Pear Cake, Pinterest and Prayer

In my never ending effort to search out and find new innovating recipes, I have become an avid subscriber to Pinterest.  It's actually really more of a love-hate relationship.  I haven't decided if the site motivates me and inspires me to create and "think outside the box" or depresses me because there are so many talented people in this world and I am just in awe of them, their specialties and jealous of the time they have to create so many beautiful things...be it foods, crafts, events, tabletops, etc...

My world has been quite busy as of late and I have been in need of anything new that can be created on a budget and in a time friendly manner.  I just have to keep reminding myself that "this too shall pass", take a deep breath and pray.

This cake is one of those gems that I recently stumbled on during one of my Pinterest binges.  It was incredibly easy, fast, amazingly delicious and fit my budget.  I think it would also make a great coffee cake (for those rare special days that I actually get to sit during a weekend morning and relax).

Pear Cake
Adapted from An Italian In My Kitchen

1-1/2 cups flour
5-1/2 Tbl. cornstarch
1 Tbl. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup mascarpone
2-1/2 Tbl. canola oil
pinch of salt
2 pears
powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease and flour a 9" cake pan.  (I used a spring-form pan).

Clean and peel the pears.  One pear chop into medium sized cubes, and the other pear thin slices and set aside.

In a medium bowl, at medium speed beat eggs and sugar until creamy, add mascarpone and continue beating until smooth.

In another medium bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch and baking powder.

Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture and stir gently to combine, then add the oil and salt and stirring to combine.

Fold in the medium-sized cubed pear, spoon into the prepared cake pan.

Top with the sliced pears and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake approximately 45 minutes.  Let cool and dust with powdered sugar.

One Year Ago:  Grilled Halloumi Cheese and Tomato Sandwich
Two Years Ago: Sour Cream and Chicken Enchiladas

Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce...School's In Session

I'm happy to report that we are back in full swing of school, sports and chaos!  School started last week and the schedules have been non-stop.  Junior year is upon us and the girls are very excited about it and making Varsity team!  I see Letterman jackets in our future very soon.

I have been so busy with them, my new business, redecorating rooms, getting ready for family guest stays and taking on a role with the Booster Club Board, that my experimental cooking and baking (and blogging) on weekends has taken a sideline.

This is what happens when I stop making weekend treats and I go to the grocery store on the way home from work, after a bad day with an empty stomach and feeling hot flashes!!

Luckily, I was able to try out this treat and conquer my very first, made from scratch, cheesecake earlier this summer.  This cheesecake was unbelievable (easy and a little time consuming, but so worth it) and I cannot wait to make it again for our upcoming guests.

Cheesecake With Fresh Strawberry Sauce
Courtesy of Trisha Yearwood

Crust:

Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups fine graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Filling:

32 ounces (Four 8-ounce packages) cream cheese
2 cups sour cream
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Strawberry Sauce:

1 to 1 1/4 cups halved fresh strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 lime, zested

For the crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray; line the bottom with a round of parchment paper; and spray the paper with cooking spray. Place the pan on a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil and bring the foil up around the sides to enclose the seam between the bottom and the sides of the pan (this will prevent water from leaking in).

Stir together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and mix until the crumbs are coated. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Set aside.

For the filling: In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese together with the sour cream. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the sugar, cornstarch and vanilla, and beat until smooth.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Set the foil-wrapped pan inside a larger pan, and carefully pour 1/2 inch of warm water into the larger pan to create a water bath. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven, open the oven door and let the cheesecake stand in the opened oven for 1 hour. Refrigerate the cheesecake for 2 hours or overnight before removing it from the pan.

For the sauce: Process the strawberries, sugar and lime zest in a food processor or blender until smooth. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. (The sauce is best served cold from the refrigerator.)

