Tomato and Lime Macaroni Salad

Hello, everyone! I hope you are all doing well! Today I have a simple, yet very delicious recipe. I was experimenting with macaroni salad one day when I came up with this. This is a perfect side dish for a potluck or just to eat at home! The lime adds the perfect taste. I was really happy with the way it turned out, and I'm really excited to share it with you today! Some people like more or less seasonings in theirs, and, to be hones, I didn't measure mine. I would say add them in to taste. 

Enjoy! 

                                   Tomato and Lime Macaroni Salad

     

                               Elbow macaroni noodles, cooked

                               1/2 medium onion, chopped

                               1 can diced tomatoes, drained slightly

                               Italian dressing, to taste

                               Italian seasoning, to taste

                               salt, to taste

                               lime juice, to taste (I personally like a lot in mine!)

                                              

Mix all of the ingredients together in order. Mix it well, making sure everything is well seasoned. Serve warm or cold and enjoy! I think chicken would make a great addition to this as well! 
We would love to hear how you like our recipes! Leave a comment below if you try it and let us know how it turned out!  

Carrot Cake

Hello everyone!  We all know how hard it is to get kids to eat vegetables.  I have found another recipe that disguises vegetables, and kids love it.  Well, my little brother does anyway.  So does my dad.  Actually, carrot cake is his favorite cake.  This one is not a spice filled as some other recipes, however, the spices can definitely be tasted.  My mom thought it could be more carroty, but she loves her veggies.

Carrot Cake

1 lb. shredded carrots

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

a dash ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 large eggs, room temp

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese

5 T. unsalted butter, softened

1 T. sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*.

Grease pan.

Grate carrots.

Combine dry ingredients.

Whisk together eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugars.  Add dry ingredients.  Stir in carrots. 

Bake cake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating halfway through, or until done.  Cool.

Combine cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth.  Add powdered sugar and process until smooth.  Refrigerate until needed.

Once cake has completely cooled, frost.  Enjoy!

My family heartily enjoyed this cake!  My little brother kept on coming back for more!  I think my favorite part of the cake was the cream cheese frosting, but that is only because spice cake is not my favorite.  My hope is that you and your families will enjoy this veggie filled cake, and will continue to come back for more recipes!

Fried Squash

Hello, everyone! I don't know about you, but I love fried things. I know, they are really bad for you, but sometimes it's just too hard to resist. If you have a bunch of leftover squash from your garden, or if you just share my love of fried foods, this recipe for fried squash is perfect. It is best when it's still hot and crispy. Enjoy! 

 Fried Squash

                                          1/2 cup cornmeal

                                          1/4 cup flour

                                          1 cup milk

                                          1 egg

                                          pinch of salt

                                          1 medium squash, sliced

                                          oil, for frying

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until smooth. 
Heat up the oil in a frying pan. You could probably also use a deep fryer, but this method is less messy.
Dip each piece of squash in and fry in the hot oil until brown and crispy, turning to cook each side. 
Drain on paper towels, and enjoy! 
These were really good. I hope you make them and enjoy them too! 

Breadsticks

Hello everyone!  Today's recipe is breadsticks.  They are no-where near the caliber of Olive Garden's, but are still good.  When I made these, I baked a few of them with cinnamon sugar sprinkled over the top.  This is one of those recipes that can go either way, which is handy, because then you can make them to go with breakfast.  You probably shouldn't though, it wouldn't be very healthy!  Although, who am I to talk?  I eat pumpkin pie for breakfast after Thanksgiving!  Anyway, on to the recipe!

Breadsticks

6 oz. water, room temp.

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 egg, beaten

cinnamon sugar, optional

Directions

Put all ingredients into a bread maker, except egg and cinnamon sugar.  Press start/stop to clear display.  Select dough setting. Press start/stop.  When unit display reads 0:00, press start/stop and remove dough.

Preheat oven to 450*.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Divide dough into 9 equal pieces.  Roll each into an 8-inch rope.  Place on cookie sheet.  Brush with beaten egg.  Sprinkle with as much cinnamon as desired.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done.  Enjoy!

Hey!  I just thought of something else you could do with these!  You could imbed a cheese stick in them and serve them warm, so that it would be like bosco sticks!  If you do try that, leave a comment to tell us how they turned out!  I hope you all enjoy these!

Pumpkin Spice French Toast

Hello, everyone! Sorry the post is late...the internet was down all day yesterday, so I couldn't post until today! I made this pumpkin spice french toast the other day when I was feeling so autumny. (It's a new word... :)) The weather has been perfect, and I couldn't resist the urge to make pumpkin spice something. I love french toast, and with some warm maple syrup, this is perfect. 

                               
                                     Pumpkin Spice French Toast

                                             1 cup milk
                                             3/4 cup canned pumpkin
                                             1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
                                             3 eggs
                                             8-12 bread slices

Heat a griddle to 350*. 
Combine the milk, pumpkin, spice, and eggs in a medium bowl. Dip the bread into the mixture, letting the excess run off. Fry it on the griddle until brown and crispy on each side. Serve with warm maple syrup and butter. 
Enjoy!! :) 

Cookie Craving Bars

Hello everyone!  One of our pastors just recently moved to Vermont, and before he left we made him this dessert.  A long time ago he had asked that at the next event we make this dish.  Well, the next event at the church ended up being his going away party.  This post is a tribute to you Pastor Neal!

