Happy Mother’s Day to all Mother’s in the world! Hope your day is wonderful.
A very simple homemade chocolate and vanilla cake with a vanilla cream cheese frosting
Category Archives: Holiday
Peeps Sunflower chocolate cake
This peeps chocolate cake is very cute for Easter brunch or dinner.
The chocolate cake is from the Hershey Co. recipe which is a very moist and a rich dark chocolate. Hershey’s Chocolate cake recipe
I used mini chocolate chips for the sunflower seeds. The frosting is also from the Hershey frosting recipe link.
Peeps can also be used as centerpieces. 
St. Patrick’s Day recipes
Irish sweet scones: Scone recipe
Irish Lamb Stew a National dish lamb stew
Irish Soda Bread soda bread recipe
St. Patrick Oreo mint cookies Oreo recipe
Marshmallow Giant pops on a stick for St. Paddy’s Day Marshmallow pops recipe
St. Patrick Pretzel rods Pretzel Rods
St. Patrick Green Sugar crispy and chewy cookies Green Sugar cookies
Shamrock Rice Krispes Shamrock recipe
Filed under Bread, Cookies, Holiday, Irish recipes
Valentine’s sugar cookies
Happy Valentine’s day! Sweet treat for friends and family.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter room temperature
1 large egg
1 cup sugar
2 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or pure almond extract, lemon extract
1/2 baking powder
pinch of salt
Direction: Pre-heat oven at 375 degrees Bake time: 8 - 10 minutes
In a large mixing bowl cream together, butter, sugar, eggs until smooth and creamy. Stir in the flour a little at a time. Mix in vanilla or almond extract, pinch of salt and baking powder.
Roll dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or over night. One hour works well.
Dust your work area with flour. If you are using cookie cutters, place a small bowl with powder sugar and dip the cutter into powder sugar before cutting each cookie, makes easy to cut and dough will not stick. Use your favorite sprinkles.
Place cut cookies on a cookie sheet using parchment paper. Place cookies 1/ 2 inch apart.
Royal Icing
This is an easy Royal recipe for “Dummies” including me. Actually it from the ” Dummie site.Royal Icing recipe
small Valentine’s gifts from your heart!
Filed under Cookies, Holiday, Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine’s Day! Red Velvet cake with Sweethearts
This red velvet cake is an old fashion recipe, a fluffy and moist red velvet cake with a creamy cream cheese frosting. A delicious and unique flavor! If you do not have time use a cake mix to save time. This cake took 9 boxes of sweetheart candies. A fun Valentine project for kids and teens.
Ingredients for cake
1 1/2 cup Vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of red food coloring
Directions Pre-heat Oven 350 degrees F
Place cupcake paper cups in cupcake holder. If making a cake, grease the pan with oil or butter and dust with cocoa powder. (2 cake pans 9-inch) Set a side until ready to use.
In a large bowl place all the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder mixing in the oil. Add one egg at a time and mix well.
Add buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring,
Using electric mixer, or kitchen aid using a paddle attachment blend all until creamy.
Pour mixture into your cupcakes holder or cake pans .
If making cupcakes bake about 15-25 minutes. Test with a toothpick if it comes out clean it’s done.
If making a cake, bake for about 30-35 minutes. Check to see if it is done with a knife and if it comes out clean it is done.
Cool the cakes or cupcakes completely before frosting
Cream cheese frosting
2 cream cheese 8 oz packs
1/2 stick butter’
3 cups white powder sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
In a mixing bowl using a mixer or kitchen aid blend all ingredients until frosting becomes creamy.
Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Frosting will keep for 3 days.
Took 9 boxes of Sweethearts to decorate the cake.
Filed under Cakes, Holiday, Valentine's Day
Christmas cookies recipes
Christmas sugar cookies: Snowflakes and Snownman
Christmas Cookies Gingerbread kid
Biscochitos or Bizcochitos anise seed cookies, State of New Mexico official cookie
Mexican Wedding cookies and Christmas cookie
Irish Whiskey Christmas Cookies
Irish Christmas currants and caraway seed cookies
Old Fashion Ginger snap cookie made with molasses
Shortbread cookies made with fresh lemons and almonds
Persimmon Cookies with Orange Blossom Icing
Raspberry Thumbprint Butter cookies, No eggs needed
Red Velvet Chocolate Chip crunchy cookies made from a cake mix
Happy Thanksgiving: How to roast a perfect turkey
I usually buy an organic turkey from Wholefoods or your local butcher shop. It does taste better and for some reason the fresh turkey is very moist. Roasting a turkey can be very easy. Do not wash the turkey. Pat the turkey with a dry paper towel. The heat in the oven will kill any bacteria. Place the bird in a large roasting pan. Rub extra virgin olive oil adding fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sea salt and whatever spices and other herbs you desire.
