and i want to be dessert
i believe in a thing called love, just listen to the rhythm of your heart hide
Pumpkin Cake with Cider Caramel Sauce
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. oil
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
2 eggs
Combine the first 6 ingredients. Add oil, pumpkin and eggs. Whisk until blended. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Cool and top with the sauce before serving.
Cider Caramel Sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2/3 c. apple cider
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 Tbsp. butter
salt to taste
In a saucepan, whisk brown sugar and cornstarch. Add cider and stir in the cream, butter and salt. Cook over med-hi heat, whisking constantly, until large bubbles form around the edge of the saucepan, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and allow to thicken, about 2 minutes. Top with vanilla ice cream if you want and drizzle sauce over it.
Banana Split Pie
yield: one 9X13 dish or two 6X6 in dishes 2 cups Graham Crackers, crushed Topping Ideas: 1. Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and toss until the graham crackers are fully coated. Press into the bottom of an 9×13 in dish (or two smaller serving dishes). *recipe found at Natalie’s Killer Cuisine blog
4 oz (1 stick) Butter, melted
8 oz (2 sticks) Butter, room temperature
2 cups Powdered Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup Pineapple, diced (canned or fresh)
5 Bananas
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip
Nuts, Maraschino Cherries, Chocolate Sauce, Strawberries, Caramel Sauce, Sprinkles
2. Next add the butter and powdered sugar to an electric mixer and cream until smooth. Add the two eggs and vanilla and beat for at least 6 minutes until the mixture is thick and smooth.
3. Gently spread the buttercream mixture over the graham cracker crust.
4. Completely drain the diced pineapple and slice your bananas long ways. Gently press the bananas into the butter cream, and top with the diced pineapple.
5. Spread the whipped cream over the fruit and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Cream Puff Cake
Ingredients:
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) unsalted butter
1 c. water
1 c. flour
4 large eggs
4 c. milk
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 (3.5 oz) pkgs. instant vanilla pudding
1 container Cool Whip
Chocolate syrup
Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large heavy saucepan, heat butter and water to boiling over medium-high heat. Add flour and reduce heat to low. Cook and stir until it forms a ball and pulls away from the pan. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.
Spread in bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 35 minutes. Cool completely. To make the filling: In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and milk and beat until smooth. Here’s the trick, to keep things smooth: start with the cream cheese, give it a good beating until fluffy. Slowly but surely (while still beating), add the milk. Voila! Once these are well combined, add pudding mix and beat until thickened. Spread over cooled shell. Top with whipped topping, and drizzle chocolate syrup over the top. Keep refrigerated until serving.
*recipe found at the cast sugar blogspot
Sugar Cookies
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups shortening
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg, beaten
4 1/3 cups cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Plain or colored sugar, for decorating
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, cream together sugars and shortening using an electric mixer. Mix on slow speed 30 seconds, then scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Increase speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.
Slowly add vanilla and beaten egg while mixing.
In a separate bowl, combine cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, mixing on slow speed until just blended. Do not over mix.Scoop with an ice cream scoop and roll in sugar. Place on baking sheet. Flatten slightly with palm of hand.
Bake 9 to 10 minutes.
Cookies are done when small cracks appear and are pale golden. Ideally, do not let edges brown. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 extra-large egg
1/4 cup regular unsulphured molasses (blackstrap is too strong for this cookie)
Granulated sugar (for coating cookie dough before baking)
Non-stick vegetable spray (optional, for coating the scoop)
preparation
Heat oven to 375 degrees with the rack in the center. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, silicone pan liners or aluminum foil (if using foil, grease foil with 1 Tbsp. butter or solid vegetable shortening). Set aside.
Sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger into a medium bowl. Set aside.
Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl with mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. With mixer on medium speed, beat in the egg and molasses, then increase the speed to high and beat about 1 minute longer, until the mixture no longer looks curdled. Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula several times while mixing.
