My Daddy's Delicious Divinity

One of my favorite candies in the whole wide world is my Daddy’s Divinity. It tastes like a little touch of heaven. So delicious, my mouth is watering thinking about those little white clouds melting in my mouth. Well, I’ve had other divinity and it tastes nothing like the perfection my Daddy has made for years. I needed to get in on this little secret. How appropriate that this is my first blog for 2013! This Christmas I had the pleasure of learning how to make divinity with my Daddy. He gave me a candy thermometer and the recipe years ago, but I’ve been scared to try it on my own. I didn’t know what hard ball and soft ball stage means.....well, I do now! Paula Deen tried to teach me, but there’s nothing like being in the kitchen with your Daddy making your favorite candy. He is the best baker in the world, so after this lesson I’m certain I can make this on my own now. I’ll be sure to come back and let you know how my first solo effort goes, but for now, here’s the lesson from my Daddy. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be too. Don’t be afraid, you can do it too. Before we get started, take a look at how old this recipe of my Dad's is. As you can see, this recipe has been around a while.

Let’s get started with these 3 easy steps.

1.  Stir 2 cups sugar into ½ cup corn syrup, ½ cup water, dash salt till dissolved.  Boil to  medium-ball stage (240 degrees).

 Slowly pour 1/3 of sugar mixture over 2 stiff-beaten egg whites, beating constantly while pouring. This is when a stand mixer comes in handy.

That's my sweet Daddy

2. Cook remaining syrup to very hard-ball stage (265 degrees). Test: Add several drops to water.  Mixture will form a firm ribbon that bends when lifted from water. Beat syrup in candy mixture, continue beating until firm.

3.  When mixture holds its shape when dropped from a spoon, add 1    teaspoon vanilla. At this point, we added 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.

Drop from teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Swirl each piece to a peak. Daddy could make a swirl, I just make a pile. We use two teaspoons to help spoon the mixture onto the wax paper or cookie sheet.

Double cooking takes longer, but it’s a failure proof way to make fluffy divinity. Let the divinity to dry fully, takes a couple of hours, then it is ready to enjoy!

Tip: did you know you shouldn't make divinity on rainy or humid days?? Yep, learned that from my Daddy and he's the expert!

Crockpot Chocolate Candy - Yes, it's true!

Yes, this is actual delicious chocolate candy that is made in the crockpot! I know this is going to sound crazy, but just keep reading.  Don’t give up on it just yet. It was so easy and so delicious! Who knew you could make yummy candy in the crockpot?? I had no idea until my friend, Trisha Yearwood, taught me how. Thank goodness I still have time to watch the Food Network! I was watching her show last weekend and she made this candy with a friend of hers (not me, another friend) and I immediately ran out to buy the ingredients and give it a try. I also had never heard of almond bark, but what the heck, Trisha said to buy it so I did! Are you dying to know how to make it now?? I think you are. Okay, here’s the recipe: 

Ingredients:

2 pounds salted dry-roasted peanuts (this seemed like a lot of nuts so I might cut it back next time and mix it up with pecans). You could also just use whatever type of nut floats your boat.

4 ounces German's sweet chocolate (about 4 squares)

One 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

2 1/2 pounds white almond bark

Directions:

Put the peanuts in the bottom of a 4-quart slow cooker. Layer the chocolate over the peanuts, beginning with the sweet chocolate, followed by the chocolate chips and then the almond bark. Set the temperature on low and cook for 3 hours. Do not stir the mixture. Tip: you might want to use a crockpot liner so you don’t have a chocolaty mess to clean up afterwards.

After 3 hours*, stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth. Drop the candy into cupcake pan liners using about 2 tablespoons per liner. Allow the candy to cool completely before removing the cupcake liners.  *Now here is a disclaimer – I read several reviews of this recipe online and many said the nuts burned in their crockpot. Mine was perfectly fine, but maybe check after 1 ½ hours to 2 hours to make sure. If it’s all melted and you can stir it, go ahead and serve it up!

Mix well and get all the nuts covered in that yummy chocolate.

