CARROT CAKE

I enjoy baking and especially if there is someone else who would enjoy what I create. Today, before it gets too warm it's time to bake! And by the way, how crazy is it to think about it getting "too warm" in March!!! Anyway, this evening is God's Gathering at church and I like to bring something to the table.  This Carrot Cake looked delicious, so I chopped up some pecans I had in the freezer, peeled and shredded the rest of my stash of carrots and mixed it all up.  Does this count as healthy eating because it has carrots and nuts? The smell is making me drool! Can you smell it? If you'd like I can package some (without frosting) and ship it to you to enjoy - for a fee of course. Or take me to your kitchen and I'll make your house smell good too!
EASY CARROT CAKE
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. baking soda
3 cups finely shredded carrots
1 cup cooking oil
4 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting6 oz cream cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla
Approx. 4 cups powdered sugar.
Beat cream cheese and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating well until of spreading consistency.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking pan. In large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Add finely shredded carrots, cooking oil, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer just until combined. Stir in chopped pecans. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting over cake. Cover and store in refrigerator.

Peanut Butter Cake

I decided to bake a from scratch cake for God's Gathering Dinner tonight. I went through some old recipes and found this quick and delicious one. I mixed it up in just a few minutes because I keep the dried buttermilk in my refrigerator so it's ready to go any time I am in the mood to bake. This is a lot like the Scotch Chocolate Cake from Grandma Schroeder. I'm thinking this is one I'll make again. The ladies in the kitchen set aside pieces to take home, so I took that as a compliment. Since there were no left overs, I can't mail you any of this cake, but you can make it yourself if you want.  Or...for a fee, I'll ship myself to you and bake it fresh from your oven!

PEANUT BUTTER SHEET CAKE
Mix:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. Soda
½ tsp. salt
Bring to boil:
1 stick margarine
½ cup peanut butter
1 cup water
Pour over dry ingredients. Add:
½ cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix well and pour into a greased cookie sheet with 1 inch sides. Bake 350 for 20- 25 minutes until done and lightly browned
Icing
Bring to boil:
½ cup peanut butter
1 stick margarine
2 tsp. vanilla
Add
1 pound powdered sugar and 1 cup nuts (optional). Beat until smooth. Spread on cake while it is hot.

Family Fun Time

We had so much fun gathering here at my house with John, Lynn, Debbie, Tim, Spencer, Paige, Sydney, and Karlee. We chatted, played croquet, catch, and explored the woods.  JoPapa Bear took them looking for Ewoks. They actually went to the fort our next door neighbor built in the woods. The kids were more on the look out for snakes than they were Ewoks.  We had hamburgers, potato salad, and baked beans with a few other side dishes.  The fresh carrots from John and Lynn were especially tasty! We ended the night by roasting LOTS of marshmallows and making s'mores.  That meant we didn't have room for the Tutti Fruiti cake I made.  But I sent it home with John and Lynn. If you want to make one and tell me how you like it, here's the recipe:
TUTTI FRUTTI CAKE1 box white cake mix
Eggs
Oil
Water
1 can fruit cocktail, drained
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped nuts
Prepare cake according to package directions
Blend in well-drained fruit cocktail. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle brown sugar and nuts over batter. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.

I had mine in the refrigerator because I didn't want the fruit to spoil.  Let me know if you will be in town and I'll be happy to bake one for you. I don't think this one will ship well.

Stuffed Peppers

Bell peppers were on sale this week which made me crave stuffed peppers. I used to make these for the family all the time.

6 large green peppers
1 pound ground beef
2 tbls chopped onion
1tsp salt 1/8 tsp garlic salt
1 cup cooked rice
15 oz tomato sauce

Today I altered the recipe by using my salsa instead of tomato sauce and onion in the cooked ground beef.  I also used brown rice.  The original recipe suggests cooking the peppers in boiling water for five minutes before stuffing them with the meat filling - I skipped that.  After browning the beef, I stirred in the salsa and rice.  I stuffed two peppers and put them in the microwave for 10 minutes.  (The original recipe says to cover them bake at 350 for 45 minutes, uncover and bake 15 minutes more.) The microwave is so much quicker - duh! I know this recipe was yummy because JoPapa said "Wow! You should make these more often." I loved the flavor combo of green pepper, beef, and salsa! I sprinkled some bread with garlic and cheese and popped that in the oven long enough to melt the cheese. With a side salad, corn, and some applesauce we had a great, colorful meal! Oh...not all the meat fit in those two peppers so I put that meat filling in a quart jar and froze it.  We'll have a really quick meal next time JoPapa craves stuffed peppers!  Of course if you'd like to enjoy this meal, you'll have to come here or pay for my fare to your house. I don't think these stuffed peppers would ship well.

