The Real Red Velvet

Although you've probably seen red velvet cake at a bakery or grocery store, this is the real thing. We hardly ever buy red velvet cake because we've had the real thing, and once you've had that... there's no going back.  I know that red velvet cake has become rather faddish in the last few years, but this is an older recipe from my PA Grandma who has made this cake for a very LONG time (even before I was born), so pay close attention.

The Ingredients

1 bowl down 2 more to go.

Here comes the cake!!!

 I borrowed my sister's trifold board so everything looks white and pretty for the background. Hopefully she won't notice any smudges or batter on the board. =)

The trio of bowls.

Just 2 more ingredients left!

Ingredients for the icing

It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!!!

Our friends enjoying some red velvet cake.

My patriotic Red Velvet Cake.

Ingredients:
FIRST STEP in BIG BOWL:
Mix 2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. cocoa
Mix these 4 ingredients together.
SECOND STEP in MEDIUM BOWL:
3/4 cup oil, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 2 eggs 1 oz. red food coloring
Cream oil and sugar, add eggs. Add food coloring, Mix well.
THIRD STEP in SMALL BOWL:
1 cup buttermilk, 1 tsp. baking soda
Combine buttermilk and baking soda.
FOURTH STEP:
Add second and third bowls alternately with the first.
1 tsp. vinegar, 1 tsp. vanilla.
Add vinegar and vanilla. Mix Well. Bake at 350F (175C) about 25-30 minutes.

Icing:
8oz of soft cream cheese, 1 stick of soft butter, 4 cups confectioner's sugar,  2 tsp. vanilla

Mix the cream cheese, stick of butter, and vanilla. Pour in the confectioner's sugar gradually till light and fluffy, (If desired add more sugar for sweeter icing.)

So, what do you think... are you going to be bold and try this recipe or just buy Costco's brand? Wouldn't you rather have the real thing instead of going with a cheap imitation??? I would make the cake...that's my opinion. =) I hope that's enough to convince you to make this wonderful thing....although it's probably not... or maybe it is!

GB- God Bless, Go BAKE!!!

"Empty Tomb" Marshmallow Delights

It's Easter! Well, not quite, but it's close enough to start preparing recipes for this very special holiday. I found this recipe here and I love it. It's supposed to represent the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Below is the symbolism of each of the ingredients. 

(This would be a great project for Moms of "little ones" to make for Easter.)

Two of my very good photogenic friends!
(The one on the left liked it so much she was blinded by the goodness!)
She also has a really cool cooking blog!

Large Marshmallows - body of Jesus
Melted Butter - oils of embalming
Cinnamon and Sugar Mix- spices used to anoint the body
Crescent Roll - the wrapping of Jesus’ body or the tomb
Oven – the tomb

Cavity in bun – the empty tomb or the empty cloths

The Ingredients.  I have no idea why the cream cheese ended up in this picture, maybe it's because I've been using a lot of cream cheese lately!

The dough - if you buy the Pillsbury brand it comes pre-cut,
another time saver. 

"Marshmallows dipped in butter??? Sweetie what are you making???" These were my Dad's questions for me.  I assured him it would all turn out fine in the end. =)

I tried to wrap this like a present, but it didn't turn out to well.

              Look out Dippin' Dots! I'm coming in with Dippin' Dough!             

My first Dippin' Dough creation...hmm the FDA might not be too happy with raw dough.
Eh..never mind. =)

Whoops... I guess I'll need to pinch the edges some more next time.  What's SUPPOSED to happen is...the marshmallows melt away and you are left with a round empty shell of dough like the empty tomb.  Check out the recipe link at the top for the real deal!

I've noticed that professional bloggers have cool stuff behind their food,
so I figured my jean skirt would work...or not. =)

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

8 large marshmallows

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Directions:

1. Separate Crescent rolls into eight triangles

2. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Dip each marshmallow into the butter, roll in cinnamon-sugar and place on top of the triangle.

3. Pinch dough around marshmallow, sealing all edges. (Make sure to seal well or the marshmallow WILL escape instead of dissolving away like it's supposed to.)

4. Dip tops of dough into remaining butter and cinnamon-sugar. Place dough with sugar side up in a greased muffin tin.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 13-15 minutes. Eat warm.




I don't know who the original author of this recipe is, but I loved it! My Grandmother who lives in PA was the one who sent me the link! During the summer I'm going to visit her, so I'm sure there will be lots of new country recipes on the blog. I can't wait! (My brother Luke counts down the months, weeks, days and minutes until we go...yeah we're very excited to see our family!)

GB2- God Bless, Go BAKE!!!

6 Layer Magic Cookie Bars

     Magic Cookie Bars? How can cookies be magic? Will I turn into a pumpkin if I eat this? Ok, so you're probably wondering why this is a "magic" recipe. So... I don't exactly have the answer for that, except make the recipe yourself and you'll find out. It's really good!
    
I love reading other people's cooking blogs and websites but sometime I think, "wow this looks really good, but there's no way I could ever learn to make that." Not with this recipe though, all you have to do is crush, pour, dump, and bake, and a couple other minor details. =)

The Ingredients

This ain't exactly chopped to perfection but it will work. (I love using country language, although my Mom says I don't live in the country so I should speak proper English.)  =)

  

My desert of a dessert

It snowed on my desert. =0

                                                                       

1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has overtaken you, No temptation has overtaken you, No temptation has overtaken you...

I think I shall write a book, "Great Ways to Break a Diet."



I normally type out the recipe, but I decided to save time and just give you the link.  (Sometimes I'll substitute pretzels for the nuts which makes it taste 10x better!) The recipe's real name is 7 layer magic cookie bars, but I only counted 6 layers? So either I'm confused or the website didn't do their math right.  You decide.

GB2- God Bless, Go BAKE!!!

  

Cinnamon Cheesecake Bars

The first time I laid eyes on these beautiful cheesecake bars was on a Wednesday night at the chapel. Although they tasted really good, they seemed rather  complex to make. A friend of ours, Mrs Joanne Johnson, she's a really good cook, posted it on my Mom's Facebook wall and I just had to try it! The real name of this recipe is Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars. I have no idea how to pronounce that...so I'll just give them the nickname Cinnamon Cheesecake Bars.

The Ingredients (Anyone notice anything in the cream cheese?)

I took my own advice and stirred this by hand... I think I'll go back to a mixer.

The first layer.



My hand whipped cream cheese mix. It's not as smooth as when you use the mixer, oh well.

Make sure to pinch the edges of the crescent dough! Don't worry, I'm pretty sure the dough won't mind if you pinch an inch. ; )

I like to pretend I'm an artist. =)

I think I played with my butter to much, because the cinnamon sugar is supposed to dissolve. =/

It's done!

Ingredients:

2 cans crescent rolls

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese (room temp)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Unroll 1 can of crescent rolls and lay flat in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Stretch the rolls to cover the bottom of the pan. Pinch any seams closed.
3. In a mixing bowl combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla until combined and smooth.
4. Spread this over top of the crescent roll.
5. Unroll your remaining can of crescent rolls and lay this on top of the cream cheese mixture, again, pinching closed any open seams.
6. Pour your melted butter on top of the crescent roll.
7. In a bowl, mix the remaining sugar and tablespoon of cinnamon together and sprinkle that evenly on top of butter.
8. Bake for 30 minutes until top is golden brown.
9. Let cool for approximately 20 minutes and then put in refrigerator to completely chill before cutting into squares.

I hope you guys liked this recipe!  As I said before if you have any tips, recipes, or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment! Whoa, 1,000 views, thanks faithful viewers! =)

GB2- God Bless, Go BAKE!

I wonder what's going to happen to GB2 if Tim Tebow doesn't play for the Broncos next year? (for those of you who don't follow football like my brother does, GB2 is Tim Tebow's motto and stands for "God bless, Go Broncos.") 
Any thoughts on that???

Easy Irish Soda Bread?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! I hope everyone had a fun day whether they remembered the holiday or not, (I sort of forgot about it.) Okay, now back to baking.  My mom really wanted me to make this recipe because yesterday she had made corned beef and cabbage in the crockpot and wanted this bread to go along with all the leftovers. At first being the apprentice baker that I am, I thought there was real soda in the recipe, so I declined because I'm not drinking soda, or carbonated water for a year. (My brother's dare/ idea - we're both doing it!) But then she said it was called "soda bread" because there was baking soda in it. So today we picked up some buttermilk and I made it...I think...read below and you'll find out why...

