Grilled Zucchini with Couscous, Spinach, and Cheese & a Winner!

    Happy 4th of July weekend!  What a beautiful holiday weekend we have.  Before I get to my fabulous summer picnic side dish, I need to announce the winner of the Learn How To Can Giveaway!  Using random.org the number 27 was drawn.  The winner is:
                                                   HMB4Him said...

I am a FACS teacher and I would love to learn to can. I am somewhat old-fashioned. I make my own laundry soap and cleaners so this is right up my alley! I would like to learn how to make raspberry and blackberry jelly!

   Congratulations!  I have e-mailed you.  Please e-mail me back with your mailing information within 48 hours!

   I'm so excited that the weather is finally warm and it's time to use the grill again.  Usually my husband is the one to grill but this year I decided I wanted to try my hand at it.  I've been looking for vegetables that can be grilled as well and came across a yummy looking recipe for zucchini.

    This recipe calls for hollowed out zucchini filled with a couscous stuffing.  I love couscous so I was immediately taken with the recipe.  The mixture of couscous, spinach, Parmesan, and lemon juice was really light and fresh.  The zucchini grills up with nice grill marks on the bottom and the couscous mixture bakes into the zucchini.  It's a perfect BBQ or summertime side dish.

Grilled Zucchini with Couscous, Spinach, and Cheese  (adapted from Cooking Light )
1 c. vegetable broth
1 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 c. couscous, uncooked
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 t. lemon zest
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. olive oil
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
3 zucchini

1.  Preheat the grill.

2.  Heat the vegetable broth over medium high heat.  Bring to a boil and add in the spinach and shallots.  Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes.  Add in the couscous, stir, then cover and remove from heat.

3.  Cut the zucchini in half then scoop out the middle leaving a 1/4 inch thick shell.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.

4.  Remove the lid from the saucepan and stir.  Mix in the Parmesan, lemon juice, lemon zest, and olive oil.  Spoon this mixture into each of the zucchini halves.

5.  Place the zucchini directly onto the grill.  Close the lid and grill for 10-15 minutes.

This post linked to:

Not Baaad Sundays, Seasonal Sundays
Mangia Monday, Meatless Mondays

Layered Cakes: What's Baking? Round Up!

     This month I was lucky enough to be the host of the What's Baking? challenge.  I have been dying to make a layer cake and decided this would be the perfect challenge for this wonderful group of bakers.  I couldn't wait to see all the different cakes and I wasn't disappointed!  The flavors and fillings on these cakes look amazing!



     Melissa from I Was Born to Cook made this delicious Yellow Cake with Chocolate Filling covered in chocolate frosting for her husbands birthday.

     Jade from The Mess Pot, made this gorgeous looking Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Layer Cake.

                                                               

    Jaida of Sweet Beginnings shared a cake perfect for summer; a Triple Layer Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.

    This tasty looking Neapolitan Layer Cake was made by Lindsey of Our Share of the Harvest.

    I made a Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Lemon Marmalade Filling topped with a Lemon Buttercream for Father's Day.

    Carrie from Carrie's Sweet Life made this dreamy Chocolate Mousse Cake.

    This amazing strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate cake has layers of Swiss Meringue Buttercream and was made by Cara of The Boys Made Me Do It.

This adorable birthday cake, made by Jey from The Jey of Cooking, was a White Almond Sour Cream Cake with strawberry filling and buttercream icing.



Nicole from 7 Ate 9 Bakes made a great Reese Cup Chocolate Peanut Butter cake with adorable Reese cup mortar board hats!

This summery, Strawberry Layer Cake was made by Catherine of Pursuing Domestic Goddessness.

Just in time for the 4th of July is the fabulous Red, White, and Blue Layer Cake from Amanda of Our Italian Kitchen.

     Thank you to all the ladies that participated in June's Baking Challenge!  July's challenge will be hosted by Lindsey of Our Share of the Harvest.  The theme for July will be Bake Local.  Bakers can choose from tons of in-season fruits, baking-friendly veggies like zucchini and beets, not-so-obvious local finds like nuts, honey, prepared jams and jellies, maybe even grains if they're lucky. 


This post linked to:
Frugal Food Thursdays, It's A Keeper Thursdays
Sweet Tooth Friday, Fat Camp Friday
Foodie Friday, Sweets for a Saturday

Chicken Salad with Strawberries & Dried Cranberries

    The recipe swap theme for this week was entree salads.  I was excited about this because in the summertime we make a lot of entree salads and I'm always looking for new ones to add.  I received a chicken salad with oranges and cranberries.  It looked really good but I don't much like canned oranges and I had a basket of fresh strawberries so I switched them out.

