cranberry pound cake

This is one of my favorite cakes ever. The sweet and tart mixture is perfect.

With the holidays approaching, cranberries will be inexpensive, as will most other baking supplies. 

Don't be alarmed if you eat half this cake in one setting! Just kidding! 

But really, it is hard to resist!

Cranberry Pound Cake

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons milk

2 cups flour

1 bag cranberries

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, extracts, salt and milk and beat to combine. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Once well combined, add cranberries. If you’re using a stand mixer, you’ll hear some of them pop but that is okay! Scoop batter into well-greased and floured Bundt pan, making sure not to scrape the sides and remove the flour. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 for around 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. 

The yummiest Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I'm not sure why I have never posted our recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies. This is very high up on my favorite cookies list. Tim and the kids cannot get enough of them either. Also- I like to think they are a little healthy since they have oats and raisins. Just let me keep thinking that :-)

The Yummiest Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups uncooked oats
1 cup raisins (sometimes I use golden raisins)

In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening, on med-high speed for 30 seconds.  In a smaller bowl, stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add this to the shortening along with brown sugar, sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Blend 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly combined. Stir in remaining flour and oats. Fold in raisins. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.

A busy couple of days

I finally got around to updating my "about" page. You can check that out at the top where it says, "about."

It has been a very busy couple of days!

I've also had a yucky cold sore that is finally starting to go away.

I hate those things, but always end up getting them twice a year. 

On Thursday, I went on a cooking spree. I made apple strudel muffins, lemon icebox pie and I made our dinner for the night since Thursday is our busy evening.

Thursday is busy because C Girl started piano lessons in the afternoon and B Boy has soccer practice in the evening!

B Boy has been loving soccer practice!!! 

He was supposed to have his first game today, but we were rained out.

This boy LOVES to read.

 Last night, I went to my friend, Jenn's "all done" party! She completed her last cancer treatment yesterday and she has kicked cancer's booty!

It was an awesome party! They had great food and they also hired a DJ! 

We had a lot of fun watching people dance!

 She also had a photo booth! We had so much fun in there! I love these friends!

I know that I'm super blessed to have such wonderful friends at church.

We visited War Eagle Mill four years ago, the first fall that we lived here. It was really neat.

It is on my to-do list for this fall. 

I'm also going to go to the War Eagle craft fair for the first time!

The mill has a restaurant and a store and I remember how great they were and can't wait to go back! It's just so beautiful there too!

We are watching the Razorbacks kill Nicholls State. 

I sure hope they can play like this the rest of the season!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today seems like a good day to have cookies, am I right?!
One of my close friends gave me this recipe years ago and it is the only one I have made since. 

Tim absolutely loves this recipe and the cookies are usually gone in two days.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. In small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat butter, shortening, and sugars until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake 10-12 minutes.

Pumpkin pie {Recipe}

I pretty much love every season.  By the time they get here, I'm so ready for the change.

However, from the end of November to the end of December may be my favorite time of the year.

I love the holidays. We are in full gear for Thanksgiving and have even started a little for Christmas :-)

I love the traditions.  Today, the kiddos painted ornaments like they do every year. 

Most importantly, I love the FOOD!

We have four Thanksgiving meals over the next three days and today I began baking.  This morning, I whipped up pumpkin pies, pecan pies, and sweet potato casserole.  Tim says my pecan pie is the best. Ever.  I have to say that it is very, very good.  
Pecan pie is my most favorite pie.  

Another pie is high up on the list too-- pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Pie

1 can pure pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
2 9-inch unbaked pie shells/crusts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Thoroughly blend all ingredients and pour into pie crusts. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

The best cinnamon rolls I've ever had [Recipe]

I have been dying to learn how to make homemade cinnamon rolls.

The best cinnamon rolls I ever remember having, were on beef stew day in the cafeteria at school when I was growing up. 

I've never found a cinnamon roll that has really came close to them.

I tried making the Pioneer Woman's recipe last year. I don't know what happened, 

but it was a total flop :(

I gave up for awhile after that.

Then, in Sunday school someone had made homemade cinnamon rolls and it gave the itch to try again.

I did an Internet search for the best cinnamon rolls ever and I came across THIS 

(Recipe and my notes below.)

I have to admit, when I saw the potato in the recipe, I was pretty skeptical.

Another problem I've always had is getting my dough to rise.

It would rise, but it would never double.

I don't know what the magic in these cinnamon rolls comes from, but they may actually be better than the ones I remember.

This recipe is not hard, but it is somewhat time consuming.

However, a lot of the time is waiting on the dough to rise.

And rise, it did!

If you've ever wanted to learn to make cinnamon rolls, I highly suggest this recipe!

They are perfect in my book!

Yield: 12 servings
Time: 3½ to 4 hours, mostly unattended

*My notes are in purple

1 small potato (about 4 ounces), cut into 1-inch chunks
1½ teaspoons salt
4½ cups flour, plus more for kneading and shaping
1 cup sugar
2¼ teaspoons instant yeast or one ¼-ounce packet active dry yeast
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
Oil or butter for greasing the bowl and pan
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp maple extract)

1. Put the potato in a medium saucepan with ½ teaspoon salt and enough water to cover it by at least 1 inch. Cover the saucepan, bring to a boil, and cook until the potato is very tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the flour, ½ cup of the sugar, the yeast, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.

2. Drain the potato, reserving 1¼ cups of the potato-cooking liquid, and put the potato through a ricer (I just used a fork and smooshed it. You are just trying to get baby food consistency.) (Discard the potato skin.) Add ¼ cup (½ stick) of the butter to the reserved potato-cooking liquid and stir until it melts. When the butter mixture cools to 100°F—about the same temperature as the inside of your wrist(I used my candy thermometer and did the exact temp it called for)—add it to the flour mixture along with the riced potato and the egg. Stir with the dough-hook attachment of a stand mixer or by hand until combined.

