Carrot Cake Confessions

 

I have a carrot problem .

There, I said it .

I buy too many carrots. I eat too many carrots. But I never really bake with carrots.

I was considering making an apple cake but was inspired to try something different . This recipe is a mesh of about 4 recipes. It is so altered ( as are most of my recipes ) because I am too stubborn to go to the store for ingredients I don’t have ,  that there is no point in linking to the original recipes . It would only cause confusion.

Make this when you have the urge to bake but are living in a chocolate free ( and sad ) house

Make this when you need something different on your counter and on your fork

.

I let this cake cool over night and iced it with a basic cream cheese icing. It makes one layer of a round cake pan or a small square. You could easily double the recipe to create a layer cake.

This cake is too delicious for me to explain .

But the proof is in the pictures. I was so eager to taste this cake , I forgot to photograph it until I had already sliced into it. Unfortunately I do not make Pacman shaped cakes on purpose.

 

 

Carrot Cake

• 1 cup peeled , steamed and pureed carrots  
• 2/3 c. margarine or butter
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/2 c. packed organic brown sugar
• 2/3 c. white sugar
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. cinnamon

METHOD :

Preheat oven 350

1/ Peel and slice into large hunks a few carrots. I used about 6 large ones and ended up with about 1 3/4 cup . I fed the leftover to the dog

Place in steamer basket . When soft, remove and puree. Set aside.

2/Cream together butter , pureed carrots and sugars. Add vanilla and water.

3/ Mix in cinnamon, salt , baking soda, baking powder and flour. Do not over mix.

4/Spread into a greased or cooking sprayed pan ( 8x8) I used one 8 inch round cake pan and bake 15-25 minutes ( depends on your pan ) .

How Martha Failed Me And More Contents Of My Cookie Jar

It happened again .

The cookie jar's contents are wanning already . Sigh.

Rather than put away the clean dishes ( or wash the newly dirty ones ) or get showered and dressed , I did what a reasonable person in such a situation would do.

I went to Martha Stewart's website, knowing she'd solve my quandry.

But Martha, MY Martha , failed me this time. There was not a recipe that fit my requirements :

- A soft oatmeal cookie

-No nuts or fruit.

-Maybe chocolate chips

-Classic

What I found was a list of recipes containing oat bran , cranberries and apricots . Walnuts too. Oh Martha, I had to stray but you left me little choice.

The Joy Of Baking has an awesome Oatmeal Cookie recipe that I only slightly had to alter . They were easy enough to make , smell amazing , and well ,just look .

See.

They are love.

And so is she .

The Contents Of My Cookie Jar

Like most of us , I m still getting back into the swing of things post holidays. While I'm getting organized ( and yes I am applying to jobs !! ) here's another recipe.

After careful consideration and hemming and hawing , when my MIL asked me what I would like for Christmas, I decided.

A cookie jar.

My glass covered cake stand I received from her for my birthday is wonderful and I love it but I wanted something specifically for cookies. And my MIL delivered . An awesome , cookie jar that seals.

Of course an empty cookie jar is just a sad thing. Almost as sad as an empty wine rack , so I made cookies and of course I went to my current favorite source for classic recipes , Martha.

Martha Stewart's Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies - My Way ( altered)

2 cups white organic flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat organic flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup becel light
1/2 cup white organic sugar
1/2 cup organic brown sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 large organic eggs
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

For the original unaltered recipe that involves a lot more sugar ( yes it's possible), real butter and all white flour , click here.

Martha also advises you use a hand mixer to incorporate but I would rather use power of the arm.

Cream together becel , sugars and maple syrup. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.

Mix together dry ingredients and slowly incorporate into sugar mixture. Combine well and fold in chocolate chips. Use a large ice cream scoop or tbsp and drop by spoonful on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 12- 16 minutes.

NOTE: These cookies take much longer than other cookie recipes I have used but the product is a beautiful cookie that reminds me of a homemade yet healthier Chips Ahoy

Cinnamon Rolls

Sometimes I'm not a very good gift giver.

Sometimes I am guilty of being the person that buys a gift that they want . Maybe more than the recipent.

Last year I really wanted The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook, but I bought it for my MIL instead. She loves to cook and after awwing over the book prior to wrapping it for ( along with eagerly awaiting the book's release in the first place ) , I thought she'd really like it AND I could borrow it .