Pre-heat oven to 450 F.
Do not suff your turkey as a un-stuff turkey will cook evenly and faster. You can add your cooked stuffing the last 15 – 20 minutes of roasting so that the stuffing will have a hint of turkey drippings or add the stuffing when the turkey is done.
Basting the turkey is up to the person who is roasting the turkey. Pros and cons about this. If you add butter or olive oil and spice, just leave the turkey alone you will get a crispy skin. If you do the basting you will get a golden color and a moist turkey. I do both, I baste the turkey the first 2 hours and I stuff the turkey when the turkey is done. Remember the skin get crispy by fat not liquid, if you like a crispy skin add a more butter or olive oil the last hour of roasting.
Use a thermometer and insert into a thigh make sure it register at 170F. On the last 1 hour of roasting , I add more salt and pepper than I leave the turkey alone when done for 15 – 30 minutes as the juices will set and in the end you will have a moist turkey and the skin is crispy.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Filed under Holiday
Fresh Homemade Cranberries with Walnuts, White Wine and mandarin oranges
Ingredients
2 bags of fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups of white wine
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 cups walnuts
2 cans of mandarin oranges drained save the juice from the can
1/2 cup of can juice from the mandarin oranges
Garnish zest of an orange and fresh mint(optional)
cool before adding walnuts and mandarin orangesDirections
Wash and rinse fresh cranberries thoroughly.
In a medium pot, combine wine, can juice and sugar on medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Add cranberries and simmer for 7-10 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Try to keep cranberries whole. Do not smash the cranberries
When all is cool add the mandarin oranges and walnuts.
Keep in the refrigerator in air tight container for 2 weeks before serving.
Wine will burn off during cooking and all the flavors will marinate during 2 weeks.
1~2 weeks marinated
Garnish with zest of an orange and fresh mint.
Filed under Holiday
California Golden Stuffing
Ingredients
4 stalks of celery chopped and diced
1 white onion diced
2 granny smith apples (green) diced
1 baguette toasted and diced in cubes (season with herbs)
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1/3 cup of butter
1/2 cup California golden raisins
2 cups chestnut (stream)
1/2 cup California sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups chestnuts stream and peel (Trader Joe’s in the frozen section)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)
Directions
On medium heat in a saucepan melt the butter , add chopped celery, onions. Stir until onions are translucent. (2-3 minutes)
Add Green diced apples
Add the chicken broth and mix lightly adding the cubes season bread.
Add the chestnuts, cranberries and raisins.
Add Green diced apples
Add the chicken broth and mix lightly adding the cubes season bread.
Add the chestnuts, cranberries and raisins.
Cook for about 5 minutes until all is incorporated.
Add stuffing to the turkey or just cook on the stove and add some drippings from the turkey (cook for another 3-5 minutes)
Before serving add the sliced almonds for a crunch.
Filed under Holiday
Soft Pumpkin Chocolate chip honey almond cookies made without eggs and butter
These chocolate chip pumpkin cookies are made with honey almonds, but without eggs and butter. I already made several dozen cookies for friends and they enjoyed every bite to the last crumb! This is a very easy recipe and your family and friends will be delighted with the rich autumn flavor and of a nutty crunch yet a soft cookie. Makes a great treat for Halloween and thanksgiving day.
Ingredients:
1 cup can pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
2/3 organic brown raw sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups organic all-purpose flour
’1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup canola oil
1 bag of mini semi sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 bag trader Joe’s Honey sliced almonds(optional) or use walnuts
parchment paper for baking sheet(optional)
Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees. Place parchment paper on the cookie sheet or slighty use a baking spray.
Mix all wet ingredients in a large bowl, pumpkin, oil, vanilla and mix well, add sugar, flour baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and blend well.
Add chocolate chips, mix well. Use a tablespoon to drop cookie dough on to the baking sheet 2 inches apart, the cookie will slighty spread. Place a few sliced honey almonds on top of cookie dough.
Bake until golden brown 8-10 minutes
Filed under Cookies, Holiday, Vegetarian