this is our happily ever after

Easter Bunny Cake

Karsten and I had a playgroup Easter party to go to yesterday morning and it dawned on me Sunday that I should make an Easter Bunny cake.  I have many memories of my Mom, brother, and I making this cake nearly every Easter growing up.  It's simple, cute, and kids and adults love it. 

You'll need 1 boxed cake mix (I used vanilla), 1 container of white frosting (I like the whipped frosting by Betty Crocker), 2 round cake pans, 1 large sheet pan, jelly beans, sprinkles, black licorice, and any other assorted candy you want to use.  Although I didn't use coconut yesterday (because it was serving a crowd comprised mostly of  young children) I've always covered the cake with coconut which makes the bunny look furry...that and I LOVE all things coconut! 

After you've baked your cakes (2 round cakes) according to the package directions, remove them from the pans, and let them cool completely.  Then cut one of the round cakes as shown below, making 2 ears, and 1 bowtie.

Place the ears and bowtie in the correct spots

Next, frost the cake and decorate.  When I use coconut I will take a small amount of it, add red food coloring, and use that for the pink of the bunny's ears.  Today I just used pink sprinkles. 

 

Meyer Lemon Simple Syrup

I almost always have simple syrup in my fridge.  Simple syrup is a pretty name for sugar water.  You bring a cup of water to a boil add in a cup of sugar, stir until the sugar is dissolved, and use to sweeten tea, coffee, fruit, etc.  I almost always use it to sweeten tea.

To make Meyer Lemon Simple Syrup you'll need

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup juice from  Meyer Lemons (2-3 lemons)

1 cup of sugar

Bring water and lemon juice just to a boil.  Stir in sugar until dissolved. 

Pour into iced tea to sweeten.  Pour into bubbling spring water to add a light and sweet lemon flavor.  Pour over fruit to sweeten. 

Store in fridge for up to a week.  I store it in this glass bottle I bought at Marshall's for a few dollars. 

Meyer Lemons are a cross between an orange and a lemon and less acidic than a regular lemon! 

Cowgirl Cookies

In an effort to keep K and I busy yesterday we made cookies...well, I made cookies and he stood on the stool in the kitchen with tablespoons and plastic bowls and played.  These are one of my favorite kinds of cookies; chewy, yet crunchy.  I sent a container to work with Brian because I do not need 4 dozen cookies sitting around this house. 

Here's the pdf Download Cowgirl Cookies

½ cup shortening

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup regular oats, uncooked

1 cup cornflakes, crunched up a bit

1 cup chocolate chips

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup flaked coconut

 

Preheat oven to 350.

 

Beat shortening and butter in a large bowl at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugars, beating well.  Add eggs, one at a time then add vanilla, mixing well.

 

Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing well.  Gradually stir in oats, cereal, chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut.

 

Using a medium cookie dough scoop (1 large tablespoon), drop dough onto cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until very lightly browned.  Remove from oven and let set on cookie sheet for a minute or two then transfer each cookie to a cooling rack to cool. 

 

Notes: This recipe is very easy to double for an extra large batch.  The cookies also freeze very well. 

 

 

Granola Muffins

I made these a few weeks ago and they were super easy and super yummy.  I buy granola at Costco, specifically this brand. 

Here's the PDF  Download Granola Muffins

2 cups granola

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup flaked coconut

 

Heat oven to 380.  In a large bowl, stir together almonds, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  In another bowl, blend together the milk, butter, egg, and vanilla.  Make a well in the center in dry ingredients.  Add milk mixture and stir just to combine.  Stir in almonds and coconut.  Fill greased muffin tins (or use muffin liners).  Bake 14-18 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.  Remove from muffin tins and cool on cooling rack.  Makes one dozen muffins. 

Gooey Butter Cookies

Yep...they're as good as they sound...and SUPER easy to make!  Have you heard of Gooey Butter Cake? It's a St. Louis tradition.  On special occasions my Mom would go to the local bakery and buy a Gooey Butter Cake...it was a treat...a very sweet treat.  I was going to make Gooey Butter Cake earlier this week, but then came across a recipe for Gooey Butter Cookies!  What do I love more than cake?  Cookies! 