Thankfully The Pioneer Woman has every recipe online pretty much so after contemplating and planning to make her sought after and A-MAZING Cinnamon Rolls , I finally did it.

I admit that recipes involving yeast and waiting deter me from making them.

It's not really the yeast , as I'm not scared of pizza dough . It's more the waiting .

But I waited and it was worth it . There was a bit where I was not sure I would be dining on Cinnamon Rolls or Cinnamon Hockey Pucks , but they turned out pretty good.

Of course it wouldnt be The Pioneer Woman's recipe if it wasn't enough to feed a hundred. So I cut the recipe into a 1/4 . You can find the original version in her book or here.

Enjoy and don't be cheap with the butter.

Really.

Zuchinni's on Door Steps and Operation Beautiful

I've somehow lost the blogging spark .

Somewhere between writing my last exams, graduating , registering for licensing exams and beginning the job search , I just didn't feel like it.

So in attempt to get back in the swing of things, here are some things that caught my eye amongst the blogosphere.

- Operation Beautiful

The lovely Caitlin was on the Today Show the other day and I'm sure if you read any blogs at all you know that her baby, Operation Beautiful the book launched. The virtual book tour is also something to check out ;)

-Zucchinni !

The people at Vitamix are psychic . How did they know that this is my new favorite vegetable?
The lovely PR people over there sent my readers some Zuc recipes in lieu of National Leave A Zuchinni On Your Neighbor's Door Step Day .
Yup , that is really a day . Here are my favorites of the bunch Vitamix provided. If these don't suit your tastebuds , check out some of the other recipes on Vitamix's website

Zucchini Pesto Yield: 1 1/2-2 cups (360-480 ml)

1 1/2 pounds zucchini cut in 1” pieces

1-2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup cashews

2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup (50 g) freshly shredded Parmesan

cheese

1/4 lemon peeled and seeded

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper, salt

NOTE: Turn this pesto into a hummus by

adding 1 14 ounce can (drained) cannellini

or garbanzo beans during blending.

Developed in collaboration with

Chef”s Garden.





1. Place cut zucchini into Vitamix container & secure lid.

2. Select Variable 5 and turn machine on. Coarsely chop

the zucchini using the tamper to press zucchini into

blades if necessary for 10-15 seconds. Stop machine

and scrape down the sides of the container and

fold larger pieces into the bottom of the container.

Continue for another 10 seconds.

3. Place the chopped zucchini into a strainer and mix in

2 teaspoons salt. Place strainer over a bowl and let

zucchini drain for 5-10 minutes. Stir and press zucchini

with the back of a large spoon to release as much

liquid as possible.

4. Add the drained zucchini and the rest of the

ingredients to the Vitamix container in order listed.

Secure lid.

5. Select Variable speed 1.

6. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to

Variable 10 and then to High. Use tamper to press all

ingredients into the blades for 30-45 seconds.

7. Adjust seasonings to taste.


Zucchini Pancakes Yield: 3 1/4 cups (780 ml)

1/3 cup (80 ml) 1% milk

2 cups (250 g) chopped zucchini

3/4 cup (180 ml) egg substitute or 3 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/4 cup sugar or other sweetener, to taste

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 1/2 cups (180 g) whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1. Place milk, zucchini, egg, salt, sweetener, cinnamon

and allspice into the Vitamix container and secure lid.

2. Select Variable 1.

3. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to

Variable 4 or 5.

4. Blend for 10 seconds. Remove the lid plug. Add flour

and baking powder through the lid plug opening.

Replace lid plug.

5. Blend for 5-10 seconds or until mixed.

1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons (105 ml) olive oil

2 pounds (908 g) zucchini, sliced thin

1/2 cup (80 g) yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 teaspoons herbs de province

1/2 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable broth

1. Sauté zucchini, onion, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in

3 tablespoons olive oil, for 5 minutes. Add vegetable

broth, cover and simmer for 7 minutes.

2. Place mixture into the Vitamix container and secure lid.

3. Select Variable 1.

4. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to

Variable 3 or 4. If necessary, use the tamper to press

any ingredients into the blades while processing.

Remove the lid plug.

5. Blend for 1 minute while drizzling in remaining olive oil

through the lid plug opening. Return to sauté pan to

finish heating, if necessary.


Thats all I've got for now. Hopefully the spark will refuel .

-A

Puppy and Dinner

As usual I'm not sure where I left off so I'll go with the contents of my camera card.