Here are some ideas I’m going to add next time too…..I think I’ll stick a caramel square in the cupcake liners and spoon the chocolate around it. That would be a yummy turtle treat! I also might get some peppermint candy to sprinkle on top after I scoop it out so it will be pretty. And lastly I was even thinking of putting a small York peppermint patty in the bottom of the liner and scooping the chocolate on top. Now that would be over the top!! So many ways to mix this recipe up.

Doesn't that look yummy?? As you can see, it is a lot of nuts, not that it's a bad thing, but I might cut it back next time.

These make such nice gifts and treats for your friends and they think you went to so much trouble, but it was really sooooo easy. Shhhhh…..that will be our little secret. I used Christmas cupcake liners and wrapped a couple up in cute paper and gave as gifts. Doesn’t it look cute? you could use mini liners and make so many more!  I think anyone would love to receive this treat, or just enjoy them yourself, but I must warn you…..this makes about 50-60 pieces. Add almond bark to your shopping list and make some now!

Merry Christmas!

New School Sausage Balls

Okay, this is another one of those recipes where you think.....got it, already make it, don’t need it. Well, if you’re thinking that, you’d be wrong. You’ve most likely had the sausage balls made the old fashion way, with raw sausage, tons of Bisquick, water and cheese. Well, this has most of the same ingredients, but you cook the sausage first! I know, I was skeptical at first because that’s not the way I’ve made sausage balls all my life, but my cousin, Lori, showed me the light and I’ve been making them this way ever since. I hate to admit it, but Lori was right. They are so much tastier. Plus you can really adjust the amount of Bisquick to make them cheesier.  The more cheese the better is our motto around here! Okay, here’s what you do for new school sausage balls.

Ingredients:

One pound of sausage. I like to use hot to give it a little kick.

4 cups of grated cheddar cheese

10 – 20 ounces of Bisquick

Directions:

Cook sausage until done, do not drain. I know, you are thinking ICK, but it’s okay, just add the cheese and melt it on top of the sausage, grease and all! You’ll be fine. It’s just a little bit. You won’t die. Trust me. Remove from heat when you add the cheese. Stir cheese in until melted.

Now add the Bisquick a little at a time. I probably never use more than 2 cups of Bisquick because I like them really cheesy.

Bake at 375 for 12 – 15 minutes.

These are the tastiest little morsels you will put in your mouth. Bake Christmas morning and everyone will love you!

THE BEST French Toast Casserole EVER!

How's that for a title?? Catch your eye?? If the title didn't, that yummy picture should!

I have a Christmas Brunch every year for my girlfriends and love to put on a spread. One of the yearly favorites is my French Toast Casserole. It is to die for! Now you might be thinking that you’ve had a good French Toast Casserole and don’t need this recipe, but you’d be wrong! I’ve tried many other recipes, but this one is awesome! Trust me, try it and you won’t go back to your sad little recipe ever again. It will rock your world! You make it the night before so for 12 hours it’s just bathing in goodness, waiting to be cooked, and that makes all the difference. Are you tired of me going on and on about it??? Okay, fine, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Bread (w/without raisins)

3 Tbsp light Karo syrup

1/2 lb butter

1.5 cups brown sugar

5 eggs

1.5 cups milk

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Combine Karo, butter, brown sugar in saucepan and melt.

Pour 1/2 of the mix in a  13 x 9 dish

Place 2 layers of bread on top

Pour the other 1/2 Karo mix on top

Beat eggs, milk, vanilla & salt in medium bowl. Pour over bread, cover & refrigerate over night.

The next morning, take casserole out of the fridge and bake  at 350 degrees for 1hour.

I know you hear me say that my recipes are awesome a lot, but seriously, this French Toast is the bomb! You'll love it!! BTW, one of my best girlfriends, Kerryanne, gave me this recipe many years ago. It's been making happy bellies ever since.

Enjoy!

Slow cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

If you know me, you know one thing I love is Tomato Basil Soup! I haven't found a great one to make, but Panera makes a mighty fine one for me to eat. They serve it with a warm whole wheat baguette and I'm in heaven. Oh, or Nordstrom's Cafe'. They have a delicious Tomato soup served with little cheese crostinis, but you have to ask for more than one. They are stingy with their crostini. Okay I'll try to snap out of it and get back to MY delicious recipe......I've been looking for a good tomato soup recipe and I believe I've found it. And who doesn't want a soup that cooks in the crock pot?? No watching and stirring and hoping it doesn't burn. Just dump it all in and come back in a few hours. Now that's my kind of soup! And it's tomato soup, my absolute fav!

