Snickerdoodle Cake With Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

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First off, I have been informed that people have had a difficult time trying to leave comments on this blog.  I have taken the time to hopefully alleviate this problem with the hopes that it will be easier now for some of you to leave comments.  If it is not working, please let me know and I will try and fix it again.  Thanks to Chaya for bringing this to my attention :)

As I stated in my last post, we celebrated my son's 2nd birthday last weekend.  The in-laws came up for it and we also invited a few friend's of ours to partake in this special day.

Up until last weekend, I had never decorated a birthday cake.  Normally, I do the whole "call the bakery a week in advance" thing and put in my order.  However, the idea of having a basketball themed party for my son just came to mind and before I knew it, I was trying to figure out how to go about decorating his cake.  I have made plenty of cakes in my lifetime, but when it comes decorating them, I am a novice.

Not only did I want to have a basketball party, I also wanted to make sure the kind of cake that I made would not only be pleasing to the adults, but to the children as well.  After hours of scouring my recipe and cookbook collection, I decided to try this recipe from this book:

From past experience, I do know that kids absolutely adore cupcakes, so I put my thinking cap on once again and decided to make a batch of Snickerdoodle Cupcakes as well as a 2 layer birthday cake for the grown ups.  I am happy to say that it was a hit..especially with the kids :)  By the end of the night, there were only 2 cupcakes left and half of the cake had been eaten :) 

Not bad for my first attempt at decorating a cake ;) 

Snickerdoodle Cake With Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

(adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor)

For the cake/cupcakes:

Solid vegetable shortening for greasing the pans

Flour for dusting the pans

1 package (18.25 oz) plain white cake mix

1 cup whole milk

8 tbsp. or 1 stick of butter, melted

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teapsoons ground cinnamon

For the Frosting:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter, at room temp.

3 and 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

3 to 4 tablespoons of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

To Make the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans with the vegetable shortening, then dust with flour.  Shake out the excess flour and set the pans aside.

If you are making cupcakes, line the cupcake pan with liners and set aside.

Place the cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with mixer until well blended, at least 3-4 minutes on medium speed.

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans or the cupcake pan. 

Bake the cakes/cupcakes for 27-29 minutes until they are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger.

Allow them to cool completely before frosting.

To Make the Frosting:

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with mixer on low speed until fluffy. 

Stop and add the confectioner's sugar, 3 tablespoons of milk, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Blend until ingredients start forming a frosting-like consistency.  If the frosting is to thick for your liking, add on the last tablespoon of milk and blend until well mixed.

Use this frosting to frost the top, middle, and sides of your cake...or the tops of your cupcakes.

***I mixed in some orange food coloring/dye after I was finished making the frosting and used  store bought black icing to pipe the basketball lines on the cake and cupcakes.***

Chocolate "Sin" Dessert

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We celebrated my son's second birthday this past weekend and had so much fun :)  My in-laws came up to visit and everyone had such a nice time.  This recipe comes from a cookbook that my mother-in-law gave me while she was up here last weekend.  She had this recipe bookmarked and wanted to make it for my son's party.  I am so glad she did.  I had some requests for the recipe so I figured I'd post it on here to share with everyone :)  Once my husband edits the pictures he took of the party, I will post those on my other blog.  Until then, enjoy this recipe :)

Chocolate "Sin" Dessert

For The Crust:

1 cup flour

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 Stick Margarine, melted

Mix and press in a 9x13 baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees until brown.

For the Chocolate "Sin Filling:

A big container of Cool Whip

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

2 boxes chocolate pudding instant mix (the little box)

1-2 cups thinly sliced strawberries

1 cup chopped pecans

To make the first layer....

Mix half of the cool whip, cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Spread over crust.

To make the second layer....

Mix pudding according to directions on box.  Layer it ontop of the cool whip layer...with the strawberries on the top.

To make the third layer....