Pizza happened on Thursday night.

I was lazy and when I even mention take out , the bf takes pizza delivery and runs with it.

These are the remains of 2 pizzas.

Mine had double cheese and bacon.

His had every vegetable known to man kind.

I slept horribly Thursday night. Woke up to rainy mopey weather . The only saviour was that it was Friday and my bf was off, so he took me to class

Got out of class early , came home and fell asleep.

The result of a nap, was breakfast for dinner.

The above plate is the boyfriends.

Toad in the hole x 2 ( the little circles are the cut out bread )

Bacon

Hashbrowns

My plate :

French toast w/ cinnamon and real maple syrup

Bit of hashbrowns

Bacon!


I slept amazing last night and woke up to this happy girl.

The sun was right on her,hence the odd lighting .

Last night was the first night this puppy didn't sleep in her locked kennel ( it could fit a camel so don't feel bad for her ) .

We decided to see how she would be if we just left her sleeping on her blanket in the living room last night .

She was fine . We woke up to her sleeping on the couch !

Perched on some pillows ( excuse the laptop cord ) and daddy was nice enough to put a blanket on her. Lily adores blankets and feeling confined ( by her own accord).

Aww i love when she makes this almost bashful face. I wish the lighting wasn't so tho.

Such a hard life.

Had to get in on the cuddles.


Went grocery shopping this afternooon and after making some spectacular unpictured sandwiches , I made these.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies !

I bought a very large bunch of bananas at the grocery store today and had a few less than yellow ones on the counter and an abundance in the fridge, so I wanted to bake something to lessen the stash.

Unforuntately this recipe only used 1 banana, fortuntely they are delicious.

You can find the recipe here.

The only modifications I made were to use I Cant Believe Its Not Butter Light in place of butter and I doubt I used as many chocolate chips as the recipe called for.

The dough is very thin and not like normal cookie recipes. Do not fret. The baking soda and baking powder take care of it . So don't be tempted to add more flour.

So good!

What have you had for dinner lately?

Chicken Parm and Alcoholic Chocolate Bars

While I cooked last night bf tried out a couple of these guys. They are made by Cadbury ( sold at lcbo though) and are so rich and delicious. Too rich for me but he liked them.

I cooked some chicken breast pieces dipped in egg and Italian breadcrumbs in a skillet while the sauce simmered.

I tossed some fettucine noodles with an obscene amount of melted butter , garlic and mozzerella cheese.

I assembled the sauce and chicken breast pieces, topped it with some cheese and baked for 25 minutes.

Oh so good and probably oh so horrible for you too.

I also made Buttermilk Cheese Biscuits from Our Best Bites.

I altered the recipe a bit as I didn't have buttermilk and wasn't comfortable using real butter. I also used really old white cheddar cheese instead of orange. These are really good and hold up well. Not crumbly like Red Lobster Biscuits but similar in flavor .

Well , that's all I've got right now. I hope everyone had a good weekend :)

-A

Suspense Filled Cookies and Vegan Yumminess

Hey :)

My lunch was sooo good today. Or brunch considering it served the purpose of both breakfast and lunch.

Oh so fresh sliced italian bread. So fresh it was warm when we bought it , at the ungodly hour of 9;30 am , with mozzerella cheese , baby spinach and a bit of fat free cream cheeese.

My apologies for the sunshine-y-ness while taking this photo. This was without flash.

Yummy it was.

Vegan it was not.

This yummy and long favorite , guacamole of Mama's girl , Jordan is vegan though !

I was going to request a recipe but then I read the caption which basiclly stated that you throw various amounts of the following until it tastes right . In the mix :

-avocado

-onions

-tomatoes

-lemon juice

-cilantro

-and of course Nature's Seasoning

Mama had other words to share about the pictured Kashi crackers but they are not conducive to working up an appetite :P

That new Bob's Muesli , I got the other day ? Well I figured I better give it a whirl and because I'm all about taking risks , I used the recipe on the back of the package for cookies.

I'll make you wait til tomorrow to see the finished product. Not because I like being annoying but because I am too lazy to upload the rest of the photos and or fearful of prying the container of cookies away from bf's claws.

-A

Vegan-ish Cookies and Sick Inspired Soup

Normally, Fridays are by far my favorite day of the week. It means a break. Relief! This particular Friday was particulary good because I had an exam and it meant the end of a subject at school.

I slept horribly Thursday night because the bf caught a cold and kept me up with his coughing and stuffiness.

When the alarm went off at 6:30 i slept straight through until 7:17 :O

My exam was at 8!

I ended up getting up , washing face and brushing teeth. Throwing my hair back into a very messy pony tail and and grabbing random clothing items while calling a cab , since I would miss my bus

I arrived at school ten minutes before 8 and they didnt start the exame until 8;10 . grr. I made it though.

THis kinda set the mood for the rest of the day though. By 10 i had written my exam and visited the grocery store for milk ( for tea for bf) , coffee ( sbux french ) and hot chocolate ( Tim Hortons) . By this time the sick bf had also started on his idea of an early weekend. Well, a sick one.

He had texted me that he was on his way home early because he just felt so crappy.

It started snowing while I waited for the bus to come home. I beat the bf home by a few minutes:) And after changing into some comfy clothes, I made us a couple of sandwiches. Unpictured because, well it's me.

His : toasted italian bread w/ mayo , sliced fresh cheddar and turkey

Mine : un-toasted italian bread w/ r.f mayo and turkey

Our afternoon/day/weekend.


Loooooooove leftover turkey on sandwiches. Thankfully there's probably enough left for a sandwich or two tomorrow.

Dinner ended up being a catered affair.

Well, an ordered affair.

The bf napped the afternoon away and by late evening felt well enough to order us some dinner from a nearby pizza place.

what he ordered:

a medium Canadian pizza

a medium double cheeese and bacon pizza

wings w/ sauce on the side

garlic bread w/ cheese

He also ordered creamy garlic dipping sauce. my fav! But they forget it even though we paid for it :/

While waiting for our food to be delivered I took a glance at my course outline aka work load for next week's course. This one is a one week course which usually means a lot of work since I have to read a whole text book and usually do assigments all while studying for an exam on the subject Friday.

But in this case, all of the marks are based on the exam , attendance and completeing the review questions for the chapters. I can do that! Much easier!

When the pizza arrived, I devoured 2 big slices of the bacon and double cheese. My pizza.

The cheese at this place is a-mazing. Fresh mozzeralla . None of this mozz blend , pizza blend nonsense.

I ended up getitng bored later on and wanted a peanut butter oatmeal kinda cookie. I googled around and meshed together an oatmeal recipe with a vegan one. I came up with this :

Accidental vegan-ish cookies

1 cup oats ( i used Bob's Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats)

1/2 cup flour ( i used PC organics white flour , allpurpose)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup ( i used some local stuff i got from a family member's sugar shack)

1/2 cup becel oil

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 pinch of salt

Mix together becel , sugar , peanut butter.

Add vanilla and maple syrup

Combine flour , oats, salt and baking soda.

Slowly incorporate into becel mixture.

Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet or they will shatter into a million pieces. Transfer to plate and let sit for awhile. store in airtight container.

VERDICT:

They were delicious but defintely not the kind of cookie you can eat straight off the cookie sheet, warm or hot. They will crumble. They have to set for a bit I guess because of the ingredients used. I'd love to try a version with almond butter.

Saturday brought more couch sitting as the bf still wasnt feeling very well and it was frigid outside. We managed to go to the Bank before it closed in the am , the liquor store ( for provisions) , the drug store ( cold pills and diet coke) and the butcher and make it back home where we've been ever since ( its now sunday as i write this ) .

The bf's idea of provisions.


Saturday's eats were nothing to write home about either. I did drink an awful lot of diet coke and peppermint tea though .

Dinner was some scallopped potatoes made with golden fingerling potatoes, 8 year old cheddar , onions and real butter. Very yummy and very rich . Tonnes of leftovers too . I made the bf some tri tip steaks and I gorged myself on a leftover salad and some roasted chicken breast.

Sunday , this morning , brought coffee made by the bf while I slowly got out of bed.

Very slowly.

Now I'M sick. Ugh.

No cooking going on for today . Well , not really. I made an omlette w/ cheese for breakfast and had it wiht some coffee. A couple of hours later i made a blender concoction .

In the blender:
Orange Juice

mixed berries

frozen banana

I of course made way too much and after pouring two tall glasses for me and the bf, we were left with this :

I took a bag of frozen chicken soup out of the freezer earlier because I predicted I wouldn't be feeling any better or want to cook dinner. It sucks because I love cooking Sunday dinners, but whatever .