    The vinaigrette dressing was a raspberry vinaigrette, but I didn't have any raspberry vinegar so I had to improvise.  Because I was already putting strawberries in the salad, I used a few pureed strawberries and one minced strawberry to give the dressing a light, fruity flavor.  I really ended up liking this recipe.  The strawberries and cranberries added a bit of sweet and tart to the salad.  The dressing was sweet, sour, and tangy all at once.  This is a great summer salad.

Chicken Salad with Strawberries and Dried Cranberries (adapted from Sweet Beginnings)
For each salad:
1 boneless, skinless, chicken breast
2 strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/4 c. dried cranberries
2 c. lettuce

For the dressing:
3 strawberries
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
3 T. honey
1 t. sugar
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 t. tarragon
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper

1.  Cook the chicken in a skillet and cut into strips or bite sized pieces.  Set aside to cool.

2.  To make the dressing cut two strawberries in half and puree.  Put the pureed strawberries as well as the other minced strawberry in a small bowl.  Add the vinegar, olive oil, honey, and sugar.  Whisk until smooth.  Then whisk in the remaining ingredients.  Put in the refrigerator until ready to use.

3.  To assemble the salad put the lettuce on a place.  Place the quartered strawberries around the edges.  Place the chicken strips on the salad and sprinkle with cranberries.  Drizzle the dressing over top of the salad and enjoy.

Spiced Peach Jam & Learn How to Can Giveaway!

     I am still so pumped after my HouseParty the other day.  Learning to can fruits and vegetables and to share that with others has been an amazing experience.  I recently made a spiced peach jam which was so good I was literally eating it with a spoon.  The peaches were sweet and the spices really added a special hint of flavor to this jam.  It was fairly simple to make and something I'll be enjoying all winter long!

    I'm also excited to share with one lucky reader a Learn How to Can prize pack!  Whether you are a seasoned canner or you just want to learn how to can, this prize pack will help you every step of the way!  Included in the prize is:

-1 Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving

-1 Jar of Pectin

-2 Packets of Instant Pectin

-1 berry masher

-1 collapsible funnel
-coupons for Ball jars and pectin

     To enter this giveaway you must complete the mandatory entry. You may then do any (or all!) of the additional entries. Leave a comment telling me about each additional entry along with your contact information so that I can contact you if you are the winner.

Spiced Peach Jam (slightly adapted from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving Cookbook)

4 c. chopped, pitted, peeled, peaches

2 T. lemon juice
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1 package (1.75 oz) regular powdered fruit pectin
5 c. sugar

1.  Prepare the canner, jars, and lids.

2.  In a large stockpot, bring water to a boil and add the peaches.  Let them boil for 1-2 minutes.  Remove to a cold bath and remove the skins and pits.  Chop peaches.

3.  In a large stainless steel sauce pan combine the peaches, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Whisk in the pectin until it is dissolved.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently.  Add sugar all at once and continue stirring constantly.  Bring to a hard boil and stir for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and skim off any foam.

4.  Ladle the hot jam into the warm jars leaving 1/4 inch of headpace.  Remove the air bubbles and adjust the headspace.  Wipe the rim of the jars, center on the lid, and tighten the screwband to fingertip tight.

5.  Put the jars in the canner making sure they are completely submerged and put on the lid.  Boil for 10 minutes.  Remove the lid of the canner and wait an additional 5 minutes.  Remove from canner and let sit for 12 hours.  Check the seal and store for up to 1 year.

Note:  This makes 6 half pints of spiced peach jam.

This post linked to:

Meatless Mondays, Mangia Monday

Made from Scratch Tuesdays

Zesty Salsa and Discover You Can HouseParty



  I cannot tell you how excited I was to be a HouseParty host for the Discover You Can Party sponsored by Jarden Home Brands.  A few months ago I decided to plant a vegetable garden and finally learn how to can.  Being a host for this HouseParty sealed the deal!  About a month before the party, I canned my very first thing:  Strawberry Lemon Marmalade.  It was awesome!  A week later I canned 6 half pints of Zesty Salsa.  One week before the party I canned 6 half pints of Spiced Peach Jam.