Okay, let's see if this sounds yummy to you too....

Ingredients:

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice (I used the cans with oregano and basil included)
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth (homemade if you have it, which of course I did) 1 bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed (or skim milk if you’re trying to cut some calories. I split the difference and used one cup half and half and one cup skim milk)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Makes about 2 quarts (about 8 servings)

1. Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

3. After veggies are soft enough, remove bay leave and emulsify with a hand blender. I just stuck mine in the crock pot and went to town. If you prefer your soup a little chunky, then skip this step, but I didn’t want my tomato soup to look like vegetable soup. And if you don’t have a hand blender, throw it in a blender or food processor until blended.

Before I blended up the veggies.

4. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Make a roux might sound difficult, but it was really quick and simple. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don’t be afraid to always season to taste at the end). I added another teaspoon of dried basil and also added about 10 chopped fresh basil leaves. Also, nice to garnish with fresh basil.

5. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy! You know what would go well with this soup??? The garlic knots. Delish!

Banana Nut Bread

It’s the perfect time of year for Banana Nut Bread! Who doesn’t like banana nut bread?? Crazy people, that’s who! It’s so delicious warm out of the oven with maybe a little dab of butter. Delish! This is a great recipe and makes a lot of batter. This is my Daddy’s recipe and it’s delicious. He’s such a great baker so I love to make his recipes anytime I can. This recipe makes two loaves which comes in handy. We are heading to FL this weekend to see my in-laws and my father-in-law can’t have nuts so I made one loaf with nuts and one without. I can accommodate everyone. No one needs to go without banana nut bread or just banana bread. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup cooking oil

3 eggs

3 cups self rising flour, sifted (see note below to make self rising into all purpose flour)*

1 T vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

5 large, very ripe bananas (mashed) - I upped it to 6 bananas and it was even better. I usually peel and freeze my bananas as they get very ripe and pull them out, thaw, drain, and it's ready for banana nut bread!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Cream sugars, oil and eggs. Add flour 1 cup at a time and mix well. Add vanilla, bananas and nuts and mix well. Pour half of mixture in each loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until brown. 

Cool for a bit, but be sure to enjoy a slice while it’s warm!  Banana nut bread is the absolute perfect treat!

Make a loaf or two so you can enjoy a treat now.

*If you are using all purpose flour like I always do, here’s all you need to do:

For each cup of flour add 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and viola, you’ve made your own self-rising flour!

Lemon Garlic Chicken Crock Pot Recipe

Who doesn’t love cooking in the crockpot?? I mean, come on people, it is so easy and everything comes out so moist and delicious. You have absolutely no excuse not to get one. Of course, now that I’ve rejoined the working world I enjoy mine more and more. Luckily I have lots of recipes already on my Pinterest so I pulled this one out the other night. BTW, two things you need to do….get a crockpot and join Pinterest! I have found so many great recipes there. It’s awesome.

As I was saying, I love a great crockpot recipe, but a super flavorful one and I am even happier. This one is really garlicky (which I love) and a little zesty too. But wait, that’s not all, it’s also really low fat. The site I found this on claims it’s only 3 Weight Watchers points per serving. Now that’s a bargain!



Ingredients:

 - 8 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I didn’t have breast so I used thighs instead. I seem to always buy those instead)
- 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced
- 2 yellow onions, chopped
- 2 cups fat free, low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup lemon pepper seasoning (I cut this back by half, but do as you wish)
- 4 tbsp paprika (I also thought that was a lot so I cut it in half, but do whatever floats your boat)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tsp lemon zest



Directions:

 Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Mix together the lemon pepper seasoning, paprika and salt. Coat the chicken with the spice mixture. Place the coated chicken in the crock pot and cover with the fat free chicken broth, garlic cloves, parsley and onions and lemon zest. 

Cook on low heat for about 3-4 hours (or until done).


I served with a little whole wheat pasta with garlic, olive oil and kale. A very delicious and healthy meal!

Apple Pecan Pie w/Caramel drizzle - so delicious!

