Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

As we get closer to Valentine's Day, I thought it would be fun to post some things I will be serving my family this year. It's on a Saturday, so I have some fun things in mind to make the day festive, particularly for my pink glitter loving little girl, Princess Leah! She loves my red velvet cake, so that is definitely on the list this year!

Ingredients - Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 ounces red food coloring
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

Ingredients - Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1 cup marshmallow fluff
• 1 (1 pound) box powdered sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy.
  
• Add eggs one at a time.
• Mix cocoa and food coloring together in a small bowl; add to mixture and mix well.
• Sift together cake flour and salt.
  
• Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour.
• Blend in vanilla.
• In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar. Add to mixture.
• Pour batter into 2 9-inch or 3 8-inch cake pans, prepared.
  
• Bake 20-25 minutes or until done. Cool completely before frosting.
  
• Blend cream cheese and butter together in a bowl.
• Add marshmallow fluff and sugar; blend well.
• If desired, you can fold in coconut and/or pecans (or press these into the sides of the cake), but I never include them.
• Spread between layers and on top and sides of cooled cake.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Glitter Puffy Paint

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup flour (per color)
• 1/2 cup water (per color)
• 1/2 cup salt (per color)
• food coloring - gels work best!
• glitter, the finer the better
• plastic bowls and spoons
• a funnel
• squeeze bottles

Instructions

• Mix equal parts flour, water, and salt together in a bowl - mix well, as you do not want any clumps!
  
• Add more water (slowly) if the consistency appears too thick.
• Add food coloring until you get the desired color.
  
  
  
  
• Add glitter and stir well.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Using a funnel, add paints to squeeze bottles - most craft stores have these available.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Banana Pudding

I like bananas. There, I said it. 

While I like bananas, the prospect of making real banana pudding seemed daunting...until I actually did it. There you have it, kids. Try stuff. It might work.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 30 to 40 vanilla wafers...though I sure didn't count
• 3 to 4 medium ripe bananas

Directions

• Separate the yolks from the whites of 3 eggs - I just pour the yolk from one shell half to the other until all the whites have separated. Set aside the whites. Add the remaining whole egg to the yolks.

• In a saucepan, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, the flour, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in the whole egg and 3 yolks, and then stir in the milk. Cook uncovered, stirring often, until the mixture thickens...should take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
  
  
  
  
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Spread a thin layer of the pudding in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.Arrange a layer of vanilla wafers on top of the pudding. Thinly slice the bananas crosswise, about 1/8 inch thick, and arrange a layer of banana slices over the wafers. Spread one third of the remaining pudding over the bananas and continue layering wafers, bananas, and pudding, ending with pudding.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• To make the meringue: beat the reserved egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until the whites will not slide out of the mixing bowl when it is tilted.
  
• Spread the meringue over the pudding with a spatula, making some decorative peaks on top, and bake until the meringue is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Microwave Cheesecake In A Cup!

Cheesecake is my all time favorite sweet to eat!  So when I found I could have it in a matter of minutes and make it less calories, I said YES PLEASE!!!!
 
What you need
 
2 ounces low fat cream cheese
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
2 tbsp. sugar ( I used 2 packets of sweet n low or equal...any of them will do the job)
2 tbsp. egg whites (beaten)
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
3 graham cracker squares
dark chocolate (chopped)

 

First start by beating your cream cheese until its nice and fluffy/smooth.  Mix in your 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 tbsp. sugar, 2 tbsps. egg whites (pre-beaten), 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp. cornstarch.  Whisk that all up together...pretty easy right?  Blend about 2 minutes.  Then chop up any add ins that you have decided on (I went with chopped dark chocolate pieces) and fold in gently.

 

Then you can either make yourself a nice big cup full or divide into portions.  As you can see I was willing to share today haha.  I divided it into three portions.  Microwave on medium 2 1/2 minutes.  you want the center to bubble slightly, not crack.  Keep an eye on it depending on your microwave could take longer or shorter.  Once its cooked I like to top with some broken graham cracker pieces and let refrigerate for at least 30-45 minutes.

Try this one if you are in need for a quick sweet snack!  It really satisfied that cheesecake craving for me!
                                                            EAT! ENJOY! YUM!

Egg In A Hole with Turkey Sausage Crumble and a Tomato, Avocado, Onion Dice

This is a fun, quick and easy way to try eggs in a slightly different way.  It's also great in the way that you really can eat it at any time of the day!

What you need

Your bread of choice (I chose whole wheat)
1 egg per serving
2 turkey sausage links (out of casing, hot or sweet I used one of each)
8-10 chopped cherry tomatoes
1/2 avocado
1/2 chopped Onion
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Cooking spray

 Start out with your frying pan on medium cooking the turkey sausage for about 7-8 minutes.  once that's all cooked up, start up another frying pan on medium.  Make sure to spray some nonstick spray on the bottom. 

 

 

Take your sliced bread, bend it in half and remove small piece from center.  Place down in the hot pan.  Now just crack your egg and place right over the hole you made in center of bread.  I cooked mine about two minutes before flipping it over for an additional minute or so.   

After your egg in a hole is done cooking through dice up your cherry tomatoes, onion, and avocado.  I topped it with 1 tbsp. of lemon juice and a dash of black pepper.

Now just add turkey sausage right on top of your egg in a hole followed by your tomato, avocado, and onion.  Then eat! the best part ; )  EAT! ENJOY! YUM!

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are a HUGE hit in our house - I can't make enough of them to keep up with demand! I have experimented with tons of different recipes, but this one makes huge, puffy, soft cookies -and they STAY SOFT!!!

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 and 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar (for topping)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (for topping)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Make the topping by tossing 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl, and set aside.

• Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Once smooth, add the sugar until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla, scraping down sides as needed. Set aside.
• In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. With mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to wet in 3 different parts. The dough will be quite thick.

• Take 1.5 - 2 Tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the dough balls into the reserved cinnamon sugar topping. Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.