Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

Freakin' Martha Stewart, man. Seriously, does she do anything that is just mediocre? I made these cookies for my husband last night, and they were absolutely the best cookies I have ever had. I only made a small change to the recipe (instead of 1 cup of raisins I used 1/2 cup golden raisins and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts). So good.

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
Source: Martha Stewart

Makes 25 sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
• 1 cup raisins (I used 1/2 cup golden raisins)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (my addition to the original recipe)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined.
• In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; stir to combine. Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended. Mix in oats, carrots, and raisins. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Transfer to oven, and bake until browned and crisped, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even color, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat baking process with remaining dough. Once cooled completely, use an offset spatula to spread about 2 teaspoons of cream-cheese filling onto a cookie. Sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions for Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners' sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine.

Sugar Free Carrot Cake

For every family holiday gathering, my job is to make dessert. I'm the only one in my family who really enjoys baking, so it's a good fit. For Easter, I wanted to make something a little on the light side. When I found this carrot cake recipe at Splenda.com, I knew I had to give it a try. Carrot cake is one of my mother's favorite desserts. I have to say this lighter version was great. It was really moist, and since I upped the spices a bit from the original recipe, it had lots of flavor. I made a frosting with 8 ounces of fat free cream cheese, 1/3 cup splenda, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. I would not reccommend using fat free cream cheese, stick to light. The texture of the frosting was off using the fat free. Overall, though, the cake was great, and I would make it again if I was looking for a lighter dessert.

Sugar Free Carrot Cake
Source: Splenda.com

Ingredients:

• 7/8 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I used 1 teaspoon)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (my addition to the original recipe)
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup eggbeaters
• 3/8 cup splenda
• 3 tablespoons reduced fat margarine
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 1/4 cup finely shredded carrot
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (my addition to the original recipe)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Set aside.
• In small bowl whisk together egg whites and eggbeaters. Set aside.
• In large bowl beat SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, margarine, honey, vanilla, applesauce, and canola oil. Mix in egg mixture, stir until well mixed. Stir in flour mixture, then carrots, walnuts, and raisins.
• Pour into greased 8 cup loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool, ice if desired. (I used 2 round pans, and baked for 30 minutes).

St. Patrick's Day, Part 2

We had a potluck at work for St. Patrick's Day, so I brought the pistachio cake, but I also decided to make some Oreo Truffles decorated for the holiday. Both were a big hit!

Pistachio Cake

This is my absolute favorite cake. Of course, it's my mom's recipe, so it has to be good! This is the most moist, delicious cake you'll ever eat. And it's super easy to make too. I wish I had been able to get a picture of the inside of the cake to show how moist it is, and it looks really pretty sliced because the cake is cut in half with a layer of frosting in the middle. I made this for St. Patrick's Day, but I usually make it for Christmas too, and decorate it like a wreath.





Mom's Pistachio Cake

Ingredients for Cake:

• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1 package instant pistachio pudding
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup club soda
• 1 cup oil

Ingredients for Frosting:

• 1 1/2 cups cold milk
• 1 package instant pistachio pudding
• 1 envelope dream whip

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°
• Mix all cake ingredients together, mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes
• Pour into greased and floured bundt pan
• Bake for 50 minutes
• Cool in pan for 15 minutes
• Turn onto rack and cool completely
• Blend all frosting ingredients with an electric mixer and beat until thickened, about 5 minutes (I usually chill the bowl and beaters in the freezer while the cake is cooling to help the frosting thicken quickly)
• Cut the cake into 2 layers, frost in between layers, then reassamble the cake and frost the outside
• Keep cake refrigerated

Jalapeno and Cheese Stuffed Chicken

I have been wanting to experiment with stuffed chicken breasts for a while. I had some leftover cheddar cheese in the refrigerator, and was trying to figure out what else to put in them. Since I wouldn't be eating, it only had to be something my husband likes, so I decided on jalapenos. Brian loves jalapenos and all things spicy. These came out great! The chicken was moist and the filling was perfectly spicy for him. Definitely a keeper!


Jalepeno and Cheddar Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• diced jalapenos, to taste (I used about 1/3 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

• Cut a slit in each of the chicken breasts. Stuff with cheese and jalapenos. Secure with a toothpick if needed.
• Dip the chicken breasts into beaten egg, then into breadcrumbs to coat
• Place the chicken in a baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes until done

Not really blogworthy...or healthy...but delicious!

Ok, so these potatoes are not really blogworthy since it's barely a "recipe" (and one found on the back of a box at that!). And, they are very greasy. However, if you've never had them, I would suggest giving them a try once. We love cooking these in foil packets on the campfire!

Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Roasted Potatoes
Source: Lipton

Ingredients:

• 1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Onion Soup Mix
• 4 all-purpose potatoes, cut into large chunks
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

• In a large casserole dish, mix all ingredients until potatoes are evenly coated
• Bake at 425 degrees, uncovered, stirring occassionally, 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown
  

"Out of This World" Chicken Noodle Soup

I was inspired by a picture of chicken soup ingredients in a pot at The Foodie Fashionista. Everything looked so healthy and delicious, I knew I had to try the recipe. My husband's review of this soup? "This, my love, is out of this world." And he was right. It's the best chicken soup I have ever had. Here is my version of ingredients in a pot:

Chicken Noodle Soup
Source: The Foodie Fashionista

Ingredients:

• 1 (3 pound) roasting chicken
• 2 large carrots, chopped (I used more, probably 4-5)
• 2 large celery stalks with leaves, chopped (I used 3-4)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 parsnip, sliced in half vertically
• 1 turnip, sliced in half
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• several sprigs of parsley and dill
• 10-12 cups cold water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 ounces pasta (optional)
• cheesecloth

Directions:

• Place chicken, vegetables, and herbs in a large stockpot. Add enough cold water to cover all the contents of the pot. Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer; cover pot, but vent to allow steam to escape. Simmer for about 90 minutes.
• After 90 minutes, remove chicken from the soup. Remove as much meat as possible and discard skin and bones. Remove turnip and parsnip and discard. Find garlic cloves (they should be floating near the top) and smash them against the side of the pot and mix the smashed garlic into the soup. Add chicken meat back to soup; season with salt and pepper. Add pasta and bring back to a boil; boil until pasta is cooked through. (I would recommend cooking the pasta separately before adding it to the pot. I found that almost all of the broth was absorbed while the soup cooled overnight, and I had to add store bought stock to thin it out when reheating).
• Remove pot from heat and cover top surface of soup with cheesecloth. Push cloth down into soup until it sits just below the surface. Allow to cool completely, preferably overnight. Slowly lift cheesecloth up, separating the fat from the top surface of the soup. Reheat to serve.