Starting From the Ground Up

JoPapa and I enjoyed working in the yard and garden a couple of days ago.  Peg's Pantry is starting to run low so it's a good thing spring is just about here so I'll be able to restock.  JoPapa tilled in some organic compost - it was cotton mulch actually.  We had the soil tested and the manure and pH levels are great. We try to keep the garden and our produce chemical free.  So, I've spent quite a bit of time pulling weeds instead of spraying.  I pulled lots from around the berry bushes and the garden is ready to plant all over as soon as it is warm enough. You know, I have no qualms about poisoning the weeds in my yard. I'm not planning on eating the grass! ;-) We planted a couple of varieties of lettuce, some spinach, and some peas - they can tolerate the frost we got this morning.  I don't plan on preserving any of those vegetables, but I love to eat fresh from the garden and can't wait to start nibbling lettuce and spinach.  Maybe if you are in the neighborhood, you can come harvest some for yourself in a few weeks! Anyway, after watering, we discovered we hadn't tilled deep enough because the water washed out a mole tunnel! YIKES! A friend of ours said we can put gummy worms in the holes because moles can't digest gummy worms. It will cause the moles to become constipated...and then...expire. I'll leave it at that.  Last summer I was watering the yard and saw the ground moving. I dug up and whacked three moles that way. A hunting I will go... Oh, the sacrifices I make for an organic garden! Excited for spring and more gardening! Are you?

Chocolate Smash Cookies

When JoPapa is craving chocolate, when anybody is craving chocolate for that matter, THIS is the cookie to bake! The first time I made this recipe, I read the instructions "will puff during baking, flatten upon cooling" to mean that I was to flatten the cookies. So I always took a flat-bottomed glass and flattened each cookie as it cooled. Imagine and share my chagrin when I discovered, quite by accident, that these cookies flatten themselves as they cool! Good thing I got distracted that day and didn't get around to smashing those cookies! If you like, you can mix up some cocoa, butter and powdered sugar to frost these cookies, but we like them as is.  As always, you can twist my arm and I'll ship a batch to you - for a fee of course! Otherwise, here it is. Enjoy!
CHOCOLATE "SMASH" COOKIES2 sticks margarine
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)
Cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, blend well. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. (Stir in nuts if desired) Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 35o degrees for 8 to 9 minutes. (Do not over bake. Cookies will be soft. They will puff during baking, flatten upon cooling.) Cool on cookie sheet until set, about 1 minutes; remove and cool completely. Makes about 4 ½ dozen.

Dayna's Favorite Cookies

It was so much fun to have Dayna and Travis here. Exciting because she tried on wedding dresses, found just the right one, had it altered and we took it home the next day! That's great service! Her bridesmaid fit into her dress like it was made jsut for her - no alterations needed. Just beautiful! Then the boys took us to the shooting range to destroy a box full of clay targets and do some target practice. Dayna was craving her favorite cookies so we got to mix up a batch. This recipe came with a Valentine card she gave me many years ago.
 1 cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 ¾ cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
2 eggs
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
Coating: mix together: 2 tbls sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon
Mix together butter, sugar, and eggs. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Chill dough for 1 hour. Roll dough into walnut-size balls. Roll balls in coating. Place balls 2" apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes.

The hardest part is waiting for an hour to pass so we could bake them! I use a cookie scoop to dish these onto the cookie sheets which is so much easier than the old way I used to make them - using two spoons to dip and scrape them onto the cookie sheet. Using the cookie scoop, they are a consistent size. So that makes them bake up nicely.

These didn't last long. Fresh from the oven and covered in cinnamon, they are hard to resist! But...if you'd like your own dozen or more, that can be arranged! For a small fee, plus shipping and handling.

SNICKERDOODLES