One Year Ago:  Volleyball Cookies
Two Years Ago: Puttanesca Pasta

"Eat The Cookie...Buy The Shoes"

"Eat The Cookie...Buy The Shoes", a great summer read by Joyce Meyer that I have been enjoying.  It's a book for women about "giving yourself permission to lighten up".  It's a very spiritual and inspiring book that reminds us gals, "Fun and enjoyment are needs in our lives, and we can't be healthy without them".

I took Joyce's advice...I stumbled on these darling shoes (on sale of course).  They were the last pair in my size, so of course it was meant to be that they were waiting there for me...and I made a batch of these "oh my goodness - very naughty cookie bars".  I don't know what else to call them except naughty!  Pure bliss in one bite!

They were also the perfect dessert for my family...my husband loves chocolate chip brownies, my oldest daughter prefers Oreos, my youngest daughter is partial to chocolate chip cookies...and let's face it, I'm addicted to all three of them and I'm not even going to try and deny it.

Naughty Cookie Bars

Inspired by Joyce Meyer

"Eat The Cookie...Buy The Shoes"

1 tub refrigerated pre-made cookie dough (or make your own)

1 package Double Stuff Oreo cookies

1 box, family size, brownie mix (plus ingredients needed to prepare)

1/2 bag mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with parchment paper.

Spread layer of cookie dough evenly over the parchment paper.

Place rows of Oreo cookies on top of the cookie dough.

Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions.

Spread the prepared brownie mix over the Oreo cookies.

Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the brownie mix.

Bake at 350 degrees approximately 30- 45 minutes.

Depending on your oven, start checking it after 30 minutes

and brownies are baked through.

One Year Ago: Spinach, Chicken, Bacon Pizza

Two Years Ago: Snickerdoodles

GGMa...Our Angel and Her Cake

Our family favorite!

This past week we had the fortunate time of taking a family vacation to one of our favorite destinations...Sunriver, Oregon.  We packed up the car and traveled on our adventurous road trip for some quality, family downtime.  No school, no sports, no work and best of all...no stress!

Near the end of our vacation, we were so blessed to have my Grandmother and Aunt Gayle come for a visit and stay the night with us.  They are both the salt of the earth, amazing ladies and I am so happy that we were able to spend time with them.

We were very spoiled when they arrived with not only their famous deviled eggs, an amazing marinated tri tip steak for dinner, and for dessert, "GGMa" delivered her awesome Angel Food Cake to share with us, complete with fresh strawberries and Cool Whip (which she knows, is a requirement to enjoy homemade angel food cake).

Grandma gave me her Angel Food Cake recipe over 20 years ago and who knows how many generations it goes back in her family.  It is one of those tried and true recipes that continues to get passed down in families, just like her famous Snickerdoodle Recipe, that we continue to make and love.

Grandma truly has been and continues to be our Angel and we love her dearly.


GGMa's Angel Food Cake
Courtesy of Grandma (aka GGMa) and Aunt Juanita

1 cup, plus 1 Tbl. sifted flour
3/4 cup sugar
*** Sift together 5 times in a bowl and set aside.

14 egg whites
1/2 tsp. salt
***Beat on medium high, until quite foamy with electric mixer.

Add 1-1/2 tsp. cream of tartar 
***Beat until nice soft peaks.

Sprinkle in 1 cup sugar while beating until unable to feel sugar grains.

Add 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Add 1 tsp. almond extract

Beat on low while gradually adding the sifted flour and sugar mixture.

Bake in ungreased tube pan at 375 degrees (preheated oven) for 35 minutes.

Let cool at least one hour, when cake has separated from the sides, before removing from pan.

One Year Ago: Baja Turkey Tacos
Two Years Ago: Sunrise Bars

Beautiful McKenzie River in Blue River, Oregon

Lemon-Blackberry Olive Oil Cake

As I was looking to see which post to do today, I went back to find the "One Year Ago" recipe and saw that today is the 2nd Anniversary of my blog, which means I now also get to do "Two Years Ago" and the end of the recipes/posts.  Oh my gosh, where has this year gone?  Can anyone please tell me?  I am amazed how fast time keeps ticking by me.

