Strawberry Cake

Strawberries were super cheap at the Berkeley Bowl last week so I decided to make a yummy strawberry cake. Then I couldn't find my mom's recipe. So after many hours of blog surfing I found one that I was sure would be delicious (you can't go wrong with a Paula Deen inspired recipe, right?). It was the perfect addition to our Easter celebration.

Homemade Strawberry Cake

Adapted from Paula Deen’s Hummingbird Cake

Nonstick vegetable spray
All-purpose flour, for pans
3 cups self-rising flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup pureed strawberries, strained* (I didn't strain the strawberries and the cake turned out great.)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
4 large eggs, beaten
red food coloring**

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray and flour three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans, tapping out excess flour; set aside.
- Prepare the cake batter; in a large bowl, stir to combine self-rising flour, sugar, oil, pureed strawberries, vanilla, lemon zest, and eggs.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertips, 26 to 28 minutes. I used one large bundt pan and baked it for around 50 minutes. I didn't get an exact time but keep checking to make sure it is cooked all the way. A knife test works fantastic.
- Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack. Re-invert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.
- Prepare the cream cheese frosting (recipe below); frost as desired and refrigerate until ready to serve.

* You can use fresh or frozen strawberries. If you use frozen, let them defrost on a cookie sheet. Then place in a food processor and pulse until pureed. Run through a medium-sized strainer to remove the seeds. If you have some extra strawberries, try whipping up a quick batch of strawberry scones!

** While I did manage to avoid using red colored gelatin, I did add some food coloring to achieve that perfectly pink color. If you don’t care about getting the pink color, feel free to leave it out. I used about 5 drops, but you should add them one at a time until you achieve the color you are looking for.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
~ 3 cups (approx. 1 box) confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
1 TBL milk (if needed)

Directions:

- Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
- Slowly add the sugar in 1 cup batches until desired sweetness is achieved. You may need less than 3 cups if you like your frosting less sweet.
- Stir in vanilla. Add milk slowly if you need a looser consistency.

Snickerdoodles

This Snickerdoodle recipe is dynamite. If you don't believe me, let me know and I will send you a dozen or so. You'll love them.

Cookies:
1 cup margarine, room temperature
1-1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt

Cinnamon sugar coating:
2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

prepare cinnamon sugar coating; set aside. Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, beat together margarine, sugar, and eggs until fluffy. Add flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, beating until blended. Shape into 1-1/2 inch balls. Roll balls in cinnamon sugar coating. Place on cookie sheets. Bake 8 minutes or until golden. Don't overcook these suckers or they'll be hard and crunchy and no good. Remove from cookie sheets; cool on rack. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

So I think I'm going to start calling these the "Peacemaker Cookies" or the "Something for Everyone Cookies". I don't know, I'm still comming up with a good name! But it cracked me up when I read the comments before that said something like "Want to make some cookies, but don't know what kind you want? Try these, they have it all!" Totally true!

Ingredients
1 cup (1/2 lb.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips (12 oz.)
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped

Preparation
1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and peanut butter until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
2. In another bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir or beat into butter mixture until well incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips, oats, and peanuts.
3. Drop dough in rounded 2-tablespoon portions, 3 inches apart, onto buttered or cooking parchment-lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheets. With a lightly floured fork, flatten slightly into 2 1/2-inch rounds about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Bake in a 350° oven until cookies are golden and tops feel set when lightly pressed, 12 to 14 minutes (they will feel underdone but will firm up as they cool); if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.
5. Let stand 5 minutes on sheets, then, with a wide spatula, transfer cookies to racks to cool. If hot cookies start to break, slide a thin spatula under them to release; let stand on pan to firm up, 2 to 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Recipe from Sunset Magazine

Banana Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding

I am a HUGE bread pudding fan. I love finding great bread pudding {which if you ever are in Mesa, you just go to Cracker's Cafe and have theirs- it is to die for!} So anyway, the picture totally sold me on this and I had to try it. But it is kind of a mix of a couple of recipes so this is what I did!

Ingredients
1 loaf challah bread
4 large eggs
4 cups half-and-half
3/4 cup mashed overripe bananas, about 2 large
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate coarsely chopped

Directions
Cut bread into 3/4-inch slices. Trim away crust, then cut bread into 3/4-inch cubes, to make 8 cups.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs until well beaten.
Whisk in half-and-half, banana, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.
Pour mixture over bread. Add chocolate.
Mix with rubber spatula until bread is well moistened. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Set rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Coat a 9x13 pan with butter or cooking spray. Scoop soaked bread mixture into pan, filling it to top.
Bake until top is browned and puffed, and knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
Pour warm vanilla Sauce over and serve, with dollop of whipped cream if desired.

