Carl's White Cake

I made this cake for book club but have fallen in love with this recipe and made it several more times for various occasions including my own birthday. It is so buttery and yummy. It is a little bit technical because nothing about it comes from a box, but well worth the effort.

Carl’s White Cake Recipe

2 2/3 cups sifted cake flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temp)
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
3 tsp vanilla extract

4 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 3 8″ cake pans.
Separate eggs, set aside.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter until soft. Add sugar; beat several minutes (until fluffy!). Add vanilla.  Add one egg yolk at a time, beating after.
Add flour mixture alternately with milk. Flour-milk-flour-milk-flour.
Beat egg whites. When peaks are soft, add sugar. Beat until peaks are stiff, but don’t over beat!
Fold egg whites into flour mixture.  Pour batter into cake pans.

Cook 20-25 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter
4 cups confectioner’s sugar (plus more if necessary)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla

Beat butter until soft. Add sugar gradually, along with vanilla and milk/whipping cream.

Tom's Pasta Sauce

"The School of Essential Ingredients" by Erica Bauermeister has not only become one of my favorite books but also contains a couple of my favorite recipes. The recipes are not included in the book, but the author has included a few of the recipes on her website, Here. I will include a couple of the recipes that I use the most on this blog but the others are worth checking out and the book is also worth a read.

 Tom’s Pasta Sauce Recipe

Note: For best results, use Knorr’s extra-large soft chicken bouillon cubes.

Crush the whole tomatoes in a food processor, or chop them finely by hand.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 extra-large soft chicken bouillon cube (see note)
1 cup onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground Italian sausage
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup red wine
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and crushed (see note)
1 cup tomato sauce (more if you want)
Salt and pepper

1 pound penne pasta
Grated parmesan cheese (optional)
1. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil on medium-low heat until bubbles form. Crush the half bouillon cube into the oil and mix thoroughly.  Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté until translucent.

2. Add ground sausage, increase heat to medium, and cook until meat is no longer pink.  Add milk and simmer until absorbed.  (Don’t worry if it looks strange at first; the milk will mellow the wine and make for a wonderful, lush sauce.)  Add wine, reduce heat to low, and simmer until wine is absorbed.   Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1-3 hours, covered if you want a rich, but slightly thinner sauce, uncovered if you want a thicker sauce and the smell to roam through your house.

4. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Cook penne pasta according to package directions, until al dente.  Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl.  Ladle sauce over pasta; top with grated parmesan cheese if desired, and serve immediately.
Yield: 6-8 servings

The BEST Slow Cooker Refried Beans

I found this recipe a long time ago on Pinterest. I kept it in my "Recipes I've Tried" folder and referred to it time and time again.  Earlier this year I again went to retrieve this recipe only to find it no longer available. Luckily, I know all the ingredients by heart but I don't have the exact measurements. The last few times I have made it, I have just guessed and they still taste fabulous! So this is my recipe for refried beans that is sure to please any crowd.

The BEST Slow Cooker Refried Beans

1 onion chopped into large chunks
1-2 Tablespoons of minced garlic
1-2 Jalapenos (depending on how spicy you want it. At least add 1 for flavor)
1-2 lbs of dry pinto beans (soaked over night)
1 Tbsp Salt
1 stick of butter
1-2 Tbsp vinegar
1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cube of chicken boullion
1-2 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp montreal steak seasoning
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
salt to taste

Instructions

1. Rinse and soak beans overnight
2. In a large slow cooker, layer this way, Onions, garlic, jalapeno and top with dry beans and salt. Fill with water an inch above the bean mixture. Cook on low for 8 hours.
3. Once beans are soft, transfer to a blender and blend with about one to two cups of the liquid that they were cooked in along with cooked onions and jalapenos. Throw out the rest of the water.
4. Transfer blended beans back to the slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir and let sit until flavors are all mixed in.

These beans are great to freeze and use for quesadillas or chimichangas. Just put in a a freezer bag and lay flat in the freezer.