Here's the recipe: Download Gooey Butter Cookies

Ingredients

Cooking spray

½ cup butter at room temperature

¼ tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese at room temperature

1 box butter recipe cake mix

Powdered sugar for dipping

 

In a mixer, beat butter, vanilla, egg, and cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Mix in the dry cake mix.  Chill for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly coat cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Drop by teaspoonfuls in a bowl of powdered sugar; roll into balls.  Bake 8-11 minutes until cooked, but still soft.  Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.  Let cool completely.

 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This recipe is adapted from one that my Mom has made every Christmas for as long as I can remember.  Everyone LOVES this...it's a tried and true recipe!  I did adapt it a bit...I added some cinnamon and vanilla bean to the batter and I baked it in a bundt pan because I didn't have a 9 inch tube pan. 

Here's the pdf to download and print Download Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 ¼ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp cinnamon

Optional: paste from ½ vanilla bean

 

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

 

4 tsp sugar

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

1 cup chopped pecans

 Powdered sugar

 

Directions:

Grease a bundt pan.  Preheat oven to 350. 

 

In a large bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Add sour cream, vanilla, vanilla bean, and cinnamon. 

 

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Fold into butter mixture. 

 

In a small bowl combine 4 tsp sugar, cinnamon, and pecans.

 

Spread about ½ the batter in prepared pan.  Sprinkle the cinnamon/pecan mixture over the batter.  Spread remaining batter on top of pecan mixture. 

 

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until done.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a plate.  Let cool completely on plate and lightly dust with powdered sugar. 

Zucchini Pecan Bread

Zucchini Pecan Bread

Download Zucchini Pecan Bread

Makes one large loaf or 4 small loaves

2 cups sugar

¾ cup canola oil

3 eggs

2 cups zucchini, grated (2 medium zucchini)

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 cup chopped pecans

 

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease one loaf pan or 4 small loaf pans.  Beat sugar, oil, and eggs.  Stir in zucchini and vanilla.  Mix dry ingredients.  Stir into egg mixture.  Stir in nuts.  Pour batter into prepared pans.  Bake for 40-60 minutes until cooked through. 

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

I love lemon.  I love raspberries.  Although not the chocolate raspberry combination like my coffee creamer addict, Kelly. 

When I saw a recipe in a Cooking Light cookbook for Lemon Raspberry Muffins I knew I wanted to try it out.  The raspberries in our grocery store are gorgeous right now.  I adapted it a bit, using Greek Yogurt I had and adding lemon juice and zest. 

Download Lemon Raspberry Muffin2

2 cups all purpose flour

½ cup sugar

2 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup vanilla yogurt (I used Greek God’s Vanilla Honey yogurt)

Juice of one medium lemon

Zest of one medium lemon

½ cup canola oil

2 large eggs

¼ cup flour

1 (6oz) package fresh raspberries

3 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp cold butter

 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine 2 ¼ cups flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, making a well in center of mixture.

 

• Stir together yogurt, lemon juice, zest, oil, and eggs.  Add to the dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened. 

 

• Toss 2 tbsp flour with raspberries, fold into batter. Spoon into lightly greased 12 muffin tin pan, or into cupcake liners. 

 

• Combine 3 Tbsp sugar with 2 Tbsp flour.  Cut butter into mixture with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly.  Spoon over batter in a muffin pan. 

 

• Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden.  Remove from pan to wire racks.  Let cool and then enjoy!! 

This the yogurt I used....it is decadent....the creamiest, most delicious Greek Yogurt I've tasted.  I love it with fruit and granola

12 Days of Christmas (day 8) Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls and 10 things I learned about making them

I made THEM....the thing I've tasted once (because my cousin Kate made them for me) and the recipe  I thought was too complicated for me.  You see, I'm not a baker...I don't like measuring ingredients and to be honest flour and I don't get along.  Not because I'm gluten intolerant, but because I swear it goes everywhere as soon as I open my jar.  I decided to get over my flour phobia and start baking this Christmas.  I've made several batches of cookies, Almond Butter Toffee, and PW Cinnamon Rolls.  In fact, I found the entire process rather cathardic and I think I want to try making soft pretzels next! 