I love apple pie! Not just any pie, only Apple pie. Don't be trying to make me eat cherry or lemon or keylime, APPLE is the only pie I like and nothing will ever come between us. If apple pie is listed on a dessert menu, especially apple crumb pie,  I'm getting it! I love the cumbly topping. Yummers! This is my dad's recipe and when I first tasted it, I knew I had died and gone to heaven. It is seriously the best apple pie you will ever taste. I'm not kidding! I have tasted many apple pies and this really is the best one. It has a lot of pecans added and the caramel sauce just puts it over the top. It is so dang delicious. I have some apples at home from a recent apple picking trip and I believe an apple pie is in my future! Are you ready to learn how to make the best apple pie on the planet?? Let's get started:

Filling:

5 sliced and peeled apples

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

½ cup brown sugar (dark or light – I use light)

4 Tablespoons white sugar

4 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/3 cup caramel topping

1 deep shell pie crust

3 Tablespoons melted butter

Topping:

¾ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup chopped pecans

¼ cup sugar

6 T butter (melted)

1/3 cup caramel topping

Toss sliced apples with vanilla. In separate bowl combine pecans, sugars, cornstarch and cinnamon; add to apples and toss to coat apples. Drizzle caramel sauce over bottom of pie shell.  Pour in apple mixture. Drizzle with melted butter.

Combine flour, pecans and sugar. Pour in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 65 minutes or until  browned. Drizzle with caramel while still hot. Cool on wire rack.

What's better than one pie?? TWO pies!

Hearty Veggie Soup

It’s getting colder so it’s getting time for some great soup recipes! We love good soup around here! Well, who likes bad soup?? I’ve already made chicken noodle soup, the hubby’s favorite, now time for my favorite, a yummy veggie soup with pasta. Mmmm....mmmmmm.....good. This really is a great recipe. It’s very hearty and healthy. What’s better than that, right? Thanks again to Pinterest I found the start of a good recipe. I found a couple of recipes that I liked, combined a few ingredients, added a few of my own and viola, you have the perfect veggie soup recipe. You are so welcome. I am here to make things easier on you. This is your one stop blog for the best recipes ever! Yes, I am just a bit prejudiced on that. Can you blame me though? I’ve really made some yummy things. I’m not bragging. Trust me, I’m still amazed that  I even attempted some of these recipes! If I did it, you can do it too. Want to know how to make a delicious vegetable soup?? Let’s get started:

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 carrots, finely chopped

4 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 onion, diced

2 zucchini, diced

3 – 14 oz cans diced tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups chicken stock

1 Tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves

1 Tablespoon thyme

2 bay leaves

handful fresh parsley

2 cup pasta shells

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound ground turkey

Directions:

Brown turkey in a separate pan. While meat is browning, in a large pot, over medium heat, cook onions, celery and carrots until soft. Put the lid on and cook about 20-30 minutes (that’s how long it took mine to get good and soft). We want those veggies to get good and soft. Remember, no crunchy veggies in our soup!

Such a pretty veggie medley

Add zucchini and garlic and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until squash is soft.

Stir in rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and stir. Add can tomatoes, meat and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

How pretty does that look??? Yummers!

Add pasta, cook about 10 minutes or until pasta is done.

Add fresh parsley, salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

You can also make this soup without the meat and it will be just as delicious. I needed to add the meat for the hubby. He might wonder what’s up if I serve him a meal without meat! :-)

Braised Ribs

My friend, Giada, taught me how to make Braised Ribs back when I used to get to watch the Food Network every day. I miss those days. Why do we all have to work anyway?? We’ll ponder that another day. I have made them many times since. This is one of the husbands’ favorite dinners now. He’s always loved Country Style Ribs, but braising them is just the icing on the cake. It takes a lot of time, but it is well worth it. You can use beef short ribs, but using bone in country style ribs is the bomb! I love when your entire dinner is all in one pot too! The broth this creates is awesome so you’ll want to spoon that over the ribs and veggies. Save it, it's Delish!

 

 

Here’s how you can make this delicious dinner:

 

 

Ingredients
 

4-6 Country Style Ribs, bone in

2-3 celery ribs, largely diced

3-4 carrots, largely diced

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

red wine (about 1/4-1/2 cup)

2 bay leaves

bunch fresh thyme

1 spring rosemary

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

About 2 cups chicken stock

Olive oil

 

 

Directions

While you are chopping veggies, brown ribs on stove top in Dutch oven and remove.