My husband and cousin



    The party pack that I received from HouseParty and Ball was amazing!  I received a Discovery Canning Kit, 3 bottles of pectin, sample packets of pectin to share with my guests, 4 collapsible funnels, dissolveable labels, 3 Ball Blue Books, 2 berry mashers, gift bags, coupons, and tons of other things!  I got to keep some for myself, share some with friends and family, and I'm going to share with one of my readers as well! 

    I decided to host the party at my parents house as we were having a huge birthday party for the June birthdays in our family.  I made it birthday/canning party!  It was a huge success.  I'm not sure who had the most fun;  the adults, or my young cousins who liked being the "jam tasters"!  Together we made 9 half pints of Strawberry Lemon Marmalade. I had already made 9 half pints to give to the guests so they could each take one home.  I also gave out 5 jars of Zesty Salsa and 5 jars of Spiced Peach Jam as party favors in thegift bags along with coupons, pectin samples, and more.  My cousin ended up winning the Ball Blue Book prize for guessing the most secret ingredients, and my mom won a collapsible funnel.  I raffled off 2 other funnels and each guest went home with an awesome gift bag full of Ball goodies!



My brother, Kristin & Peyton



     Everyone had a great time at the party and I'm sure a few people will be canning on their own by the end of the summer!  I'd like to thank Jarden and HouseParty for this wonderful "gift" of teaching me how to can.  If you are interested in canning or preserving check back tomorrow for my Learn How to Can giveaway prize pack and another great canning/preserving recipe!  For more information on canning visit Ball's website.



Zesty Mild Salsa   (adapted from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)



Mom and Greg



5 cups chopped, cored, peeled tomatoes

1 1/2 c. green bell peppers, chopped and seeded

1 c. red bell peppers, chopped and seeded

2 c. chopped onions
1 c. chili peppers, chopped and seeded
2/3 c. white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T. cilantro, chopped
1 t. salt
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. black pepper

1.  Prepare the canner, jars, and lids.

2.  In order to peel the tomatoes use a large sauce pan to boil water.  Put the tomatoes in the water for 1 minute, flip them over and boil an additional minute.  Transfer to a colander and run cold water over top of them.  The skin should easily peel off the tomatoes.  Cut out the core and chop the tomatoes.

3.  Combine the tomatoes, green peppers, red peppers, onions, chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and pepper in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat and boil gently for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

4.  Ladle the hot salsa into half pint jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Use a tool to remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed.  Wipe the rims of the jars and center the lid on them.  Put on a screwband and tightened using your fingers.

5.  Process the salsa in the half pint jars in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.  Remove the lid and let sit for 5 minutes.  Remove the jars and cool for 12 hours.  After 12 hours check the seals and store.

Makes 7 half pint jars.

This post linked to:

Seasonal Sundays, Not Baaad Sundays

Canning Week at From Mess Hall to Bistro

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Strawberry Lemon Filling

     This month I hosted the What's Baking? challenge.  The challenge was to make a layer cake.  For as many cakes, cupcakes, pies, etc., that I have made, I have never made a layer cake and it was high time I tried.  I was going to Pittsburgh for Father's Day so I figured this was the perfect time to make the cake.  I figured my dad would love whatever I made.

     I've recently gotten into canning and have made several types of jams and wanted to use one of those as the filling.  I finally settled for the strawberry lemon marmalade as the filling.  Next, I decided on a delicious looking vanilla buttermilk cake.  I then decided to cover the entire thing with my lemon buttercream to bring the flavors together.

     I think baking the cake was the easiest part of making this Father's Day Cake.  The recipe was easy and I had three 9 inch pans and was able to cook all three layers at the same time.  I love this cake.  It is firm but moist and has a delicious buttery vanilla flavor.  After doing some research I put a light crumb coating layer of buttercream on the top of both layer before putting the jam on so that it wouldn't seep into the cake.  I layered the three layers and then let it set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

    The toughest part was frosting the cake.  It was hot and humid out and my buttercream was melting all over the place, causing the filling to run as well.  At one point the layers were slipping everywhere and I thought the cake was ruined.  However, after a few trips in the refrigerator and finally some buttercream modified with Crisco, I got the frosting to stay and got the cake decorated.