Vanilla Sauce:
In a sauce pan melt,

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

Add 1 cup heavy whipping cream and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

Take off heat and add 1 tsp vanilla.

**So I thought this was delicious, but there are a couple things I may try next time. . .

1st: I may not mash the bananas, but chop them into chunks so the whole thing is not overrun with banana flavor.
2nd: I saw this recipe that was essentially the same, but they cut the half and half down to 2.5 cups and added 1.5 cups maple syrup. How can you go wrong with that?
3rd: I may try this caramel sauce next time:

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
½ cup water
1 (13-ounce) can evaporated milk
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
1.Combine sugar and water in medium saucepan; cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil. Continue to boil, without stirring, 10 to 14 minutes, tilting pan occasionally to keep color even until Stir in evaporated milk (mixture will foam up); do not scrape sides of pan. One tablespoon at a time, add ¼ cup butter, stirring well after each addition. Stir in remaining butter and vanilla extract until smooth.

Fruit Triffle

Elizabeth made this for a baby shower, and I had been dying to make it ever since. And when I finally did, it was just as good as I remembered, so everyone needs to try this one it is delicious, light, and actually can be made pretty low fat!

1 can sweetened condensed milk (You can by the fat free stuff and it still tastes fine)
1 1/2 cup cold milk- combine and mix the two together in a bowl until smooth then add
1 large box of vanilla instant pudding mix (sugar free good)- mix well, it will set up like pudding.
Fold in 8oz of cool whip
Cake cut into squares (I use angel food, but you can do yellow, white, whatever)
Variety of fruit, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, bananas, raspberries, etc

Start with a layer of cake on the bottom, then add a layer of the pudding mix and some berries. Repeat layers until you are at the top of the bowl. Then remember presentation is everything so save a little pudding and berries to make a pretty design on top (totally kidding about presentation everything, it is only about 85%)!

Pear and Cherry Buckle

This is a recipe from Sandra Lee. It is so yummy and especially on a cold winter day! I think we are going to make it for desert for our Christmas dinner. Mmmmmm.....

1 (26-ounce) can cherry pie filling
2 (15-ounce) cans diced pears in syrup
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter, cut into small pieces
1 (1.19-ounce) packet maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Whipped topping, for serving

Spray a 5-quart slow cooker with butter-flavored cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine pie filling, pears, and almond extract. Pour into prepared slow cooker. Sprinkle cake mix over fruit mixture. Dot with butter. In a small bowl, combine oatmeal packet and almonds. Sprinkle over cake mixture.
Place 8 paper towels over slow cooker bowl and secure with lid. (This helps to trap steam.) Cook on LOW setting for 4 to 6 hours. Do not lift lid to check cake for the first 3 hours.
Serve warm with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream.

Peanut Butter Cups

If you love Reeses Peanut Butter Cups you will love these. We love them at our house.

Peanut Butter Cups

2 cubes butter
1 cup peanut butter
Melt together then add
2 cups powdered sugar
1 ¾ cup gram cracker crushed ( can buy crushed at Target)
Mix all together and put in a 9x13 pan
Melt 1 bag milk chocolate chips and pour over peanut butter mixture.
Put in freezer for 30 min to set. Take out and let them get back to room temp. Enjoy

Spicy Cinnamon Cake

Oh this is so easy and so yummy. I stole it from Paula Dean so you know it is good. We make it for a brunch recently and I have been craving it again ever since!

- 1 spice cake mix
- 1 small box vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 eggs
-1/2 cup oil
-5 Tbsp sugar
-2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (or not for me, I put them on half the cake)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease well a bundt pan. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs and oil and beat together well. In a separate bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar. Pour half the batter into the prepared bundt pan then sprinkle half the cinnamon and sugar mixutre over the top (sprinkle the nuts on the desired part of the cake but make sure you can tell what section so you do the same on the top layer). Pour the remainder of the batter into the pan and finish sprinkling the sugar mixture and nuts. Bake one hour and let cool before removing from pan. This does not need to be served hot and we ate it without anything on it but maybe it would be good with whipped cream because everything is! Yum~

Caramel Popcorn

I made this the other day and it was fantastic. I tell you, there is not much better than freshly made caramel popcorn, especially in the fall

5-6 cups of cooked popcorn (I just used microwave popcorn)

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, milk and salt together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes (do not over cook, I did that and it made the caramel too hard). Remove from heat. Add 1/2 tsp baking soda and stir. Pour over popped popcorn and mix