I perused through my photo cache of recipes from the past few months and realized I had not posted this one yet.  It's easy, refreshing and a perfect summer dessert.  In our case, also a great coffee cake for mornings.  

I changed up the Orange Olive Oil Cake that I made a few months ago to see what switching out a couple ingredients would do.  The end result was awesome.  I cannot wait to make this for my grandma when we visit her during our vacation.

Lemon-Blackberry Olive Oil Cake

Non-stick baking spray
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Juice and zest of 1 lemon (about 3 Tbls. juice, 1 Tbl. zest)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups fresh blackberries

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Spray 9-inch round cake pan with non-stick baking spray.

Mix together the sugar and eggs in a medium bowl with a hand mixer on medium speed until blended and light.  Drizzle in the olive oil and vanilla and mix until light and smooth.  Add the lemon juice and zest and mix well.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in another medium bowl.  Add the flour mixture half at a time to the wet ingredients and mix on low just to incorporate.  Carefully fold in the blackberries to the batter, until evenly distributed.

Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake, 25 to 30 minutes.  Let the cake cool 15 minutes.  Serve with fresh whipping cream and blackberries.

One Year Ago:  Fry Sauce
Two Years Ago: Pickling Cucumbers

Reese's Cheescakes

As school is wrapping up for most of the country this week, we also celebrated a milestone of our granddaughter who finished up Kindergarten.  It's a big deal stepping into 1st grade and I remember our twins at this time of their life like it was yesterday.

I put together a celebration package for her.  I think I had more fun shopping and assembling it, than she did opening it.  It's just so much fun sending out surprise gifts to those special people in our lives.

She loves making treats with me.  I wish I could have sent her these (so we didn't eat all of them).  I'll need to remember these for our next visit...they are so easy and a perfect little treat for those lifetime celebrations.

Reese's Bottom Cheesecakes
Adapted from First Yum

1 Box of JELLO instant NO-Bake Cheesecake Mix (Feel free to make your own no-bake Cheesecake)

12 regular size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (one per each Cheesecake)

Approx. 1 Cup of Graham Cracker Crumbs (either store bought, or you can crush your own..or use the enclosed bag of crumbs from the boxed No-Bake Cheesecake Mix)…for sprinkling on top.

12 Paper Cupcake Liners

1 regular size 12 cup muffin pan
Mix up the no-bake Cheesecake according to the box directions..or make your own fave recipe…

Unwrap the Reese’s and REMEMBER TO REMOVE THE BOTTOM PAPER!

Drop one Peanut Butter Cup down into each paper liner and pour the Cheesecake Mix onto it…

Into the fridge to chill for at least one hour!

Sprinkle them with the Graham Cracker Crumbs and/or Chocolate Chips!

Lemon Pound Cake with Citrus Glaze

Here was our dinner table conversation the other night, as dogs were trying to solicit during our meal...

Daughter:  "Get out of here Angus".
Mom (me): "Be nice to him".
Daughter:  "He is so annoying".
Mom: "Yes, and you can be annoying at times too".
Daughter: "But he's always begging".
Mom: "The way you are always begging me to make you something because you claim there is nothing to eat in the house"?

Right then, it hit me.  Teenagers and pets are exactly the same, which I then expressed my revelation at the table that night...there really isn't much difference between the two.  Here are my conclusions:

• There are days when they only want to eat and sleep, and nothing else.  I call this the Slug Syndrome.
• They can destroy the inside of your car in 2.3 seconds.
• They decide if and when they want to have you hugging and snuggling them.
• When they are not feeling well, they throw their sad little eyes on you, vomit right next to your feet (on the carpet of course, because they don't give you enough warning), and proceed to go to their bed.
• They sass you when they don't immediately get their own way.
• They are relentless when they want to go somewhere or want something and are very vocal about it.
• When you finally get them in water, you can't get them out (i.e. teen girls in showers vs. dogs swimming in lakes).
• When they do well at something, they love to be rewarded with treats.