Cookie Craving Bars

Bottom Layer:

1 stick butter

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups chocolate chips

Middle Layer:

1 family size package of oreos

Top layer:

1 box of brownie mix

Directions

Preheat oven to 375*.

Grease or layer the bottom of a 10x12 pan with parchment paper.

Combine all dry ingredients (excluding chocolate chips) in a small bowl and set aside.

In a larger bowl mix together all wet ingredients, and add half of flour mix at a time stirring well between additions.  Lastly, add chocolate chips and mix well.

Scoop mixture into the bottom of the pan and flatten until the entire bottom is covered.

Layer oreos over cookie mixture.

Prepare brownie batter according to package instructions, and pour over oreos and cookie dough.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until sides of brownie layer are crispy.  Enjoy!

 Thank you Pastor Neal for everything you did for the church. You and your family will be sorely missed!  We will be praying for you.

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Hello, everyone! I hope you have been enjoying our blog. Today's recipe came about when I watched Save My Bakery. Seriously, I can't get enough of that show. It's so cool to see the transformations of the different bakeries! If you haven't seen it yet, you should watch an episode. Or ten. 

Anyway, when I saw them making cupcakes, it was one of those moments where you wish you could pull the food out of the screen and eat it. I ended up making cupcakes soon afterwards. I have a book called The Great Cupcake Book. That's where I got this recipe.

They didn't turn out as good as I expected them to, but they were still good. I am reducing the vanilla in the frosting by half a teaspoon in the recipe because my vanilla has alcohol in it, and it ended up leaving a really strong taste. If you use non-alcohol vanilla extract, you can probably put a full teaspoon in. Without further ado, we'll get into the recipe! 

                              Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
                      
                        Cupcakes:
                                   3 1/4 cups cake flour* 
                                   1 1/2 Tablespoons baking powder
                                   1 pinch salt
                                   1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
                                   1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
                                   1 3/4 sticks butter 
                                   2 cups sugar
                                   5 egg whites, room temperature
                                   2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
       
                         Frosting:
                                     3 sticks butter
                                     3 3/4 cups sifted powdered sugar
                                     1/2 tsp. vanilla
                                     2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

*if you are using all-purpose flour, reduce the amount by 2 Tablespoons per cup! 

Preheat the oven to 350*. Line 30 muffin tins with paper liners. 
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. 
Combine the milk and vanilla, set aside. 
In another bowl or mixer, cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar in a steady stream, mixing the whole time. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, mixing well after each addition. 
Beat the egg whites in a mixer until stiff peaks form, then gently fold it into the batter. 
Divide the batter between the muffin tins and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Mine took about 30 minutes, but I would start at 20 and test add time by five minutes at a time if it's not done. 
Place the cupcakes on wire racks to cool. Meanwhile prepare the frosting. 
Cream the butter until it is smooth, then add the powdered sugar gradually. Mix in the vanilla. Here you can add the chocolate chips if you want, or you can put the plain frosting on the cupcakes and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. I mixed it in, but I think it would be really good with them separate. 
Once the cupcakes are cooled, frost them and enjoy! 

I love cupcakes! Try these out and let us know how you liked them in the comment section below! We'd love to hear from you! Happy Baking! 

                           ~Nutmeg        

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Banana Bread

Hello everyone!  Hey, guess what!  Another banana recipe!  The fried bananas just didn't get rid of enough bananas, so I made something else with our (what seems to be anyway) never ending supply of the strange fruit.

Really though, what are bananas?  They are classified as a fruit, but they are unlike any other fruit I've ever eaten.  Then again, star fruit are pretty weird too.  I've never actually eaten one, but I'm getting off topic.  Hmm, I should look all this up!  Today's recipe is a delicious variation of banana bread, and it was gone in a flash!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Banana Bread

3 large mashed bananas

2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup oil

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup oat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 325*.

Grease large loaf pan.

Beat together bananas, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla.

Add rest of ingredients and mix well.

Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Enjoy!

As I said before this was eaten quickly, so get some while you can after you make it!

Gingerbread Muffin Tops

Hello, everyone! Today's recipe is probably more of a holiday one, but if you like gingerbread, it can be eaten all year! A friend of ours gave us this recipe to try, so I am posting it today! 

These gingerbread muffin tops are really fluffy and light. Not to mention the wonderful smells while they're baking! Enjoy! 

                                     
                                  Gingerbread Muffin Tops

                                        2/3 cup shortening
                                 2/3 cup brown sugar
                                 2 eggs
                                 1 1/4 cups molasses 
                                 4 cups all-purpose flour
                                 3 tsp. ginger
                                 1 tsp. baking soda
                                 2 tsp. cinnamon 
                                 1 scant tsp. salt
                                 sugar, for sprinkling 

Preheat the oven to 350*. 
In a large bowl, cream the shortening and sugar. Add the eggs and molasses. Mix until well incorporated.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. 
Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ones, making sure to mix it well. 
Drop by 1/4 cupfuls 2 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle them with sugar. 
Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until set. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for about 2 or 3 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool.