Dump Truck Cake

Here is my baby's birthday cake. I guess he's not technically a baby anymore, but he's my baby. He loves anything with wheels on it. And he's very into John Deere. So this birthday we did a dump truck that is John Deere green. He loved it and wouldn't let anyone else touch it. That's why I made a separate cake for everyone else to enjoy.



Please excuse the lovely pan the cake is sitting on. I knew it was going to be ugly in the pictures but after I made it I didn't want to transfer it. Three year olds don't care, right?

It's Fudge Makin' Season

I LOVE fudge. Who doesn't? If you don't care for chocolate there are so many other varieties to please your palette. Peanut butter, white chocolate, penuche, peppermint, caramel, the list is endless. I'm on the look-out for new, delicious recipes. I have my tried and true chocolate fudge that I can't even count the number of times I've made and I will make again and again. Mmmm, I love fudge makin' season!

photo from here

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

This scrumptious cupcake recipe is from Ina Garten so you know it's amazing. It's so pretty with the carrots all shiny on top. Don't you love a good carrot cake? I do!

2 cups granulated sugar
1-1/3 cups vegetable oil
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 Tbsp.
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 lb. carrots, grated
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
For the frosting:
3/4 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 lb. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 lb. confectioner's sugar, sieved
For the decoration:
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup shaved or grated carrots
3 Tbsp. good maple syrup
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
2. Beat the sugar, oil, and eggs together in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment until light yellow. Add vanilla. In another bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, the cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Toss the carrots, raisins, and walnuts with 1 tablespoon flour. Add to the batter and mix well (I use my hands - it works best!).
4. Scoop batter into the muffin cups until each is almost full. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack. Makes 22 cupcakes.
5. For frosting, mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment until combined. Add confectioner's sugar; mix until smooth.
6. For the decoration, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat; add the carrots and maple syrup and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until carrots are tender. Spread them on a paper towel to cool.
7. When cupcakes are cool, frost them generously and garnish with big pinches of sautéed carrots.

Here are more yummy cup cakes from BH&G. Enjoy!

The Cooky Book

My mom had this amazing Cooky Book when I was growing up. My sister and I would study this book. Not just casually look through it, but STUDY it. Oh how I wanted those painted cookies! Or the candy cane sugar cooky. Or the earthquake cooky. I would dream about this book. But I don't remember many of these cookies ever being made. We didn't lack cookies in our home. We had the usual chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin, sometimes peanut butter. But why never those fancy cookies on the cover of that book? It was always there, waiting and tempting.

One day a few years ago, I was in Costco just strolling through the aisles. I had no list, just wasting time. And there, right before my hungry eyes...THE COOKY BOOK!!! It wasn't wrapped in cellophane. It had no price, very odd for Costco. I knew I had to have that book. No matter the price, it had to be mine. My children needed that book in their lives. They needed to spend quality drool time, just like their mother. It would become an heirloom to be passed down through generations. So I took the book to the check out and the cashier tried to find a price, nothing. She called a manager, nothing. The book wasn't in their system. They thought it must have been left over from Christmas and somehow separated from the set it was packaged with. Since there was no UPC in their computers they said they would have to make up a price. I was expecting to pay around $15, maybe a little more. I didn't care! The manager asked me, "How about $1.00?" Seriously?!? $1.00??? Yay!!! My favorite book for $1.00! It was meant to be!

So now you ask, have I made any of the cookies from those bright, glossy, tempting pages? You better believe it! We made those earthquake cookies. But mostly just chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin. What if those painted cookies actually taste like cardboard and the dream is ruined? I can't do that to my children.

You can purchase your own copy of the book here or here. But you will have to pay a lot more than $1.00.

My Garden Runneth Over

With tomatoes!!! Well, not actually my garden, I don't have time to do a garden, but my parents' garden. The weather reports said it might freeze and so I went and picked tomatoes. Now I need to use them. Last night I made this...

Have you ever had bocconcini? It is bite sized fresh mozzarella balls. They are delicious! I mix a handful of halved cherry tomatoes with about 6 or 7 halved bocconcini. Then mix in some fresh basil or dried basil if you don't have the fresh stuff. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then squeeze some fresh lemon juice all over your salad. AMAZING!!! And I eat it all and I do not share. Children really don't appreciate such delicacies until they are much older and their taste buds have matured beyond EZ Mac.

Here are some more tomato dishes that I am going to try...

Tomato Tart

Doesn't this make your mouth water? There are so many inspiring recipes at this amazing food blog.

Gorgonzola Tomato Pizza
I'm going to have to try a version of this recipe. I like to keep my pizzas simple.

Tomato Basil Soup

I love, love, LOVE tomato basil soup. There is a restaurant in Utah called Zupa's and they have this amazing tomato basil orzo soup. And Wisconsin cauliflower, but that's another post. I would love their recipe but I don't think they are too keen on handing it out. I found a couple recipes that claim to be similar. I'll be the judge.