Mix in the flour mixture on low speed. The batter will be rather stiff. Place some granulated sugar on a small plate or saucer. Use a 1/4-cup ice cream scoop or a measuring cup to form 1/4-cup portions of dough. (Spray the cup or scoop with the optional non-stick vegetable spray to make it easier to release the dough.) Transfer the dough to your hands and roll each portion into a rough ball, then roll each ball into the sugar. Place six sugared balls on each baking sheet, spacing them evenly, because they will spread during baking.
Dampen your fingers with water and press down lightly on each cookie to flatten it a little and dampen the top. Refrigerate one filled baking sheet while the other bakes.
Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cookies have spread and are firm to the touch. Rotate the sheet 180 degrees halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet.
Note: This dough can be frozen for slice-and- bake cookies. Just roll into a log 2-1/2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and then in foil. Can be stored in the freezer up to 6 months. I used a food processor and cooked it for 11min.
Makes 1 dozen large cookies.
*recipe found at epicurious.com
Better Than Sex Cake
1 box chocolate cake mix (+ whatever it calls for on the back)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar hot fudge sauce
1-8 oz container of cool whip
4 Score Bars, crushed
Make and bake cake according to box directions. As soon as it comes out of the oven, poke holes with the handle of a wooden spoon all over the cake. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top. Let cool completely. Next spread fudge over the cake, and put in the fridge to set. When it is cool, spread coolwhip over the top and then top with crushed score bars. Refrigerate leftovers. I like this cake better the next day as the cake gets more moist.
*found at the barefoot and baking blogspot
Caramel Pretzel Bites
Makes 50
One 14-ounce bag soft caramels
One 10-ounce bag pretzel nuggets
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups natural almonds, toasted and finely chopped (optional)
1. Unwrap the caramels, then using a rolling pin, roll out each one into a 1/8-inch thick oval. Wrap a rolled-out caramel around each pretzel nugget, pinching the ends to seal.
2. In a double boiler over simmering water, melt half of the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Add the remaining chocolate, remove the top of the double boiler from the saucepan and stir until smooth.
3. Place the almonds, if using, in a shallow bowl. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Using a fork, dip a caramel covered pretzel nugget in the chocolate to coat, tapping off any excess chocolate. Transfer the pretzel to the almonds and toss to coat; place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pretzel nuggets, reheating chocolate as needed. Let stand until set, about 3 hours.
*recipe found at the busty baker blogspot
Do the right thing.
My moral code is what I think everyone should go by because I don’t feel that I have done anything wrong.
Just a good week and a regular day …
It’s a regular morning. You get dressed for school, pack a pen and a notebook. You’re already running late so the muffin you have for breakfast can wait until you return from class. Out in the car you determine conditions. Nice day, should only take you ten minutes to get to class when factoring in traffic. It’s warm but the gloves are still needed. Not sunny so the aviators can stay in the cup holder. You throw your purse that carries everything in the passenger seat and your phone gets set in its nice little spot in the ashtray next to you. Back out of your parking spot and make your way down the lane. The snowbanks are still in the area of seven feet high so you stop just at the sidewalk where you can see a small portion of the road that shows the tops of the cars in the oncoming traffic. Sucks that you live on a busy street doesn’t it? Wait about five minutes because the light takes forever to change. Okay, the light turns red. No sign of cars from over the bank and the other light hasn’t switched to green yet. Go.