    This cake is delicious!  The vanilla in the cake paired with the strawberry lemon filling and topped with lemon buttercream was outstanding.  The whole cake tasted light and summery.  Everyone at the party seemed to enjoy it and my dad loved it.  I'd like to try this flavor combination as a filled cupcake next time.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Strawberry Lemon Filling (cake recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
For the cake:
3 3/4 c. cake flour
2 1/2 c. sugar
1 T. plus 2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1/4 c. applesauce
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/3 c. low fat sour cream
1 T. vanilla

1 jar of Strawberry Lemon Marmalade (recipe HERE)

For the Lemon Buttercream:
5 c. powdered sugar
10 T. butter
5-6 T. lemon juice
2 t. grated lemon peel

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Butter three 9 inch round cake pans then line the bottoms with parchment paper.  Butter the paper and top lightly with flour.  Set aside.

2.  In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. 

3.  In a smaller bowl combine the butter, buttermilk, and applesauce.  Mix well.  Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and mix on low with a hand mixer for 30 seconds.  Adjust the speed to high and mix an additional 2-3 minutes or until the batter becomes light and fluffy.

4.  In a small bowl combine the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and sour cream.  Stir well to combine.  Slowly add the egg mixture to the batter mixing well.

5.  Divide the batter between the 3 cake pans.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.  Turn pans onto a wire rack and remove the parchment paper.  Let cool completely.

6.  Set the bottom layer of the cake on a cake board and put enough buttercream on top to make a crumb coating.  Spread the top with the strawberry lemon marmalade and top with the second layer.  Repeat this with the second and third layers.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the marmalade.

7.  Make the buttercream icing while the cakes are setting.  With an electric mixer beat together the butter, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Slowly add in the powdered sugar until it is well combined and the icing is smooth. This may take several minutes.

8.  Frost the entire cake with the lemon buttercream.  Decorate using additional buttercream. 

**If not eating the cake right away it can be refrigerated**

This post linked to:
Friday Potluck, Fat Camp Friday
Foodie Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweets for a Saturday, Fresh Food Friday

Garlic Beef Enchiladas

     I bought a new cookbook this past week and I’ve been itching to make something from it. It’s The Taste of Home Cookbook-Cooks Who Care edition. There are so many awesome recipes and most of them have pictures so I know if what I’m making is close! The first recipe I ventured to try from this book was for the Garlic Beef Enchiladas.

    I was somewhat skeptical about making my own enchilada sauce, especially after reading the ingredients. It didn’t sound like it would be anywhere near my beloved canned sauce. However, after following all the steps I added in the tomato sauce and BOOM! It looked and smelled just like enchilada sauce, amazing!

    The enchiladas were pretty awesome as well. You start with the ground beef, onions, green peppers, and garlic. Then add in some spices. Finally you add in the stewed tomatoes, which give it a rich taste and helps the meat mixture stick together. These bad boys were slightly spicy and better then anything we get at the Mexican restaurant. Since it’s only the two of us at home, I was able to save some of the meat mixture for taco salads the next day and froze a batch of the enchilada sauce for next time.

Garlic Beef Enchiladas (adapted from Taste of Home Cookbook  )

For the Filling:
1 pound of lean ground beef
½ large onion, chopped
½ large green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. flour
1 T. chili powder
1 t. salt
1 t. cumin
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes

For the Sauce:
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 T. butter
¼ c. flour
1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 T. chili powder
1 T. cumin
1 t. sage
1 t. salt

8 flour tortillas
2 cups Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

1. In a large skillet heat the beef, onion, green pepper, and garlic over medium heat until the beef is no longer pink. Drain the beef and return the skillet to the heat. Add in the flour and seasonings; stir well. Mix in the stewed tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 15 minutes. Stir periodically while the meat and tomatoes cook in order to break up the tomatoes.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan melt the butter. Sauté the garlic 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Slowly stir in the flour making a roux. Add the broth a few tablespoons at a time mixing until it’s all incorporated. Bring the broth to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the tomato sauce and seasonings. Cook an additional 5 minutes then remove from heat.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour 1 ½ cups of the sauce into the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan. Spread a few tablespoons of meat on one side of a tortilla, top with cheese, and roll up. Place in the baking dish seam side down. Continue with the rest of the tortillas.

4. Top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce (I only used an additional cup and had plenty left over). Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

This post linked to::

What's Cooking Wednesdays, Made it on Monday

Real Food Wednesday , It's A Keeper Thursday

Frugal Food Thursday, Party Mindie Style

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer

     This year I decided to get into canning so I wanted to grow some of my own vegetables.  To get into the spirit of having my own garden I took the book Farm City:  The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter out of the library.  I wasn't sure what to expect out of this book but I ended up really enjoying her adventure.