I defrosted the frozen soup in a pot and added:

4 cups of broth

1/2 an onion

2 ribs of celery

1 clove of garlic

fresh thyme

a chopped up chicken breast

Food becoming soup.

I'll probably cook some egg noodles too because the bf demands them :)

Here's to a low key -rest-of Sunday .

-A

Peanut Butter Cookies, Altered

My bf is obsessed with my peanut butter cookies. I have made a million cookie recipes but this is the one he requests EVERY week .After making a vegan almond butter cookie recipe at Christmas ( it was A-MAZING!) I thought I would try to "lighten" this recipe up without it being noticeable. I 'll post both the original recipe and the altered.

Please to be ignoring that beautiful wallpaper. THankfully its only on the wall that is mostly hidden by my fridge /stove/cupboards.




Peanut Butter Cookies Original Recipe

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or marargine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
You can of course add peanuts or chocolate chips if you want.

Cream together sugars , butter and peanut butter. Add egg and vanilla.
Combine flour, salt, baking soda .
Slowly stir into creamed sugar mixture.
When combined , add chocolate chips and such .
Roll into small balls and place an inch or so apart. Flatten with a wet fork.
Cook at 375 for 8 minutes or until edges are golden and top looks almost cooked. Remove from pan immediately and let cool.

Altered recipe

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup becel light
1/2 cup kraft natural peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

Same method as before but cream the maple syrup along with the sugars and butters.


-A

Cookies and To Do Lists

Hi ! :)

This picture although it represents the current status of my kitchen table , it also represents the status of my to do list.

I've been baking !

A lot.

Christmas oranges , as I call them have been a mainstay since the crates started appearing at Loblaws/Superstore. I don't eat them but the bf devours them . He's picky though. He prefers half the crate in the fridge crisper and half at room temperature. I don't mind . They look cute.
Please to be ignoring the random papers on my kitchen table. I am running out of space for my textbooks/work from previous courses and have yet to figure out a plan of attack.

Williams Sonoma Berry Muffins

2 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar ( i used splenda for baking but use what you're comfortable with)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk ( I used 2 % for the bf's sake but I've used skim and it's fine)
1/2 cup "butter" ( I used PC celeb aka light becel )
2 large eggs
1 cup berries of your choice. ( i used mixed frozen berries that i had defrosted)

Preheat oven to 400 . Whisk together milk , butter and egg. Add flour , sugar and baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon . Add berries. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Shortbread Cookies

These cookies are typically cut into slices or just in simple rounds. I rolled mine out and used cutters.

1 1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp vanilla
3 1/3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 275.
Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add salt and vanilla. Beat to combine. Add flour one cup at a time.
Press into pan OR roll out and cut.
Bake until pale golden brown . 70-85 minutes .

I topped these with a simple cream cheese frosting. Dangerous I know . Basiclly took half of a small container of philidelphia cream cheese, added a splash of milk and about 1/2 cup of icing sugar. I added the icing sugar gradually. You may find you don't need as much . I took half of the finished product and put it in a sandwich bag for "piping" and used the rest to be spread with a spatula.
Top it off with sprinkles or whatever decorations you choose. If you want the icing to be festive, drop in a bit of food coloring when mixing up the icing . Let the icing set for a bit before packing up the cookies.

*

One thing is almost off of my to do list. I have two more items to bake for my Christmas baking and then that is crossed off the list. I have about 4 more presents to buy and my shopping is done.

TO DO THIS WEEK:

• Buy some festive plates and colored cellophane wrap to wrap up Baked Goodies.
• Finish Christmas Shopping. Would like to get some done prior but on Friday morning me and a friend are going to trample the mall. I'm thinking of it as getting all the last minute stuff. I do NOT want to be shopping the week of Christmas!!
  
• Finish wrapping
  
• Find a recipe for Artichoke and Asiago Dip ( cold ) . Anyone know of a good one?
• Homework and school work. I managed to get my homework done incredibly early today and even managed to get a day ahead. Hopefully I can keep this momentum up until Thursday which is my last day before Christmas break. YEY for 2 weeks off !

• Hair cut and dye on Thursday. Need it. Desperately. I've been putting it off because I wanted as little "roots" as possible for Christmas pics. Hate Christmas paparazzi family members.

What's on your Christmas to-do list?

What are you baking or bringing to Holiday get togethers?

-A