Everything turns to slow motion. You see that light blue lesabre right as it’s about to hit you. Then it’s over. The traffic keeps moving, the neighbours start to emerge from their homes. You look around. The lady in the other car seems fine, her airbag went off but yours didn’t. Wiggle your toes, still can. Reach down and undo the seatbelt. Look at your door. You aren’t going anywhere, its bent in and stuck. Okay, grab the cellphone and dial 911. Halfway through you realize your back and your left leg really hurt. The panic begins and the tears finally reach the surface. 228 from across the street opens the passenger door and gets in. She wraps a comforter on you until emergency services arrive. You finish up with the 911 call and she tells you it’ll be alright. Takes your phone and calls your mom. The police arrive and kick that source of comfort out of the car. It’s a blur. They’re asking you your name, age, where you are, where your from, what you were doing, the date. You didn’t hit your head, just in pain from the waist down so they should get you out of the damn car. The door won’t open. You’re quite aware of that. The car gets shut off - probably should have remembered that in the beginning. Can you still feel your legs? Yes, or you probably wouldn’t be so sore, thanks. Maybe they can lift you out the other side over the console. No, it’s too high. You’re going to have to wait for the fire department. They’re going to cut you out. More pain shooting through your lower back and left thigh. Something feels wet, it’s probably just the cold coming in. Firefighters are here, the jaws of life are going to get you out. The paramedic puts the comforter over your head so you don’t get hit with anything, or scared for that matter. She talks you through what they’re doing. All done. They slide a board under you and strap you in. You see police directing traffic from down the road. The lady from the other car is standing across the street with another paramedic. You look up and there is your window at the top floor of your walk-up, the perfect spot to be to view everything. You didn’t even manage to open the blinds today. You wonder how long it will be until your back there and then they load you into the ambulance. The questions are being fired again. Then your jeans are being cut off you because that wet spot from before is actually a lot of blood. Good thing you weren’t attached to them.
Finally at the hospital now. You get poked and prodded by about eight different people in the first five minutes. Get asked the same questions for the third time. They keep moving you to get the gown on and take your vitals and it really hurts. Your IV is put in and the morphine starts running through but God knows how long until you stop feeling pain. The social worker comes and calls everyone who needs to be called. You go to xray, meet with a police officer, finally get to see your parents. Go for a ct scan, find out you were charged from your dad because the cop couldn’t stick around to wait for you. Parents kicked out again. More doctors poking you. You have fractures of the pelvic bone and the sacrum. There is some internal bleeding shown in your abdomen that will be monitored. The laceration on the top of your thigh is two and a half inches deep which is why it won’t stop bleeding. You’re officially being admitted, and surgery is a likely possibility so it’s good you missed breakfast. Your parents are let back in along with the bf and bff. Only two at a time though so your parents go for lunch. Need to meet with more doctors so everyone is getting kicked out again. You have been extremely violated by more people than you can count in about three hours. Finally being moved out of ER trauma but one more xray first. This one makes you feel very sick because they make you sit straight up. Finally to a bed. All four visitors are allowed back in. Surgery is ruled out. Your mom decides to sneak you your cell phone when the nurses aren’t looking and it is your source to the outside when one by one everyone starts to go home. By the way, your accident was on the news. Awesomeee. A few hours later they send you in a TV, finally. Before bed they look at your cut. No stitches. It’s too deep so it needs to heal from the inside out to avoid infection. It gets packed instead, ouch.
Every time you try to drift off to sleep your monitor starts beeping. The guy in the room next to you keeps hacking and your earplugs don’t work. 3AM roles by and your morphine has worn off and the nurses aren’t checking on you and the call button doesn’t work. Sixteen hours ago these were not your plans for the night. Finally by six you’ve been given more painkillers and you fall asleep. Only to get woken up an hour later during shift change and starting a whole new day. The poking begins again, the food is nasty, everyone is late. But you get out of bed and learn how to use the crutches and you are finally going home. But you can’t go back to your apartment, you aren’t allowed to walk up three flights of stairs. Off school for two weeks. Off work for awhile. Your car is dead. Crutches for six to eight weeks. During that period no heavy lifting and using the butt crawl up and down any stairs. Great, this works out well.
You fall asleep on the way home-home. But your dad gets excited about something and his raised voice wakes you up into a flashback causing a panic attack. So, car rides are gonna be fun for a few months.
Now you’re meeting with a home care nurse, you have an old person toilet and shower seat. Your sentenced to one floor of your house. Painkillers every six hours. Phone going off like crazy. Your fighting a ticket you didn’t deserve. It’s a really good thing you have wonderful people in your life. A stellar support system, loving family and caring friends - people who are concerned. It’s a really good thing <3