      Novella lives in the city of Oakland, California.  The book opens with her and her boyfriend Bill moving into the top floor of a two story house in GhostTown, one of the worst parts of the city.  The bottom floor of the house is another apartment.  Behind the house is an abandoned lot whih Novella decides to turn into her urban farm.

     At first she starts with a couple of raised vegetable beds, trucking in loads of free horse manure from a friend who has a horse farm.  Then she buys a couple of fruit trees.  A year later Bill decides she is ready for bee keeping and buys her a beginning bee keepers kit which she puts of the porch of her house.  As her garden begins flourishing, her neighbors begin helping themselves to the fruits of her labor.

    After a time the fruits and vegetables aren't enough so Novella orders a box of birds for her farm.  She receives ducks, geese, chickens, and turkeys in the box.  She goes through the sorrows and joys of raising them as some of her birds perish at the jaws of ferral dogs, other birds get loose, and one particular turkey ends up on the Thanksgiving day table.

   Novella then moves onto breeding and raising rabbits, and finally to pigs.  This book is a heartfelt story of how Novella and Bill care for their animals but also their pride when they kill and cook the animals that they have nurtured since birth.  In between raising the rabbits, chasing the pigs, and harvesting the vegetables are tales of neighbors living in cars, an underground fish fry, and murder in the city.

    Novella becomes a true urban farmer and to this day has a farm in Oakland.  She has continued to grow fruits and vegetables and I've heard that she has added goats to her menagerie.  This is an inspirational book to everyone who lives in a city and has every wanted to grow their own foods or raise their own livestock.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Stuffed Shells

     I enjoy eating stuffed shells. I don’t like to make them, but they are always worth the effort. I usually stuff them with ricotta, spinach, and spices, but my husband doesn’t really like ricotta all that much. This time around I went with half mozzarella and half ricotta, and added in some onions and garlic for good measure.

     The result was a softer, cheesier filling. The spinach, onions, and garlic did their part to flavor the cheeses as well. It was really tasty, especially with all the spices I added to the mixture. The best part was that my husband, his friend, and I all ate the shells for dinner and I still had 20 left to freeze for another meal. This recipe easily makes enough for 6 adults.

Stuffed Shells (a Hezzi-D original)

1 box (12 oz) large shells-about 40 shells

1 T. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach
2 ½ c. part skim ricotta cheese (we used Maggio)
2 c. part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 t. pepper
1 t. salt
2 t. Italian seasonings
4 c. marinara sauce
Parmesan cheese
Chopped basil
1. Cook the shells according to the package directions. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Pour 1 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan and place the shells on top of the sauce. (I put half the shells in a baking pan and the other on a baking sheet to freeze.)

2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Then add in the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Remove from heat to cool.

3. Defrost the spinach and squeeze the moisture from it. In a large bowl combine the spinach, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Mix until well combine. Add in the warm garlic and onion mixture and stir. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings. Mix well.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

5. Begin filling the shells with 1-2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture. If there is any leftover put into shells that need more.

6. Top the shells with 3 cups of marinara sauce, enough to fill the bottom of the baking dish as well as on top of the shells. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes. Serve with parmesan cheese and chopped basil.

**If freezing shells, place them in the freezer on the cookie sheet for 3-4 hours. Remove from freezer and transfer the frozen shells to a freeze baggie. These freeze nicely for up to 6 months.**

This post is linked to:

Not Baaad Sundays, Seasonal Sundays

Meatless Mondays, Mangia Mondays

Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesdays

Retirement Cake: Yellow Butter Cake with Buttercream Frosting

     Every year at work we have an end of the year luncheon.  This year it was in honor of our retiring guidance counselor.  I was asked if I would make and decorate a cake instead of buying one at the market.  I began struggling with what type of cake to make.  I initially thought of making a marble cake to make everyone happy, but after a stressful week I just went with a butter yellow cake. 

     The cake turned out great.  It was firm, moist, and buttery.  It held up well against the buttercream.  The buttercream was thick and rich.  It paired wonderfully with the butter yellow cake.  The toughest part of the cake was decorating it.  I poured over baking websites for days looking for a design.  I finally decided to make a clock and put all of the things she enjoys doing on the clock.  I sprinkled the entire cake with fat sprinkles and wrote a message on it.  I got a lot of compliments on the decorating of the cake.  I really enjoyed working on this cake and hope I get to make another one soon!