Even with all their similarities (pleasant or not), I love them so much and wouldn't trade being a mom to each and every one of them for anything.  They all have their own wonderful traits, personalities and I am so blessed to have them in my life.

So, as we celebrate Mother's Day this weekend, be kind and remember that special someone in your life who has taken care of you and/or your pets.

Lemon Pound Cake with Citrus Glaze

For the cake:
1 box Betty Crocker Lemon Cake Mix
1 (3 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup canola oil

For the glaze:
3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbl. (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbl. orange juice

Preheat oven as directed on cake mix box.

Mix all cake ingredients and bake as directed on box (for bundt pan size).

Remove cake from oven and let cool.  While cake is cooling, mix all ingredients for glaze.

Turn cooled cake over on a serving platter and drizzle citrus glaze all over cake.

Let glaze set and serve.

Take the time to set a beautiful table for Mother's Day.
  She (and the dogs) will love you for it.

"Un"Fried Ice Cream in Cinnamon-Sugar Bowl

If you're feeling a sweet tooth coming on, this is the perfect answer to that and an incredibly easy Cinco de Mayo dessert.  If we ever have room in our stomachs after eating at a Mexican restaurant and are feeling like a splurge, sharing one of the Fried Ice Cream desserts is always at the top of the list.

I figured out a few years ago how to do a homemade version, without the deep frying.  It tastes exactly like the restaurant recipes!!  My kids love having them...okay, I do too!

Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, ice cream, butter, 

flour tortilla and cinnamon-sugar blend.

Take about a cup of the cereal and crush it in a 

plastic sandwich bag.

Roll one large scoop of ice cream in the crushed cereal.

Let set in freezer for about 15 minutes.

While the cereal coated ice cream is freezing, 

spread butter on flour tortilla and sprinkle with

the cinnamon-sugar blend.

Form tortilla into a bowl and bake at 425 degrees 

for about 10 minutes, or until just getting crispy and brown edges.

(making sure sugar does not burn)

Serve ice cream in baked tortilla bowl.

Drizzle with chocolate and caramel sundae syrup.

Enjoy!!

One Year Ago:  Margarita Cupcakes

Mayan Chocolate Cookies...and Memorial Model

Yes, once again it is school finals time in our household.  To sum it up, this means late nights, glue gun burning fingers and attention to the finest details.  I am happy to report that the girls have worked on their time management skills and not started projects the night before they were due.  Hallelujah!

One daughter for her History class, needed to create a memorial that represents World War II and the people of The Great Depression.  All semester, they have been reading "The Greatest Generation" by Tom Brokaw.

Once she decided on her memorial, she then had to make a model of it and decide where in the country it would be located and why.

She decided on Arlington National Cemetery for the location and did such a beautiful job depicting the most serene memorial site, complete with pillars engraved with the names from the book.

The other daughter for her Spanish class had to make a dish representing Guatemala and serve it to her class.  Thank goodness she chose a travel friendly dish that didn't require much for presentation.

These cookies were unbelievable!!  My husband, who is not a dessert guy, could not stay out of them. If you are attending a Cinco de Mayo event next week, these would be perfect to bring along. Coincidentally, while we were making them "Chocolate" the movie with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp was on...love that movie!  Great chick flick and there are several references to the Mayans and their spicy chocolate.

When you first bite into these, they taste like a normal chocolaty, chocolate chip cookie - then all of the sudden you feel that kick in the back of your throat.  Then, you can't stop eating them!!!

Mayan Chocolate Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar (plus 3/4 cup for rolling)
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 cups flour
1 cup unsweetened Cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl with electric mixer, cream butter, 1 cup sugar and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy.

Add eggs and mix well.

Add cayenne, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Blend well.

Add flour and blend.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Spoon out chilled dough with tablespoon or melon ball scooper and roll dough in hand to make a ball. Roll ball into remaining 3/4 cup sugar.

