Simple Pumpkin Bread

I guarantee that you will LOVE this recipe!  The best part about it?  It's so easy! 

Preheat oven to 350.

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon*
1 teaspoon nutmeg*
2/3 cup water
2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin (I prefer fresh cooked pumpkin)

*Add more or less cinnamon/nutmeg to cater to your own liking.

Directions:

The beauty of this recipe is just how easy it is.

Just mix all these ingredients together, pour in greased and floured loaf pan(s), and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Perform toothpick test to see if it's ready. If toothpick comes out clean, your bread is ready. 

This bread is delicious warm, cooled, with butter, or completely plain.  Grab a slice, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

The Ultimate Chocolate Mint Cookies

Oh...My...Goodness! 

This is a magical cookie and certainly one of the best I've ever made!  It seems everyone I share them with, falls in love with them.  They are just the right amount of chewy and crispy all in one bite.

Ingredients


1     cup butter, softened

1     cup granulated sugar 

3/4  cup packed light brown sugar

2     teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2  teaspoon salt

2     eggs

2     cups all-purpose flour

1/2  cup cocoa

1     teaspoon baking soda

1    10oz package of Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
• In a large mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and salt until it becomes creamy
• Add eggs.  Make sure to beat them well
• In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, and baking soda
• Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until everything is blended well.  The batter will be stiff
• Add the mint chips.  I did this with my mixer, but think it'd probably be better to do it by hand
• Drop by rounded teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  I use a small ice cream scooper (designed for cookie batter) to ensure a consistent size.  And I slightly greased my cookie sheet, because my experience with my cookie sheets is: everything sticks!
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. 8-9 minutes I find leaves the cookies slightly moister/chewier.  Cool slightly then move to a wire rack
• ENJOY!  Whether they are warm or cool - they are delicious!



Recipe courtesy of: www.food.com



The Perfect Carrot Cake

So, my boyfriend LOVES carrot cake and had asked me to make one for him on his birthday.  I had never made a "from scratch" cake before and I thought it was going to be difficult.  Boy, was I wrong!!

Cake Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 1/4 C vegetable oil
2 C white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract (I add a dash more - since I love vanilla)
2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
3 1/2 C grated carrots
1 C chopped pecans/walnuts (optional)

Frosting Ingredients:
8 oz softened cream cheese
4 C confectioners sugar
1-2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C butter

First you'll want to preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then grease a 9x13 pan.  By the way, you can also make cupcakes by using a muffin pan and using the paper cups in lieu of grease.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, add in oil, white sugar and the vanilla.  Sometimes I cut back on the white sugar for a healthier option.  It all depends on what you want or how you like it.  I always suggest going by the initial recipe first, tasting it, then making modifications the next time around.  Okay, back to the mixing.  Add flour, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the egg/sugar mixture.  Finally, add the shredded carrots.  If you choose to use nuts, add them in at this time.

Bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes.  You can tell if the cake is ready by inserting a toothpick or knife and if it comes out clean then you know your cake is ready.  Let cake cool in pan for about 10 minutes then turn it out on a wire rack so that it can cool completely.

Now for the really delicious part: the frosting!  Make sure your butter and cream cheese is softened, or it will be difficult to mix.  Basically just put all the ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix.  I chill mine for a few minutes before putting it on the cake because it can come out runny otherwise.  I candy some chopped pecans (butter, cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg) and put them on top of the frosting.

I have made this cake for several people and get nothing but awesome reviews.  I hope you like this recipe as well!

Healthy options:  use less sugar, use applesauce instead of oil, use margarine instead of real butter.