Heat about 2 T olive oil in Dutch oven, then add diced celery, carrots, onion, tomatoes and sauté. Add 2 cloves garlic after veggies soften. Stir and add 2 T of tomato paste. Again, the squeeze tube is the best invention ever!

Once veggies have softened, deglaze with red wine, just a bit.  Sprinkle red pepper flakes over veggies, add bay leaves, thyme and rosemary. Add meat back to pot and pour in chicken stock until it is about half way up the meat. Do not cover it totally.

Bring to a simmer on stovetop then cover and put in 350 degree oven. Cook 2 hours with lid on.

Take it out and enjoy one of the best dinners of your life! Yes, it splatters and gets the Dutch oven all dirty, but it sure is worth it! So yummy!

Dinner at 525 at The Berry Burk

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about one of my fabulous dinners. I usually post my pics directly to Facebook and forget to come back and blog about them. Ironically, my food pics are the reason I started this blog but got carried away with cooking as a result. Let’s get back to Dawn’s Blogalicious’ roots!

 

My dinner club tried out a new restaurant in Richmond, 525 at The Berry Burk. It is in the old Berry Burk building, across from the Carpenter Center. It is such a great space. If you live in Richmond, you know how hard it is to find a restaurant that has more than 10 tables or that will even take reservations for a party less than six.  Most of the restaurants downtown and in the Fan are very small. This one is a very large space, you’ll forget your downtown. Well, you’d forget except for the large windows surrounding you. It really was a great space. I know I don’t usually write like I’m writing a restaurant review, but if you live in Richmond, you know how hard it is to find a nice space to take a larger group. Okay, enough about the space, the food was awesome too!

 

They have lots of small plates, which made me happy because I got to sample a few things. I really loved everything I tried. I will definitely go back! I couldn’t really decide between a few plates so Amy and I decided to split a started appetizer so we could both get the scallops. They sounded awesome, and didn’t disappoint.

 

We started with the Fried Pork Pot Stickers which were yummy! Don’t you think they look yummy in their photo? I do love a pot sticker and these were crunchy which made them even better.

 

Then we moved onto to the best dish of the evening! This caught the attention of everyone at the table…..Seared Sea Scallops with Sweet Pea Lobster Risotto! What’s that you say? Scallops AND you’re going to throw lobster into my risotto??  This dish lived up to the hype. The scallops were cooked perfectly (Chef Ramsey would be proud), but the risotto was really surprising. I mean, I love risotto, but I didn’t think this one would be out of this world. It was super flavorful! You might not be attracted to a normal sweet pea risotto, but throw some lobster in there and it just because delectable! Highly recommend this dish.

 

And of course we had to finish the night with a few desserts. I went for the obvious choice, Motlen Lava Chocolate Cake. Everything you expect it to be, except they went one step farther with the nutella whip cream….delish! The other girls tried out the Crème Brulee and Bourbon & Pecan Bread Pudding. They seemed pretty happy as well.

 

Perfect evening…..a great meal shared with great friends. We’ll definitely hit this place again!

Sue's Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is my husbands all time favorite cake in the world.  This is not an exaggeration, he LOVES carrot cake!  And he doesn’t just like any carrot cake, all carrot cake in the world is measured up to the cake he remembers from his childhood, his mother’s recipe. He found one that measured up at the Mixing Bowl in Richmond, but apparently they have recently changed their recipe and it no longer measures up. My amateur pallet thinks it still measures up, but he’s the expert and it just won’t do anymore. So I had to take drastic measures.....I had to learn how to make the cake his mother made. This is stressful because what if it’s not as good as he remembers? Is that my fault? Can I make it like his mother did? What if she had some secret ingredient that she didn’t tell me about? So many things running through my head, but I sucked it up and made the cake! I’m a good wife, his birthday is coming up, so I figured, let’s tackle this sucker. And tackle it I did!! That’s right, he loved it! Let’s all breath a collective sigh of relief. It was everything he remembered about his mother’s. Well, at least he’s telling me that. He probably doesn’t want to hurt my feelings. That’s fine, I’m happy thinking I can make a carrot cake he loves. I’m sure his mom sprinkled her cake with love and some other magical ingredient, but thanks for sharing your family recipe from the 70s, Sue! Hopefully Sue doesn’t mind if I share her family recipe with a few of you guys. Okay, are you ready for the best carrot cake recipe ever?? Here it is......

