipe that was suitable for breakfast and would, at the same time, suffice for a "birthday cake" in the kids' minds.  After all, there is no rule that says it couldn't be a COFFEE cake.  Right?  Kennedy helped me to look through cookbooks and this is the one we finally decided on.  It was delicious!!!  We served it with a side of fruit and a dallop of cool whip.  We even stuck a big, fat candle in it, lit it, sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, and let the kids blow it out!  GOOD TIMES!

1 box (18.25 ounce) classic yellow cake mix

1 cup water

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup margarine, melted

1/3 cup poppy seeds

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour 10-inch round cake pan with 2-inch sides.

2. Combine cake mix, water, 1/3 cup of honey, margarine, poppy seeds, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice in large bowl.  Beat for 2 minutes or until well blended.  Pour into prepared pan.

3. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.  Cool cake in pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes.  Invert cake onto cooling rack and cool completely.

4. Using wooden or metal skewer, poke about 20 small holes all over top of cake.  Drizzle the 1/4 cup of honey over cake, allowing honey to sink into holes.  Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar.

My notes:

I didn't have a 10-inch pan with 2-inch sides.  I used 2 9-inch pans with 1-inch sides and stacked 'em.  I poked holes in one cake, drizzled with honey and then did the same thing to a second layer.

I substituted butter for margarine.

I poked about 40 holes with the wooden skewer.  I didn't measure the honey I drizzled on the cake.  I had honey in a squeeze bottle and figured I could just eyeball it and get pretty close.  So, I just squeezed until it looked right to me.  (o:

Candy Bar Cake

CAKE                                                      ICING

1 cup sugar                                               1 cup sugar

1 cup flour                                                2 tablespoons cocoa

2 tablespoons cocoa                                 1 stick butter

3/4 teaspoon baking soda                         1/2 cup pet milk

pinch salt

1 egg

1 cup water

1/4 cup oil

1/3 cup buttermilk

CAKE: Sift dry ingredients together; add wet ingredients; pour into 9x13 greased dish; bak at 350F 17-20 minutes

ICING: mix dry ingredients; add wet ingredients; bring to small boil; careful not to scroch; pour warm icing over cake right out of oven; let sit until all icing absorbed into cake

MY NOTES:

In the cake I used an extra large egg instead of a large one.  I saw an episode of Barefoot Contessa and she said her baking improved when she started using extra large eggs, so I followed suit.  Can't tell you if I have noticed a difference.

Buttermilk: I rarely, if ever, buy buttermilk.  Until recently, if a recipe called for buttermilk, I did the whole vinegar in milk trick.  BUT, my mother told me about powdered buttermilk.  It's great!  Found a can of it on the baking isle.  You store it in your fridge once it is opened.  GREAT IDEA!

I am not a chocolate lover, but this is a cake that I cry out in the night for.  It is amazingly light, in spite of the looks (and name) of it.  Not extrememly rich or heavy...just really, really, really (that's 3 reallys) good!  It's one that, if you wake up at 2am, you might as well get a piece with a glass of milk.  WHY NOT!  And, I have no idea where the name came from.  It has absolutely nothing to do with a candy bar and doesn't taste even remotely similar to any candy bar I've ever eaten.  Maybe we should rename this one.

Buttery Cinnamon Cake

Got this recipe in 2004 from the AllRecipes site.  I just printed it off and never made it.  Well, Kennedy and I tried our hand at it last night and we were impressed.  It was cinnamony and moist.  This one will probably make it into the family cookbook.

CAKE

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup shortening

1 1/3 cups white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 eggs

2/3 cup milk

CINNAMON SYRUP

1/2 cup white sugar

6 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 
  
  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease and lightly flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.  I sprayed with cooking spray and didn't flour. Cake popped out effortlessly. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
  
  
  
• 
  
  In a large bowl, beat shortening, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating for at least 1 minute after each egg.  Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk.  This is a LOT of time holding the mixer.  In the future I will get out my stand mixer for this one.  Pour batter into prepared pan.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 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.  I turned mine out onto the serving platter.  Poke holes around the top of the cake with a fork.  Pour the warm cinnamon syrup into the holes and onto the top and sides of the cake.
  
  
  
• 
  
  To make Cinnamon Syrup: In a saucepan, combine all ingredients.  Heat and stir until butter melts.