3. Knead the dough with the dough-hook attachment of a stand mixer or by hand until it feels smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Grease a large bowl (it’s fine to use the same one you mixed the dough in), add the dough, and turn it over to coat it lightly with oil or butter. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, put it in a warm place, and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (I set my bowl outside because it is very hot and humid. Maybe that was the difference in why I got the dough to rise so much?)

4. Grease a 9- by 13-inch pan(I used two 8-inch round pans) with oil or butter. Punch down the dough, then transfer it to a floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into an approximately 8- by 12-inch rectangle(I did this exactly and the dough was still 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch. So it will look kinda puffy, not flat.) Spread the remaining ½ cup (1 stick) butter over the surface of the dough(My butter was softened, not melted.) Combine the remaining ½ cup sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle this mixture evenly over the butter. Starting from one of the long sides, roll up the dough as tightly as possible. Cut the roll into 12 one-inch slices and arrange the slices, cut side up, in the greased pan.

5. Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, put it in a warm place, and let the rolls rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.(Again, I put mine outside to rise.) (At this point you can refrigerate the cinnamon rolls for up to 12 hours or overnight; let them return to room temperature before baking.)

6. Heat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the cinnamon rolls and bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth, then whisk in the vanilla(and maple extract.) Let the cinnamon rolls cool slightly, then drizzle the icing over them and serve warm.

Cinnamon Chip Scones

I made these cinnamon chip scones last week. 
Very, very yum.
And surprisingly easy to make.
It was my first attempt at scones, and I have to say, it was a success!----->

Banana Cream Pie with Meringue

This was my first time making a banana cream pie.  I've been missing out! This was so delicious!

I adapted the recipe from Allrecipes.

Banana Cream Pie:

3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks, beaten (save egg whites for the meringue)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) pie crust (see recipe below)
2 bananas, sliced

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Add milk in gradually while stirring gently. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner.
Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes; remember to keep stirring. Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency.
Slice bananas into the cooled baked pastry shell. Top with pudding mixture and meringue(recipe below).
Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Chill for an hour.

Crust recipe:

1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers

1/3 cup butter, melted

Mix wafer and melted butter and press down into pie pan.  Chill until set.

Meringue recipe:

This is a great site that has the meringue recipe and gives you very good tips about creating a meringue.

Chewy Lemon Cookies {these are SO addictive!}

I love lemon anything.
And these cookies were so delicious.
They were literally gone in two days.
I have added them to my list of favorite cookies!

Chewy Lemon Cookies

Ingredients:

½ cups butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 whole egg

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoons baking powder

⅛ teaspoons baking soda

1-½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes. 

The 1st Day of Christmas Break & We have a sickie

Poor, poor C-girl.  Her first Christmas break from school and she promptly began puking not long after being up today.  Since then, she has been puny and sleeping and very, very needy.
The poor girl is just plain miserable.  We are hoping this is a quick sickness and that she will be back on her feet soon to join in on the holiday festivities. 


Can you believe it is only this many days until Christmas?!--

It comes and goes too quickly!


I have already begun celebrating.  I started off the day by making a recipe I have been dying to make- The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls.  
Here was what some of the process looked like:

And can I just say, the iPhone4S takes awesome pics!!! All of these photos today were taken with the phone!

Christmas parties and holiday baking fun!

Yesterday, I made peanut butter fudge, Oreo balls, sugar cookies, spritz cookies and candied pretzels.  My kitchen may never be the same...

Free Your Mind!

I've mentioned recently that I have felt overwhelmed.  Today, I decided to step away from the computer for the most part.  After I dropped B boy off at preschool, I came home to do some cooking. 


I cannot even convey how much I did not realize that I missed cooking.  Especially cooking from scratch.   


I turned on Pandora and got busy!

I whipped up a double batch of pumpkin muffins.

I boiled some chicken to make chicken broth and to use the chicken for homemade chicken pot pie.

I got things ready for a salad to go with dinner.

I cut up a pork tenderloin for chops later next week.


My mind felt so free and clear.  I was in such a great mood!  I began to think that maybe social media has been making my brain crazy!  Honestly, when you are on Twitter a lot, you do feel pressure to do things that other bloggers are doing.  I think the pressure sometimes gets to me and I should not let it!


I felt better today than I have in a long time!  I think I will take more time away from social media from now on!

Peanut Butter Icing

Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting

recipe from Baked Perfection

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup creamy peanut butter

generous pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk

4 cups powdered sugar

Cream the butter, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time alternating with the milk until you reach the desired consistency.

Spread over chocolate cupcakes for best results! ;-)

Blueberry Muffins

I made these blueberry muffins this weekend.  They were super easy and super yummy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine, at room temp 

1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries or 2 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
Topping;
1 tablespoon granulated sugar, mixed with
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Heat oven to 375°.  Grease 18 regular-size muffin cups (or 12 large size muffins).  In bowl, mix butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.  Beat in vanilla, baking powder and salt.  With spoon, fold in half of flour then half of milk into batter; repeat.  Fold in blueberries.  Spoon into muffin cups and sprinkle topping onto each muffin.  Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and springy to touch.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/the-best-blueberry-muffins-50719#ixzz1MT15HVqL 

Cookies!!!

Tim has been SUPER stressed with work, so when we can have some fun family time, we take advantage of it!  Friday night we made homemade pizzas with fresh mozzarella that was super yummy!  I also whipped up some sugar cookies that we cut into Easter shapes and after dinner we decorated them!