Yellow Butter Cake with Buttercream Icing (adapted from Annie's Eats )

For the Cake:
1 1/2 sticks butter
1/4 c. applesauce
3 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 1/4 c. lowfat milk

For the Frosting:
2 sticks butter
3 c. powdered sugar
1 t. meringue powder
1 t. vanilla

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan or two 9 inch cake pans with parchment.  Butter and flour the edges of the pans and set aside.

2.  In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Sitr well and set aside.

3.  In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar.  Add in the applesauce and mix well.  Stir in the eggs one at a time.

4.  Stir in the vanilla and mix for 2 minutes.  Slowly take turns adding in the dry ingredients and the milk until everything is just incorporated.

5.  Pour the batter into the 9 x 13 pan or divide it into the 9 inch pans.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Put on a cooling rack and cool 20 minutes.

6.  Run a knife around the edge of the pan to help remove the cakes.  Invert the pans and peel off the parchment.  Let cool completely.

7.  Meanwhile, beat the butter with a hand mixer.  Beat in the vanilla and meringue powder.  On low, mix in the powdered sugar, gradually coming up to high speed and mixing for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture comes together as a thick frosting.

8.  Frost the entire cake and then decorate.

This post linked to:

Foodie Friday, Friday Potluck

Sweet Tooth Friday,  Fat Camp Friday 

Sweets for a Saturday, Party Mindie Style

Almost Cinnabons (Recipe Swap)

    This week my online cooking board did a recipe swap involving breakfast recipes.  Now I do not normally cook breakfast and rarely do I eat more then toast for breakfast.  However, when I got my recipe I was so excited.  The recipe is for Almost Cinnabons!  I absolutely love cinnamon rolls, especially at Cinnabon.  This recipe comes from Love Through the Stomach... and looked so incredible.

    I made the dough early in the morning, but it was a surprisingly chilly June morning so it took my dough about two and a half hours to rise.  I then spread on the butter and cinnamon/sugar goodness.  I rolled it up and then decided to let the rolls do a second rise for an hour.  As the rolls began their second rise the smell of cinnamon spread throughout the house.  My husband couldn't wait to have a cinnamon roll.

    Baking in the oven they smelled heavenly.  The cinnamon rolls came out slightly browned and dripping with cinnamon and sugar.  The cream cheese frosting was thick and lucious.  These cinnamon rolls taste very similar to the ones I've had before a Cinnabon.  They were warm, gooey, and sweet.  Perfect for breakfast or dessert.  I will definitely be making these again soon!

Almost Cinnabons (adapted from Love Through the Stomach)
For the Dough:
1/3 c. warm milk (110 degrees)
1 package of dry active yeast
3 T. sugar
1 medium egg
2 T. butter
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 c. flour

For the Filling:
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 t. cinnamon
2 T. butter, softened

For the Frosting:
3 T. cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
1 c. powdered sugar
1 T. butter
1 t. vanilla

1.  In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the warm milk, sugar, and yeast.  Mix and let it sit 5 minutes to activate the yeast.  After five minutes add the salt, egg, and butter.  Mix well to combine. 

2.  Slowly add in the flour and knead for 4-5 minutes.  Form into a ball, return it to the mixing bowl, and cover with a towel.  Sit in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

3.  Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured surface.  Using a rolling pin roll it into a rectangular shape. 

4.  Quickly mix the cinnamon and sugar together and set aside.  Spread the softened butter onto the dough rectangle covering it to the edges.  Sprinkle the buttered dough with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. 

5.  Starting at the narrow end roll up the dough.  Slice into 4 or 6 pieces (depending on the size) and place in a dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Cover with a towel and allow the rolls to rise for 1-2 horus.

6.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cinnamon rolls are brown and cooked all the way through.  As soon as you remove them from the oven flip them upside down so the melted cinnamon mixture evenly covers the insides of the rolls. 

7.  Leave the cinnamon rolls in the baking dish while the frosting is prepared.  beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter together until it comes together as a thick frosting.  Top the warm cinnamon rolls with the frosting and serve.

This post is linked to:

What's on Your Plate Wednesday?, Made it on Monday

What's Cooking Wednesdays, It's A Keeper Thursday

Recipe Swap Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday