Our dear friends, Laura and Davis, renewed their vows on New Years Eve. I volunteered to make them a cake as a way to celebrate who they are together. She requested a carrot cake and expected something in a 9"x13" pan. I however, could not be satisfied with that, so I began researching recipes and looking for nice ideas that would be festive but not too over the top. After testing a few recipes, I have created a recipe that I am very happy with. I made it for my mother's party and it was a big hit. She took the left overs to work the next day and they were gone very quickly. I decided that meant it was a keeper. I found the idea for decorating it with an edible flower while looking through an old Martha Stewart Living magazine. The flower was a blast to create. You need candy melts (I used the ones by Wilton) and some leaves that are the correct shape that are not poisonous or have been sprayed with herbicide. I used leaves from Satsuma oranges I got at the grocery store. You simply melt candy melts in a small dish and use a small spoon to brush on the melted candy melts onto the back of the leaf. I cover my work surface with waxed paper and place them on a cookie pan to harden. You can even put them in the freezer. Once the melts had hardened I was able to peel the leaves from the candy and reuse them again. I was going to make green leaves, too, but decided to use real mint leaves instead. There are also a few red hots to add a bit of color to the base in addition to the coconut that I added to the sides. We also brought along some Garlic Cheese bread sticks.
We had a lovely time at their party, but had to leave before it was over. Laura said the cake was a hit. That made me feel good. Ellie stayed with them as she had her own plans. Anna and Ellie helped with a special event at the Evergreen Lake. There was night time ice skating, fireworks and merriment. Ellie and Anna handed out party favors. Laura and Davis manned a warming drum. The girls had a great time. They wore glow necklaces that they later cut open so as to splatter the glowing stuff on their gloves. Confirmed rumor has it that a cute young man took a liking to Ellie and followed her around most of the evening. In typical 14 year old boy fashion he started out nice and friendly, them became pesty in a puppydog kind of fashion. He and Nial (Anna's boyfriend) zoomed around them, shot hockey pucks between them and made them laugh a good bit. Between the fun and the caffeine they ingested, they did not get to bed until around 3 a.m. She came home happy, tired and with a bruised back from falling so often.
Larr, Ethan and I visited for a short while with Rex, Perrin and Calvin. Then we went home to prepare for the next party at the Rigg home. Ethan made Bacon Wrapped Pineapple Chunks and I made Cheddar Puffs. We found the recipes on The Pioneer Woman website and they were both a great hit. I've included the recipes below.
We had a great time at our party, too. Ken and Jane always do such a nice job. I loved the fine china place settings and drinking water from a silver goblet. We watched "The Blind Side" and sang Auld Lang Syne. We toasted our missing Eleanor and I cried through the song. Hopefully that part will get easier.
It was a hard year that also had many wonderful parts. Here's hoping you all have a great 2010!
Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Frosting - for Laura and Davis
Cake -
4 eggs
3/4 cup Buttermilk
3/4 cup Canola Oil
1 1/2 cup Sugar
2 tea. Vanilla Extract
2 tea. Cinnamon, ground
1/4 tea. Salt
2 cups Flour, all-purpose
2 tea. Baking Soda
2 tea. Baking Powder
3 cups Grated Carrots
1 cup Coconut, flaked or grated
(8 oz. pineapple, crushed, drained - I did not use pineapple this go-round, It can be included or omitted)
1 cup Walnuts or Pecans, chopped rather fine
1 cup Raisins
Frosting -
10 oz. Cream Cheese, at room temperature
5 TBL. Butter, unsalted & at room temperature
2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup Maple Syrup (be sure to use the real stuff!)
Cake -
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Grease a 9"x13" pan or two 8" rounds, or prepare cupcake papers.
In a large bowl beat together the eggs, buttermilk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Stir to mix well.
Fold this into the wet mixture, being careful to not overmix. Add in remaining ingredients and mix as little as possible. (Overmixing results in a dry cake.) Pour into the pan(s)/cups. If making cupcakes, be sure to only fill the cups about 3/4 of the way to prevent overage.
Cakes will take about 40-50 minutes to bake. Cupcakes should take about 15-30 minutes to bake. Remove when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for at least 10 minutes before turning out from the pans.
At this point the cake freezes successfully. It is easier to frost when it is just beginning to thaw. However, you can also frost it once it is cool.
Frosting -
Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat at a low speed until well incorporated. Add in the maple syrup and mix well.
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Garlic Cheese Breadsticks
from More Bread Machine Magic
Breadsticks -
1 3/8 cup Water, Warm
4 tea. Butter, room temperature
2 tea. Sugar
2 tea. Salt
4 cup Bread Flour
2 1/2 tea. Yeast
Topping -
1/4 cup Butter, melted
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2-3 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
4 tea. Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
Place all of the ingredients for the bread sticks into your bread maker in the order that they are listed. Select the dough setting and set it to work (this takes 50 minutes in my machine.)
Once the dough has risen long enough remove it from the pan and turn it out onto a well floured surface (I use a cutting board.) Knead the bread a bit more and shape it into three sections. Work with one section at a time, creating a rectangle shape. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 strips. Place them slightly apart from each other on a baking sheet. (I cover mine with foil to make clean up faster.) Repeat this step for the other dough bundles. Cover the breadstick and let them raise until doubled. This usually takes about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. It is best to let it preheat for at least 30 minutes before baking the breadsticks.
Create the topping my mixing all of the ingredients for the topping in a measuring cup. Right before you bake the breadsticks brush on half of the topping. Then cook the breadsticks for about 15-20 minutes, or until nicely browned. Brush the remaining topping on the breadsticks after they have been removed from the oven.
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Bacon Wrapped Pineapple Bites!
from Tasty Kitchen, added by Wendy Darling
· 1 pound Bacon
· 1 can Chunked Pineapple (large Chunks)
· ½ cups Brown Sugar
Set your oven to 375F.
Cut the pound of bacon in half. Put the brown sugar in a shallow bowl. Take a half a slice of bacon and dredge it through the brown sugar. Put a chunk of pineapple on one end of the bacon slice and roll up. Secure with a toothpick.
I put a cookie cooling rack into a foil-lined jelly roll pan. Lay the bacon pineapple bundles onto the rack.
Bake for at least 25 minutes, or until the bacon looks brown and crispy. Sometimes I pop them under the broiler for the last few minutes just to get them really crisp. But watch out – the sugar will burn!
Try to wait for them to cool slightly – only because the tasty goodness will burn your lips if it’s too hot! Enjoy.
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Cheddar Puffs
from The Pioneer Woman
Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 8
Ingredients
· 1 loaf Crusty French Bread, Cut Into 1-inch Cubes
· ½ sticks Butter
· 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
· 1 whole Shallot, Minced
· 1-½ teaspoon Dijon Mustard
· 8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, Sliced
· 1-½ cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
· Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
· 2 whole Egg Whites, Beaten
Preparation Instructions
Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and saute for 1 minute. Add Dijon and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low.
Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add grated cheddar and stir until melted. Turn off heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fold in egg whites.
Dunk bread cubes in cheese, coating thoroughly. Place on a nonstick baking mat or sheet of waxed paper and freeze for 20 minutes, uncovered. Remove frozen chunks from tray and place into a Ziploc bag. Store in the freezer.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place frozen cheese puffs on a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper, and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
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