Top with the remaining cool whip and remaining pecans.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Stuffed Baked French Toast~My Mess Up

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For the last month or so, I have been in the kitchen cooking up a storm on Saturday mornings.  While Sundays are our Big Family Dinner Day, I decided to reserve Saturday mornings as our Family Breakfast/Brunch Day.  Last weekend, I made the dish up above. 

While looking for a recipe to complete my weekend menu, I found this one on The Mixing Bowl.Com and decided to try it.

I don't know about y'all, but when I hear the words, "French Toast,"  my mind automatically wonders to either IHOP or Cracker Barrel...and their famous French Toast Breakfast.  Who can resist those wonderful and lucious pieces of Texas Toast or Sour Dough Bread dipped in their cinnamon and egg batter and then smoothered to the max with whipped cream and syrup??  Certainly not I. 

I was hoping this recipe would somehow come close to that scrumptious piece of breakfast heaven.  It didn't :(  Yes, the picture does look appetizing, but I'll tell y'all what I think went wrong......

The original recipe called for 12 eggs.  Yes.  That's right. 12 eggs! 

Of course, I knew this before I made it and since we are trying to eat healthier as a family, I decided to use this:

....instead of these:

It wasn't a smart move on my part.  A healthier move, but not a smart one.  I think using the egg substitue made the bread completely dry...resulting in this:

....a dry casserole of sorts.  The cream cheese didn't even melt :( 

Before I took the picture above, I decided to cut myself a slice and smother it in syrup.....

....with the hopes that it would take away some of the dryness.  It didn't ;(

So....I put my thinking cap on and decided to top my piece with butter, whipped cream, and cinnamon....

This worked, but the cream cheese was still in globs. 

So I just let it be and decided to toss the recipe with the hopes that I will hopefully be successful with another Baked French Toast recipe. 

I give myself kudos though for trying to bake it with healthier ingredients :) 

Rating System:

The Hubs:  Half a thumbs up...saying it was to dry

Libby:  Same as my husband

Our Kids:  Thumbs Up...they seemed to love it, dryness and all

Here is the recipe if anyone is interested:

Stuffed Baked French Toast

(adapted from The Mixing Bowl.com)

Any yummy bread (no sour dough) French, or Italian loaf is good

1 whole loaf sliced kinda thick

12 eggs

1 & 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup whole milk

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese..maybe a bit more

Spray 9x12 cassarole pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Line pan with a layer of bread.

Whisk up all of the eggs with the cup of milk, add cinnamon, and vanilla

Dot the top of the bread layer with cream cheese, add another layer of bread and cream cheese. Continue until all of the bread is used.  Pour the egg mixture on top pushing the bread down. Cover with plastic wrap and store in fridge overnight. It will rise and be nice and puffy in the morning. Bake at 350* for apx 45 min, until set and not jiggly. Serve with a GOOD syrup.

Baked Brown Rice

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This is a recipe that I am so thankful to have found.  Our family is trying to eat more on the healthier side lately, and this means eating our share of whole grains.  In the past, I have shyed away from brown rice because I always thought it was to chewy for my taste.  It wasn't on my list of "favorite" healthy foods to eat.  I ran across this recipe over at, My Kitchen Cafe' and decided to give it a try. 

The results were unbelievable.  The rice was still a little chewy, but it was something that I was able to live with :)  I made ours with the chicken broth, as suggested and also added a tad bit of sugar, lemon juice, and some Parmesan Cheese. We will be making this recipe a lot more in the future :) 

Rating System:

The Hubs:  Definite Thumbs Up....he really liked this

Libby:  Definite Thumbs Up

Our kids:  Didn't want to try it

I don't want to take any credit away from the original recipe, so you can find it here if you are interested in making it.  This makes a great compliment to any main course that you may make.  Happy Healthy eating :)

Backyard Garden Tomato Soup

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This is another recipe from the cookbook, Prevention's Quick and Healthy Low Fat Cooking.  Just by glancing at this picture, you can tell that this isn't your normal, average Tomato Soup.  I have never been a Tomato Soup fan.  However, I made a vow to myself that I was going to try to make every single recipe in this low-fat cookbook, so I made this soup a couple of days ago.  I have no regrets either :)  It is chock full of tomatoes, onions, and red pepper.  Since the recipe is low-fat, I was scared it was going to taste like cardboard and lack the flavor of most normal soups.  But I'm happy to write that it is not bland, nor is it robust.  It's perfect :)  I also topped mine off with some grated parmesan cheese :)