Crustless Ham and Cheddar Quiche

I went through a phase where I tried all kinds of quiche recipes. This is by far my favorite and I use this recipe interchangeably with whatever I have in my fridge, cooked vegetables, lunch meat, or sausage, this recipe is really just a base for whatever I want it to be. And my kids love it.

Crustless Ham and Cheddar Quiche

2 Tbs olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cup chopped carrots (or any other vegetables)
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk (I sometimes use rice milk as a substitute)
1 Tbs cold butter
1/2 cup baking mix (bisquick or pancake mix works)
8 oz chopped ham
2 cups shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In medium pan saute onions and carrots in olive oil over medium heat for four minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs and add milk to combine.
4. With pastry cutter or fork mix cold butter into baking mix until small pea sized pieces form. Add this to the egg and milk mixture and mix until combined.
5. Add ham, cheese and sauted vegetables to egg mixture and stir with wooden spoon to combine.
6. Spray caserole dish or pie plate and pour into dish. Bake for 30-40 mins until tooth pick comes clean.

My Favorite Broccoli Cheese Soup (Panera Bread Copycat)

When we lived in Henderson, Panera Bread was one of our favorite places to eat. Mostly because my kids always at so well there and we loved all of the food. Their version of Broccoli Cheese soup has become our favorite and there are a lot of good copy cat recipes on line but I more or less follow this one.

Broccoli Cheese Soup (Panera Bread Copycat)

1 Tbs melted butter
1/2 med chopped onion
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half and half cream (I always just use milk or sometimes rice milk for my non-dairy children)
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb fresh broccoli chopped small (I tend to use quite a bit more and sometimes have to add a little         bit more liquid)
1 cup grated carrot
1/8- 1/4 tsp nutmeg (its weird but its what makes it panera)
1-2 bay leafs
8 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute onion in 1 Tbs butter and set aside. In a large pot whisk together the melted butter and flour over medium heat for about 3-4 mins.
2. Slowly whisk in milk and chicken stock. add nutmeg and bay leaf and let simmer for 5 mins or less.
3. Add vegetables and sauted onion, let simmer on low for about 20 mins until all is tender.
4. Remove from the heat, remove bay leaf and stir in cheese until melted. and serve!

Best Zucchini Bread (from Kayescupboard.com)

Kayla is one of my mission companions. She started food blogging about the same time I did, although she has kept it up and her site is way better organized than mine. But we have similar taste in recipes and food and this one comes from her blog. I love it!

Best Zucchini Bread

3 C flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 C applesauce
1 1/4 C sugar
3 tsp vanilla
2 C shredded zucchini
1 C chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Grease and flour 2 bread pans, preheat oven to 325
2. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Beat eggs, oil sugar and vanilla together in a large bowl. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix well. Stir in zucchini and nuts. Pur batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 40-60 mins until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 mins remove bread from pan and cool completely.

Mandy's Sheet Cake

I want to print this blog so that I have my own cookbook, but before I do, there are several recipes that I need to add, that have become some of our family's favorites or the past few years. So I will comment very little on these recipes. 

Just a quick note, this is my sister-in-law's sheet cake recipe that she got from her Grandma Nyles. It has become my favorite version too.

Mandy's Sheet Cake

Bring to a boil:

    1 Stick of butter

    1/2 C of oil

    1 C water

Pour over and mix into:

    2 C sugar

    2 C flour

    1/4 C cocoa

Add:

    2 beaten eggs

    1/2 C buttermilk

    1 1/2 tsp soda (mix it into buttermilk)

    1 tsp vanilla

Bake in sheet pan @ 350 degrees for 20 mins

Frosting

Melt:

     1 Stick of butter

     1/3 C buttermilk

Pour into and beat:

     1/2 32 oz bag of powdered sugar

     1/4 C cocoa

Add:

     1 C nuts (optional)

     1 tsp vanilla

Frost cake while hot.