Drop onto a lightly greased (or parchment paper lined) cookie sheet.

Bake 10 - 12 minutes.

**Keep a tall glass of cold milk handy!!

One Year Ago: Taco (Bowl) Salad

Blackberry Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel

A hint of Spring peeked in our front yard this week.

Spring is in the air and Easter is around the corner (and more snow, if you can believe it).  As I have seen all these beautiful little signs of spring pop up in our yard, I look at the weather channel and see it is supposed to snow this Friday...really??  Hard to imagine.

Unfortunately, my husband will have to deal with the snow alone, as my daughters and I leave in the morning for a national tournament.  Also, unfortunately for the first time in 22 years, we will all not be together for Easter morning.  As we return very late Sunday night, it will be historical to not have Easter baskets, morning Mass, or our family brunch together and that makes all of us so incredibly sad.  So much that I didn't even put out one Easter decoration from my menage of decor that I have acquired over the years.

To try and cheer up both of us, I made a coffee cake today so my husband could enjoy for breakfast while we are away.  This is so delicious and would be perfect for your Easter family brunch or even as a dessert with a wonderful freshly made whipped cream topping (or just go ahead and have the whipped cream topped cake for brunch too - why not??!!)

Blackberry Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel
Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma

• 2 cups plus 1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
• 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 2 eggs, beaten, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 pint blackberries
• 2 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the pecan streusel:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Dust the pan with a little flour, tapping out the excess.

In a bowl, sift together the 2 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat together the butter, granulated sugar and orange zest on high speed until light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the eggs and then the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream and beginning and ending with the flour, beating until smooth. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

In another bowl, combine the blackberries, brown sugar, cinnamon and the 1 Tbs. flour. Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Top with the berry mixture, taking care that no berries touch the sides of the pan. Spread the remaining batter over the berries, smoothing the top.

To make the streusel, in a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and butter. Using your fingers, work the ingredients together until just combined, then work in the pecans. Press the mixture together into a ball and then separate it with your fingers into coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the cake.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Cut the cake into squares and serve. Serves 12.

Blarney Bark

An Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Started an extra early day today, as I was waiting for my allotted shower time slot...corned beef in the crockpot, baby red potatoes washed and ready to boil and as we are trying to get out the door, one daughter says, "Mom, we forgot to get my pie for my math class this morning!"...some things just never change. (they are celebrating "Pi" day this week). The great part is since my girls have their driving licenses now..."you better get in the car and go then", I replied. Love it!!

Knowing that we have a salty dinner ahead, I searched through my dessert cookbook last night looking for something fun to have this evening.  I came across my friend Annie's "Crunch Bars" recipe that she gave me a few years ago during the holidays.  She uses milk chocolate chips and tops them with crushed pecans...so, so yummy.

I remembered that I had a bag of white chocolate chips in the freezer and thought I would give this recipe a new spin with food coloring.  I am definitely going to keep this around for future holidays as well.  Purple or pink food coloring would be great for Easter and blue for 4th of July...the possibilities are endless.

Blarney Bark
Inspired by Annie's Crunch Bars

Club Crackers, about 1 sleeve
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup brown sugar
12 oz. White Chocolate Chips (I use Ghiradelli)
Green Food Coloring

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place crackers in a foil lined 9 x 13 baking dish.

(Spray foil with non-stick spray, prior to adding crackers)

Add butter and sugar to saucepan.  Cook on medium high heat until 

butter is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring

occasionally.  Bring to boil, stirring for 3 minutes.

Pour melted butter/sugar mixture in pan and 

spread evenly over crackers.  

Bake 5 - 7 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Remove pan from oven and immediately sprinkle with

white chocolate chips, let stand 5 minutes or until chocolate is softened.

Spread melted chocolate evenly.

Add a few drops of green food coloring.

Spread food coloring in each direction of pan.

Cool completely and break into pieces.

Super easy, fast and delicious!!!

One Year Ago: Green Eggs and Ham