Here's an interesting tidbit/lesson I learned.....

usually when I make anything with tomato sauce or paste, I always add in a teaspoon or two of sugar so it counteracts the acidity.  However, this recipe calls for using mint leaves in place of sugar because when used with tomato products, mint actually has the same effect as sugar.  This was something new I learned while making this.  You better believe that I'm going to start substituting my sugar for mint leaves now in all my tomato recipes :) 

Cook this tonight with a side of grilled cheese and a nice salad.  You won't be sorry :)

Backyard Garden Tomato Soup

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 and 1/2 cup diced onions

1 sweet red pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups chopped fresh plum tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes

2 cups water

1/4 cup minced fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil

2 tbsp. minced fresh mint

In a sauce/soup pan, combine the oil, onions, peppers and garlic.  Cook over medium-high heat for 1 minute; cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, water, basil, and mint.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

This recipe will also be submitted over to Deb at Souper Sundays. 

Vegetable Soup & Some Good News

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Before I get to the recipe, I wanted to share the good news with all of you.  Newparent.com has asked me to become a regular featured blogger/author for their website :)  I am very thrilled and honored that they have asked me to contribute some of my writing and expertise to their site.  I wrote my first article this week and I can't wait to write more for them :)  To read my articles, click here:  Olivia's Articles.  By the way, Olivia is my full name :)  Libby is my childhood nickname and is the name I use on my blogs.  Just wanted to clarify that in case anyone was confused.  When you get a chance, you should also check out Newparent.com.  They have a wealth of information for pregnant and expectant mothers, as well as information and advice for parents who have kids ranging from infants to toddlers. 

Now...on with the recipe.....

What comes to your mind when you think of Girl Scouts?  Let me guess....those delictable, chocolaty Thin Mint cookies that they sell every year...or maybe it's those yummy, scrumptious Samoas??  Or those Peanut Buttery Tag-A-Longs?  Yes folks...Girl Scout Cookies are in full swing over here in our neck of the woods...and I think I have gained five pounds just thinking about all of those cookies that I mentioned above...lol.

By now, you are probably asking, "But Libby....I don't get it.  What do the Girl Scouts have to do with Vegetable Soup??" 

Well.....this recipe came from an actual Girl Scout Cookbook....my Girl Scout Cookbook to be exact.  Yes...I am proud to admit that a long, long, long time ago....at around the age of 7 or 8, I too.....was a Girl Scout.  Of course, I was in the "Brownie" stage...but I really loved participating in it.  My Troop was part of the Sarah Wells Girl Scout Council in Middletown, New York.  They produced a cookbook and my mother graciously purchased one for our household.  When I moved out of my parents house in my twenties, my mother made sure that I took this cookbook with me. 

My whole family, kids included, absolutely loves this soup.  When you make a pot of it, it makes the whole house smell yummy and inviting.  It's also pretty darn healthy for you with all of those vegetables in it.  This week, I made it with some buttermilk cornbread on the side.  However, just about any side dish you serve with soup would be great with this. 

This recipe will also be submitted to Deb over at Souper Sundays. 

Vegetable Soup

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

6 cups of water

1 (14 oz) can chopped tomatoes, drained

3 cups sliced green cabbage

1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

3/4 cup thinly sliced celery

1/2 cup chopped carrot

5 tsp. instant beef bouillon

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 bay leaf, broken in half

In a three quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic.  Saute 3-5 minutes until onion is tender.  Add water, tomatoes, cabbage, celery, carrot, bouillon, sugar, thyme, pepper, and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil; cover, simmer 30 minutes or until vegetables are crisp but tender.  Add macaroni and simmer another 10 minutes. 

Serve with crackers, sandwiches, biscuits, cornbread, or just eat it plain :)