On Friday afternoon I made sure I had all the ingredients for the Cinnamon Rolls, so that on Saturday I was ready to tackle this notion that I'm not a baker.  Food Network had a PW Christmas episode over the weekend and she made her famous Cinnamon Rolls.  I watched her as closly as possible, over and over until I felt like I had it down.  I made the dough on Saturday and kept it in the fridge until today. I then rewatched her making the cinnamon rolls this morning and would do a step and then watch the next step.  I guess you could say I was cooking with The Pioneer Woman!!!  I wish...talk about something on my bucket list!!! 

Here are a few things I  learned about making PW's Cinnamon Rolls. (click here for the recipe)

1. She says you can make the dough and then start making the rolls.  I don't buy that because the dough is extremely sticky when it's warm or room temperature.  The chilled dough was still sticky, but it was easier to work with. I also floured my countertop before rolling them out even though she doesn't mention that.

2. Cover the dough in the fridge with a damp towel, otherwise you're going to get a dry crust over the exposed areas.  I covered mine with a dry towel and won't do that again. 

3. Rolling out the dough into a rectangle took a little more skill than I expected.  Granted the last time I rolled something out was probably many years ago....seriously!!!  And I need a good rolling pin.  I really like this one, I wonder if it's any good?!

4. The first batch I made looked a little funky due to my lack of skill with rolling out the dough, the second batch looked much better.  Note, when I say batch I am talking about the fact that you split the dough into two batches when rolling it out. 

5. I used 8, aluminum foil cake pans.  This recipe makes a lot of cinnamon rolls, be ready to share them.  I believe that you can cut the recipe in half without too much trouble.

6. The frosting is REALLY sweet...the next time I make them I'm going to figure out a way to cut down on the sweetness. I did not have maple flavoring, so I used some vanilla instead. 

7. When she says to pour the frosting over the cinnamon rolls when they're right out of the oven she means it.  I waited a few minutes on the first batch and they looked so different than the second batch. 

8. Using a serated knife to cut the dough is helpful

9. Plan to use one of the pans for just the ends of each roll of dough because the ends look a little messed up, but still taste good. 

10. This really is a very easy recipe that requires some time.  I found that making the dough one day and then making the cinnamon rolls another day made the task manageable. 

12 Days of Christmas (day 7) Almond Butter Toffee

So this may be the easiest toffee recipe ever!  My Mom developed this recipe for microwave cooking classes that she taught long ago (when microwaves first came out).  Although I really don't cook in my microwave, as she does, this is one thing that I make every single Christmas because it's so good and SO easy! 

Download Almond Butter Toffee

Here's what you'll need

1 stick of butter (not margarine)

1 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp salt

¼ cup water

½ cup sliced almonds

3 oz milk chocolate (I use 1 ½ Hershey bars for each batch)

 

Take a 2 quart glass measuring cup and put the stick of butter in the bottom. 

Use the butter wrapper and rub the excess butter on the wrapper along the top of the measuring cup.  This will keep the toffee from boiling out of the cup.

Pour sugar and salt over butter and top with water. 

Place in microwave on full power for 7 minutes.  Then continue cooking in 30 second intervals until the hot toffee mixture reaches the color of light brown sugar.  While the toffee is cooking, butter a metal baking sheet and spread out the almonds on the middle part of the sheet. 

Once the hot toffee is ready, pour it over the almonds.  DO NOT SCRAPE THE BOWL because it gets grainy if you do this. 

Let the toffee cool for a minute and then top with chocolate.  Let the chocolate melt and then spread it with a knife. 

Place in the refrigerator and cool.  Once cool break it into pieces and enjoy.