The Ingredients, I forgot the egg.

Mixing the ingredients together. This just might work...maybe.



I figured I'd try another way to "soften" the butter in the toaster oven, until my Mom saw what I was doing and told me that this wasn't a good idea.  She doesn't like messes. :-)

My...eh...dough?

Buttermilk, I remember one time Luke thought this was milk, poured some of it, then drank it.  He knows the difference now though. =)

The directions didn't say how to shape it so I just plopped it on the pan. It sort of looks like a big fish stick. =/

I know, normally my pictures will have helpful hints and tips, but not this one. DO NOT DO WHAT I DID!  While you are doing this step at home do not think to yourself WWGD (What would Grace Do?) because then your recipe and your oven will be doomed...

 like this.  (See, I poured all of the buttermilk and melted butter on top, but instead you're supposed to just brush a bit on and then slowly brush more on as you're baking.)  So apparently if you have extra liquid just lying on the pan it runs off, lands in the oven, and starts to sizzle and smoke. The whole kitchen was filled with smoke so I had to go somewhere else.  (It was getting hard to breathe.) Did I mention I also had the fire alarm screeching in my ear, refusing to go off?  Those are my Dad's hands above because he always comes to my rescue!  My Mom said the next thing I'm going to learn how to do is clean the oven! =)



It came out... edible!!!! Yea! 

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

Alright, so although it was a disaster, at least it tasted good in the end. I do highly recommend this recipe, as long as you make it right and follow the directions. Anyway, I noticed a lot of people like cheesecake recipes so I'm thinking of making a really good recipe that's half cheesecake, half cake! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

               

GB2- God Bless, Go BAKE!!!

Easy Cinnamon Roll Muffins



The Chubby Wubby liked it!!!!

    Cinnamon rolls are probably the best dessert ever, especially when they're homemade. I've never made bread before and I've never used yeast in a recipe, but I found this recipe online here at a really cool website called Joy the Baker.

 I'm a little nervous making new things, but everyone in my family (except my brother Luke, he's got funny taste buds) liked it.

Ingredients for muffins

Ingredients for icing and topping

Yeast... it smells like baby drool.  =/

Stirring the dough gives you a workout...this makes me sore just thinking about it.

The topping, it's supposed to be crumbly but I added around 2tbsp of honey to it. =)

A lesson in patience, waiting for the yeast to rise..... I still need to work on this.

Raisins, a special request from Daddy.

A swirly tornado of cinnamon.

Bubbling cinnamon buns, screaming for icing!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp active dry or rapid rise yeast
2/3 cup warm milk (100-110F; low fat is fine)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg

Toppings:
2 tbsp butter, slightly melted
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch nutmeg

My second piece.

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp milk or cream

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Dissolve the yeast in a measuring cup filled with the warmed milk, then stir in milk mixture, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and egg into the flour mixture.
2.  Mix well, until very smooth. Pour into greased cupcakes tins and let rest for 15 minutes.
3. While the dough rests, mix together butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl using a fork until all the butter has been incorporated into the sugar and mixture is crumbly. Divide the cinnamon sugar evenly on top of rested dough and press the mixture down into the dough with your fingertips (or swirl in with a spatula.)
4. Place pan into a cold oven, then set the oven temperature to 350F.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until bread is lightly browned at the edges and the center of the bread springs back when lightly pressed. Some of the sugar mixture on top may still be bubbling. Cool for at least 30 min.
5. Whisk the powdered sugar and milk together to form an icing and drizzle onto the bread.
Serve warm. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave.

They loved it.

So, I know making bread and all that stuff is intimidating for most new bakers (especially me) but this recipe was really simple and you only have to wait 15 minutes for the dough to rise.

     GB2- God Bless, Go BAKE!

Wow, I have been tracking my stats and it's been really fun seeing all the different countries (Argentina, Ukraine, Russia, New Zealand, Germany, Philippines, Fiji, United Kingdom, U.S, United Arab Emirates) that people have been reading my blog from. It really is a small world.

(I just got the song stuck in my head...sigh.)

Anyway, thank you faithful readers!!!

Salamat Po! =) (for my Philippine friends)