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cup oil (use all of the oil!)

4 eggs

3 cups grated carrots

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Directions:

Okay, first of all, yes that does sound like a lot of oil, but trust me, we needed it. The first time I made it I reduced it by 1/2 cup and it could have been a little more moist. My  husband is all about the moistness of the carrot cake so I made it again for his birthday this week with 1.5 cups of oil and it was the moistest bestest cake you ever tasted! Trust me, don't reduce it!

Blend sugar, oil and eggs together until mixed well. Add grated carrots, mix until incorporated. Sift together flour, cinnamon, soda, powder and salt. Add 1/3 of dry mixture at a time to carrot mixture. Continue until everything is mixed well.

I prefer to make this in two 9” rounds because you get more icing in the center.  We love the cream cheese icing. Feel free to make a sheet cake like David’s mom always did. If you make a sheet cake, you’ll only need half the icing recipe.

Divide cake batter into rounds, bake in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Check after 30 minutes, especially if you cut back on the oil. Mine was perfect at 33 minutes. You don’t want it to over bake.

Now, while that’s baking, of course you’ll want to make the cream cheese icing. That’s really why you make carrot or red velvet cake!

Icing:

12 oz. cream cheese  (softened)      

1 stick unsalted butter (softened)

1 1/2 boxes powdered sugar         

1 tsp vanilla

Mix until smooth and spread generously on the 2 layers. 

Now cut a slice and enjoy the best carrot cake you’ll ever taste!

I made the icing recipe for a sheet cake (half) this time, but next time I'll use the quantites above and will have lots more icing to go around. It was a little sparce in the center for our liking. We like lots more! It didn't hurt the flavor though, the cake was still delicious.

Update: Made it again with all of the oil and all of the icing and it was perfect! Trust me!!

Chicken Noodle Soup

What is better in the winter time than homemade chicken noodle soup?? Nothing I tell you! The kitchen smells so good as it’s cooking and it makes the perfect meal. Full of veggies, chicken and just plain ole deliciousness. It’s my husbands favorite soup so he’s pretty happy that I’ve perfected this recipe. I’ve had a flop or let's call it, "not quite flavorful enough soup" in the past so I’ve upped the herbs and now it’s perfect! I’m writing this as mine simmers so I can’t wait to dig in at dinner time! And it's really simple, a huge plus!

Here’s what I did to prepare the soup. Before I went to bed the night before I was going to make it, I put a whole chicken in the crockpot and let it cook overnight. I also filled up the crockpot with water, a few stalks of celery, onion, peppercorns and garlic so that I’d also be making the broth all at one time. How’s that for multi-tasking?? I thought it was pretty ingenious so I hope you are a little bit impressed. This soup is so much better with homemade broth, but it’s also delicious with store bought broth. I made it for my parents this summer and didn’t have homemade broth and it was still perfect. They  loved it! Okay, enough talk, let’s get to making the best chicken noodle soup ever!

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons olive oil

1 onion diced

6 stalks celery – sliced

6 carrots – diced

1.5 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (or dried)

1.5 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (or dried)

1.5 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley (or dried)

4 quarts (plus) chicken broth (homemade if you have it).

3.5 cups cubed skinless, boneless chicken breast meat

16 oz package egg noodles

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot, over medium heat, cook onions, celery and carrots until soft. Put the lid on and cook about 30 minutes (that’s how long it took mine to get good and soft). I don't want to bite into crunchy carrots in my soup......it's happened before!

Add rosemary, thyme and parsley and stir. Simmer for another 5 minutes and add chicken stock, noodles and chicken cubes. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Look how flavorful the homemade broth looks with all the herbs. Yummy!

I keep extra chicken stock on hand because as you eat this soup it seems to need more. I’ve probably added another 4 cups or more as the week went on while we enjoyed it for many meals. It's so good! I promise. :-)